Customer Reviews

Murder at the Bad Girl's Bar and Grill: A Novel

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4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

The jest of the book has been covered already in reviews, but I just wanted to give my take on it. I was officially sick of all the cozy mystery series that seem to have popped up lately so I grabbed this book on a whim. I ended up loving this book, cover to cover. Kelby's writing style reminds me of Christopher Moore (very quick wit and quirky)and her story lines are along the lines of Carl Hiaasen. She manages to make the wacky characters real without being cartoonish. Kelby even manages to give the vultures and shih tsu dog personalities. Highly recommended.

This is a very entertaining novel, filled with peculiar but likeable characters. Because they exist in what seems to be a very ordinary community makes them charmingly quirky; it kinds of makes you wonder what is "really" going on with your own neighbors. Although several reviewers have compared her writing to Hiaasen and others, be assured that Ms. Kelby has a writing style and narrative voice of her own, and she presents her cast of characters and their community in a fresh and very engaging way. The mystery involved in this book doesn't have a solution which is overly obvious, so by the time the last page of the book has ended the reader will feel that not only have they read a satisifying story, but also will admire the careful sleuthing the author creatively presented. This is another wonderful story told in the manner only Ms. Kelby can do. If you're reading this review, I encourage you read the book.

I love Kelby's books, and she is one of perhaps a handful of authors who can make me laugh out loud when I'm reading. This book is no exception.

Deserved or not, Florida has a wacky reputation. Blame the heat, blame the wildlife, blame Walt Disney. But for whatever reason, eccentrics of all stripes find a home in the Sunshine State. One of the most amusing tents in the freak show belongs to the horde of comic writers riffing on Florida today. Is there a better word than "horde" to describe a group of comic writers? From this book, I learned that the word for a group of vultures is a kettle; maybe a group of comic writers should be a "cackle." Speaking of vultures, you know you're in sure comic hands when the first chapter describes a corpse in a sweltering dumpster, discovered by the vultures perched on the rim, and it's funny.

N. M. Kelby knows and loves her oddballs, all of whom drift in, out, around and through the Bad Girl's Bar & Grill, a former Polynesian tiki hut, now known for its nightly viewings of "Wheel of Fortune," its Barry Manilow impersonator, and its house drink --- the key lime pie martini --- served in a martini glass with crushed Graham crackers around the edge. (Google to find recipes...they're out there!) Located in Laguna Bay, Florida, the BGBG has a light-hearted philosophy geared toward flirting, fun, spiritual generosity, and getting your own damn coffee. Really, even with the corpse rotting in the dumpster, wouldn't you like to go right now?

The BGBG is owned by Danni Keene, former horror movie queen. It's her job to coolly blast the vultures with a fire extinguisher when they get to be too much. She has seen a lot --- enough so that she is not the least bit surprised when Solas MacKay, Scottish circus clown, blows into town with his troupe, looking for his long-lost brother. (Hint: check the dumpster.) But Danni has problems, not the least of which is the Laguna Key Development Corporation, whose members have their hearts set on a clean, orderly, expensive Laguna Key. When they're not dressing up as the cast of "The Andy Griffith Show," they hatch plans to destroy the BGBG as it attracts the very sort of riffraff gated communities were designed to keep out. Wouldn't a nice golf course be better?

Mr. Whit, local businessman and all-around rich guy, has been in cahoots with the LKDC so he can buy the property. But he's been driven a little mad by the tragedy that befell his daughter Sophie, blinded in a scuba-diving accident and abandoned by her husband. Mr. Whit's habit of tasering people just might get him in trouble someday, as well as his quest to find the right wine to pair with deep-fried candy bars.

Who can sort all this out? Brian Wilson, an FBI dropout currently working as a caretaker for Mr. Whit and a guardian for Sophie, does his best. Smothering his irritating habit of whistling Beach Boys songs --- apparently there are times when "Surfer Girl" is appropriate and times when it is not --- he puts his old investigative skills to work and solves the case in time for the circus parade.

Along the way, the book touches on slave cemeteries, the plight of the homeless, and elderly twin Swedish circus performers whose only English word is "ta-dah!" Kelby also throws in a couple of love stories for good measure. Wit, charm, a murder or two --- everything you need is here. Dig your toes in the sand and have a good time. It's the Bad Girl way.

--- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn

I had to stop reading this book in the middle somewhere between a ceremony with candles on the main character's head to when she stole hurricane shutters from an old lady's house. I must have missed the whole plot point, because it was going nowhere. I was not drawn in to the story and it had no flow to it whatsoever. It seemed to be going all over the place. I guess I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover or title, because that's why I bought the book in hardback at Barnes & Noble. A lesson learned.

Being a Carl Hiaasen fiction fan, I've been looking for an author who is his spiritual heir and Ms. Kelby fills that bill and then some. The mind-numbing combination of Florida heat and humidity brings the crazies and crackpots and it's not too much of a stretch to imagine yourself running across the folks who populate the story. A kilt-wearing Scot with rudimentary wings, two ancient Swedish crones who windsurf, an ex- slasher movie queen who adopts both an injured vulture and a shih tsu who resembles Barry Manilow are all part and parcel of the characters who are witness to the two murders that disrupt the placid life in a Key's retirement community. How they solve the mystery of the murderer, unite lovers and stir up the uneventful life on Laguana Key, is something you'll want to witness yourself. So grab a copy, your favorite beverage and snuggle in for a good read. Would that we all had a Bad Girl's Bar and Grill to visit in real life!

Brian Wilson (not that BW) works as a security guard at gated Laguna Key, a Florida beach community. His prime task is to keep safe the daughter of his employer blind Sophie Whit.

Her dad is planning to expand his minor fiefdom by buying land. He has been successful with everyone he offers money to except for the owner of Bad Girl's Bar and Grill. Former horror B-film actress Danni Keene refuses to sell in spite of constant harassment and vandalism that she assumes is directed by Whit. Meanwhile things turn uglier when Brian finds the corpse of a homeless activist while the victim's brother Solas Mackay has set up his traveling puppet troupe in the Bad Girl's Bar and Grill parking lot. With a Barry Manilow imitator, everyone seems to be having a good time except a stunned half-Whit who plots over fast food to do whatever is necessary to possess Danni's property.

This is an interesting slice of life drama with the murder mystery enhancing the tale. The key cast members seem genuine as each struggle with what they are doing with their lives. Retirement in Southern Florida is showcased at its best and worst by the crew of MURDER AT THE BAD GIRL'S BAR AND GRILL as these zanies make for an amusing yet poignant look at those still working in these communities.

Harriet Klausner

This is the first book I've read by N. M. Kelby and is likely my last. I was seduced by the glowing reviews. So,I need to warn new readers about this book.

Kelby is reported to have said in an interview, "I want to illuminate the human spirit and I can't break that habit." I found nothing illuminating about the book! As for the human spirit, all of the characters were limited, damaged, unlikeable and some were insane. Their actions are largely inexplicable. Where is the human spirit?

I thought that perhaps the author was writing a fantasy like Alice in Wonderland. But Alice is missing. There is no anchor to sanity. Perhaps it is supposed to be pure escapist literature. But not for me!

The tone of the book (for me) is frustrating and uncomfortable. I kept expecting to find rational motivation, understanding (or illumination?} and some sanity. I couldn't find it.

Be warned, dear reader.

In the small Florida town of Laguna Key, things are not usual. The Bad Girl's Bar and Grill local bar is owned by former horror scream queen, Danni Keene. The one and only security guard (whose main job is to watch over Sophie, the blind daughter of Laguna Key founder, Mr. Whit) failed out of the FBI Academy.

The dead bodies start piling up at the very beginning of the story, wasting no time. The brother of the homeless man found dead behind Danni's bar is a circus clown--but not that kind of clown, the old-fashioned, more dramatic kind of clown, complete with puppets-and lots of merriment for the town. Then there's the lounge singer hired by Danni (a Barry Manilow impersonator), and also the vandalism against the bar.

This book reminded me of a good Jimmy Buffet song. It was laid back, fun and truly took me to Florida. The book is very fast-paced, with never a dull moment. There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested, but not so many as to make it hard to follow. The resolution is satisfying, and plausible.

I enjoyed this book because I found the characters interesting and engaging, the location was described very well, but not overly so, and the mystery was fun.

I hope author Kelby writes more about the citizens of Laguna Key, I'll be waiting in line to revisit my new friends!

Armchair Interviews agrees.