Jenna Bennett

This feels like a first novel - horribly edited, painfully obvious mistakes, no ability to discern between romance and violence, and use of stereotypical dialect to convey a certain place.

Gallagher introduces her main character badly, unless of course, Gallagher *meant* for us to dislike Savannah. Or perhaps that is just me - I tend not to like people who are willfully stupid and cluefree about most of life, despite (and especially) if they have allegedly "lived" some, yet have learned show more nothing. Savannah appears to be of the mind that if a person was raised with no advantages in life, very little opportunity for education, quality health care, and nutritious food, then they are of "low class" and she should not associate with them. Savannah is amazingly ill-informed about a family who lives close to her family (I think in the book she says it is five miles from her family home. Which brings up another problem - her family home is sumptuous, deserves to be on the Historical register-caliber and an atrocious trailer park is less than five miles away from it? Seriously?) This family that she knows so little about? She went to high school with the guy from this family, whom I can only assume the author meant to be the romantic interest for Savannah. And it's a small town where *every*body knows *every*body. Large gaping plot points such as that exist throughout the entire story.

There are continuity problems throughout as well. For example, the house to be sold is sometimes a quarter of a million dollars and sometimes it's half a million. And either sum is suppose to be believable even though the house is in a "bad" and "undesirable" neighborhood.

Additionally, Savannah is sometimes "week-kneed" (page 211). Does this mean she feels her knees weekly? Other times, she is actually weak-kneed.

The romance aspect, such that it is, is horribly 1970's Harlequin-esque. Meaning that women cannot possibly be interested in their own sexuality if they are "good" girls and therefore if a man is interested in them in a sexual way, he must force her to have sex with him. For example, "It took a few seconds for my thoughts to switch track from romance - or sexual assault - to murder" (page 275). Really? When I think about sexual assault (or the potential of someone I am dating forcing himself on me and therefore committing a CRIME, as Savannah is doing in this scene) versus romance - that is, something wanted, healthy, fun, and enjoyable, my mind is completely in two different places. But perhaps that is just me.

Completely obvious "mystery", amateurish writing, horribly edited, trite, and stereotypical and static (no growth) characters - all in all, not recommended. show less

This isn't a series I ever rave about, but one of those solid, well-written ones that you can generally depend on for a satisfying read, if not necessarily one that's going to knock your socks off.

Avery had a scene or two in the beginning of this book where she was channeling a whiny, pouty child, but otherwise all the characters here are good, solid, hard-working Mainers (Mainiacs?). Likeable, and three-dimensional.

The setting is Christmas time, although the focus is completely on the show more mystery for most of the book, so it didn't feel "Christmassy" - but there is a project for using Chinese lanterns as oversized Christmas ornaments that sounds like fun.

The mystery was excellent: the author gives you all the clues but builds the story to perfectly lead you down the wrong path. The ending was both expected and shocking at the same time. The final scene felt forced; even the characters recognised it was a fruitless endeavour, but I suspect the author needed it in order to truly illustrate the scope of wrong-doing.

I don't get excited about these - perhaps the stoicism of the characters rubs on on me? - but I would never tell anyone they aren't worth reading. This is a good book and a good mystery. I don't need forced drama (a/k/a love triangles) to keep my interest; I just need an author who writes good mysteries and writes them well. Ms. Bentley does just that. show less

FLIPPED OUT is the fifth book in Jennie Bentley’s popular Do-It-Yourself mystery series. I really enjoyed this one. In fact, I’d put it in my top three favorite cozy mysteries I’ve read this year.

For someone new to the series like me, Ms. Bentley did an excellent job of weaving in the series backstory with this book’s mystery. Avery Baker has lived in Waterfield, Maine, for about a year, ever since she inherited her aunt’s old house. She’s a former Manhattan textile designer, and show more her boyfriend, Derek, is a doctor-turned-contractor. Together, they take on home renovation projects around Waterfield, and usually a dead body turns up along the way.

Avery and Derek’s latest fixer upper is being showcased on Flipped Out!, a home renovation TV show. Not long after the crew comes to town to begin filming, the owner of the cottage being revamped is found murdered. Fingers point to the fiancee of the deceased, Melissa, who also happens to be Derek’s unpleasant ex-wife. As Avery and Derek investigate further, they discover that the murder victim is connected to more than one member of the Flipped Out! TV crew. So, along with trying to complete the renovation project on schedule (the show must go on!), Avery and Derek work to catch the killer before there’s another victim.

FLIPPED OUT had an intricate plot, likable characters and a charming setting. This was not an easy mystery to solve. There were several twists and turns to the story, and in the end, the killer could have been one of many possible suspects. FLIPPED OUT was filled with several funny moments. I particularly loved Avery’s attack cat, Mischa, and how he launched himself at Derek’s shins every time he came in her house. LOL. I thought the home renovation and all the “shop talk” was very interesting and blended nicely into the story. Also included at the back of the book are renovation and design tips. Fans of cozy mysteries shouldn’t miss this one!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

A Cutthroat Business works well enough as a murder mystery. The writer definitely has talent as a storyteller and it was easy to stay up late finishing the e-book. Reading an e-book is never going to be as pleasurable as holding a paper and ink copy in my own hands, but people who apply for pre-release review editions have to accept the adage that 'beggars can't be choosers.' It is a good thing, however, that the edition I read has not yet been released to the public because it needs help in show more the editing department. First of all, how much is the house listed for? First, the reader is told is a quarter of a million dollars and that that figure is much higher than average for Nashville. A page or two later, the asking price is a half-million, even though the property is located in a "bad area." It is disconcerting to find this kind of inconsistency in the opening chapter of a book because it says that at least two people -- author and editor - have not been on their toes. As I continued reading, I never escaped the hunch that this must be a first book. It just had that feel: not a bad effort at all, but not quite as polished as it should have been. The Rafe character is too much of a stereotype. Savannah's reaction to him made me think at times that I was reading a 1970s era Harlequin romance. Likewise, Savannah's instantaneous relationship with the Alexandra character did not quite ring true to life. After finishing the book and going to the author's website for a little background, I discovered that, although Ms. Gallagher has written and published several books under another name, _A Cutthroat Business_ was indeed her first book. Thus, my sense of it being not-quite-ready-for-prime-time was justified. According to the web site, a second Samantha Martin mystery is scheduled to be published in 2011. I won't be waiting with bated breath, but I would certainly give it a careful examination. I have a hunch that this author and this Savannah Martin series is only going to get better with practice. show less