Customer Reviews

Ralphie's Wives

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Any book that's opening line is:

"Remember. If it has tires or testicles, you're going to have trouble with it."

Has to be one of the best!

Ms Rimmer has written a book with equal mystery and romance with her trademark larger-than-life secondary characters. Ralphie is dead but he's one of these as well as Goddess Jacks whose witticisms are the beginning of each chapter. Goddess is writing a self-help book--it will be great!

Phoebe Jacks, Goddess's daughter, is the first of Ralphie's wives-she was 19 and he was 47. She and her best friends, Cimarron Rose and Tiffany also #2 and #3 wives of Ralphie's have been friends since birth. Ralphie Styles was the manager of their singing group, Prairie Queens. Life was good at the time!

Ralphie and Phoebe are the owners of a bar, Ralphie's Place, in Oklahoma City, OK. Phoebe runs it and gives Ralphie half the profits but she doesn't mind he has become her good friend in fact he's a good friend to all the Queens. Rio Navarro is a Harley riding Los Angeles, CA native who's a P.I. and Ralphie's heir--he's Phoebe's new partner! Most of the people in OK had never heard of Rio. Ralphie had mentioned Rio to Phoebe a few times but she didn't expect this tall,dark handsome man to be Ralphie's good friend and heir.

Ralphie has a new wife #4 Darla Jo who is just 21 and very pregnant. Ralphie was the victim of a hit-and-run at 4am in a section of town that Ralphie didn't frequent did seem strange. Had he made one of his wives mad enough to run over him?

Rio decided to take a look into the hit-and-run but needs Phoebe. What chemistry Phoebe & Rio have! Ralphie wanted them to get together, he'd been trying to get Rio to come to Oklahoma for some time--he knew they'd be good together! He was right too!

Solving the crime takes time and both Phoebe and Rio are trying not to fall for each other but.....

I'd love to tell more but I don't want to ruin the book for you. Very good pacing of the mystery and Ms Rimmer has given us hints as to the murderer but......

I love RALPHIE'S WIVES and can hardly wait for Ms Rimmer's next HQN.

Former country singer Phoebe Jacks understands that "if it has tires or tentacles, you're going to have trouble with it". Her former husband Ralphie Styles is a prime example. The charmer married her and divorced her; married her best friend Cimarron and divorced her; married another close pal Tiffany and divorced her; and married for the fourth time Darla Jo. Though before he said I do to his current wife, Phoebe did not know her. Still the bartender remains a business partner of Ralphie and even became a friend of numero four.

However in Oklahoma City at four in the morning on IRS day, a red van runs over Ralphie before leaving the scene. The OCPD suspects number 4, but Phoebe disagrees and wants to insure justice occurs. Ralphie's best friend private investigator Rio Navarro arrives in Oklahoma City to uncover who killed him. He suspects one of the ex-wives of the current pregnant widow, but soon exonerates Phoebe though he wonders if his lower head persuaded him as he is attracted to the courageous loyal woman as much as he realizes a killer stalks her.

This is a fun romantic suspense with the emphasis on the Ralphie wives club more so than the investigation. Rio is amusing as he wonders how his late best friend put up with this harem of spousal hens while the Jacks wild witty words of wisdom will leave readers laughing. Although the whodunit never takes center stage until late in the plot, fans of lighthearted romps will enjoy the antics of RALPHIE'S WIVES.

Harriet Klausner