Book ~ "Law and Disorder" (2009) Mary Jane Maffini

From Amazon ~ Victims' advocate Camilla MacPhee is following the trial of Lloyd Brugel, a ruthless criminal kingpin charged with a fatal firebombing, and she's looking forward to seeing him convicted. But, when his sleazy counsel is found dead, this conveniently delays the proceedings. The lawyer, no saint himself, was both drowned and shot. Someone wasn't taking any chances. There's also the dead judge and then the real estate lawyer who perished in an unlikely accident. How many others are there? None of it makes any sense to Camilla, whose life was already complicated enough, thank you very much. Camilla does her stubborn best to head off the killer, hampered by her assistant, the police, her bossy sisters, and the arrival of her possible stepdaughters-to-be. She comforts herself with the thought that, at least the future stepdaughters are safe.

This is the sixth in the Camilla McPhee series which is set in Ottawa.

There are lots of twists and tangles to try to throw you off. It seemed to start off slow but picked up.

The ending ("whodunnit") is unexpected and seems to come out of the blue. But it worked for me.

Book ~ "The Dead Don't Get Out Much" (2005) Mary Jane Maffini

From MaryJaneMaffini.com ~ It's the Year of the Veteran and that means a lot to Camilla's friend, Mrs. Violet Parnell. But Mrs. P. claims to have had a conversation with a dead man, which sets her on a journey to discover how that could be. Since she doesn't mention that she's leaving or where she's going, naturally this triggers a protectionist panic with Camilla and Alvin. Mrs. Parnell is well past eighty and, according to the emergency room doctors, it seems likely she's suffered a series of mini-strokes. Meanwhile, the extraordinarily patient Ray Deveau's been planning a romantic trip for Camilla and himself but looks like that just fell off Camilla's radar. So it's a transatlantic trauma as Camilla doggedly tracks Mrs. Parnell through the hills of Italy in search of old secrets with deadly ramifications in the present. Will she find Mrs. P. before someone with good reason to silence her does? Will Ray Deveau quit trying to get together? Will Alvin redecorate Camilla's new digs? Will those sisters ever shut up? What a nightmare!

This fifth book in the Camilla MacPhee series takes us from Ottawa to Italy where Camilla is tracking Mrs. P. down around the country.

It was a fun lively story with an interesting ending ... I didn't see it coming.

There were lots and lots of characters and towards the end, I had a hard time keeping them straight. I should have done what Camilla did and written them down.

As with Maffini's other books, this one has typos ... surprising considering Maffini is a former librarian.

Book ~ "The Devil's in the Details" (2004) Mary Jane Maffini

From MaryJaneMaffini.com ~ It's Labour Day, Camilla's favourite weekend of the year. She's planning to relax and ponder what's happening in her newly evolving relationship with policeman Sgt. Ray Deveau (warm heart, cold feet), who is inconveniently located back in Sydney. She's emphatically not planning to get involved in anything that means trouble. No wonder the news that an old acquaintance has had an accident comes as a surprise. There must be some mistake. By the time Camilla unearths Laura Brown's connection to a violent revolutionary group active two decades earlier, she's had several blows to the head and discovered that women she's been talking to or talking about keep ending up dead. Looks like someone will do anything to keep Laura's connections secret. Soon getting arrested is the least of Camilla's problems. Camilla relies on her old friends, like Elaine Ekstein, and her old enemies like Sgt. Leonard Mombourquette and her old clients like that sexy reformed burglar, Bunny Mayhew. But will that be enough to keep her from joining those other women in the morgue?

This is the fourth book in the Camilla MacPhee series, which is set in Ottawa.

I finished the second one in the series last week and found it kind of flat. I must say that I really enjoyed this one. The story was interesting and moved along quickly. Sure, it was far fetched at times but it was fun.

The ending was a surprise but I bought it and was happy with it.

I'd definitely recommend this one.

Book ~ "The Icing on the Corpse" (2001) Mary Jane Maffini

From MaryJaneMaffini.com ~ If someone kills the bad guy, who's the bad guy then? When a deranged serial batterer ends up in an Ice Sculpture competition during the annual Winterlude celebrations, it looks like it might even be good news for his victims. But it's bad news for Camilla and her client, Lindsay Grace. Soon the wrong person is claiming responsibility for the crime and the real killer is lurking, making sure no one gets too close to the truth. Before long Camilla's in hot water with her client, the police, the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Crown Attorney's office. She's in trouble with her family too: but that's because of her sister Alexa's wedding preparations. Camilla would much rather pursue a killer than hunt for a butt-ugly bridesmaid's dress. She's lucky she has Alvin and Mrs. Parnell to rely on in her search for the murderer. Or is she?

