Cue the Easter Bunny: A Pi Grace Smith Investigation (Pi Grace Smith Investigations) [Hardcover]

Liz Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2006 | Series: Pi Grace Smith Investigations

Spring is in the air in the seen-better-days seaside town of Seatoun. Easter is approaching and the weather is surprisingly mild, leading to a mini boom in the tourist industry. Vetch's Investigations is buzzing with clients and even Jan, the receptionist from hell, is busy - all of which is making Grace Smith feel particularly depressed because she's the only one without a client in sight. The situation has become so desperate that Grace has taken a job with the town Tourist Board. Dressed as the Easter Bunny, she's supposed to be promoting the town's 'child friendly' image. Unfortunately a series of encounters with kids who can't resist tormenting dumb creatures (albeit six feet tall ones with fluffy pink ears) results in Grace being the first bunny to be nicked for GBH in Seatoun. So when a woman named Della comes calling, and informs Grace that her son is receiving threatening letters and she wants someone to trace the sender, Grace accepts with alacrity. She lives - only just - to regret it most bitterly...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's not easy being a slick-chick PI while attired in an Easter Bunny costume, but for Grace Smith, in her madcap sixth outing from British author Evans (Sick as a Parrot), it's a piece of (carrot) cake. In the seaside community of Seatoun (cue Brighton), Grace has a penchant for attracting cases that often bring her into contact with birds, animals and reptiles of various species. During a dodgy dry job spell, Grace dons a bunny costume to promote tourism until she's hired to investigate death threats sent to the depressed, drugged-out husband of sexy soap star Clemency Courtney—who just happens to have a pet bunny. Another sudden job finds her joining her off-and-on PI boyfriend, Dane O'Hara, in a search for long-lost Heidi Walkinshaw, whose suspected abductor, a convicted sexual predator, was killed years earlier by Dane's brother. Evans doesn't overdo the whimsy in a cute mystery that American readers should find readily accessible. (Feb.)
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Review

“A cute mystery that American readers should find readily accessible.” -- Publishers Weekly

“Colorful characters; hilarious, often improbable situations; and snappy dialog all add up to a very fun read. Highly recommended.” -- Library Journal

“May be the jaundiced heroine’s most dryly amusing (adventure), especially if you like bunnies.” -- Kirkus Reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Group, (February 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752859838
• ISBN-13: 978-0752859835
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,680,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't know why more Americans haven't discoved Liz Evans, November 25, 2005

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Cue the Easter Bunny (A Grace Smith Investigation) (Paperback)

Maybe because she hasn't been discovered by American publishers. I don't know why -- it's worth the effort to get one of her books. Literate, funny, good plotting, fairly complex plots -- these are books that you make you want to read the whole series. The detective character is Gracie Smith, a former police officer who was drummed out of the local constabulary (she's English) because she was suspected of taking a bribe that resulted in a policeman's killer going free. Her policeman father won't forgive her, despite her innocence, so she's estranged from her family. She's not the easiest person -- very independent, notoriously cheap (she's a scrounger), and very direct -- says what's on her mind (which is sometimes very funny). She lives in a small seaside town and works as a private investigator.

In this book, the latest in the series, Gracie is asked to investigate some poison pen letters -- but she's asked to investigate by the recipient's mother, who doesn't want her son to know she's hired an investigator. The son is married to a famous television actress who is filming her series in the town and has bought a house she's renovating. Grace presents herself as a gardener to gain entree to the house (although Grace knows NOTHING about gardening and ends up whacking away at the overgrown back yard -- garden -- with a chain saw). The couple have a rather strange young woman living with them, and Grace makes friends with her to try to spend more time inside the house so she can watch the mail and find out who might have a grudge against the man and why.

It becomes clear that since this couple grew up in the area, the letters could -- and probably do -- involve something that happened 15 or so years ago. But what? And who is sending the letters and why? The man involved is rather unstable, which makes matters worse.

Then at the same time, an old boyfriend (someone she still has attractions to but is wary of) also hires her, to look into the death/disappearance of a 14 year old girl. The girl's parents don't want any reinvestigation, so first she has to persuade them and others involved in the case to cooperate. ALthough the person who is believed to have killed the girl died at the time (killed by the girl's father?), no body has ever been found.

This probably isn't my very favorite in the series but it's a very good mystery that I highly recommend.

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss Liz Evans, July 19, 2009

By 

lawdragon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cue the Easter Bunny (A Grace Smith Investigation) (Paperback)

Evans reminds me of a funnier and more realistically creative version of many "funny mystery series" books in the US. Cue the Easter Bunny and Sick as a Parrot are laugh out loud reading! While all of Evans books are well worth the hunt to find them, the two I just listed are the funniest. The main character is smart, witty, and brave; and more believable that many female leads. If you like the Stephanie Plum novels, you will love these.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cue the Easter Bunny, September 8, 2011

By 

jazmin - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cue the Easter Bunny: A Pi Grace Smith Investigation (Pi Grace Smith Investigations) (Hardcover)

The book arrived in great shape and ealier than I expected. Was very pleased with the order and would definately order from them again!