Mirror, Mirror : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Reflections
Review: 'Mirror, mirror on the wall whose the fairest of them all?' This is a question Jordan Overton would never ask because she knows she would not be the answer. Jordan lives a miserable life, in a dead-end job, with a boss that treats her like a doormat. She is overweight, has low self-esteem, and she's pining away for a married man who won't give her the time of day.

When Jordan undergoes a makeover she starts to see the world through new eyes, and finally the married man of her dreams seems to notice her. Unfortunately, all of this coincides with a series of strange and violent events: the murder of her boss, people acting strangely and disappearing. Things become more complicated when she finds herself unwittingly entangled in a murder plot and she doesn't know why.

Love has blinded Jordan to reality, and somewhere along the line she has lost herself. Jordan loses what little self-respect she has when she realizes she's given her control to this man. Will Jordan come to her senses? For this answer you'll need to read Laurel Handfield's sophomore novel, MIRROR, MIRROR. As a reader I desperately wanted Jordan to improve her opinion and to love herself. Unfortunately,the character development fell short and a lot of questions were left unanswered. However, the story was full of action and never dragged.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Rating:
Summary: Reflections
Review: 'Mirror, mirror on the wall whose the fairest of them all?' This is a question Jordan Overton would never ask because she knows she would not be the answer. Jordan lives a miserable life, in a dead-end job, with a boss that treats her like a doormat. She is overweight, has low self-esteem, and she's pining away for a married man who won't give her the time of day.

When Jordan undergoes a makeover she starts to see the world through new eyes, and finally the married man of her dreams seems to notice her. Unfortunately, all of this coincides with a series of strange and violent events: the murder of her boss, people acting strangely and disappearing. Things become more complicated when she finds herself unwittingly entangled in a murder plot and she doesn't know why.

Love has blinded Jordan to reality, and somewhere along the line she has lost herself. Jordan loses what little self-respect she has when she realizes she's given her control to this man. Will Jordan come to her senses? For this answer you'll need to read Laurel Handfield's sophomore novel, MIRROR, MIRROR. As a reader I desperately wanted Jordan to improve her opinion and to love herself. Unfortunately,the character development fell short and a lot of questions were left unanswered. However, the story was full of action and never dragged.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Rating:
Summary: A romance / Suspense story that was engaging
Review: 28 year old Jordan Overton is a little over weight and lacking self esteem. Her gay male roommate Terry is always reminding her if she would just... lose a little weight she would be beautiful. Her boss Mr. Hines prefers to bark orders from his desk instead of using the intercom. Every day on the bus she runs into Hatttie a little old lady who drives her crazy and always has words for Jordan such as"you look different, you must have a man" or " what's wrong you look like hell".Jordan refuses to open up to Hattie. Jordan's dull life is full of insults until the good looking Trent Prescott catches her eye.
Jordan takes her roommate Terry's advise and lets him do her hair and makeup and gives her a few new outfits instead of her classic J.C.Penny white button down shirts.And Jordan is losing weight. Jordan suddenly likes who she sees in the mirror and so does everyone else Including Trent Prescott. After a candlelit dinner they share a night of passion with many more to follow. When Jordan returns to work she finds her boss Mr. Hines sitting in his chair behind his desk...Dead!. Someone has poisoned him. Things don't add up to Jordan like her seeing Mr. Hines and Mrs. Prescott together at a local restaurant before his death. Trent convinces Jordan that she must help him, he needs an alibi because as part owner in the company he is the only one with a motive. He tells Jordan that he thinks his wife killed him. Foolishly in love Jordan believes him and her life starts to spiral out of control with lies until all fingers point her way as the suspect. Trent has set her up. Worried for her safety and lost in a bed of lies with no one to trust Jordan recalls Hattie's words from the bus" whatever is going on in your life can't be all that bad that it can't be fixed." look at yourself in the mirror, look past all that makeup and hair and you'll see your soul. you'll see what needs fixin and if you have sense, you'll fix it before it fixes you". Jordan looks into the mirror and starts to fix the woman she has become and the reasons why. A romance / Suspense story that was engaging. I found myself cursing under my breath at Jordan for her blindness. The things we do for love. I loved the surprise ending. You'll never guess who walks away like a fat cat in paradise.

reviewed by: Dawn
M.B.C.N.Y.2003

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't figure it out!
Review: I loved this novel. It had so many twists and turns and in the end I couldn't figure out who the murderer was. I recently read Ms. Handfield's first novel My diet starts tomorrow which was a relationship book and was surprised to see her delve into the mystery world. What a great surprise. I couldn't put it down and it only took me one day to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Murder Mystery!!!!
Review: Mirror Mirror is about a young woman (Jordan) who is in love with a married man who just so happens to be accused of a murder. When he enlists her help in clearing himself of the charges, Jordan finds herself sinking deeper and deeper into something she has lost control of.

