Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman

Veering from wildly funny to desperately sad, Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman is an entertaining dark comedy caper.

Maggie Lee survives the car accident that kills her sister and brother in law, leaving her niece, Katie, comatose. Maggie's parents are no help, her father is doing time for murder and her mother is in a psychiatric hospital. Maggie hasn't seen her sister in years and her three aunts are their own special type of crazy. A chance encounter with a hitman in the hospital brings Maggie to the attention of a mob boss who makes an unusual proposition. With a little help from God (not THE God), a killer cop and a psychic colleague Maggie just might be able to pay Katie's hospital bills, if she can become a killer.

As show more bitter and cynical Maggie is, her quick wit and devotion to her niece renders her likeable. Her background is messy and rife with tragedy so it's no wonder Maggie is able to embrace the unconventional. The leap from call center agent to hitwoman is a big one but somehow the author convinces us that her motivation is plausible.
Maggie's mentor, Patrick, is a mysterious figure whose reasons for helping Maggie are murky. I'm not sure I really like him but he is an intriguing character.
The most irresistible character is Godzilla, aka God, Katie's pet lizard now in Maggie's care. Maggie isn't sure if she is going as crazy as her mother or not as the lizard starts talking to her. Smart mouthed, opinionated and endearing, God makes for a hilarious sidekick.

The plot is cohesive even though it requires the reader to suspend belief. Between talking lizards, stoned aunts, hot police officers and a blackmailing hitman the story teeters on the edge of absurdity but is tempered by the darker elements of the story. Combining crazy characters and screwball comedy with a cynical edge, Confessions of a Neurotic Hitwoman is an enjoyable romp and a great start to a new series. show less

A mix of Wonder Falls and Stephanie Plum, CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN could also be titled "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". Maggie Lee is the responsible sister in a family with more than its fair share of characters and ner-do-wells, but it's still no surprise when that over developed sense of responsibility is what lands Maggie in the world of contract killing.

And oh what a world it is. The "professional" parts of Maggie's life were what required the largest suspension on disbelief on my part, but it was entirely worth the effort. The circumstances that set this plot hurtling forward are the crucible in which Maggie is fired... and cracked. Her careful veneer of distance and control starts to slip as soon as she wakes show more up from a car accident and hears Alan Rickman's voice emerge from her niece's anole, but hearing animals talk turns out to be the least of her problems. Maggie and her earnest, bigamist partner are the best drawn of the characters in this book, but the author lays the foundation for more with Maggie's sexy but untrustworthy date, her felon father, and her missing little sister.

The slapstick and over the top plot was all background noise to Maggie's transformation from a tense, controlled ball of anger to an open maelstrom of emotions. The road ahead doesn't look smooth for Maggie and her partners in crime, but it sure looks interesting.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex. show less

Funny kickoff to the series. Maggie has a dead end job, a father in prison, a mother in the loony bin, three irritating eccentric aunts, three sisters, and a knock on the head that gives her the ability to hear her niece's lizard (Godzilla) speak. She's already a step away from losing it trying to figure a way to come up with money to pay her niece's hospital bill. Dumb luck has a mobster hiring her to off someone. Maggie gets training and rules from police detective/hitman Patrick, who mentors her on the fine art of killing someone. Meanwhile, a hot prospect named Paul, who is a police officer too, wants to date her and he may have ulterior motives. A blend of humor, suspense, and chemistry. A few misspellings and some choppy writing show more but really enjoyable. Looking forward to the next book in the series (there are currently 36) show less

I came into this thinking it was a standard boy meets girl romance. A couple of chapters in I realized it was contemporary women's lit. Usually that would turn me off but this was quite enjoyable. Maggie is a quirky heroine. Very likable. There's almost too much of a cast of zany characters. Between her aunts, the work friend, and the talking animals I almost overloaded on the crazy. But Lynn managed to reign it in before my head completely exploded.

Scenario totally impractical? Yeah. And that's saying a lot since I mostly read PNR. Book totally enjoyable? Hell yeah! I'll be checking in with Maggie the Hitwoman again.

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
www.allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com

Evoking shades of Wonderfalls and Stephanie Plum, CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN could just as easily been titled "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". This book bears more resemblance to a wacky, caper of a contemporary romance than urban fantasy, but the addition of talking animals gives it one foot in the paranormal camp… or perhaps, as the main character worries, the mental hospital.

Maggie Lee is the responsible sister in a family with more than its fair share of characters and ne'er-do-wells, and it was no surprise when her overdeveloped sense of responsibility lands Maggie in the world of contract killing. And oh what a world it is. The show more "professional" parts of Maggie's life were what required the largest suspension of disbelief on my part, but ultimately it was worth the effort. The circumstances that set this plot hurtling forward are the crucible in which Maggie is fired... and cracked. Her careful veneer of distance and control starts to slip as soon as she wakes up from a car accident and hears Alan Rickman's voice emerge from her niece's anole, but hearing animals talk turns out to be the least of her problems. I liked the risks the author took with Maggie and her earnest, bigamist partner, and these two get the most development amongst the many zany characters that Lynn introduces. While I found Patrick relatable, I’m not sure I can really root for a relationship when he has two wives already. Paul’s attractions are skin deep, and his interest in Maggie’s father’s hidden loot an obvious gambit for a future book. These are just two of the many plots and characters left hanging in CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN, and while I can’t say I’m burning to continue the series, this introduction certainly piqued my interest.

While all the slapstick and over the top action didn’t quite make up for characters that were more quirks than depth, I was very entertained by Maggie's transformation from a tense, controlled ball of anger to a slightly less tense professional killer. Funny, wacky, and violent, CONFESSION OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN was an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. The road ahead doesn't look smooth for Maggie and her partners in crime, but it will certainly be interesting.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex. show less

"a book about a woman with a crappy life who survived a car wreck with only a concussion that now lets her communicate with a pet lizard and that in order to pay the astronomical medical bills pilling up to keep her comatose young niece in a speciality hospital has taken up a mobster’s offer to undertake a hit"

I'm sold.

Silly, snarky without crossing into meanness. Great job