Customer Reviews

Bye-Bye, Black Sheep: A Mommy-track Mystery (Mommy-Track Mysteries)

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

 

 

In Ayelet Waldman's latest novel, "Bye-Bye Black Sheep," Juliet Applebaum, busy mother and part-time sleuth, tackles the case of a twenty-four year old murdered drug addict and prostitute named Violetta Spees. Juliet's client is Heavenly, who used to be a man before he decided to become a woman. Heavenly, the victim's sister, is incensed that the police failed to conduct a thorough investigation into Violetta's death.

Although Juliet has her hands full taking care of her children, she is a sucker for a sob story, and she decides to take the case. In the course of her investigation, Juliet interviews Violetta's relatives, her fellow hookers, and a pair of pimps. She ventures out alone into seedy neighborhoods and, much to the displeasure of her partner Al and her husband, Peter, Juliet endangers her life in order to unmask Violetta's killer.

"Bye-Bye Black Sheep" is the seventh and weakest of the Mommy Track Mysteries. The laughs are few and far between, the plot is both sordid and far-fetched, and Juliet's antics have by now become old hat. Of course, she will ignore common sense and put herself at risk in spite of the fact that she has three kids who depend on her, including a baby who is still nursing. There is no light touch this time around. In fact, Waldman gets on her soapbox repeatedly, with a number of preachy paragraphs devoted to the challenges of being a mother and the inequities of America's criminal justice system. What made her mysteries so delightful in the past was the author's ability to write engrossing and entertaining stories with wit, humor, and a touch of satire. "Bye-Bye Black Sheep" is just the opposite: heavy-handed, dark, and dull, a real downer.

I liked the story but the rants against society are what made this my last Ayelet Waldman book. I read one other and noticed ranting there but liked the storyline I decided to give her another try. I won't do that again.

The story with Heavenly was interesting and I don't mind the ambiguous ending. However when it gets to the point that I can skip an entire page of the author's opinions and not miss any story it's a bit much.

It's a shame, the author is a good writer, knows how to pace a story and can create interesting characters. I wanted to like this series. Unfortunately she takes away from all that she has going for her with the character rants.

I really, really liked this -- the latest entry in Waldman's "Mommy Track" mystery series. The plot seemed more robust than in Waldman's earlier books, the characters were rich, and it was a lot of fun to read -- that is, until I got to the end and realized there was no clear resolution. Yes, I realize that that's how life is -- not everthing is tied up in a neat little bundle, with all the loose ends clipped. But if I wanted ambiguous, I don't need to pick up a book to get it! To me, mysteries are formulaic, and that's why I read them: Bad guy commits crime. Good guy investigates crime. Bad guy gets caught and punished. Good guy lives to solve another day. Period. Instead, I was more than a little disappointed when I was left hanging at the end.

I also thought the book would have been stronger without the occasional author's-rants-hidden-as-character's-thoughts about the fairness of "society," and the injustice of the world. Enough is enough! We get the picture already.

I did not enjoy the last (before this one) book from Ms Waldman as much as I had enjoyed the first couple ones. She used to write funny and engaging stories. Her Juliet Applebaum character was a lot of fun and the writing fluid and refreshing. This most recent one seems to confirm that Juliet needs to retire. The story is long and boring and the author uses the book as a platform for her lamentation against about too many things. Ms Waldman did not even come with a very clever end. It makes us feel that she did not write for our enjoyment but to air her grievances. I would say "one thumb down" !

I'm a long-time Ayelet Waldman fan so I enjoyed "Bye-Bye, Black Sheep" even though the ending is not clear cut. I didn't mind that, though, nor did I feel let down because that really is how life is. It kept the book from being formulaic. I liked that she didn't stereotype the "street girls", just wrote them so that they're believable and real. And, yes, she was on her soapbox but I think she showed an insider's understanding of the true difficulties that some people experience. I also liked the plot twists because I truly had no clue who the killer was until the end. I DON'T think the book had as many funny parts as Waldman's books normally do, however, to me, it was still a good read.

I eagerly await the release of each new Mommy Track book like I do Harry Potter! What I enjoy so much about Ayelet Waldman's heroine character, Juliet, is that I see myself in her. I, too, am a stay-at-home mom and life is anything but boring. Granted, she is much more of a sophisticated sleuth than I am, her character is one with whom moms can relate. Heck, even my 60-year old father loves her books! Her books are fun, quick reads that are hard to put down and will make you laugh out loud. And, that's a good thing in between reading my children their books, locating missing socks (my claim to sleuthing), and chasing after my busy brood.

Ayelet Waldman's latest addition to her 'Mommy-Track Mysteries' requires no prior familiarity to prove satisfyingly vivid. Partners Juliet and Al are finally seeing their fledgling detective agency soaring with business; but even though they're seeing many types of cases, Heavenly has come to Juliet with something new: a dead sister and uncaring police - something far different from the usual insurance sleuth work. Heavenly is determined to solve the mystery, and brings Juliet and Al into danger in this exploration of a California sexual underground. Excellent characterization and swift action make for an involving leisure choice.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Not great literature and kind of preachy, but engaging and with likeable characters -- including Juliet, the detective character. Although I find the Hollywood screenwriter world as difficult to relate to as the "mommy" world, the author portrays both with humor and yet a realistically critical attitude.

Unfortunately, there was a lot of stuff that really didn't have much to do with the mystery about whether or not our children really need to be guarded as carefully as they are (stranger danger, not letting them out of sight for a moment, etc.) I tend to agree with the author's position, but wonder if this was the appropriate place to make the argument. Perhaps it would have been better if she'd used a mystery that involved the issue instead of one totally unrelated (the person killed is a prostitute). The author says way too often that the police are not interested in solving the murder of a Black prostitute -- this is likely true, but she really didn't have to say it over and over again.

Nonetheless, the book was reasonably well written and plotted. This is the second or third book I've read in this series. Perhaps those who read all her books may have a different viewpoint. I liked this book enough that I intend to read more in the series.

In Los Angeles private investigator Juliet Applebaum and her spouse screenwriter Peter raise three small children Ruby, Isaac, and Sadie. As Peter has met some recent success with classics like The Cannibals Vacation and Flesh Eaters with its nth number of sequels, Juliet and her sleuthing partner Al Hockey have actually begun to turn a profit.

Due to the eighty-four minutes of maternal bliss known as The Lion King, Juliet with only Sadie stops at the garage turned office where Al introduces her to their newest client, gorgeous Miss Heavenly, who the sleuth realizes is a transvestite. After dumping Sadie on Al's wife, Juliet asks Miss Heavenly what can she do for her? Heavenly explains her cousin Sister Pauline sent her to hire the detective to look into the homicide of her sister Violetta Spees, a drug addict hooker, killed six months ago as the police have done nothing. Though she and Al prefer to avoid homicides as they do not have the proper equipment or crime scene information to conduct that type of investigation, she agrees to see LAPD lead detective Jarin and make inquiries not realizing how depressingly personal the case becomes.

The seventh Mommy-Track Mystery is a wonderful private investigative tale that contains an eccentric delightful support cast including Heavenly and her family and of course the three kids. The story line is fast-paced even the interludes with Ruby, Isaac, and Sadie, each making demands on their mommy the sleuth. The case is terrific as Juliet begins to piece together what most likely went down, but cannot fully prove what she believes happened to Violetta. Ayelet Waldman provides a wonderful tale as her heroine has several issues to decide once the inquiry begins to focus.

Harriet Klausner