Humorous Mystery with Believable Characters–Just a Great Book!
I absolutely adored this book. The characters seem like old friends but their attitudes change over the course of the three books in this series–just like real people do. My favorite part of this book is that Alan is back! Is Alan real or part of a mental disorder? I agree with Ruddy that it doesn’t matter because Alan is such fun to be around. In this book, some of the minor characters in the first book are fleshed out and they are given their turn in the spotlight. There are two mysteries to solve along with Ruddy this time. One is a carryover from the first book and the other builds on characters introduced there. A separate crime story has some good twists and turns. However, this book can be read as a stand-alone novel since the author includes short back stories of all the returning characters.
Overall, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It is humorous, has great characters with many dimensions, and the plot is full of mysteries and crimes committed by and against our hero(es). The best news is that the author leaves a teaser to the fourth book in the series at the end of this book. I can’t wait.
5 stars
I received this book as an advance reader copy from the publisher by winning a Goodreads giveaway but that has not impacted my review.