Mary Maxwell (4)

I ordinarily begin these reviews with a brief synopsis of the plot, but I have to admit that this one was ultimately so forgettable that I had a hard time even remembering the main character's name. It's Jana, apparently, which I should have remembered just because it's such an odd choice. In any case, Jana is hosting her book club's meeting at her house for the first time, but things get stirred up when one of the book club members, Rosemary, takes a bite of the spinach dip and winds up show more dead. It's up to Jana - for some reason - to find the killer before they strike again!

Cozy mysteries are not known for their tight plotting, clever characterization, or witty writing. There are a few exceptions, such as the inimitable Miss Zukas and the Library Murders by Jo Dereske and The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun, but by and large, they are usually quick reads with not a lot of thought required. The Book Club Killer by Mary Maxwell is an exception in the opposite direction. Its plot is linear, like a plot by numbers kit was used to write it, the characters are either bland to the point that they're indistinct from each other or seem to switch personalities like hats, and the writing was meh at best. It is an exception in that this is unusually bad, even for a cozy mystery.

The characters are where the true problem lie. Cozy mysteries usually have at least a gimmick and cute characters to draw readers' interests. Because they usually take place in small towns, there is a wealth of "small town personalities" that writers can insert into the prose who liven things up and give it some flavor. This book did not have those. There was Jana, who apparently joined a book club, loves her husband to a sickening amount, and ... that's about it. The reader doesn't even know what she does for a living, just that her boss is apparently really understanding about her taking time off.

Rosemary, the victim, is by turns referred to as "sweet" but then is later accused of stealing someone's husband and making catty comments. That disconnect was never cleared up, either. I could buy it if Rosemary seemed to be sweet, but further investigation revealed her dark side, but both these points of view were dumped in completely at random. We didn't even get a chance to meet Rosemary properly before she bit it (pun intended), so I didn't really care about her dying, either.

The other problem was with the plot. I can excuse the absurdly negligent cop, because cozy mysteries have to have some excuse for the amateur sleuth, but it got downright ridiculous at points. The bad guy was laughably easy to spot, and I was nearly tearing my hair out with frustration at how long it took them to realize, "Oh, hey, that totally weird thing that happened that I remarked upon and made a huge deal about - maybe that had something to do with the murder that happened ten minutes later!".

Overall, this just felt unpolished. It felt like something the author threw together for fun but didn't bother to edit. The characters weren't clearly defined (something that happens when you can't really picture their personalities), the plot took no unexpected turns, and the mystery itself needed to be shrouded in more detail. It was like reading a murder mystery where there's only two people: the victim and someone else. Not so much a whodunnit as a hedunnit.

Even for a cozy mystery, I'll take a pass. show less

California, law-enforcement, private-investigators, family-dynamics, investigation

Pretty close to being a cozy mystery, the best kind, where true crime takes a hike and so does the DA's office! The publisher's blurb is pretty helpful, but does skip the prelude which explains why Mia left the LAPD and moved back to the small town she grew up in. The characters certainly are and the plot twists are unexpected, not to mention the red herrings. I highly recommend it!

Sometimes I need a fun cozy mystery. The premise of this book looked interesting. To tell the truth, I bought the book because of the title; I hoped it had something more about the book club, but unfortunately, it had to do very little about the book club. Instead, it had to do with the murder of a member of the book club.
The writing was ok; it was a fast read because it was short. I love Jana's character (the main character). I also like her relationship with her husband & her kids. Her show more friends are significant.
I believe if it were a little bit longer, I would have given it more stars.
I recommend this book to people who sometimes want to read something to clean their minds and a fast read. I think it is a book that will get you out of a reading slump. show less