Book ~ "Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate" (2007) Kyra Davis

From Goodreads ~ Sophie Katz's relationship with the irresistible and occasionally insufferable P.I. Anatoly Darinsky is on the fritz when a friend recruits Sophie's investigation skills to decode her possibly two-timing husband's strange behavior. When Sophie shows up in a short red cocktail dress and her friend's hubby winds up dead, the loveable would-be sleuth can't help but take on the job.

Suddenly plunged into a crazy world of campaign mudslinging, dirt-digging and cover-ups, Sophie begins to uncover some pretty dirty secrets involving a conservative congressional hopeful's involvement in the Furry community, a group of people who dress up in mascot-size stuffed animal costumes. Sex and politics, wouldn't you know?

Way in over her head as usual, Sophie reluctantly or not-so-reluctantly enlists the help of her two-time sidekick and ex-Anatoly. Together they set out to determine who killed Eugene and why, and in the process can't resist falling for each other again?

Sophie Katz is a mystery writer. Melanie, her friend and former mentor, suspects her husband, Eugene, is having an affair so asks Sophie to put the moves on him at a bar to see if he bites. He doesn't and they end up having a nice chat. Minutes after they leave the bar, he is shot and killed. Melanie knows that Sophie's ex-boyfriend, Anatoly, is a PI and wants to hire him to investigate. Sophie is feeling bitter about their recent break-up so tells Melanie he is too busy and offers to check things out. Eventually Melanie hires Anatoly and Sophie is forced to work with him to stay involved. 

I wasn't crazy about this one. I'm not into politics and because Eugene worked for a congressional candidate, there was a lot of talk of American politics, which was boring. It was a convoluted story that ended up involving furries and fluffies. When the whodunnit was revealed, my thought was "HUH?!" ... I wasn't buying it. Sophie's obsession with Anatoly was annoying and she stayed on investigating Eugene's death primarily so Anatoly couldn't which was selfish and juvenile of her considering it's what he does for a living. 

This is the third in the Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series (there are seven books in the series and I read the first two in the last week). It is written in first person perspective in Sophie's voice. It was published in 2007 so is a bit dated ... for example, Kanye West was still relevant and Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins are still together. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights" (2006) Kyra Davis

From Goodreads ~ Sophie Katz has just offered a man $12,000 for his services ... is she desperate or just meshugeneh?

Considering the kind of disasters that usually befall the half-black, half-Jewish mystery writer, probably both. Because the last time Sophie saw sexy P.I. Anatoly Darinsky, he practically danced a jig when she waved goodbye ... a normal reaction for a man who'd nearly bought the farm trying to protect her from her own foolishness. What are the chances he'd agree to take incriminating pictures of her sister's philandering husband? Or that he'd let her tag along ... you know… for research?

But when her brother-in-law turns up dead and her sister becomes the prime suspect, Sophie's priority is finding the real killer. With or without Anatoly's help. Her brother-in-law's secret life yields plenty of suspects but the San Francisco police aren't taking any of them seriously. So Sophie does what comes naturally to her: she stirs up trouble (to lure the killer out, of course).

But if her crazy plan works, will Anatoly be there to protect her this  time?

Sophie Katz is a mystery writer who lives with Mr. Katz, her cat with lot of personality. Leah is her sister and Bob, Leah's husband, told her he was leaving her for a younger woman. Leah enjoys her role as a wife and a mother and is determined to fight for him. When Leah arrives home later that day, she finds Bob murdered and their house trashed a bit. 

Leah immediately turns to Sophie ... Sophie, in turn, hires PI Anatoly to investigate and find out who murdered Bob since Leah is the number one suspect. Sophie and Anatoly have a history ... because of her, he'd gotten shot and arrested (in the first book) ... but he takes the job. As Sophie and Anatoly start digging, they discover that Bob not only had one girlfriend on the side but a few more. Did one of them get jealous enough to kill him?

This is the second in the Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series (there are seven books in the series and I read the first one earlier this week). It is written in first person perspective in Sophie's voice. It was published in 2006 so is a bit dated with references to floppy disks and an address book that you actually write names, address and phone numbers (and cross them out when they move!). As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and adult activity.

I liked it enough to move on to the next book in the series. 

Book ~ "Sex, Murder and a Double Latte" (2005) Kyra Davis

From Goodreads ~ Thriller scribe Sophie Katz is as hard-boiled as a woman who drinks Grande Caramel Brownie Frappuccinos can be. So Sophie knows it’s not paranoia or post-divorce, living-alone-again jitters, when she becomes convinced that a crazed reader is sneaking into her apartment to reenact scenes from her books. The police, however, can’t tell a good plot from an unmarked grave.

When a filmmaker friend is brutally murdered in the manner of a death scene in one of his movies, Sophie becomes convinced that a copycat killer is on the loose - and that she’s the next target. If she doesn’t solve the mystery, her own bestseller will spell out her doom. Cursing her grisly imagination (why, oh, why did she have to pick the ax?), Sophie engages in some real-life gumshoe tactics. The man who swoops in to save her in dark alleys is mysterious new love interest Anatoly Darinsky. Of course, if this were fiction, Anatoly would be her prime suspect.

Sophie Katz is a mystery writer. She is excited that a filmmaker is interested in turning her book into a movie ... until he is found dead in his bathtub of an apparent suicide. His death is very similar to a death in one of his movies but that was a murder not a suicide, which leads Sophie to suspect that he has been murdered. When strange things start happening that mirror her book, Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, Sophie suspects she may be the next victim so starts investigating.

Around this time, Sophie meets and starts dating Anatoly, who has recently moved to town, and her friend, Dena, has recently started dating Jason, who is a vampire wannabe. Sophie starts to wonder if they have come into her life just make her the next victim.

This is the first in the Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series (there are seven books in the series). I like reading series so I thought I'd check it out. I liked the writing style ... it was amusing at times. It is written in first person perspective in Sophie's voice. It was published in 2005 so is a bit dated with references to things that were relevant 20 years ago. I liked that she had a cat named Mr. Katz, who was full of personality. Sophie has three good but diverse friends who she leans on ... outspoken and sometimes mean Dena, dumb Mary Ann and Marcus, an overly stereotypical gay hairdresser. The whodunnit was a bit of a stretch. As a head's up, there is a lot of swearing and some violence.

I liked it enough to move on to the next book in the series.