Jane Delaney does things her paying customers can’t do, don’t want to do, don’t want to be seen doing, can’t bring themselves to do, and/or don’t want it to be known they’d paid someone to do. To dead people.Life gets complicated for Jane and her Death Diva business when she’s hired to liberate a gaudy mermaid brooch from the corpse during a wake—on behalf of the rightful owner, supposedly. Well, … supposedly. Well, a girl’s got to make a living, and this assignment pays better than scattering ashes, placing flowers on graves, or bawling her eyes out as a hired mourner. Unfortunately for Jane, someone else is just as eager to get his hands on that brooch, and he’s even sneakier than she is, not to mention dangerously sexy.
Just when she thinks her biggest problem is grand theft mermaid, things take a murderous turn. But hey, when you’ve teamed up with a neurotic seven-pound poodle named Sexy Beast, how can you go wrong?
more
This is the first book I have read by this author but it will definitely not be the last!
I have looked for an author that made me laugh as much as the early Stephanie Plum books, and this came pretty close. I guess I have an affinity to hapless heroines. This is original, witty, quick to read fun. Although it was pretty easy to figure out who the bad guy was early on, getting there took some interesting turns. I will soon be getting to know this town and its inhabitants better.
Very clever murder mystery about a woman (called the Death Diva) whose career is based on getting paid to do things that involve the dead: delivering flowers/wine, doing weird things with their ashes, and more mundane things like clearing out their homes and selling items, etc. A customer who is murdered leaves Death Diva her dog (Sexy Beast) along with a multi-million dollar mansion and a million or so to keep the dog in the style it was accustomed to. Very funny and well written, full of twists and turns.
I really enjoy this author
Liked the book and looking forward to reading more by this author.
Shades of Janet Evanovich. I will read all her books now.
I enjoy the entertaining group of characters that make up this series, and I look forward to their future antics.
C
Holds my attention, shows things are not always black and white. People have good qualities as well as bad. Everyone had a personality of their own.
this was just fun to read.
This is a great first-in-a-series. The characters were interesting and the situations were novel. Worth reading without being exceptionally challenging. I look forward to reading the next one.
Great characterization! Lots of twists. You think you really know a character, but you don’t.
Jane Delaney is the Death Diva. Don’t worry, it’s not as icky as it sounds. For a price, she will help you with all those annoying little details surrounding your funeral: hiring caterers, enthusiastically wailing in the front row, and even disposing of ashes in unique ways. When one of her most loyal clients asks her to retrieve a mermaid broach from the casket of an old friend, she agrees without much quibbling. After all, it’s like the corpse really needs it? Unfortunately, before Jane can complete her assignment someone swipes the broach right out from underneath her. Bodies soon start piling up as Jane struggles to not only save her reputation, but also her business. What’s a diva to do?
This isn’t your momma’s cozy, and has a more wicked feel to it than other books in the same genre. That said, it’s also delightfully sinful. Call me snarky, but I love a heroine with a little sass to back her up, and Jane definitely delivers. She’s backed up by a quirky supporting cast of faux priests, Smoothy Kings, and even a nappy poodle named Sexy Beast. Although the text felt a little awkward at times, the story progressed at a nice pace and leaves the reader second guessing who the bad guys actually are. I will certainly be teaming up with the Diva again when she aims to Uproot Ernie.
Any book with an apricot poodle named Sexy Beast as the main protagonist can’t help but catch my attention! I loved it! So much so I bought the next three in the series before I was halfway through the first.
The narrator is a “death diva”, earning money from people who don’t want to deal with dead friends/relatives and hire her to be a mourner, or bring flowers to a grave, or show up at the funeral as a cheap, kept woman (the elderly deceased man hired her in advance for his own funeral, to shake things up) or steal back jewelry the deceased was taking to her grave (the beginning of this tale). I suppose not everyone will enjoy the author’s sense of humor, but I loved it! And the plot twists kept me guessing where we were going in all this. I’m going to read all the rest in the series now!
Cozy mysteries have become one of my favorite reading genres. This book is an excellent example. If you like mysteries or good short stories, try this one. You will not be disappointed. Most of the characters are middle aged but any age can enjoy with little bad language and no sex. Lots of twists.
Fun read about a quirky character who has a very unusual occupation. I definitely want to continue hearing about her.
The main character is engaging and funny. The plot is somewhat predictable, but who cares? It was so much fun getting to the conclusion.
I just loved this book
Hard to blend Whodunit with romance, but managed to pull it off. More seasoned mystery readers will guess some of the plot points, but the details make this book still entertaining.
Cleverly written, good plot, fun characters. A great read…looking forward to more.