Libby Klein

Layla has her hands full dealing with her dad, the residents of the trailer park, a murder to investigate, and delving into what happened that night when her entire team, except her, was killed, including the man she hoped to spend the rest of her life with.

Layla Virtue is a complicated protagonist who is working on herself while working through the trauma in her life. I love her! She is unique, flawed, and doing her best to juggle everything thrown at her. She has a renewed relationship show more with her father now that a diagnosis of dementia has ended his rock career. She knows he is slipping away from her, and she plans to make every moment they have together count. Her new friend, Nick, is struggling with some demons of his own, and she wants to help him, but he has to let her. The women she met in AA, Scarlet, Bree, and Charisse, have become true friends, and one in the group is suffering. I love how they all come together when one or more of them is in need. The residents of the Lake Pinecrest Trailer Park put the “Q” in quirky. In various ways, they are doing everything they can to torment Layla. Layla and Nick are still sharing their black Lab, Ringo. He is a very intuitive service dog.

All of Ms. Klein’s characters are wonderfully created, but in this story, Nick immediately grabbed my attention. He did 3 tours in Afghanistan with the Marine Corps; it is not surprising that he knows all about PTSD. He was hiding in his trailer for several days until Layla forced him to open the door. He was struggling; one of his platoon mates had killed himself a few days before, bringing the total to 4 lost from his platoon. He was on his way to being number 5. After losing my son to suicide, I usually pass on books where it plays a prevalent role, but after reading most of this author’s work, I decided to trust her. She handled the topic well, and I was so happy that Layla and her dad were there to help Nick. There was one thing that gave me pause. A word that was once commonly attached to suicide was “committed”. Over the past two decades, the ‘language’ surrounding suicide has changed. We don’t say someone “committed” cancer. I can tell you my son committed nothing. He “died by suicide”. I know because I have personally experienced the grief and pain following my son’s death, I am more attuned to the phrasing. But it’s stories like this one, fictional stories that can bring attention to something so important.

While Gimme Shelter deals with heavy topics like PTSD, suicide, addictions, murder, and dementia, Libby Klein’s signature humor reigns in all the right places. From the bizarre remodel to the lake house to the “cat” Layla’s dad had found, to the over-the-top costumes, the ridiculous requests from the trailer park residents, and more, hilariousness ensues.

The three mysteries in this book are compelling. Teacher Archie Wilkins had his secrets, and Layla dug deep and asked the hard questions, leading to a surprising arrest, and keen observations pinned down Layla’s dad’s blackmailer. While involved in those investigations, she was handling drama and trauma of her own. One thing set another investigation in motion, and I couldn’t believe Layla wasn’t overwhelmed by it all. Many of her questions were answered, but this plotline will continue into book three.

Libby Klein has packed Gimme Shelter with powerful mysteries, captivating, genuine, and quirky characters, heaps of humor, a touch of romance, and a ton of heart. Something is always happening, so the story flows at a brisk pace. Be ready for an emotional ride. Grab your copy of Gimme Shelter today! show less

culinary, B and B, series, Jersey-shore, small-business, small-town, situational-humor, verbal-humor, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, friends, friendship, local-law-enforcement, pet-cat, recipes, relatives, relationships, ex-boyfriend, investigation, frenemy, widow, banter, laugh-out-loud, abandonment-issues, murders*****

This is not an unbiased review because I've laughed my way through several of the earlier books in series. Great escape/stress-busting reads.
Poppy and those she loves are show more great fun no matter what is going on, but there are some unpleasant things going on that turn into laughter anyway. There's the corpse in the restaurant cooler, the return of Poppy's mother who deserted her when she was seven, the very pregnant girlfriend of Poppy's not that long ago ex-boyfriend, an unclaimed engagement ring, and more. And don't forget the fantastic recipes at the end!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you.
#PoppyMcAllisterMysteriesBk9 Avail Sep 24, 2024 show less

Poppy McAllister, baker and B&B owner, is lucky enough to be part of a Wine group touring. Several of the guests will be at her B&B, but was this really a lucky break?. Maybe not since grumpy old Vince Baker and his young wife Sunny along with her Pomeranian spoiled dog from Hell are the guests she has been "blessed" with. When Vince's grown daughter and self-centered son-in-law join the group, Poppy has her hands full juggling the guests, their special requests and a new chambermaid who show more seems to fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

It doesn't help when Vince is poisoned on the first day and the local law enforcement ask Poppy take in all the other Wine tour members while the investigation is underway. Needing to get her B&B emptied as soon as she can, Poppy along with Aunt Ginny set out to find the murderer.

I absolutely LOVE this series. Poppy's personality and personal issues are so realistic I just want her to be my friend. The mystery was well-plotted and the fun to unravel. Loved the interaction between Figaro (Poppy's cat - normally a naughty kitty) and Sunny's dog, Tammy Faye Baker! What a hoot!

Too bad that we will have to wait months for the next adventure! show less

Favorite Quotes:

It would have been charming if it weren’t the place where dreams go to die.

Agnes was a prickly woman of retirement age whose hobbies appeared to be telling other people what was wrong with them and sucking on lemons.

There was a poster hanging on the back wall that said JESUS ALREADY KNOWS EVERYTHING YOU DON’T WANT YOUR MOMMA TO FIND OUT.

Miranda was perpetually uptight about most things. Punctuality was just a lone grain of sand on the seashore of her pet peeves.

Let me show more check the temperature of Hell and get back to you.

I loiter at the diabetic supply store looking for my next sugar momma.

There were two reasons I didn’t hang out with women. They could turn vicious in a pack environment, and I had an aversion to drama.

The world is full of trolls who want to steal your happiness to make up for their own misery.

Apparently, they can’t diagnose that until I’m dead, which sounds like a load of crap telling someone you have a disease that will kill you and we’ll let you know for sure after it does.

My Review:

I vastly enjoyed this witty tale. The writing was well-paced, populated with the most quirkiest of characters, and laced together with world-class snark. I had highlighted so many favorite quotes that it was rather painful to pare down the list to include in my review. This was just my first date with the crafty scribe known as Libby Klein, but we are going to be an ongoing item if she can continue to churn out more cleverly penned tales on par with Vice and Virtue. I am eager to see what she conjures up as the next adventure for this tribe of eccentric snoops. show less