Dating is Murder by Harley Jane KozakDoubleday, 2005
Crime Fiction, 352 pgs
I had every intention of reading A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres after finishing the Chaos Walking Trilogy. I was in a certain mindset and figured the nonfiction book about Jim Jones and his followers was a good place to go next. Only when I sat down to begin, I suddenly felt like catching up with Wollie Shelley from Harley Jane Kozak's greeting card artist and amateur sleuth mystery series. And so I found myself reading Dating is Murder.
Dating is Murder is the second book in the series. Wollie is a contestant on a low rated reality dating show called Biological Clock, a show her friends talked her into participating in. Wollie is really only in it for the money. She isn't particularly interested in any of the male contestants and, while she does want to have a child, she isn't actually planning to do so if she wins. Things heat up for Wollie when a young woman helping out on the show who has also been tutoring her in math goes missing. The young woman's mother, who is in Germany, requests Wollie's help in locating the girl. Wollie can't refuse. She ends up stumbling into a whole lot more than she anticipated.
I could be extra critical and go on about how the male love interest in this second book wasn't all that much different than the one in the first (maybe Wollie has a type?) except by occupation. He, of course, is mysterious and over protective. Haven't seen that before, have we? Then there was the not so subtle warning to stop--of which our main character hasn't a clue what the warning could apply to. Yeah, I was rolling my eyes too.
And yet. And yet, I didn't care. I loved the novel anyway. It was fun. It was escapist. I enjoy spending time with Wollie and her friends. I was actually surprised by the ending, a definite plus in its favor. Like with the first book in the series, the author mixes humor and suspense together, in what turns out to be a fast paced and entertaining read.
Dating is Murder is the second book in the series. Wollie is a contestant on a low rated reality dating show called Biological Clock, a show her friends talked her into participating in. Wollie is really only in it for the money. She isn't particularly interested in any of the male contestants and, while she does want to have a child, she isn't actually planning to do so if she wins. Things heat up for Wollie when a young woman helping out on the show who has also been tutoring her in math goes missing. The young woman's mother, who is in Germany, requests Wollie's help in locating the girl. Wollie can't refuse. She ends up stumbling into a whole lot more than she anticipated.
I could be extra critical and go on about how the male love interest in this second book wasn't all that much different than the one in the first (maybe Wollie has a type?) except by occupation. He, of course, is mysterious and over protective. Haven't seen that before, have we? Then there was the not so subtle warning to stop--of which our main character hasn't a clue what the warning could apply to. Yeah, I was rolling my eyes too.
And yet. And yet, I didn't care. I loved the novel anyway. It was fun. It was escapist. I enjoy spending time with Wollie and her friends. I was actually surprised by the ending, a definite plus in its favor. Like with the first book in the series, the author mixes humor and suspense together, in what turns out to be a fast paced and entertaining read.
You can learn more about Harley Jane Kozak and her books on the author's website and the blog The Lipstick Chronicles in which she contributes.
Source: I purchased an e-copy of this book. Reading on my Nook has proven to be a godsend in terms of getting any reading done these days!
© 2011, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Sounds fun if cliched :) Glad you liked it and there is nothing wrong with a good brain candy book.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like my kind of book. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you had fun with this book!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a series I need to start!
ReplyDeleteI love a good "escapist" read! Glad you found one to enjoy and after reading the Jim Jones book I'm sure you appreciated the escape from reality!
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to try this series every since I read your review of the 1st book. I think it sounds like something that I would enjoy and they sound like fun reads. Maybe I'll read them for your mystery challenge :)
ReplyDeleteI love how our moods really do help us pick the right book at the right time. Sounds like a good series!
ReplyDeleteThese books sound like they would be fun for a really stressful period when something more serious wouldn't do. I need to remember them!
ReplyDeleteCaspette - Brain candy was just what I needed too. :-)
ReplyDeleteYvonne - It is a fun series. I'm just sad there are only four books. :-(
Kelly - It hit the spot. :-)
Kathy - It's a relatively short series so it won't take you long to get through if you do decide to read it. :-)
Kathleen - This did make for a good escapist read. I actually read it before the Jim Jones book, deciding I wasn't quite ready for something heavy quite then. I have since read it though and did follow it up with a lighter book. :-)
Samantha - I think you would enjoy it. :-)
Staci - It certainly makes deciding what to read next a bit easier sometimes, doesn't it?
Heather - I think so. Light and fun even if not perfect. :-)