|
Publisher:
Avon Mystery |
Release
Date: January 27, 2004 |
ISBN:
0-06-056389-5 |
Format
Reviewed: Trade Paperback |
Amazon |
Genre:
Cozy Mystery/Detective |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Kristin Johnson |
Reviewer
Notes:
Kristin Johnson, the founder
of PoemsForYou.com, released her second book, CHRISTMAS COOKIES
ARE FOR GIVING, co-written with Mimi Cummins, in October 2003.
Her third book, ORDINARY MIRACLES: My Incredible Spiritual,
Artistic and Scientific Journey, co-written with Sir Rupert
A.L. Perrin, M.D., is now available from PublishAmerica |
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Blue
Blood (Review
2)
A Debutante
Dropout Mystery
By Susan McBride
Kids
today. You raise them to be Vera Wang-wearing debs in Dallas society,
handpick them to star in charity fashion shows, and arrange blind
dates with Ph.D.s who play the pipe organ for the Pope. And what
do they do? They don lavender hot pants and whoop it up at a den
of iniquity called Jugs, where guys go who, in the words of Mothers
Against Pornography ringleader Peggy Martin, “get their ideas
about relationships from dirty magazines, from strip joints,”
and apparently, from Janet Jackson too.
Although
the maternal litany just quoted sounds tailor-made for the Bush
Twins, President George W. and Laura's parental woes can't match
the headaches of Cissy Blevins Kendricks. The charity-loving smooth-talking
secretly softhearted matron is the spiritual sister to Kitty Montgomery
of “Dharma and Greg,” right down to the Ferragamo shoes.
Cissy's
hot pants-wearing daughter, artist and Web designer Andrea, has
more sense than Dharma but as great a knack for trouble. The plot
centers on Andrea's undercover activities at the hooters-type joint
Jugs, where Andrea's “scholarship girl” friend, single
mom Molly O'Brien, supposedly killed Larry Flynt wannabe Bud Hartman.
Andrea knows Molly’s innocent and is determined to find Bud’s
real killer, even though, to paraphrase Andrea, Bud had more enemies
than Osama bin Laden and was even less charming.
However,
the real heart of the story is Andrea’s complex relationship
with Cissy. Blue blood really is thicker than sparkling water. It
would be easy to peg Cissy as just another snobby society matron,
and although there’s plenty of social satire here, Susan McBride
never sacrifices character or the bittersweet warmth of the mother-daughter
relationship. Cissy’s surrogate grandmothering of Molly’s
son David also adds depth.
Another
mother, however, has even greater woes than Cissy or President and
Mrs. Bush), and and Andrea finds herself the target of that uncommon
determination common to moms everywhere.
Thank
goodness Andrea gets her share of romance with mild-mannered lawyer
and closet rebel Brian Malone, who, like the reader, knows what
he’s getting into and dives into it headfirst thanks to “gorgeous
brunette” Andrea’s charm. Two pink high-tops up!
Reviews of other titles in this series
Blue Blood #1 [review
1] [review
2]
The
Good Girl's Guide to Murder #2
The
Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club #3
Night
of the Living Deb #4
Too
Pretty to Die #5
Say
Yes to the Death #6
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