Book ~ "Ninja Soccer Moms" - Jennifer Apodaca (2005)

From Amazon.com ~ Sports moms waiting for practice to end will enjoy the third entry in Apodaca's series starring Samantha Shaw, amateur sleuth and owner of Heart Mates, her "beloved and struggling dating service" in Lake Elsinore, CA. When her friend, Janie Tuggle, tells her that ex-husband, Chad, the head coach of the Soccer Club of Lake Elsinore (SCOLE), has been embezzling funds, Sam is anxious to help. Janie should know since she managed the club's accounts for years, until Chad left her for a younger woman. No sooner does Sam manage to copy the disk with SCOLE's accounts than Chad is murdered in his office and Sam and Janie become prime suspects. A number of potential allies stonewall or even hinder Sam's investigation. Now why on earth would they do that? The tension grows as Sam zeroes in on the killer.

I've caught up and read the books in order ... it looks like I just have the last one to read.

I like Apodaca's writing style. It's funny and action-packed. Sam's lack of confidence yet again in this book with her relationship with Gabe is getting old, though.

I'd definitely recommend this series if you like mysteries/comedies.

Book ~ "Dying to Meet You" - Jennifer Apodaca (2004)

From Amazon.com ~ The owner of Heart Mates dating service and single mother of two, Samatha Shaw, is back for more amateur sleuthing in the small town of Lake Elsinore, CA. To promote her business, Sam hires former Heart Mates client and graphic artist, Faye Miller, to design a brochure. But when Sam stops by the motel where Faye is temporarily residing (after leaving her husband), Sam finds Faye dead at her computer table, the "glossy brochure stuck up like a flag in her loose fingers." The victim's meek and mild estranged husband emerges as the main suspect but the more Sam delves into Faye's dating history, the more complicated the murder investigation becomes. A newspaper campaign against her dating service doesn't help matters, nor does she entirely welcome the assistance of gorgeous hunk and ex-cop, Gabe Pulizzi. Sam bumbles along good-humoredly and determinedly, until the plot reaches its knock-down, smashing climax.

My second Samantha Shaw mystery this week. I'm reading them in order ... one more and I'll have caught up to the first one I'd read, which is the last one in the series.

This one was also good. I had things figured out before the end. The revealing of "who dunnit" was a bit over the top but the rest of the book was good.

Yes, I'd recommend it!

Book ~ "Dating Can Be Murder" - Jennifer Apodaca (2003)

From Amazon.com ~ After the sudden death of her husband, Trent, southern California suburban housewife and soccer mom, Samantha Shaw, seeks revenge big time. When cleaning out her husband's treasured 1964 Mustang convertible, Sam finds a bag of panties (not hers), each with a Post-it attached rating its owner's performance. Hurt and enraged, Samantha has her breasts done, dyes her hair blond and trades in her long skirts and sneakers for minis and stiletto heels. A reviewer of romance fiction and a firm believer in true love, she buys Heart Mates, a dating service, determined to make it succeed. When a thug threatens her life and demands that she give him money, she suspects Trent was into more than extramarital sex. The thug's murder and the discovery that her condom salesman husband was also selling drugs give Sam good cause to worry for the safety of her sons and grandfather. Luckily, she can turn for help to hunky ex-cop, Gabe Pulizzi. As the suspect list grows, Sam's new persona is tested in ways she never imagined at the PTA. Fast-paced and witty, this sparkling cozy offers a hair-raising climax and a believable cast of supporting characters, except for a relentless mother who's too keen on having her daughter become a realtor.

This is the second Samantha Shaw novel I've read and I enjoyed it. The first one I read (a couple months ago) is a couple books later in the series.

The writing is indeed fast-paced and I'll be reading the others.

Do I recommend this series? Yes!

Book ~ "Batteries Required" - Jennifer Apodaca (2006)

From Amazon.com ~ Samantha Shaw’s dating service, Heart Mates, is barely paying the bills and her relationship with private investigator, Gabe Pulizzi, isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of her knack for romance. And now Sam’s friend, Angel, has disappeared just as she was about to launch a new lingerie business, leaving behind a ransacked, bloodstained house. Detective Logan Vance—alias romance novelist R.V. Logan—is busy fending off the advances of a lovesick fan so, with Gabe in tow, Sam questions Angel’s ex-husband, Hugh Crimson. Sam knows her friend’s divorce has been filed under "unpleasant" but she can’t believe Hugh’s capable of ex-wife-napping—or murder. If Hugh isn’t a killer, who messed up Angel’s house—and why?

I enjoy mysteries. I enjoy comedies. This was a combination of both. I'd never read any by this author but I'll be checking out the others in the series. The supporting characters are funny, especially Grandpa and Ali, the beer drinking ex-police dog.

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