This is the second book in the Camilla MacPhee series, which is set in Ottawa.

It was an okay book, not overly exciting, though. I can't say I was feeling much love for the characters other than Camilla, Alvin and Mrs. P.

The person I suspected had done it didn't so it was a nice suprise. I was okay with the ending ... it made sense and wasn't far-fetched.

I like the author's writing style and am enjoying the series and would recommend it.

Book ~ "Speak Ill of the Dead" (1999) Mary Jane Maffini

From MaryJaneMaffini.ca~ In the first book in the series, Camilla's best friend, Robin Findlay, is found in a hotel room with a murdered journalist during Ottawa's annual Tulip Festival. Many many people felt like killing Mitzi Brochu but for some reason the police decide Robin has something to do with the crime. Maybe it's the blood on her hands. Maybe it's because she won't say what she was doing there. It's up to Camilla to keep Robin out of the slammer even as the killer strikes again. And again. Each time the danger gets a bit closer to home. Meanwhile Camilla's family, her so-called office staff member Alvin Ferguson and chain-smoking, sherry-guzzling nosy neighbour, Mrs. Violet Parnell, run interference every step of the way. To make matters worse, her favourite sister is making eyes at her least-favourite police officer. And what the devil are all those damn cats up to?

I read the third in this series in July and liked it ... so thought I'd go back and start the series from the beginning. I like the author's writing style so have been reading the other series she has written.

One of the reasons I like this author is because Maffini is a Canadian writer. She was born in Sydney, NS, (where I went to high school) and now lives in Ottawa.

This series is set in Ottawa. Camilla goes to the Mayflower Restaurant on Elgin Street ... I've been at that restaurant a few times when I've been in Ottawa.

I like the heroine in the series. She's a lawyer so it makes sense that she digs into these mysteries and ultimately solves them (unlike Charlotte who is a professional organizer in another series). And given Camilla's Cape Breton background, she and her family drink rum and cokes ... and you know I like them!

There were lots of kitties in this book which I found cute ... they weren't annoying like the two dogs in the first book of the Charlotte Adams' series.

I figured out who dunnit about half way through but not why so there was still some surprise at the end for me.

Like the other books I've read by this author, there are many typos. This surprises me since she had a career working in libraries. Why aren't the proofreaders or editors picking them up?

Book ~ "The Cluttered Corpse" (2008) Mary Jane Maffini

From Reviewing the Evidence ~ We all should have a Charlotte Adams in our lives - our closets would be coordinated, our kitchens would be organized, and all our spices would be in alphabetical order.

Emmy Lou Rhinebeck is in need of Charlotte's skills to sort out her mammoth collection of stuffed animals. As Charlotte and Emmy Lou are working on a plan to put the animals in some sensible order, two immature young men, Tony Starkman and Kevin Dingwall, appear at the window looking menacing, and ready to sneak some pictures. Both women are upset, but Emmy Lou freaks out.

When Charlotte returns for a pre-arranged meeting, she finds Tony dead at the bottom of the steps. Emmy Lou keeps repeating that she is responsible for the death and refuses any legal help that would get her out of jail. Charlotte is totally befuddled, since she is convinced that Emmy Lou is innocent, but the woman is adamant in her refusal of assistance.

This is the second in the Charlotte Adams series. I'd read the first one, Organize Your Corpses, last week and liked it.

I like Charlotte and her friends. They seem like a caring bunch.

I enjoyed the writing style ... it's fast and fun. I was buying everything that was happening until I got to the end. "Who dunnit" was a surprise but a disappointment ... I thought it was lame.

Though I'm an animal lover, I was happy to see that there was less focus on Charlotte's dogs in this second book since they were so spoiled and annoying in the first book.

I didn't get why Charlotte got so involved in solving this mystery. She'd just met Emmy Lou who had admitted she'd done it. I wouldn't risk my life for a stranger or stick my nose in. But if Charlotte hadn't gotten so involved, there'd be no book.

I found it odd that it was hard to find a decent summary of this book ... there is just a line on Chapters Indigo, Amazon and the author's site.

Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the writing style and the characters and look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Book ~ "Organize Your Corpses" (2007) Mary Jane Maffini

From MaryJaneMaffini.com ~ When thirty-year-old Charlotte Adams returns home to set up her personal organizing business in the historic town of Woodbridge, NY, she's expecting to find clients who need professional help sorting out their clutter, collections and just plain junk. She's expecting to reconnect with her old school friends, the lovable misfits: Sally, Margaret and Jack.  She's expecting that her two rescued miniature dachshunds will help her forget her lying, cheating ex-fiancé and the square-cut diamond she's just tossed into the Hudson. 

She's not expecting to find her first client dead in the debris of a historic home. Not even a little bit. The death of the tyrannical retired teacher Helen "Hellfire" Henley makes the news in a big way. That's got to be bad for business. Naturally things get worse when the police find Charlotte's pen under the body. This is particularly tricky since Charlotte's former friend and current nemesis, Sgt. Pepper Monahan is in charge of the investigation. Try organizing your way out of that, lady.

This is the first book in Maffini's Charlotte Adams series ... and I liked it. I'll read the others.

The story moves along at a good pace. The main character, Charlotte, is likable. The other cast of characters are quirky but also likable. I didn't figure out the ending, the "who dunnit", which is always a fun surprise for me.

Charlotte has a soft spot for animals, as does her pal, Jack, which I liked. Charlotte's two dogs are in dire need of training and discipline, though ... I didn't find them cute.

There were a lot of references to the fact that Charlotte and Pepper, the head of the police, had been best friends in school but hated each other now. It would have been nice to know why.

Better editing would have been nice as there were a couple typos in the "organizational tips" at the beginning of each chapter.

Book ~ "Lament for a Lounge Lizard" (2003) Mary Jane Maffini

From Amazon ~ As if it weren't bad enough being a failed romance writer, poor Fiona Silk has to cope with the spectacularly embarrassing demise of her old lover, the poet, Benedict Kelly in her four-poster bed. It's exactly the sort of thing people notice in St. Aubaine, Quebec, a picturesque bilingual tourist town of two thousand. Now the police start getting nasty, the media vans stay parked on her lawn and the neighbours' tongues keep wagging in both official languages. Worse, someone's bumping off the other suspects. Can Fiona outwit a murderer in the mood for some serious mischief.

I read my first Maffini book last month and liked it so thought I'd check out others by her.

This is the first of two in a series of mystery novels featuring Fiona Silk. It's set in rural Quebec with a cast of colourful characters.

The story was so-so, not overly exciting. The characters are likable ... except for Fiona's best friend, Liz, who is a doctor and annoying. I liked Fiona's sense of humour. And it was nice to read a book with characters my ages, rather than in their twenties or early thirties. I hadn't figured out who dunnit so the ending was a surprise and brought the story together.

It's an easy quick read and I'd recommend it if you aren't looking for anything too heavy.

Book ~ "Little Boy Blues" (2002) Mary Jane Maffini

From Amazon ~ In the third Camilla MacPhee Mystery, Camilla's looking forward to cutting loose at Bluesfest, a huge open-air musical extravaganza, and to seeing the tail end of her annoying office assistant, Alvin, who is finally quitting. Then the news comes from the East Coast. Alvin's developmentally challenged younger brother, Jimmy, has vanished from the midst of a holiday crowd in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Is he dead? Has he been abducted?

Sleuthing irritably about Sydney on Alvin's behalf, the always ruthless Camilla manages to make the usual quota of people froth at the mouth, including Jimmy's frantic family, forlorn friends and puzzled teachers. She doesn't spare the parish priest or even the guy at the chip stand. And naturally the Cape Breton Regional Police won't be sending her any valentines. Before Camilla knows it, all roads lead back to the big city, where a killer with everything to lose waits to create havoc among the tents, guitar-pickers and happy, swaying crowds. If Camilla doesn't sort out this whole mess, how many other people are going to die?

I love mystery novels and it's fun when they are based in Canada and/or written by Canadian authors.

Though this is apparently the third in a series, I didn't have any problem catching up. I enjoyed the writing style and didn't find that it dragged. I read it in a day (today). And I liked it enough to read the books before and after it in the series. I recommend it!

What made this book all that much better was that it was partially based in Sydney, Nova Scotia, where I lived from 1977 to 1983. Plus Camilla lives in Ottawa, which I'm fairly familiar with.

One thing I didn't understand ... Camilla was happy that Alvin, her assistant, has left for another job. Yet when he discovers that his brother is missing, she drives him 1500km from Ottawa to Sydney so he can be with his family. His family is rude to her yet she still sticks around to help. I would have jumped back in the car and said "Frig you!"

Annoyingly there were a fair amount of typos in the book ... hopefully they have been corrected in future reprints.