MADreads

Move over Evanovich, Bond’s in town

January 26th, 2007 Katharine - Sequoya

It was the cover that caught my eye on this one.  The blurb on the front said, “this is the best book I have ever read” - Stephanie’s mother.  I was laughing before I even cracked the first page.

Body Movers by Stephanie Bond is the first in a new series that introduces us to amateur sleuth Carlotta Wren.  Carlotta is a fashionista who works at an Atlanta Neiman Marcus and lives with her brother Wesley, who is trying to kick a nasty gambling habit.  In order to pay off some of his debts before he or his sister get their kneecaps broken, he takes a new job as an assistant to a “body mover” - a morgue attendant that takes bodies from crime scenes.  Things get messy for Carlotta when Carlotta’s old fiance Peter’s wife shows up dead.  And then this woman’s neighbor gets offed.  Oh yeah, and did I mention their parents are elusive fugitives wanted by the law?  So of course Carlotta takes it upon herself to find out who’s been killing these Atlanta women, which doesn’t sit too well with Detective Jack Terry whose been assigned to handle the case and who’s also eager to find their parents.  Who killed these Atlanta women?  Do Carlotta and Wesley get their kneecaps blown off?  Will Carlotta get back together with Peter now that the old lady is out of the way?  Read and find out.

Carlotta’s adventures in this book reminded me of the hair brain antics of the Evanovich character Stephanie Plum, except Carlotta is much better dressed and am guessing has a charming southern accent rather than a New Jersey one. So if you are a fan of the mystery genre with a little chick lit thrown in, this new one by Stephanie Bond will be a hit.

Entry Filed under: Mystery, Recreational Fiction