Customer Reviews

The Big Dirt Nap: A Dirty Business Mystery (Dirty Business Mysteries)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Paula Holliday's friend Lucy has invited her for an all-expense-paid trip to the Titans Hotel. Lucy is there to do an investigative story on the hotel and Paula, who owns Dirty Business gardening and landscape company, is there to see the famed corpse flower on display at the hotel.

Shortly after Paula arrives she runs into Nick Vigoriti. A good looking ladies man who refuses to accept the brush off and doggedly tries to pick her up. Next thing you know the police are knocking on Paula's door because Nick is dead. And worse yet, Lucy is missing. Somehow the two are tied together but when the police refuse to investigate the disappearance Paula starts asking questions that make people nervous.

Judging a book by the cover is supposed to be a no-no but I did and I was not all that excited about reading this book. Boy was I mistaken. This book is hilarious. Paula cracked me up from the opening line to the very end.

I'll share my favorite scene so you get an idea... With both Paula and Lucy in full Goth make up (don't ask LOL) they scare the heck out of a convenience store clerk. Paula then terrifies him further when she calls him by name.

"Chill. You name's on your shirt." I peeled off a few dollars,
then hurried Lucy out of the store, but not before sticking my
head back in and telling the frightened clerk to have a nice day.

The book is filled with those kinds of witty interactions and I couldn't get enough. The characters are well described that I could easily picture each and every one. This was the second book in the Dirty Business mystery series and it stands alone as I have not yet read book one, Pushing Up Daisies, which is now on my wish list. I highly recommend this one to all cozy mystery lovers.

The author has continued on with some of her original characters - which is a big plus as I thought she had the makings of a good ensemble.

I could have wished for more of a development between the cop and the main sleuth but perhaps that will be in future installments. I was surprised and not pleased that the author left gardening out of this book. It is her "hook" and also seems to be her own personal experience and yet it is notably missing - unlike her first book. Once again, I felt the author invested too much time to a cause - this time Native American rights and the horror of the "gambling" income they receive. In her first book, it was the plight of Mexicans who are in this country illegally. Being preached at in a "cosy" mystery doesn't make for a fun read. Another nit is that the author focused on the homeless guy and on her client's husband and then dropped both like yesterday's news. I was looking for something a little more interesting and twisted from these references - perhaps some plot lines that were deleted in editing?

On the other hand, I do like this writer's style and her sense of humor. I was happy to visit some old friends from "Pushing Up Daisies" and just wished for a few more of these friends. I liked the addition of the "bikers" and hope to see them again in the future. I will certainly be looking forward to and buying more of her books and hope that someday I can start giving her 5 stars.

Rosemary Harris has done it again in her latest mystery featuring engaging heroine Paula Holliday, who cracks wise and solves another plant-related crime in a fast-pasted story that's sure to entertain both those with, and without, green thumbs. Can't wait for Paula's next "Dirty Business" adventure!

Paula Holliday, at thirty-three years of age and now the owner of the Dirty Business gardening/landscaping company, returns in the second in this delightful series. It being the off-season in Connecticut, and with Paula looking to supplement her income, she has managed to combine an all-expenses-paid weekend at the Titans Hotel, courtesy of her friend Lucy, a tv producer working on a story, with an article for the local newspaper about the "titan arum," a rare plant described as "practically a miracle," less elegantly referred to as a "stinkweed."

The plant takes seven years to bloom, if ever, giving off a funky smell till it blossoms, at which time it smells like a dead body; hence the nickname "corpse flower." The plant is on display at the hotel in all its phallic wonder, and its expected blossoming is imminent. After she arrives at the hotel and while she is waiting for Lucy in the hotel bar, a sexy-looking guy strikes up a conversation with her. That budding relationship is doomed, however, quite literally, when the man turns up dead later that evening. And just to complicate matters, Paula receives cryptic text messages from Lucy, who never did show up at the hotel, nor does she explain where she is or what has happened to her.

With the able assistance of her friend Babe, former backup singer and ex-rocker who now owns a truck stop/diner, Paula tries to find out who has broken into and trashed her home, as well as what may have befallen Lucy. Babe is quite a character. As the author says, "Babe lived for this - - she genuinely loved solving other people's problems. In another lifetime she might have been a radio shrink," or, as Babe herself says, "I give out better advice than a bartender." The cops' search for the murderer also forces itself into her life when she becomes a "person of interest" in the case. Having once solved a murder in Ms. Harris' first novel, "Pushing Up Daisies," Paula is almost compelled to try to solve this one as well. In the process, the author has given us another winner, with a protagonist who is a delight. Maybe it's because the author is, like myself, Brooklyn-born, but in Paula she has created someone you would like to have as a friend. The book is recommended.

Rosemary Harris has done it again. After her debut last year, the second installment in her Dirty Business Mystery series definitely does not disappoint. From page one it is a nonstop feast of wit, humor, and of course mystery - a whodunnit without any lulls that starts out strong, keeps going at a brisk pace, and delivers an exciting ending, all without ever taking itself too seriously. The Big Dirt Nap is a real treat and I can't wait for number three.

