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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Murder by the Book, June 24, 2008
Helen takes a job in a bookstore. Life seems to be settling into a routine. She has a cozy home, an interesting job, a boyfriend, and friends at her apartment complex.
That all changes when her apartment is swarmed by termites, her boss is murdered, her boyfriend turns into a jerk, and her good friend is arrested.
Helen and her landlady systematically investigate until they find the killer.
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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Mystery, Depressing Character, July 26, 2004
Helen Hawthorne has landed another under the radar job. This time she's working at Page Turners book store. The job isn't as nice as she thought it would be, but she puts up with her womanizing boss, Page Turner III, because he's will to pay in cash. Now, if only the rumors of the chain closing would go away, Helen might be able to relax.
When her apartment is infested with termites, she doesn't mind the weekend at the beach with new boyfriend Dr. Rich. But Helen returns to find Page Turner III dead in neighbor Peggy's bed. There is no shortage of suspects, but the police center in on Peggy, soon arresting her. Helen knows her friend couldn't have committed the murder, so she starts her own investigation. The more she investigates, the more motive she uncovers for Peggy. Can she find another motive and free her friend?
I still have very mixed emotions about this series. On one hand, I find Helen's plight down right depressing. And, frankly, I also find it rather hard to believe she would let herself stay in the predicament for very long. Furthermore, there seems to be a real anti-male theme going in this series, which rankles me. On the other hand, I had a hard time putting the book down and was completely drawn into the mystery. I was proud of myself for figuring out the killer before Helen even if I missed the clues along the way, so obviously I cared about the outcome.
This series is advertised as a humorous series, but I don't get the black humor. I'm compelled enough that I'll probably move on to the third when it comes out. Helen may be depressing, but I can't seem to stay away from her adventures.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bookstore mayhem and murder, May 6, 2005
Once again Helen is working a dead-end job that allows her to be paid in cash under the table. She is hiding out from the law and her ex-husband.
This time she's working at Page Turners Bookstore. With her love of books, she thought this would be the perfect job. Wrong. Not only is the caliber of customers low, but her boss, Page Turner III, is the pits. Plus the stores appear to be on a downward spiral.
Her apartment complex, The Coronado Tropic Apartments, become infested with termites. The residents are all forced to move out for the weekend while the complex is tented and bombed.
Her landlady treats Helen to an enjoyable weekend at the beach. Her new boyfriend, Dr. Rich, comes to spend it with her.
But, when they return to the Coronado, they find Page Turner III dead with a knife in his back, on a bed in one of the apartments. How could this happen? Did anyone at the Coronado even know him? Plus, the apartments had been locked down and tented.
Suspects are not is short supply. Helen's friend Peggy is arrested. Apparently she had been engaged to Page some time before and had threatened him. Helen investigates to help get Peggy released. She feels Peggy knows something but won't tell her. Could it have been his wife, one of the female authors he took advantage of, or one of Helen's co-workers?
I really enjoy this series. Helen is a lot of fun, and the characters she works and lives with always add to the story. Fort Lauderdale is a terrific setting, too. There are plenty of twists and turns before the killer is revealed so that it is not easy to figure out who the killer is.
This series is a great cozy series. I highly recommend it.
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