Laurel Handfield has done an excellent job with her second attempt. Although I tried to figure out who the killer was, I just couldn't and when I found out, I was surprised. Ms. Handfield has created a great murder mystery. I read this book in one day. This book will definitely be a hit.

Rating:
Summary: Just Barely Making These 4 Stars
Review: Mirror, Mirror starts out very slow with the low self-esteem character of Jordan but it does manage to pick up after a while.

Pros - The book is funny. I laughed out loud at some of Jordan's thoughts. Her roommate Terry livens up this book and proves to be a friend to the end. The book keeps you guessing to the end about the murder and has a nice twist.

Cons - The "Hattie" character. What purpose did she serve? Everytime Jordan was about to get on the bus I would cringe because then I'd have to read Miss Hattie's words. Was she supposed to represent the witch in Snow White? Eve in the Garden of Eden? There was just no need for this character. Jordan was a bit too naive even for a fictional character. Everyone around her lied to her face, including her roommate, and she picked up on nothing. I also didn't like how Ms. Handfield would try to throw certain words in a sentence to let us know she owns a dictionary. Many of the words were filler and seemed forced as well as unecessary. In your next book just let the words flow and never try to patronize the reader.

All in all I give the book 4 stars instead of three because it was a pretty quick read and kept me entertained.

Rating:
Summary: Title to be Revised
Review: The words "mirror mirror" bring to mind Snow White and the infamous question: Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? However, Mirror Mirror by Laurel Handfield is far from a fairytale and Jordan Overton, the main character, is no Snow White.

At twenty-eight years old, Jordan is slightly overweight and suffers from low self-esteem, which Terry, her gay roommate tries to boost on a regular basis. He offers to do her hair, encourages her to lose weight and even buys her outfits occasionally to spruce up her look and elevate her confidence.

Jordan suddenly welcomes Terry's makeover suggestions when she starts working as a temp at PHC Industries. At the workplace she finds herself attracted to Trent Prescott, one of the owners of the company, and often fantasizes about having an office romance with him even though he's married. Rather than work for William Hines, the tyrant boss who orders her around and belittles her, she would love to be Trent's secretary. So when Trent calls her at home desperately needing help to complete a project, she races back to the office; Jordan to the rescue.

Thanks to Terry's makeup mastery and a little weight loss, Jordan actually receives compliments from Trent, which could be construed as innocent or not-so-innocent flirting. Later, he invites her to dinner. Ultimately, her dreams come true and she has sex with Trent. Although it didn't quite happen the way she had envisioned it would, she is happily on cloud nine.

But when she finds Mr. Hines dead in his office, her world turns upside down and her happiness turns to confusion. To make matters worse, she is the key suspect. Strange things start to happen. A detective tells her that Hines left his portion of PHC Industries to her. But why? Didn't Hines hate her? Also, why does Trent want her to lie about his whereabouts? Then there's Gerald, a nosy coworker who starts acting bizarre. Plus, Terry suddenly seems to have lots of extra money lately.

Mirror Mirror is Laurel Handfield's second book, but her debut to the mystery genre. She does a great job of weaving a suspenseful story that forces readers to want to find the killer. Unpredictable is the key word because you'll never guess "whodunit." The pacing at the beginning of the book is slow. In fact, there is no real action within the first sixty pages. In addition to a slow start, the author uses words that do not fit the flow of some sentences, ultimately creating reading speed bumps. Another story stall is introducing the character Hattie, a living fixture on the bus that Jordan rides to and from work. She seems to have no purpose other than to remind Jordan to look at herself. Mirror Mirror may not be the fairest of them all, but it's an intriguing mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. Just like a fairytale, someone does live happily ever after, but readers will be surprised to find out who.

Reviewed by Joan Burke Stanford for Loose Leaves Book Review

Rating:
Summary: This is definitely worth the money
Review: This was one book that was very good. I read Ms. Handfields first novel, My Diet Starts Tomorrow and really enjoyed that one so therefore I picked this one up. It is definitely not the same old relationship type book that I have been reading lately. This is more of a relationship intertwined with suspense and mystery that unfolds to a surprise ending. I would have to say I definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys being left on the edge of your seat. Great job and I look forward to more from you.

Rating:
Summary: Do you know the person in your mirror?
Review: Wow! what a suspenseful tale, this book was too good it will keep you on the edge of your seat. A must read. This author is a great storyteller.