Book Review: Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis

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Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis is the first installment in the Maya and Sandra Mystery series, a cozy mystery series centered on private investigators. The story follows Sandra Wallage , the wife of a U.S. senator and the newly elected president of Portland High School’s PTA, who becomes the latest target of a vicious gossip website called Dirty Laundry . After a heated PTA meeting, Sandra crosses paths with Maya Kendrick , a private investigator who has uncovered the identity of the person behind the gossip site. When the two women attempt to confront the culprit, they instead discover a dead body. Was it really a suicide, or did someone have a motive for murder? I’m a longtime fan of books by Lee Hollis , which is actually the pen name for sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason . They’ve written several cozy mystery series, and what I appreciate most about their books is that they aren’t overly kitschy, unlike some other cozy mysteries I’ve ...
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Book Review: Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, #20) by Janet Evanovich

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book review of takedown twenty stephanie plum 20 janet evanovich

When Trenton's beloved mobster Salvatore "Uncle Sunny" Sunucchi goes underground after murdering a guy, Stephanie Plum is tasked with bringing him in for his court date. However, no one is willing to turn him in, especially not the Morelli family because Sunny is Joe Morelli's godfather. To top things of, Ranger has given Stephanie an assignment of his own . . . find the murderer of a client's bingo loving mother.

Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, #20) by Janet Evanovich was not one of my favorites. I'm not sure if it's because I've binge reading the series or not, but the book was a bit of a let down. With that being said, it did give me an escape from reality and held my attention well enough.

One of the featured characters was a giraffe named Kevin that roamed the streets of Trenton, New Jersey. I found this to be a bit far fetched, especially when the reason why was given because it made it even more far fetched. Lula was also featured more heavily than she was in the last book, and this particular character is becoming annoying because it seems like her character development has stalled and is almost a caricature of herself. And, once again, Stephanie gets the "eye" from Joe's grandmother Bella and has multiple mishaps with cars. This is getting to be a bit old.

For one brief moment, I thought Stephanie was actually going to make a final choice between Joe and Ranger, but it didn't happen because she was interrupted by Joe's family. However, I did enjoy that we got a better glimpse into his family, which was refreshing. I am seriously hoping that Stephanie and Joe end up together as a married couple sooner rather than later.

I gave Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, #20) by Janet Evanovich three out of five stars. Because this series gives me an escape from reality, I will continue to read on to find out what happens.

 

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