Customer Reviews

Dial Om for Murder (Mantra for Murder Mysteries, No. 2)

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

 

 

AJ's adventures running a yoga studio, looking for love, and finding dead bodies continues The second in a series of cozy mysteries with a little romance, a lot of fun and enough yoga and mystery twists to keep you reading.
Though I'd have liked a little more about yoga and the studio, Dial Om for murder is a not too complicated light mystery.

I really enjoyed this second installment in the series and the characters are all likeable. The relationship between A.J. and Andy has evolved a lot since the first book, especially through the lens of Andy's illness ( multiple sclerosis ). A.J.'s mom is fun and perky and, together with her daughter, form a dynamic detective duo, determined to catch the real killer and prove the innocence of a young girl falsely accused of the murder, even though at first A.J. hates to find herself in the middle of another homicide investigation. As usual the yoga tips and information found throughout the book are useful and inspiring. Well done, Diana Killian! I am looking forward to the next book.

The second book in the A Mantra for Murder Mysteries is another funny, great and relaxed hit.

Life has moved on and A.J. is still happy with her decision to stay and manage the yoga studio she inherited even though not everyone is excited about it.
Lily (co-manager at the studio and an old friend of her aunt) is trying to change the name of the studio and is questioning A.J. in general and especially her classes (doga and yoga for babies). But her clients love her and A.J. is finding more and more to herself and starts to really appreciate the gift her aunt made her. Even the relationship with hot detective Jake Oberlin seems to be very promising and life in general is just good (especially because her mom is on a cruise far away!).
But when one of A.J. 's celebrity students gets killed and another is making serious threats against her, A.J. soon decides to make her own inquiries. With help of her ex-husband Andy and her mom (who got back way too early) she stumbles from one dangerous situation into another and because she continues to interfere with his job, Jake even breaks up with her.
But A.J. is not one to give up and in the end her stubornness will help to solve the crime and her personal issues.

"Dial Om for Murder" is another hit by Diana Killian.
I like all the characters in (even annoying and crazy mom) and particularly A.J. is great. I enjoyed reading about how her life has changed and how she is fighting for her aunts dream and vision. A.J. is blooming in the yoga business and her relationship to Jack is also moving along and changing into something better and more stable (after they work through some issues). I love the scenes when A.J. is in "yoga mode", she's not fanatic about it but appreciates how the inheritance has already changed herself and is happy to give her new love to yoga back to her students.
What I also enjoyed about "Dial Om for Murder" is that all the characters got a chance to become deeper and especially that no change or development was rushed.
So I will definitely read the next book in the series to see how A.J. tries to stay out of police business and continues with her new life.

I enjoyed the second installment of this series, although I didn't care for the romance aspect. Jake and AJ haven't known each other long enough for him to feasibly be that crazy about her that he would neglect his values and jeopardize his job.

A lot of loose ends as well, that I hope will be tied up in future installments.

This book was annoying, but the author has great potential here if she can just get her characters to grow up a bit and if she can command her plots. A mystery set around a professional woman from the New York(A.J) who inherits a suburban yoga studio from a beloved aunt really is a great idea. It just doesn't take form. AJ's mother is a narcissistic, aging actress who adds nothing to the plot. I was glad she was in Egypt when the book opened, but there she popped. AJ's ex-husband, now gay, was a nice addition in the first book, but he got a little irrational here. The author explained, but it what annoying. What the author did to him was ridiculous. AJ's love interest was constructed well and although he puts up with a lot, is pretty believable. Lilly, the nemesis, who thought she should have inherited the studio is over-written and heavy handed. At one point, I wanted to throw the book away. Not sure how much mileage the author can get out of these characters without improving them drastically. It's a great idea for a mystery and I hope it fills out and gets better. If not, I'm making like Eagle Pose, and flying away.

An enjoyable sequel to Corpse Pose. Some of the characters are a bit unbeleivable, but the plot is interesting. As always, we learn a bit about yoga.