Book Review: The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco by Laura DiSilverio (Book Club Mysteries #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters and a strong, fun plot

Cons: Too many characters introduced early on, but easy to distinguish as we get to know them

The Bottom Line:

Reading mysteries

Can lead you to mystery

With this fun debut

Hi, I’m Mark, and I’m a Readaholics Fan

It is always a pleasure to try the first book in a new series and just know you will love the series.  That was definitely the case for me with The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco.  I completely loved this debut and am already looking forward to book two in the series.

Amy-Faye Johnson’s life in Heaven, Colorado, is going very well.  Her event planning business is really beginning to take off, and she’s just bought her first house.  She’s hit a snag recently on the personal front when ask to coordinate her on-again, off-again boyfriend’s wedding, but she will get through it.

Another part of her life that she loves is the Readaholics, a group of six women who have formed a book club.  The morning after the group gets together to discuss The Maltese Falcon, Amy-Faye goes to visit one of the members only to find that member sick on the floor.  A few hours later, that member dies in the hospital.  The police are quick to rule it a suicide, but Amy-Faye is certain it was murder.  With the help of the other Readaholics, she begins trying to find out what really happened to their friend.  What secrets will they uncover in the process?

As much as I love mysteries, I must confess I’m not as up on some of the classics as I should be.  I might use this series as an excuse to fix that.  In any case, I had read The Maltese Falcon, although it has been a number of years (myreview is right here in fact).  That really isn’t an issue because author Laura DiSilvero works any references to that classic you need to know into the book.  There are spoilers for this classic, but we are pretty much past the warning date for this book, right?

Anyway, the modern day mystery is completely engaging no matter how familiar you are with The Maltese Falcon.  The plot starts off quickly and gets stronger as it goes along.  A couple of sub-plots only add to the fun.  I never wanted to put this book down because I wanted to see what twist Amy-Faye would have to deal with next.  The climax was suspenseful and logical with a final scene that left me wanting more.

I will admit I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of characters at first.  We are introduced to the Readaholics in a group scene, and while they showed up one at a time, it was still a little hard to keep them all straight.  However, as the book progressed, their personalities made it much easier to remember who everyone was.  The same is true for the rest of the cast, be they suspects, potential recurring characters, or both.  I loved spending time with them and that is definitely something that will draw me back in future books.  I was also impressed with how each member of the Readaholics were able to contribute something to the plot.

All this is held together with a dash of humor that just added to the fun.  I grinned at a few of the lines and scenes.  Amy-Faye’s first person narration is also wonderful.

Since I have enjoyed previous books by Laura DiSilvero, I’m not surprised at how much I enjoyed The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco.  Still, I am counting the days until my next meeting with the Readaholics, and I hope the series lasts just as long as the list of potential books they could read.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one physical copy to give away to a lucky commentor.  Just leave your name and e-mail so I can get in touch with you if you win.  Sorry, US addresses only.

The contest will close at midnight California time on April 17th.

Good luck!