Customer Reviews

Homemade Sin: Callahan Garrity Mystery, A (Callahan Garrity Mysteries)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

These may be considered cozies, but they have a distinct edge. The characters are fun, but also well developed, and the plots are decent. The characters and their personalities are complex. The books improve as they go along. I was panting for the last one, "Irish Eyes." I even bought the hardback. Am waiting for the next one. Begin at the beginning if you can, but not necessary.

I don't usually go for such light-hearted mysteries, I prefer more gore and murder. But I picked this up after a friend recommended it to me, and I was not disappointed. Having grown up in and around Atlanta my whole life, it was fun to read the fictional events and actually picture where they were taking place. I could just see where the murder occured, where Callihan lived and ate, where her relatives lived. I guess that was the most appealing thing about this book. You may have to live in Atlanta to truly like it.

That said, the story was quick and interesting. You know almost from the beginning 'whodunnit', but keep reading to see him get caught. I don't think this book was as close to the Tokars case as some may think, but there were some similarites. I picked this book up on Saturday morning and was done by the next day. I may read more of her books, if just to enjoy the local setting a bit more.

The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the pace of the story. It didn't drag on and on with pages of boring details. Even though it was a fairly quick read, there was enough information about people's surroundings, the family connections, etc., to make it interesting and hold the reader's attention. As for the whodunnit, that was fairly easy to figure out, but it didn't take away from the book. I will definitely take the time to read more books by this author.

A witty clever chatter between Housemouse cleaning service and mystery in the South. The fun begans from the very beginning. I love the whole series of Kathy Hogan Trocheck's Callahan, an ex-cop now owner of Housemouse. She exchanges humor with her mother and boyfriend and gets into mystery situations. Its light fun reading. I wish Kathy would write more of this series, I loved all of them.

I was happily reading along and suddenly at the very end, I found a pretty glaring goof....I went back and read the paragraph verrrrry carefully but I still don't see where Callahan got the tape off her wrists...one minute she had her wrists taped behind her..."painfully wormed her left hand to her pocket"....and the next minute she was lifting a piece of headstone over her head...how'd she do that? The author (and the editors!) lost their credibility in that one brief moment....I would love for someone to write to me and let me know that I was having a brain fade and just missed the moment she got that tape off....

First Line: "Nine-letter hint," I muttered, absent-mindedly winding a curl around my finger.

When her cousin Patti McNair is shot to death in her new car near the Garden Homes project in Atlanta, a horrible situation is made even worse by the fact that her young son is in the car with her. Callahan refuses to believe that Patti's death is a random robbery and senseless murder, and sets out to find her own suspects and conduct her own investigation. In fact, she's being so mule-headed about the whole thing that she puts her own life in danger.

I've enjoyed this series about a former Atlanta police officer who's now owner of the House Mouse cleaning service. Granted, Callahan's mother has always rubbed my fur the wrong way with her methods of getting her daughter to do as she wants, but I could overlook that. Unfortunately, in Homemade Sin there were a few too many things I couldn't overlook.

For one thing, I can't help but compare this series to Ann Purser's Lois Meade series centered on a woman running her own house cleaning agency in small town England. Purser's series wins, hands down. It's obvious that Callahan had a career previous to House Mouse, and by the way she's always haring off to do something else, her heart isn't in her current career. On the other hand, Lois keeps a tight rein on her business, takes care of her family and solves crimes.

Trocheck's series, set in Atlanta, also has a tendency to limit African American characters to the roles of domestics, gang bangers and project dwellers, which didn't set well with me.

But what really got up my nose is the behavior of Callahan herself. At the very beginning of the book, there really isn't any evidence to support Callahan's belief that Patti's murder was planned. I'm sorry, but Callahan's guilt over not talking to or visiting with her cousin as often as she should have in recent years just isn't evidence to me. Our intrepid heroine then proceeds to ride rough-shod over everyone else in the family to pursue her gut feeling. She has no respect for anyone else's feelings or wishes. Then she pouts when family members give her the Silent Cold Shoulder Treatment. Gah!

Yes, Callahan was proved right, but I'm still annoyed with her. Hmm... see why I have enjoyed this series? The characters can get to you! If you're in the mood for a cozy with a heroine whose heart is in the hunt and not the scrub bucket, give Kathy Hogan Trocheck's Callahan Garrity series a try. Not everyone is a curmudgeon like me!

I have just started reading the Kathy Hogan Trocheck series with Callahan Garrity in the lead as the local owner of a cleaning company who does detecting on the side.

This is the earliest of the series, I believe, and the story is a good one. Callahan's favorite cousin, Patti, is brutally murdered in front of her son. Callahan dives head first into finding how and why her cousin is killed, even though the family, including Callahan's mom has told her to let it go since it is too upsetting.

Callahan persists and is pulled into a series of mystery and intrigue including her cousin's own husband.

A really good whodunit.

Homemade Sin is anything but homemade. This mystery is definitely penned by a professional. Trocheck knows people--all classes of people. Her characters come alive, relationships ring true, and the dialogue works. And that gal Callahan is something else. I'd advise you not to mess with her.

Really enjoyed yet another Kathy Hogan Trocheck book. They are light, entertaining books. Quick reads! Great for the summertime! Love the characters in the Callahan Garrity Mysteries...they take me back to my days in the old South! Thanks for making them available!
Minnie Bourque

I really enjoyed this story. Fast paced, plenty of suspects. Totally realistic. Charactors that seem like family.