Book Review: Murder Can Kill Your Social Life by Selma Eichler (Desiree Shapiro #1)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: A great character

Cons: Plot is so slow and predictable.

The Bottom Line:

Really bad plotting

Killed what could be a good book

With fun character

If I Can Pick Up the Clues....

Desiree Shapiro is a full figured private eye living and working in New York City. She usually handles fraud and domestic cases. One day, there in a murder in her niece's apartment building. She is asked to clear the grocery boy accused of the murder, but then another murder takes place. Are the two connected? And what can she do about her attraction to one of the suspects?

I started out liking the book. I found the humor fun and the character likable. But the plot was boring. I figured out a key plot point chapters before Desiree did. Since I never do that, it always makes me pause. In this case, it was an item of common knowledge that I can't believe Desiree didn't know. In fact, I can't believe it would confuse anyone reading the book. There is a subplot concerning a friend's husband that adds nothing but pages to the story. The plot advances very little until the climax is reached.

It's a shame I had this reaction to the plot, because I liked the main character. She didn't whine about her weight, but accepted it and even joked about it. The writing was engaging. If something had actually happened in the story, I would have really liked it.

I was disappointed I wasted my time with Murder Can Kill Your Social Life. I was even more disappointed because I had bought several books in the series. I have no desire to read any of them. It is a great character destroyed by a weak plot.