Customer Reviews

Murder Can Depress Your Dachshund (Thorndike Mystery)

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

 

 

This series has become very predictable. Desiree gets a case, talks to lots of people, spends hours upon hours typing up her notes, reviews her notes 500 times, and then on the 501st review, sees something that leads her to the solution.

Add in a few nagging phone calls from the whiny Ellen (and one Mandarin Joy dinner at her apartment), a few evil eyes from the annoying Jackie for not being privy to Desiree's every move, and a few dates with the nerdy Nick, who spends most of his time fretting about his over-the-top monster kid, and it's getting hard to tell one installment apart from the next.

I can't get over how fun these books are! This series is witty, fun, funny, and a pure delight to read.

And while these books are witty and fun, they are also clever. The mysteries are perfect and cleverly thought out. The clues are cleverly given. The mystery part of these books really are perfect, because they are not so much boring police work or boring detective work that they are boring, but just enough cleverness and just enough involvement to make the mysteries work out beautifully without the answer just being thrown in your lap or without the mysteries just being fluff. (Not that I don't love fluff.)

And I enjoy hearing about what Desiree eats. That adds a lot of fun (play) to the books.

This series has everything: clever mystery, cozy atmosphere, wit and fun. And when I say cozy, I mean cozy. This is one of the coziest series I've ever read. And I love Desiree Shapiro (the main character) because she is so real as well as being witty and fun-loving. She doesn't feel she has to diet everytime she eats 100 calories. And she isn't arrogant. She is someone we can all love.

If you love cozy mysteries as much as I do, and you haven't tried any of the books in this series, I recommend you do. It's always good to start at the beginning ("Murder Can Kill Your Social Life"), but it isn't necessary. Any of these books would be fine to start with to get a sampling of how awesome this series is.

Now, about this particular book, "Murder Can Depress you Dachshund":

Desiree, a private investigator, receives a job from an elderly man to investigate the possible murder of his son. The son is a wonderful, well-liked person; who and why would anyone want to murder him? This mystery is puzzling for Desiree. The pieces don't seem to want to fall together. But Desiree investigates, talks to people, and finally the pieces start to come together.

While she figures it all out, we are taken on adventures. There is lots of food, coffee, and fun. I also love the relationship Desiree has with her niece, Ellen. Everyone seems to love Desiree. And while she is witty, she is also intelligent and sensible.

I loved the adventures. I loved this book from start to finish.

Highly recommended. Five stars are not enough.

There is nothing profound about this series, and the mysteries are not highly mysterious, but it is a great deal of fun. Time spent in Desiree's company is always enjoyable.

Finding what I call a "sophisticated cozy," is often a challenge. This is my first in this series, and it didn't dumb-down the mystery too much. Good characters and an interesting plot. I am concerned, based on one of the other reviews, that the series may become formulaic, but I will order more. Besides most authors of mystery series have a formula. No matter who you read, after a while, you get tired and need to switch up. My only criticism had to do with the notes. My goodness, she spends HOURS transcribing her notes. That is a little unbelievable. The interviews aren't that long. Fill that time with something else, Desiree. Maybe it's a ploy to close loose ends: Eureka! The answer was in my NOTES. Whatever. This isn't rocket science. We who like uncomplicated mysteries are going to have to take a little imperfection. This book was fun. I recommend it and will visit with Desiree again.

This was my first Desiree Shapiro book for me. It had been recommended by one of my cozy mystery lovers online members...besides I am the proud owner of 2 rescue dachshunds and thought this might be a good choice for me.

This author brings her own sense of humor into her book from the first page. she hooked me on this series with this book. It was not only a good read, it was a fun read. I enjoyed it all the way through. I was actually happy to be reading this book and I plan on reading many more in her Desiree Shapiro series.

The characters were believable and I especially appreciate Desiree. She's not perfect as a matter of fact she's over weight. I like her niece, Ellen, and her needy ways.

Thank-you Selma Eichler for bringing a fun sense of humor into your cozy mysteries.

Ellen Rappaport
Largo, Florida

I tremendously enjoy Eichler's wacky, chubby, citified detective, Desiree Shapiro and the off-beat characters with which Eichler's books are populated. Isn't it fun how "gossip" helps Desiree solve things? This series remains in a category of mysteries that continue to engage my tastes -- which are tired and sick to death of the hardbitten, violent, and oversexed gumshoes that still inhabit too many of our mystery novels. This current one lives up to my criteria (seeking the less conventional) and I enjoyed the story, about which I will not comment any more so as not to impinge on your enjoyment of it.

I liked this mystery, because it of its uniqueness. It differentiates itself by having an overweight female detective, who doesn't specialize in getting beat up or beating others up. But that is not to say that it is an easy solve. Also her friends and boyfriend are interesting characters that add dimension.

If you like this series, then you will enjoy this book. I have read most all of the books in this series and although I like a few of the earlier ones better, I still thought it was enjoyable and Desiree is a fun as ever. This is a fun mystery - great for summer reading.