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bookhero6's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty fast-paced southern supernatural-ish mystery. Enjoyable, easy to read, likable characters. Nothing extraordinary.
Update: 4/14/2011 Maybe it's just because I'm reading these interspersed with the Carol Higgins Clark/Regan Reilly series, which I'm not loving, but the more I read the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, the more I like them.
Update: 4/14/2011 Maybe it's just because I'm reading these interspersed with the Carol Higgins Clark/Regan Reilly series, which I'm not loving, but the more I read the Bad Hair Day Mysteries, the more I like them.
dontmissythesereads's review
4.0
Book #49 in 2011
This is one of the better books in this series. I love the supernatural component, and Marla doesn't seem like such a ditz for once.
This is one of the better books in this series. I love the supernatural component, and Marla doesn't seem like such a ditz for once.
chelle493's review
2.0
This was the first book of this series that I have read and most likely the last. Although there were interesting plots (always love hidden passages!) overall, I was bored. I also thought the names were ridiculous. The groundskeeper was Mulch, the hotel manager was Butler, the chef was Brownie, the "ghostbuster" was Spector, and the event coordinator was Champagne Glass. The main character did not appeal to me. She is constantly going by herself to places that she knows are dangerous even though there are tons of family around that she could snag to go with her. She is constantly omitting important pieces of information that her fiance should know because of interruptions. For instance, she's about to tell him something important about the case when a relative approaches to talk about some menial thing. The relative then leaves and the topic is just dropped. Could you not just continue with the conversation? There is also A LOT of sex (nothing R rated). If I wanted to read a romance novel, I wouldn't have picked a mystery. A little romance in a mystery can add to it, but this one just went down that path too many times for one book.
There were also a lot of plot holes. One of the biggest is that this is a mystery about the main characters grandparents. Her mom is at the resort with her and yet she rarely talks to her the whole time. Why would she not use someone who was there and knows first hand. There is an incident mentioned that happened to her mother's sister that is pretty tragic, but is never brought up to the mother. (As a note, it could actually be her mother that the incident is about and the editor missed the character's name change mid book--I really don't know. It was that confusing).
There were also a lot of plot holes. One of the biggest is that this is a mystery about the main characters grandparents. Her mom is at the resort with her and yet she rarely talks to her the whole time. Why would she not use someone who was there and knows first hand. There is an incident mentioned that happened to her mother's sister that is pretty tragic, but is never brought up to the mother. (As a note, it could actually be her mother that the incident is about and the editor missed the character's name change mid book--I really don't know. It was that confusing).
bcbrownbooks's review
3.0
Beauty salon owner, Marla Shore, and her fiance, Detective Dalton Vail take a much-needed vacation to her family reunion at Sugar Crest Plantation Resort.
Marla is looking forward to introducing her fiance to her family when a surprise of secret ownership of the planation by her Aunt Polly (and the subsequent death of the same aunt) leads Marla and Dalton on a kooky goose chase including an odd duck ghost hunter on the loose and a series of mysterious deaths, past and present.
Major highlights include:
Likeable characters such as Marla and Dalton.
Humor. The author has a quick, clean humor when she writes.
Detailed mystery. The story has an intricate plot with rich history and several plausible red herrings.
Major lowlights include:
Dull. Perhaps the worst thing a mystery can be is dull. The pacing seemed far too slow. While genuinely interested in the story, the action was so far and few inbetween I was forced to pick up the story to continue.
Flat secondary characters. The ghost hunter was a bit cliched, and Marla's family (while a bit nutty) were flat and seemed lifeless. With the exception of Aunt Polly, the secondary characters in the novel didn't impress.
Overall the story was humorous but fell flat. I may or may not opt to seek out this author in the future other than for sheer curiosity to see if another book might outshine the former.
Marla is looking forward to introducing her fiance to her family when a surprise of secret ownership of the planation by her Aunt Polly (and the subsequent death of the same aunt) leads Marla and Dalton on a kooky goose chase including an odd duck ghost hunter on the loose and a series of mysterious deaths, past and present.
Major highlights include:
Likeable characters such as Marla and Dalton.
Humor. The author has a quick, clean humor when she writes.
Detailed mystery. The story has an intricate plot with rich history and several plausible red herrings.
Major lowlights include:
Dull. Perhaps the worst thing a mystery can be is dull. The pacing seemed far too slow. While genuinely interested in the story, the action was so far and few inbetween I was forced to pick up the story to continue.
Flat secondary characters. The ghost hunter was a bit cliched, and Marla's family (while a bit nutty) were flat and seemed lifeless. With the exception of Aunt Polly, the secondary characters in the novel didn't impress.
Overall the story was humorous but fell flat. I may or may not opt to seek out this author in the future other than for sheer curiosity to see if another book might outshine the former.
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