I enjoyed this book - the style, the characters, the place, the club Jane investigates, the story. I have been reading these books as I find them, not in any order, and this is the first one I read. It was gripping and cozy enough for me to want to find more. Some of the later books are less cozy, but that's fine too. This series is like visiting old friends and places. I like the main character - Jane Lawless - but I also like her old friend Cordelia Thorn, who seems to have some of the best lines, a great style, and a love of food. The club has some very interesting features, which are worth waiting for. I have never been to Minneapolis, but this series makes it feel like home. ( )

#4 in the Jane Lawless mystery series set in Minneapolis. Jane’s life seems to be on an even keel at last—her restaurant is doing well, there’s a new love interest in the form of Dottie, a city councilwoman, and no one she knows has died lately. But then her father, a defense attorney, receives a fake pipe bomb threat, which everyone believes is related to his new client, Emery Gower, who has been charged with the murder of the head of a local women’s club. Jane decides to look into things at the club (which, coincidentally, her best friend Cordelia has recently joined) on her own, but is surprised when, a few days later, after the supposed accidental death of another member of their board of directors, one of the club’s directors approaches her and asks her to secretly investigate *that* death.

The red herrings fly fast and furiously in this book, and I pretty much fell for one of them throughout most of the book, thinking I’d solved the case when indeed I hadn’t. The characters are interesting, though perhaps just a tad bit clichéd, and I do really like Jane. I enjoyed the book, but there’s something slightly “off” about the writing style—perhaps it’s that the dialogue seems a tad bit forced, but I’m not sure if that’s it, or if it’s just the whole package. A good read, but not a great one, despite being surprised at the outcome. I’ll continue to read the series—Hart’s right on with her portrayal of the local Twin Cities settings and the main character feels like an old friend after a few books. ( )