Customer Reviews

Electric Blue (Jane Kelly Mysteries)

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

 

 

This mystery is an easy, entertaining read that keeps you guessing until the end. It's apparent the author spent a lot of her time with Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich novels before launching her own efforts. Jane Kelly is a definite amalgam of Kinsey Millhone and Stephanie Plum. Fortunately, I love them both and I've enjoyed sampling this author's efforts! It's a fun story, and Jane's family and lovelife woes are entertaining side dishes. I've not read her first novel, so I'll be getting that immediately. One caution: don't take the jacket cover description to heart. I've no idea what novel the person who wrote it had read! Enjoy.

Jane Kelly, Information Specialist, working toward her private investigator license, has been spending her time delivering warrants and eviction notices. One minute she thinks she can handle anything, but the next she is second-guessing her abilities.

Working for a small investigative company where Dwayne Durbin is her boss and friend, she stumbles into a hornet's nest of crazies. Dwayne is working on a divorce case that involves a well-known family in town. The Purcells have a history related to their developing some of the first buildings and businesses in the city. Lots of wheeling and dealing have made the family wealthy. Their matriarch, Orchid, is in her 90s and controls the purse strings.

Our gal Jane Kelly has been asked to do some research work on the family for the divorce case. An unexpected call comes in from one of the Purcells asking for the help of a female Investigator on a separate issue. Since Jane knows the history on the Purcells, she is sent to take care of the assignment. Dwayne tells her to be careful and warns her that all the Purcell's are all crazy.

Jane meets with Jazz Purcell, who is more handsome than allowed, and gets her assignment. He wants her to observe Orchid Purcell, his grandmother, and determine if the old lady is losing it. Jazz wants to know if she is getting senile and no longer r capable of managing the family fortune. All the other family members want to have Orchid sign a Power of Attorney so they can claim the money.

The family is full of interesting characters all trying to get their hands on the money--some sinister and others, run-of-the mill weird. Jane gets in the thick of things and solves a murder and near murders and manages to have some romance too. Who will it be in the end? Bush keeps us guessing the whole time.

Nancy Bush has found a character in Jane Kelly that will have a long life as a private investigator, snooping under and around every nook and cranny. I am looking forward to the next case.

Armchair Interview says: Another delightful cozy mystery.

I really enjoyed this book, although I did have a bit of confusion fitting the first scene into the timeline of the story. The mystery portion of the book was well written and kept me guessing throughout the book. Unlike a previous reviewer, I appreciate the storyline with Jane's mother, brother, and his fiancée. I feel that this helps to build the character of Jane, and lets the reader get some insight into what makes her tick. If every move and conversation of the book was directly related to "who done it," there wouldn't be a lot of suspense when it came to the ending. And this background material helps to build relationships which could be important in other books in the series.

I did have a bit of a problem with the description on the inside cover of the book. It mentioned events that don't occur until 250+ pages into the book, and one thing that I don't recall ever happening. I felt that this gave away too much of the plot, and would have preferred something more like what is listed on this page describing the book.

Overall I thought this was an interesting read, and I look forward to finding out what comes next in the life of Jane and company.

Finally, another mystery writer who doesn't take themselves so seriously that they all sound the same. This lighthearted crime caper is a breath of fresh air that I wish more writers would aspire to. The author Nancy Bush gets it right by not invoking the worst parts of the (groan) "chick lit" genre and yet she has enough contemporary elements in the story to make the characters seem real.

It is an engrossing story about family and the secrets that can bind it together or tear it apart. Nancy Bush weaves her tale with intrigue and sly humor and her subplots keep the pace humming and the reader hanging on.

Jane Kelly is the kind of everywoman that keeps readers coming back for more. Like all my favorite female p.i.'s, she's someone I wish I could meet. Too bad I've already finished ELECTRIC BLUE because now I have to wait for whatever happens next.

Jennifer Delaney

This is the second novel in the PI Jane Kelly series. Jane in drawn into an investigation of the Purcell family, an investigation that is complicated by the fact that there is a dirty family secret that they will not reveal. Orchid Purcell, the family matriarch, controls the family's money. They have substantial real estate holdings. But there is a question about the death of one of her daughters years earliet in a mental institution. Jane is attracted to Jazz, the son of the deceased daughter, and the mystery of the identity of his father.

Older members of the family seem to hang about like vultures waiting to inherit the estate, and some people appear to be willing to help events along. There is some suspected fratricide. There are a few surprises as the novel winds to a climax.

The main problem with the novel is the tendency to digress into side issues and other cases. It makes for slow reading, especially if a reader would like to cut to the chase. There is Binkster, the dog acquired by Jane in the previous novel (see Candy Apple Red). There are Jane's family. There is Jane's relationship with her boss (who has his own way of setting fees for his clients). The other cases, while interesting, are mostly unrelated to the main plot, although they create some incidents in Jane's life.

The novel has some amount of language, sex, and violence. It is probably on the level of one of the Stephanie Plum novels. I would give it a PG-13 rating.

Dwayne Durbin is mentoring process server Jane Kelly on the fine art of becoming an information specialist also known as a private detective. For the most part the rookie is doing great work. He assigns her to tail a woman at a spa whose husband believes she is cheating on him. She discovers who the perpetrator is vandalizing a homeowner whose house extension is opposed by his neighbors. She is paid for these jobs, but the Purcell case, which takes up much of her time, is gratis.

Jazz Purcell contacts Dwayne who dumps him on Jane because he thinks she and he and his blood kin are crazy. Jane meets Jazz's grandmother Orchid to learn if the elderly matriarch is mentally slipping perhaps into dementia or Alzheimer's. Jane is uncertain, but advices Orchid not to grant power of attorney to any or her relatives as the tyro sleuth trusts none of them to care for the interests of the geriatric and probably want her dead. When Orchid dies, Jane feels a murder occurred and is obsessed with uncovering the killer's identity though that places her and Dwayne at risk.

Nancy Bush has written a witty clever private investigative tale that is filled with plenty of surprises and skeletons that see the light of day due to the stubbornness of the heroine. Jane is a hoot as she turns away from the wealthy handsome Jazz because he is not the one yet remains in denial when it comes to Dwayne who deep down may be the one. Readers will be disturbed by the dysfunctional seemingly uncaring Purcell family that in some ways could come from recent headlines. ELECTRIC BLUE is simply electrifying thanks mostly to Jane who concocts quite a cocktail.

Harriet Klausner

Nancy Bush's Jane Kelly books are definitely entertaining and I can't wait for her next Jane Kelly book. Come on Nancy!

This is a really great fun read.I Loved it.As good as any Janet Evanovich, better than most.I'm looking forward to this series !!!

I have to admit that at first I was not at all impressed by the first book, howver as time went by I was going through Jane Kelly withdrawls. I saw the second book and had to buy it and see what the characters were up to now. Binks is endearing, Dwayne seems hot but in all the wrong ways and Jane is so independent it makes me want to hit her. I love how she fumbles her way thorugh private investigating. I cannot wait to read the third.

I really like nancy bush romantic suspense. I like a good mystery so I thought I would get this book. My fault, i should have read some of it before i bought it. I didn't like how the book was written. If you are like me and don't like reading in 1st person you need to know that is how it is written.Putting that aside i still had a hardtime getting into reading this book. Now I know i wont' automatically buy a NB book and read some of it first.