Scan barcode
A review by krista7
Arsenic in the Azaleas by Dale Mayer
2.0
"Arsenic in the Azaleas" is a nice little cozy mystery that offers more amusement than plot, along with a bit of frustration of what-might-have-been.
The good: Our heroine, a recently divorced trophy wife, has had to move into her grandma's home. Nan, meanwhile, has moved into a retirement home, leaving her house and her pets to her granddaughter's care. In addition to her own dog, Mugs, our heroine Doreen has to deal with a Maine coon cat and a gray parrot, Thaddeus, who will tell you a billion times over that he is here. As the title suggests, Doreen finds more than dust on her grandmother's property, and she has to meet her neighbors while also juggling police visits. (Including, of course, from a handsome cop.)
The better: There are some goofball moments here that are particularly amusing. (Nan's retirement home adventures in particular.) The animals steal the show. (Thaddeus in particular.)
The iffier: I feel like the book could have been strengthened by taking a bit more time to delve into the characters of Doreen, Nan, and Mack (the hot cop). Right now, I get a sense of what they're doing, but not a huge sense of who they are as people.
In addition, the humor of the book could use a little more construction--I can see where the author is heading, but some of the humor just isn't as funny as it could be with a little more pacing.
Overall, I'd just suggest the book is a loaf of bread 3/4 of the way baked. It needs a bit more construction to fully flesh out these characters and sell the punchlines on the jokes, but what's here is a pleasant start.
The good: Our heroine, a recently divorced trophy wife, has had to move into her grandma's home. Nan, meanwhile, has moved into a retirement home, leaving her house and her pets to her granddaughter's care. In addition to her own dog, Mugs, our heroine Doreen has to deal with a Maine coon cat and a gray parrot, Thaddeus, who will tell you a billion times over that he is here. As the title suggests, Doreen finds more than dust on her grandmother's property, and she has to meet her neighbors while also juggling police visits. (Including, of course, from a handsome cop.)
The better: There are some goofball moments here that are particularly amusing. (Nan's retirement home adventures in particular.) The animals steal the show. (Thaddeus in particular.)
The iffier: I feel like the book could have been strengthened by taking a bit more time to delve into the characters of Doreen, Nan, and Mack (the hot cop). Right now, I get a sense of what they're doing, but not a huge sense of who they are as people.
In addition, the humor of the book could use a little more construction--I can see where the author is heading, but some of the humor just isn't as funny as it could be with a little more pacing.
Overall, I'd just suggest the book is a loaf of bread 3/4 of the way baked. It needs a bit more construction to fully flesh out these characters and sell the punchlines on the jokes, but what's here is a pleasant start.