Review of If I Should Die by Allison Brennan

Rating - 4

While helping their friends stop malicious vandals targeting their new resort, aspiring FBI agent Lucy Kincaid and her P.I. boyfriend, Sean Rogan, stumble upon a dead body, which then disappears, leading them into the middle of a violent conspiracy.

Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres and I enjoy reading Brennan's stories about the Rogan and Kincaid families. They sre suspenseful, romantic and fast-paced. What's not to like?

Review of Thereby Hangs a Tail by Spencer Quinn

Rating - 4

 Private Investigators Chet (a dog) and Bernie are hired to find a missing showdog named Princess and her owner who have been kidnapped. Also missing is local newspaper reporter and very good friend, Suzie Sanchez. As Chet and Bernie dig further into the case, there seems to be a lot more going on than a missing showdog.
Quinn's Chet and Bernie books are great. The two work together and always manage to solve their quirky cases. In typical PI fashion, Bernie never has any money and tends to drink a little too much, but Chet is really the main character and is also the narrator of the story. Quinn does a great job of writing the books through Chet's eyes and that's what makes them so humorous. Highly recommended.

Review of Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie

Rating - 3

Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it's a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don't mistake is the instant attraction they have for each other, an attraction they'll do everything in their power to resist--because Dennie thinks that Alec is running interference for her interview subject, and Alec suspects that Dennie is linked to his swindler. As the confusion grows, so do their feelings for each other, and what begins as a romantic comedy of errors may just end in the love affair of a lifetime. (Brilliance Audio Description).

This was a typical Jennifer Crusie madcap romance, full of her signature humor. It is a reprint of one of her earlier books and it was obvious, lacking some of the depth of her more current books. Still it was fun, enter taining and great to listen to.

Review of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Rating - 4

At the age of 13, Maisie Dobbs procures a job as a housemaid in a nobleman's house. Maisie lived in near poverty with her father from the time her mother died when she was a young child. Although Maisie never went to school, she was a avid reader. One day her new employer finds her reading in his library and eventually discover that not only is Maisie a bright young woman, but she is exceptionally gifted. Her new employers decide to take Maisie under their wing and educate her. In her second year of college, war breaks out and Maisie decides to become a nurse and work on the battle front treating the wounded soldiers. When the war is over and Maisie returns to England, she decides that attending college is too frivolous and wants to something with her education. She starts her own business as a private investigator and her first case involves severely injured war veterans.

This is the first book in a series about Maisie Dobbs. I had a hard time putting this book down once I started reading it. The characters drawn the reader in immediately and at the end I needed to know more about Maisie and her life.  Highly recommended. Fans of the PBS TV show, Downton Abby, will really enjoy this book since it is set during the same time period and deals with the upper and lower class system prevalent in England at that time.