Thugs and Kisses is the third book in the Odelia Grey mystery series by Sue Ann Jaffarian. Odelia Grey is a plus-sized, middle-aged paralegal who has a knack for getting involved in murder investigations. In this one, she reluctantly attends her 30th high school reunion with her friend, Detective Devon Frye. Dev wants to be more than just friends, but Odelia is in love with her fiancé, Greg Stevens. Greg is home with a cold, so Dev stands in for him at the reunion.

At the reunion, the class bully Donny Oliver is murdered. There are many suspects as Donny was mean to a lot of people, including Odelia. Odelia teams up with her high school frenemy Sally Kipman to solve Donny’s murder. At the same time, her boss Michael Steele goes missing. This is very out of character for him so Odelia is enlisted by the law firm to search for him too.

What follows is a convoluted plot that ultimately connects the two cases. Odelia’s sleuthing is top notch and feels natural. Her budding friendship with Sally is great and I would love to see her again in future books. There are a bit too many coincidences towards the end, but I can overlook them because the book is so fun. I felt like we didn’t get enough of Greg in this book, because at first he is home with a cold, and then he is mad at Odelia and not speaking to her.

There are currently 11 books in this series. I have enjoyed the first few books very much, and plan on reading the rest. This is a fun, cozy mystery series with a likable protagonist and a very inclusive cast of characters. Odelia’s best friend is a plus-sized black woman, and her fiancé is in a wheel chair. If you like mysteries with an element of humor, you will like this. ( )

If you like fun, suspenseful mysteries with realistic, well-drawn characters, and a wonderful sense of humor, I bid you welcome to the world of Odelia Grey. This paralegal does not fit the Los Angeles area's size 0 body criteria, but she more than makes up for it with her warm heart, her sense of humor, and her sharp detecting skills.

Odelia's relationship with Greg has hit a snag. He's called an end to it because he doesn't like the way her amateur investigations put her in danger. But if she had her way, she wouldn't lift a finger to help police find Donny Oliver's killer; the class bully was beyond cruel. Moreover, if her law firm wasn't paying her to find her annoying boss, Michael Steele, she wouldn't bother with him either-- she's enjoying the peace and quiet.

Thugs and Kisses contains a good, solid mystery with plenty of tension at the end. It also reveals what happened to Odelia at her high school senior prom, and it's guaranteed to make anyone shrivel up in sympathy. Jaffarian skillfully combines a wide range of emotions with her tight plotting and nuanced characterizations to make a series that's so much fun to read. Odelia walks roughshod over clichés and worn-out expectations and right into your kitchen to share a chat over a cup of coffee. I've come to rely on my fictional best friend Odelia to deliver a dose of smarts, heart, and humor. ( )

Odelia Grey is again sticking her oversized nose (and body) into things better left to the police. At least that's what her buddy Dev, a cop, keeps telling her. But, the murder was her nemesis from high school, and the missing person is her boss Mike Steele. Besides, one of the law firm owners has asked her to look into Steele's disappearance. What's a girl to do?

I enjoy reading about Odelia and her trials and tribulations, her friends are warm and loving, her family is beyond description and her enemies are very deadly. In other words, mysteries mostly driven by character but with strong plots to support them, my favorite kind. ( )