Closet Confidential

Title: Closet Confidential

Author: Mary Jane Maffini [Website]

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: Charlotte Adams Mystery, Bk 4

ISBN: 9780425235645

Length: 290 pages

Obtained: Personal copy via paperbackswap.com

Why this book?:

I was browsing my shelves for a book with a Canadian author to go towards finishing the 7th annual Canadian Book Challenge at The Book Mine Set. I read books 1 - 3 in this series in June 2009 (Unfortunately, and reviews I did back then are lost).

Comments:

I don't remember much about the first three books in this series - just that I liked them.  But in this one Charlotte rents the upper floor of a house from her good friend Jack.  She has two spoiled little dachshunds. 

She works as a professional organizer and has two jobs to help with closet organization.  One for a lovely lady on a very tight budget of $100.  The other for a very wealthy lady and a long-time "frenemy" of her mother's.  This second client has 7+ closets, her daughter recently dies, and this project is supposed to distract her from her grief.  But the client believes her daughter's death was not an accident and seems incapable of focusing on an organization project.

So here comes Charlotte, looking for proof that the death was indeed an accident - and butting in where the police, and her friends, and pretty much everyone who knows her would rather she not become involved.

I enjoyed this story (despite the rather dry summary above...sorry 'bout that) and will soon be reading the 5th and final book in the series, The Busy Woman's Guide to Murder.

The Sayers Swindle

Title: The Sayers Swindle

Author: Victoria Abbott [Website] aka mother/daughter team Mary Jane Maffini [Website] AND Victoria Maffini [Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: Book Collector Mystery, Bk 2

ISBN: 9780425255292

Length: 292 pages + Recipes

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I just finished the first book, The Christie Curse.  And this is written by Canadian authors qualifying it for The 7th annual Canadian Book Challenge.

Comments:

I felt Jordan was a bit naïve regarding some characters and situations in this book, but otherwise I enjoyed it.  This time Jordan is trying to recover some books that were stolen from her employer's collection and subsequently sold.  Sayers is an author that I've heard of but never read.  But after hearing so much about her characters and books throughout this book, I feel that I'm sorely lacking.

I haven't that much to say about this one.  I do intend to read the next book, though.

Trailer:

The Christie Curse

Title: The Christie Curse

Author: Victoria Abbott [Website] aka mother/daughter team Mary Jane Maffini [Website] AND Victoria Maffini [Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Series: Book Collector Mystery, Bk 1

ISBN: 9780425255285

Length: 291 pages + "Recipes"

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I'd been interested in it since I first heard of it.  I've heard great things since.  And I knew the 2nd book had just come out.

Comments:

Jordan has gotten a new job for a reclusive working with her rare book collection.  First task, track down an elusive play written by Agatha Christie - if it actually exists.  But thats not such an easy thing to do.  There's a lot about Agatha Christie discussed throughout the book that I never knew.

Anyway, I was interested with the book collector aspect of this.  I enjoyed the characters, particularly Jordan.  And I was met with two pleasant surprises.  One, Jordan comes from a thief family.  I love stories with good-guy thieves.  And two, the authors, Mary Jane and Victoria Maffini are Canadian!  Which means this book goes toward The 7th annual Canadian Book Challenge.

I've already read book 2, The Sayers Swindle.