Lynne Murray: At Large

St. Martin’s Minotaur (Hardcover), ISBN: 0-312-28029-7

Large is the operative word here. Featuring a large heroine, Josephine (Jo) Fuller, a large cast of quirky, zany characters, and a large, circuitous plot, At Large supplied a large number of snickers, giggles, and a guffaw or two. It also caused me to scratch my head and say “Huh?” a couple of times. But that might have been my own density and no fault of the book’s.

In this, the third mystery featuring Jo and the odd and unusual tenants in Jo’s apartment building, finds Jo checking out a women’s job skill center to see if it qualifies as a charity worthy of the support of Jo’s wealthy employer. Then Teddy Etheridge, an old acquaintance, shows up.

I need to back up at bit here and explain that Jo’s ex-husband, Griffin Fuller, currently lives with Teddy’s estranged wife. But that doesn’t trouble Teddy. No indeed. Teddy found a new lover, but she ran out on him. Teddy wants Jo to help him find his missing girlfriend, another queen-sized lady. In the process, Jo finds Teddy’s wife, Francesca, but she’s dead. Murdered. And who do the police suspect did the deed? Jo’s ex, world-famous photographer Griffin Fuller.

Meanwhile back at the apartment building, the building manager allows an ex-con to move in with her — not a good move at all. Mulligan, Jo’s current, love feels less than pleased about the re-entry of Jo’s ex into her life. The book’s various elements — personal complications, devious plot twists, a strong feeling the author couldn’t possibly make all the pieces of the mystery fit to form a coherent whole — combine to produce an intriguing, charming and hilarious read.

If you want a large dose of fun carefully entwined in a rip-snorting mystery, then this book definitely deserves a shot.

Patricia Lucas White

Patricia Lucas White’s latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I’ve Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.