Monday, November 9, 2015

Murder in a Two-Seater by Billie Thomas #review


A cheating wife in a classic car drives someone to murder.

Interior decorators turned amateur investigators, Chloe and Amanda Carstairs have spent the summer transforming their client’s creepy old castle into a luxury hotel. But before the first guest checks in, the owner’s wife checks out – with the help of a bullet to the head.

When Chloe’s dad is accused of the crime, there’s no time for the ladies to drown their sorrows in the hotel’s mini bar. Instead, they have to contend with a sneaky blackmailer, an unsolved murder from the past, and a cunning killer with nothing to lose.

The second Chloe Carstairs Mystery is filled with the same clever twists and hilarious mother-daughter relationship that made Murder on the First Day of Christmas such a fun, fast-paced read for an appreciative readership. The mystery will keep you guessing, but as any good decorator will tell you, even a beautiful setting can’t hide the ugly truth.



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MY REVIEW

Jasper Carstairs (Chloe's father) must come from British stock.  He's got one of the best stiff upper lips in literature.  Someone is spreading rumors that he and the victim, Elaine Crosby (an attorney gunning for partner at Jasper's firm) are having an affair.  As if that were not enough, his 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra is 'damaged' while Chloe is driving!  Egads!  Of course, he is a little distracted, as Elaine has turned up dead, and Jasper is accused of the crime.

I was a tad confused in the first chapter or so and kept getting some of the male characters mixed up.  Maybe my morning coffee had not kicked in yet (which is entirely possible), or perhaps Murder in a Two-Seater could benefit from one of those 'cast lists' I've seen in books with many characters. 

This may seem contrary to what I just said, but I loved all the inter-relations of characters in their different roles.  Elaine and her husband are Chloe and her mother (Amanda's) design clients and their estate is being used for a car show.  But Elaine is also a lawyer at the same firm as Chloe's father.  The daughter (Sunny) of a woman (Bunny) with whom Amanda has no love lost is Chloe's boyfriend's (Jacob's) first love.  Bunny's husband is Jacob's boss.  Chloe and Sunny wind up going undercover.  Chloe was supposed to go with her mother, but Amanda and Bunny wind up high on brownies!  And that's not the half of it.  The estate is reputed to be haunted by several ghosts.

I'm not one given to squealing with delight, and have always been 'accused' of being more serious than I need to be.  But dang if I didn't chuckle at the spare comedic parts in this cozy mystery with cars!

Sometimes I really regret not starting at the beginning of a series, but Murder in a Two-Seater was a wonderful introduction to Ms. Thomas's work, and I was ever so glad to hear there was a 'first installment'.  And, despite the fact that this is the 2nd "Ms. Thomas" (see 'Meet the Author' below), I do hope there will be more adventures for Chloe and her family.

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MEET THE AUTHOR



Billie Thomas is the pseudonym of a Birmingham-based author. After the real Billie passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2011, getting MURDER ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS,  the first of in the Chloe Carstairs mystery series, revised and published was her daughter’s top priority as a way to honor the mom who had given her a lifelong love of books. In her real life, Ms. Thomas works at an advertising agency, which might explain why she’s constantly thinking up ways to kill people without getting caught. She has a really cute boyfriend and an even cuter dog. Like MURDER ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, its follow up, MURDER IN A TWO-SEATER are both filled with mystery, romance, humor and decorating – because these are a few of her favorite things. 

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GIVEAWAY!!!

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Click the link above to go to the tour site, where you will find more reviews, as well as guest posts and interviews with the author!  You can also find out how to apply to become a tour host yourself!

(Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the author and publisher via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.)

1 comment:

  1. This sounds like my type of book. Glad to hear you can read this one before the first.

    ReplyDelete