Aurora Teagarden is on her way to a meeting when one of her sister-in-laws who should be going with her phones and says she will be late. This is not exactly what Roe expected to hear from Poppy but goes along to the meeting with her other sister-in-law and waits for Poppy to arrive. When the woman doesn't appear Roe and Melinda are annoyed and go to Poppy's house to give her a piece of their mind. Unfortunately all Roe gets to do is call 911.

Who could have killed Poppy? Afterall she was a nice normal mother and wife. Or was she? As Roe tries to get to the bottom of things she comes across alot of secrets she wished would have stayed secrets and it looks like Poppy could have been murdered by one of many people.

To keep Aurora on her toes her half-brother turns up out of the blue and the the guy she is dating brings his mother for Thanksgiving. With all that going on it is a wonder that Roe manages to keep going. Tired and worried Roe does what she does best and asks the right questions to the right people. Hopefully she will come up with the right answers without getting herself hurt.

This is the last book in the Aurora Teagarden series and I will miss it. Poppy Done to Death is due for re-release but I managed to get hold of this copy a while ago. With all that Roe has been through I have to say that Charlaine Harris gave her a perfect ending and one that I had dreamt she would get. I can only hope that the author will visit Roe again someday and let us see how things turn out for her.

Charlaine Harris is an amazing author and I love all of her books. Lily Bard, Sookie Stackhouse, Harper Connelly and Aurora Teagarden are all wonderful characters and should all get together for dinner sometime. If you are a fan of the Southern Vampire series and need a fix between books then it is well worth taking the edge off with some of the other lovely ladies Charlaine has written about.

Labels: Books Read, Charlaine Harris, Cozy Mystery

Helen has found a new dead-end job. At least this one pays a bit more than her previous employers have but the abuse and working conditions are worse. If you thought being rung by a telemarketer was annoying you should try being one. Helen isn't really enjoying the work but she is selling enough to get by and save up for a car. That is until she hears a woman getting murdered when she phones someone up to conduct a phone survey.

Not able to let the event go, even though the police found nothing, she starts doing some detecting of her own. Before you know it Helen is getting into things she really shouldn't and taking off more clothes than she thought she would in public. Will Helen find out what happened to the woman she heard being murdered? Or will the murder catch up with her first?

Book three in the Dead-end job series was just as good as the first two books. I am really enjoying this series and I am liking Helen more and more with each book I read. She is strong and stubborn but also funny and feisty. I can't wait to read more in this cozy series and see what Helen gets herself into next.

Just as much fun as Stephanie Plum but with a more serious and grown up edge to it. If you are looking for something interesting but not too over the top this is worth giving a try.

Labels: Books Read, Cozy Mystery

Helen has a new job at Page Turners bookshop in Fort Lauderdale. It was the best job she could get where she can be paid in cash so she doesn't leave a paper trail for her ex-husband to pick up on. The shop is run by Page Turner III and it seems he doesn't really know much about books and isn't well liked. So it isn't much of a surprise to anyone when he turns up dead. The only surprise is where he is found.

Helen's neighbour and friend is the prime suspect in the murder and she knows that the parrot loving lottery player couldn't have done the deed. It is so obvious that her friend was set up but Helen has to prove it. So Helen once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and hopes that this time she will find the real killer before her friend ends up in prision for life.

Book two in the Dead End Jobs series has really made the decision on if I want to keep reading these books really easy. My decision is oh yeah! This series is fun and original with a main character that I really like. Helen is down to earth and strong with a knack for looking the right places for clues.

So I am glad I have the next two books in this cozy mystery series and have already put the others on my wishlist. If you are looking for a more grown up Stephanie Plum then look no further.

Labels: Books Read, Cozy Mystery

After running away from her old life, Helen is working as a sales assistant in an exclusive boutique in Fort Lauderdale. Off the books so nobody can track her down, she earns just enough to cover her bills. Her life was alot easier before but now she is on the run and she has to take the only job she can get.

The job isn't exactly perfect but Helen doesn't mind until she realises her co-worker is embezzling money as well as a few other law breaking money makers. When murder gets mixed into things Helen puts her life in danger to find the real killer so she won't get the blame. After all if her name ends up printed anywhere she has a paper trail and her old life might be able to catch up with her.

First in the cozy series 'Dead-End Job Mysteries' this was a very thrilling start. I like a little cozy mystery and this was perfect. Helen is a nice character, realistic and the plot wasn't too over the top. Funny as well as gripping I was hooked and couldn't put this one down.

Luckily I have the next three books in the series waiting for me on my bookshelf and I am sure I will be reading them sooner rather than later. Elaine Viets also writes another of my cozy mystery favourites 'The Mystery shopper' series.

Labels: Books Read, Cozy Mystery