Cindy Blackburn

Romance author, Jessica Hewitt is going on vacation with her boyfriend, Detective Wilson Rye. But before they can leave for Hawaii, they have three others joining them. First, Jessie's hyper publisher, Louise, invites herself along, then Jessie asks her 82-year-old mother, Tessie, to join them so that she won't be alone for Christmas. Then, Wilson's son, Chris, has his Christmas plans fall through, so Wilson invites him, too. So much for a relaxing vacation for 2.

When there is a murder, show more relax is the last thing they are going to do. The Hawaiian police are handling the investigation, but not very well. The officer always blames tourists for any crimes that happen on the island so he is sure Chris is the killer. Since Wilson is out of his jurisdiction, he can't investigate. But, Jessie is a really good amateur sleuth and shows him how it's done. They have to figure out who the killer was before Chris is arrested.

This is a terrific mystery with wonderful characters. Tessie was so cute when she was learning how to "hang ten". She was determined to help with the "sleuthing" and was pretty good at it. It was surprising to see Tessie and Louise become so friendly. What a pair! They shouldn't have been left alone. It was hysterical when Tessie was driving (like a speed demon), then let Louise drive. The problem was that Louise didn't know how to drive. Then there was Chris. He was quite nasty to Jessie. He thought very badly of her and rarely spoke to her. I loved Jessie! Not only is she a romance writer but also a pool shark. She actually put herself through college playing pool. She is THAT good. How Wilson kept his patience with everyone is a mystery in itself. What a wonderful man.

This is a fun mystery with some surprising twists. If you want a humorous cozy mystery that will keep you wondering whodunit, this is the book for you. show less

Jessie Hewitt, writer of sexy hot romance novels under the suggestive pseudonym Adelé Nightingale and a recent divorcee who lost the home to hubby, is trying to finish her current novel in her third floor loft apartment when the somewhat shady boyfriend of her young downstairs neighbor appears at her door, collapses on her couch while crying out his girlfriend's name and dies from poisoning. As the police focuses on her and her friend as potential suspects and a local TV reporter begins to show more hound her to gain national exposure, Jessie bumbles along with her own amateur investigation to uncover the true murderer. The mystery is light and many characters are comically broad, but the story is brash, sassy and irreverent, making this book a quick entertaining read. show less

This is a fun, light read. We have a little bit of mystery, a lot of humor, and memorable characters. The book has the feel of an outlandish sitcom.

I absolutely loved Jessie's character. She's smart, independent, sassy, and funny. A few of the other characters stretched credibility a bit, particularly Candy, but I didn't much care because they made me laugh.

I also enjoyed the setting. The local bar has a kind of "Cheers" feel, with all the regulars and the bartenders knowing them all by show more name.

The mystery aspect fell short for me. I figured out who the killer was pretty quickly. The clues are obvious, despite the author's attempt to lead us in different directions. But I still enjoyed following Jessie along as she tries to figure things out.

Overall, this book is a pleasant escape, more for the comical chick-lit aspect than the whodunit mystery. show less

This book was sooo funny! It had me laughing hard right from the start.

It starts out with her friend's fiance coming to her condo and dying on her couch. Of course, since it happened in her home, she is the prime suspect. She didn't kill the man so she wanted to find out who did. She soon learned that the man wasn't well liked so the list of suspects was long.

I really liked Jessie. She was a 52-year-old historical romance writer who wore some unusual clothes at times because she worked from show more home and was alone most of the time. When someone did come to the door and she was wearing a blue bra and white shirt, it was a problem. Due to the investigation, this did happen to her. Jessie was a pool shark who put herself through college playing pool. This skill came in handy when she was investigating. I loved her relationship with Capt. Wilson Rye. They were often annoyed with each other, making their attraction something they didn't want to focus on.

The quirky characters add to the humor in this book. Most of them are likable but some are not. They all help the story along making it funny, somewhat romantic and a good mystery. show less