16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Nothing screws up your weekend like finding a dead body.", December 6, 2007
"Extracurricular Activities" is Maggie Barbieri's follow-up to her well-received debut, "Murder 101." Dr. Alison Bergeron still teaches English literature in St. Thomas, a small Catholic college in the Bronx. The love of her life, "Detective Hot Pants," also known as Bobby Crawford, has yet to divorce his pretty and saintly wife, Christine, who is also the mother of their seventeen-year-old twin girls. Meanwhile, Alison's philandering ex-husband, Ray, is forever dropping by, and she is too polite to tell him to get lost. One evening, Alison comes home and finds a mutilated corpse propped up at her kitchen table. Now she really has her hands full, what with her professional responsibilities, her quandary about whether she should go out with her friend's gorgeous single brother, Jack McManus, and of course, her sleuthing. Alison has never been one to leave the detecting to the detectives.
Her investigation brings her into close contact with Bobby, which makes them both a bit uncomfortable. She is also forced to spend some not-so-quality time with several suspects, including the formidable mob boss Peter Miceli and his nasty wife, Gianna, who have intimidated her ever since their nineteen-year-old daughter was found dead in the trunk of Alison's car. Peter and Gianna keep stalking her and that leaves Alison more than a bit queasy. In addition, she is chagrined when her slutty neighbor, Terri, who had been one of Ray's lovers, suddenly decides to have a chat about her personal problems. Before all the plot elements are finally resolved, more bodies pile up and Alison finds herself in mortal danger.
"Extracurricular Activities" has a likeable and wise-cracking heroine and cute dialogue laced with amusing one-liners. The secondary characters include Alison's buddy, Father Kevin McManus, a gossipy priest, Terri's golden retriever, Trixie, who always greets Alison with unbounded doggy affection, sultry Max Rayfield, Alison's soon-to-be married best friend, and Carmen Montoya, a tough, smart, and sexy cop who, although married, unabashedly flirts with Crawford. It is too bad that the story is so far-fetched. The police seem to be sleeping at the wheel while Maggie does most of the dirty work and as the plot unfolds, it becomes more and more preposterous. In addition, Barbieri makes the jarring decision to switch from Alison's first person point of view to the third person and then back again to the first person. The book's redeeming features are its lighthearted humor and Barbieri's deft handling of Alison's volatile love life. Although it does not earn the highest marks, "Extracurricular Activities" is a satisfying enough chick-lit mystery that will appeal to fans of escapist fare.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Witty mystery with fun setting and endearing characters, December 11, 2007
Extracurricular Activities is the hip sequel to Murder 101, which if you haven't read yet, I highly recommend. Alison Bergeron is the main character in both and she's a joy to spend time with as she finds dead bodies, drinks martinis, and is the maid of honor in her best friend's wedding. She also adopts a goofy dog and finds some romance with a NYC detective. Much fun with a zippy pace and great twists (especially at the end).
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More fun and excitement with Alison Bergeron, December 30, 2007
This is the second installment of Maggie Barbieri's murder mystery/comedy/love story series about college professor and part-time sleuth Alison Bergeron. It's an excellent follow-up to "Murder 101"
In "Extracurricular Activities" there is more of just about everything; more dead mangled bodies, more suspects, more lascivious chit chat. There's less of Alison fainting; but that's a good thing.
It's another breezy, fun read, and I confess that I was totally wrong about who the perps were. I won't explain, since that would give things away, but I can say that if you like fast-reading entertainment in the mystery genre, you'll enjoy this book.
I can't wait for #3 in the series.
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