Wednesday, July 10, 2013

REVIEW ~ Temporary Detective by Joanne Sydney Lessner





Phones, light typing...and murder.

 

Think breaking into show business is hard? Try landing a temp job without office skills. That's the challenge facing aspiring actress Isobel Spice when she arrives in New York City, fresh out of college and deficient in PowerPoint. After being rejected by seven temp agencies for her lack of experience, Isobel sweet-talks recruiter James Cooke into letting her cover a last-minute vacancy at a bank. New to his own job, and recently sober, James takes a chance on Isobel, despite his suspicion that she's a trouble-magnet. His misgivings are borne out by lunchtime, when she stumbles across a dead secretary in a bathroom stall. With her fingerprints on the murder weapon, Isobel sets out to prove her innocence by investigating the crime herself. While learning to juggle phone lines and auditions, she discovers an untapped talent for detective work--a qualification few other office temps, let alone actresses, can claim.

 

Please note: this is a cozy mystery with an edge; contains some adult language and situations.


REVIEW

What did I think:  Granted, I haven’t read a lot of cozy mysteries, but TEMPORARY DETECTIVE is different from ones I’ve read in the past.  It’s a little hard to explain.  The book has humorous moments, which I’ve come to expect in the cozies.  But the book also deals with real issues like alcoholism and coming to terms with who you really are as a person and being accepted.
 
Pace of the story:  For me, the book had a slow start.  It was almost enough for me to not want to read the book.  I know this is going to sound bad, but once the murder was committed, it got better for me.
 
Positives:  Isobel Spice comes off as being a klutz, but she’s likable and caring.  The murderer and the way the person was revealed was a surprise.  
 
Negatives:  Again, a negative for me would be the slow start.  There were also times where I started to lose interest only to gain it again.
 
Bottom Line:  TEMPORARY DETECTIVE was an enjoyable read.  The main characters are likeable.  There’s a little romantic tension that could be explored in the next book.  It has it’s funny moments, but it also has it’s serious moments, which other cozies don’t have.
 
Rating: 3.5 (It’s enjoyable.  Give it a try.)
Release Date: April 12, 2012
Book Length: 280 pages
Source: Blog Tour Promoter
Reviewed by: Kim
Reading Format: Available in eBook and Paperback


Click HERE for an excerpt of TEMPORARY DETECTIVE and a little glimpse into Isobel’s world.


Places to find Joanne Lessner:
 
 
 
Joanne will be awarding one Read Your Writes Book Review’s commenter an ebook copy of her novel Pandora's Bottle, inspired by the world's most expensive bottle of wine. And a blog tour grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. (Leave your email address in the comments section in order to enter.) 
 

19 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. It's refreshing and nice to hear truly honest opinions in reviews! You're honest without being mean and I like that!

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. I know my format was a little different, but I saw it somewhere else and thought it interesting and too the point. But the book wasn't what I expected. It just seemed more real. It's hard to explain.

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  2. Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Joanne.

      You surprised me with the characters characteristics and the other elements you put in. I think the book was a little deeper than I thought it would be.

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    2. Thanks, Kim! I like books that are a bit hybrid, and one thing I really wanted to do was open a window into what it's like breaking into show business--what it's REALLY like, because I've lived it. Though I have to confess, I have no idea where James and his issues came from. BTW, you'll be happy to know that in BAD PUBLICITY, the second book, there's a body in the first sentence ;)

      Delete
  3. Thank you for the review, I'm looking forward to reading the book.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by Ingeborg!

      Be sure to come back and tell me what you thought of it.

      Delete
  4. This sounds like a really fun mystery. I enjoyed the honest review.

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  5. I've downloaded a couple of cozy mysteries but have not read one yet. I know I'll get around to it. Isobel sounds like a fun heroine but I sometimes have difficulty getting past a slow start in a book.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Catherine,

      Joanne is right.. You should check out the free preview on Amazon. It could be just me, but I think Temporary Detective is a deeper book than most cozy mysteries.

      Delete
  6. You can read the beginning for free on Amazon and see if you think it's slow... :)

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  7. I will give it a try thank you & different is good.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank Mary.

      Thanks for stopping by again. Good luck in the giveaway.

      Delete
  8. Thank you for this opportunity!

    sandybar57(at)msn(dot)com

    ReplyDelete

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