Artistic License

had been led to believe that Julie Hyzy was a cozy mystery writer, so I wasn't expecting the well written romance blossoming within the rather sophisticated cozy setting that Artistic License presented me. I got this from one of Barnes and Nobles' free book offers and figured I'd see if Hyzy was an author I wanted to pursue. She is.

She starts us right off with Annie Callahan, the protagonist, crying her eyes out because she's just discovered she's pregnant. Obviously, since her divorce from the baby's father is about to be finalized, she is anything but happy. Life goes downhill from there. At 623 pages, this one is much longer than your average cozy, but my interest was cemented so well at the beginning, that I never wanted to put the show more book down. I was thrilled that I had this on my NOOK, because toting around a 600+ pager would not have been very convenient.

I loved the characters. Annie, a mural artist, is trying so hard to be self-sufficient, but hasn't quite learned yet how to follow through on resolutions of independence. The villains are realistic enough to avoid being stereotypes, the lackless husband and his dum-dum buddy are perfectly scripted to be hateful, and the romantic lead Sam is one of those tender-hearted men any woman would love to have in her household. And then there's Annie's Uncle Lou, retired journalist, who can provide just enough private eye expertise to help out.

Without spoilers, the plot involves a Durer drawing stolen from the Chicago Museum of Art, a crooked attorney, bratty kids, and an unwitting Annie caught in the mess. It's a delightful story with a plot that moves forward nicely, and a different setting (Chicago) for me. show less

From the book jacket: Two months ago, Annie Callaghan made a mistake. She thought she’d planned for every contingency. After five years in a bad marriage she filed for divorce, began to pursue her dreams of being a full-time artist, and quit her job to work for herself. Now, well on her way to a brand-new start with her fledgling mural painting business and her handsome new client, life finally holds promise again. But, … [now she is in the center of] a maelstrom of intrigue involving a stolen masterpiece, a powerful lawyer with questionable connections, and a murder for which she’s the prime suspect.

My reactions
I came to know Hyzy through her White House Chef cozy mystery series. A challenge to read an author’s debut work had show more me looking back at a number of favorite author’s first works, which is how I came across this one.

I liked Annie Callaghan, though I wanted to slap her several times for her poor decision-making. I also really liked her new love interest, a stand-up guy who is mature and steady and genuinely concerned about her. The other characters, including the detective, seemed a little too cookie-cutter and/or straight out of central casting. The lawyer’s wife was a stereotypical bimbo, her kids were complete brats, the bodyguard and lawyer came from every bad Mafia movie, and her ex-husband and his best friend (the complete loser, Pete) had disaster written all over them.

Don’t misunderstand, though. I got hooked on the storyline and was entertained by the entire book. It was a quick, fast read that didn’t require much thinking. Perfect for an escape from all the stuff that’s going on in real life right now. show less