Lush, layered, and textured, THE BIG DIRT NAP is one of those rare reads that will delight not only cozy lovers but all crime fiction fans. Rosemary Harris is a tremendous new talent in the traditional mystery arena. A unique new voice; sort of a touch of Dorothy Cannell with a dash of Susan Wittig Albert and a pinch of Carolyn Hart. Laugh-out-loud funny at times, yet sophisticated. Had Nora Charles a granddaughter, with a green thumb, she'd be Harris's sleuth, Paula Holliday. With a contemporary dame cracking wise, and a relentless plot that never lets up, THE BIG DIRT NAP is one great whodunnit. Rosemary Harris will be a perennial favorite, and I eagerly await her next novel.

Recently, I joined the Mystery Writer's of America and in an effort to effectively hone my mystery writing skills, I was compelled to learn from the best. I have read Patterson and Grisham, but I am now onto Rosemary Harris. And not because she is the MWA President of the NY Chapter; but, she has captured me with a cozy mystery series, and I did have to read part 1 to get it.

Foremost the opening line, "Maybe I'd had a drink with the guy if I had known the next time I saw him he'd be sprawled out in a Dumpster enclosure..." is captivating, and as the say in the business, hooks the reader. Paula Holliday, the protagonist, is a flawed and often stressed media exec on the NY circuit, but a gardener as well. And the lesson on the Corpse Flower is thoughtful and understandable coming from Rosemary who is a seasoned gardner herself. As she walks through solving a crime, there are many history lessons laced through the book, which slowed it a bit, but was interesting. And in classic mystery fashion, I was baffled by the identity of the murderer.

This was an excellent read and now I plan to go back to the first book in this series to get further acquainted with Paula Holliday. Great novel, Rosemary!

I loved Pushing Up Daisies so could not wait to read The Big Dirt Nap. Once again the feisty, clever Paula gets drawn into a mysterious murder, this time at a New England casino. With the help of her friends, real great characters like Babe the diner owner and Lucy the spunky career girl plus a bunch of bikers , Paula has to figure out what happened and beat the bad guys. Lots of action plus some really funny moments.

There is only one flower in the second novel, The Big Dirt Nap, by Rosemary Harris--a corpse flower! It had gotten the name by its smell... When the police find Paula Holliday's business card in the pocket of a corpse and she explains that she is just here to do an article on the titan arum on display at the hotel, Detective Winters quips, "This should be right up your alley. You're in a dirty business and he's taking the big dirt nap." (p.16)

Paula Holliday was retching at the time...

Nick Vigoriti had maybe, sorta, kinda hit on Paula earlier in the bar. But when she had given him her card and explained about the flower, he realized that she wasn't the woman he was scheduled to meet. But he did provide information about the Titans Hotel owners when Paula mentioned that she may have a buyer for the flower.

Paula's friend, Lucy Cavanaugh was that individual, but neither Nick or Paula knew that at the time. Nick had been killed--execution style. And soon Paula realized that Lucy was not coming to spend the long weekend with her as they had planned. The article gig had been added by Paula to help pay the incidental expenses, since this was supposed to be an all-expense trip!

Paula didn't know whether to be angry or worried about Lucy. She had been known to take little side trips if she had met somebody, male, that is, interesting along the way. But when Paula began to receive text messages about 2 men, duct tape... Paula was at least nervous enough to start asking questions. Soon all the employees knew Paula and she met the young student who was daily taking care of the corpse flower, so was able to learn details of the pollination for her article.

Soon she had learned that the hotel owners were looking for a new partner to help get back on sound financial ground and that a Chinese investor was looking over the place. Obviously having a murder occur was not something that anybody was willing to talk about.

They were, however, quite willing to discuss what was happening in the background, between several groups who were trying to get authorization to open an Indian-owned casino! Was Nick Vigoriti killed because he was involved with those dealings?

As Paula interviewed and gathered clues to find out about Lucy, she received another text and was able to find her--only to be followed by several men who had earlier been following Paula!

This cozy is much more a whodunit with mystery that keeps readers involved as Paula, Babe and Lucy get in and out of trouble or save each other! Babe is the owner or a bar back in their home town, but she comes racing to the rescue when Paula calls! I'm trying to decide whether I like the cozy atmosphere or the whodunit better...so I think I'll go on reading to see what her next book presents! Dead Head is next, but, in my opinion, I still recommend you start with Pushing Up Daisies and The Big Dirt Nap--you can't go wrong reading this series!

Book Received Via
BRH from Author

G. A. Bixler

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself laughing out loud on the bus on the way home from work. The only author/character that makes me do that is Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum. I like the assortment of characters that are starting to develop in this series, particularly the interection between Paula and Lucy. However, I would like it if somehow Paula could get a love interest, preferably someone who occasionally gets on her nerves. I'm not into gardening so I'm not very concerned about whether Rosemary Harris sticks with her particular theme. As long as the murder is plausible, the setting makes sense and the characters are entertaining that's the only consistency I need. Anyway, I am looking forward to the next installment.