Murder, Mayhem, And A Fine Man
Author: Claudia Mair Burney
Paperback: 301 pages
Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group (July 5, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1576839788
ISBN-13: 978-1576839782

From the back cover:
Life as a forensic psychologist isn’t quite as cool as prime-time televeision would have us believe, and most of us just don’t have closets full of red-carpet gowns and bling. Instead of painting the town in a drop-dead gorgeous dress, Amanda Bell Brown finds herself at the scene of a crime–and she just may know who the killer is. She needs to spill her guts, but not on the handsome detective’s alligator
shoes–especially if she wants him to ask her out. A complicated murder investigation unearths not just a killer but a closet full of skeletons Amanda thought long gone. Murder, mayhem, and a fine man are wreaking havoc on her fortieth birthday, but will she survive to see forty-one?

Does she survive? You’ll have to read the story to find out!

This book grabbed me from the first page and just wouldn’t let me go. The characters are real, down-to-earth, and they’re not perfect: they struggle with issues like most of us do. Amanda Brown (Bell) is still struggling with the aftermath from a terribly abusive relationship from ten years ago. The abuse she suffered caused a senseless death, a death she in which she has yet to bring closure. In comes Jazz Brown, handsome detective (no relation). Although Jazz and Bell try to crack the case and find the killer of two men, they manage to find romance along the way. I found the attraction between the two to be quite strong. Jazz has his own problems that he needs to face. He’s currently unavailable for romance and Amanda is frustrated, not understanding why she and Jazz can’t just be together and in love!

Since the story starts off with a murder on Amanda’s fortieth birthday, it’s sort of dark, but it’s dark with spots of humor along the way. The humor reminds me of a term I learned in Shakespeare class in high school and college. I believe it was comedic relief? Burney provides spots of comedic relief along the way of a dark road with light provided at the end of the tunnel!

If you like mysteries, murders, and a good suspenseful story, then you should purchase this book! I guarantee you will love it….and you’ll fall in love with the characters, too!

Cecelia Dowdy
www.ceceliadowdy.com