London tours, endangered species, deception, and laughs
“Fogged Off” is part of the “Cyd Redondo Mystery” series, but all readers need to know is that Cyd Elizabeth Madonna Redondo is in the book; she is the plot, the plan, the problem, and the solution. She is a travel agent in Brooklyn specializing in travel for senior citizens who did not travel much herself until the last few years. The events unfold in her first-person narrative. Just who is Cyd Redondo, other than an ecoterrorist who drinks absinthe from Dixie cups?
Cyd Redondo Redondo Travel, as she always introduces herself, never wears orange and hates Bono. She loves libraries and knows CPR, given her clientele and relatives. She never has two cocktails at lunch except during tax and hurricane seasons. She wears wrinkle-proof designer clothes equipped with actual pockets big enough to actually hold things. She never checks luggage, but instead, carries on everything. She brings along a designer Balenciaga handbag stocked with essentials, including but not limited to: granola bars, water, emergency dry ice packs, lipstick, passport, penlight, glow stick, blowtorch, nesting shot glasses, plastic zip ties, lock picks, color-coordinated bungee cords, black silk scarf, roll of quarters, disposable gloves, Tupperware, airline bottles of Jack Daniel’s, promotional swag, and vouchers to pay for everything.
Cyd is dedicated to her customers. She has no problem withholding information from the authorities to keep her clients and herself safe, and she can lie about anything from the amount of milk left in the fridge to how many times she has been shot. Other characters weave their way in and out of the story, but Cyd holds everything together.
Only Cyd Redondo Redondo Travel can be hilarious in the midst of trauma. “Fogged Off” has suspense, murders, international scandals, backstabbing, both figurative and literal. Most of all it has humor, frivolity, light-hearted conflict, and well, it has Cyd. I received a review copy of “Fogged Off” from Wendall Thomas and Beyond The Page Publishing. When you stop laughing, you may agree with Cyd who believes that when she is really in trouble in the modern world, senior citizens are the only ones she can count on to save her. ( )

Do I ever love this series! When I'm reading the latest adventures of Wendall Thomas's Cyd Redondo, I forget that I have to spend an hour a day hooked up to a (sometimes painful) machine. Instead, I'm laying there smiling, chuckling, and sometimes laughing loud enough that my husband comes into the room to find out what's so funny. The humor, the references to old movies, the characters, the mystery... everything weaves together into a winning combination that will brighten anyone's day.

Cyd is front and center. This is her show, and I love her voice. For a travel agent, she's done very little traveling herself, and I have to admit that I enjoyed watching her as she traveled the streets of London-- seeing places she'd discussed and booked for her clients and dreamed about, learning that the first floor isn't the same floor in England as it is in the United States... and who knew that closets were American?

No mention of Cyd Redondo is complete without her Balenciaga bag, the bag that MacGyver would kill to possess. It is even gaining a reputation. Don't believe me? Well, one character confronts Cyd and tells her, "I don't trust you. I trust your purse." All women should be so lucky to have a purse like Cyd's. Armed with such handbags, it would only be a matter of days until women ruled the world. Maybe even the universe.

Cyd's uncle and aunt add even more spice to the tale, especially Aunt Helen. All I can say is mess with the Redondos at your own peril. And don't forget that no Cyd Redondo adventure is complete without a critter. This time it's Bruce, the Casanova of rodents. So not only do I want a Balenciaga, I want a Bruce, too.

If you're in the mood for a good mystery filled with wit and humor, do yourself a favor and read all of Wendall Thomas's Cyd Redondo mysteries. Start with the first, Lost Luggage, enjoy your way through Drowned Under, and finish off with Fogged Off. Then you and I will be in the same boat-- waiting to see what Cyd Redondo gets up to next. This is a series that's good for what ails you. Do not miss it!

(Review copies courtesy of the author and Net Galley) ( )

verbal humor, snarky, situational humor, London, family, friendship, family-dynamics, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, smuggling, endangered animals, laugh riot, ridiculous characters, actors, academics, theft, cozy mystery*****
Absolutely hilarious characters and situations! The publisher's blurb is a terrific hook and while I totally geeked this one, I can't wait to go laugh my way through the other Cyd Redondo books. Not because this can't stand alone, but because it is just so much fun. Cyd is a hoot, but the relatives and acquaintances are positively wacky, including the embassy workers. And I won't even begin on those from The Yard! Absolutely LOVED it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond The Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!! ( )