Flowers and bee

Flowers and bee

Monday, April 11, 2011

Speak Ill of the Dead: A Camilla MacPhee Mystery

There are times when you finish the first book in a series, when a feeling of excitement comes over you. You have discovered a new author to read! You like the plotting, the character, and setting. It was witty and funny. And it suited your mood perfectly. Ah, the right book at the right time. And then you want to tell everyone about it - but only special people - cause you don't want them to check out all the titles before you...

However in this case, the books in this series might be harder to come by because they are Canadian! (Shocking - I know!) But some libraries have them - the power of interlibrary loan - and can get them for you.

Speak Ill of the Dead by Mary Jane Maffini introduces us to Camilla Mac Phee - a lawyer who runs a justice for victims office. She is feisty woman who has issues with her older sisters (why can't she just find a nice guy and get married), her assistant (who was foisted on her from a work/release program), her nosy and elderly next door neighbor and her best friend (who discovers a body, and collapses and so Camilla has to take in her six cats.)

While she is trying to clear her friend from the charges of murder, she finds out there were many people who had motives to do the deed, for the victim was a famous (and nasty) gossip writer. She discovers the detective on the case has a crush on her sister Alexa, so she pumps him for information, as well as the attractive hotel manager at the hotel where the victim stayed. She gathers information on the other gossip victims and finds evidence of drug use, fat farms and former lovers. And then there is another gruesome victim. (Let me say this is not a cozy! )

In between these goings on, she copes with hiding the cats from the super and her neighbor, and facing those dreaded Sunday night dinners with her family. But her concern for her friend and her determination to solve the case bring her closer and closer to danger.

Camilla is a character you can relate to, her life is not perfect, and she cares about people - even if she is grumbling about them all the way. Maffini writes a nicely plotted mystery and she has come up with some pretty funny and quirky characters. And her descriptions of Ottawa in the spring make it sound lovely.
Sign me up for another one please! A fun and frothy read!

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