Light and funny tossed with a touch of murder

Extracurricular Activies by Maggie Barbieri is labeled a mystery but is really a humorous chick lit/romance that just happens to have murders in the plot and a handsome detective around to solve them.   Alison Bergeron once again has a murder very close to home to deal with.  In the first book in the series, Murder 101, she found the dead body of one of her students. 

This time she finds the body of her former husband, Ray.  He's dead in her kitchen with his hands and feet chopped off.  This is the signature of the local mobster, Peter Miceli, whose daughter was the murder victim in the first book and who is now menacing Alison.  

The plot thickens as the neighbors mysteriously leave town  and there are some other murders.  Alison acts as an amateur sleuth and again has contact with Detective Bobby Crawford  (also know as "Detective Hot Pants").  Because she has discovered that he's been less then honest about his personal situation, their first interactions are very uncomfortable.  Which isn't to say that things don't quickly warm up between them.

Both books are fun reading, with likeable main characters,  humorous dialogue and situations, and interesting and funny secondary characters.  Readers who like light and funny mysteries (with romance) will like these books.  And for those of you who are already fans, it appears that there will be more books forthcoming in the series.