REVENGE OF THE GYPSY QUEEN by Kris Neri

REVENGE OF THE GYPSY QUEEN by Kris Neri
A Tracy Eaton Mystery, No. 1
Rainbow Books - 1999
ISBN: 1568250436 – Hardcover
Cozy Mystery

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.com
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Kris Neri brings a wonderfully witty new series to the contemporary mystery genre. The debut delightfully introduces the series characters in a humorous, hectic way. The lead character and sleuth is Tracy Eaton, a mystery writer with an optimistic outlook on life. Her husband Drew is an attorney and her parents are eccentric Hollywood stars that liven up the storyline.

As the mystery begins, Tracy is discussing what has already happened, but not in detail. She then takes the reader back to the beginning and later picks the story back up where the reader came in. There is nothing confusing about this at all because it is done in an amusing manner.

When Tracy and her husband Drew came to New York to attend Drew's sister's wedding, what they expected was a vacation of sorts and the usual wedding chaos. What they get is family secrets, kidnapping, panic and danger. First, a family member Tracy never heard of shows up and has the family acting odd. Then, when Marisa is kidnapped before her wedding and her fiancé is contacted about a very unusual ransom, Drew's family gets even odder, if that's possible. Tracy isn't just left out of the family decisions because she is an in-law, her ability and intelligence is also doubted. Instead of getting bent, Tracy lets the excitement of a real mystery case initiate her into finding Marisa. Along the way, she finds some engaging cohorts to help her sleuth and pull off capers.

Revenge of the Gypsy Queen is told in the first person by the lead character. Usually, when a story is written in the first person, I feel the story is being told to me. Not this time. Tracy's voice made me feel included in this madcap menagerie. It was a wonderful experience.