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:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

 

 

 

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.)