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: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich

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Book Review: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich
Book Review of Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich
Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich is the latest installment in the Stephanie Plum book series and opens with Joe Morelli asking Stephanie to dog sit his dog Bob while he is out of town testifying at a trial.  The typical chaos ensues when Stephanie has to bring Bob along to apprehend all of her FTAs and has her asking herself if she wants to be married.

Each book in this series typically follows the same formula and is wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow at the end.  It's because of this that I enjoy the series . . . I always know that Stephanie is going to get herself into some sort of trouble and need Ranger or Morelli to help her, and the bad guy is always caught.  Sometimes, I just need something familiar and predictable to read.  And, I don't mean that in a bad way either because it allows me to escape reality and gives me a few chuckles along the way.  It's like the comfort food of books for me.

The last few books I felt like someone had ghost written them, but this one seems more in line with the earlier stories in the series, so I didn't get that feeling with this edition.  Unlike the ending of the other installments, it also left readers with a bit of a cliffhanger . . . Stephanie has marriage proposals from Morelli and Ranger!  She had been engaged to Morelli earlier in the series and called it off, so I am intrigued if she will actually choose one of them and get married.  I really hope so.

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One of my favorite characters is Bob, and I love the fact that he had a huge role in Dirty Thirty.  What can I say?  I'm an animal lover, and this dog is just ever so lovable.  I also really enjoyed Ranger in this storyline.

Five out of five stars is what I gave Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich.  I'm kind of sad that I finished the story because I want more, and now, I have to wait another year or so for the next installment to come out.


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