Book Review: "A Job to Kill For" by Janice Kaplan

*Although the books I review on my blog are almost always Christian fiction, there will be a few spotlighted regular fiction titles I will review from time to time.*

I was more than pleasantly surprised with this story. I was afraid that I was going to miss out on certain things because I hadn't read the first book. Fear not though for those who haven't either, you won't feel lost at all. I was swept up in the story. I felt like I was reading a modern, younger, hipper edition of Murder She Wrote. The mystery was very well played out and I enjoyed the investigation along with Lacy. It kept you in suspense and whew that last scene nearly made me claustrophobic. I could feel myself in her situation and was gasping for breath. I, myself, loved the pop culture references sprinkled throughout the novel. My favorite was when Lacy was at her son's swim meet and wonders if she was seeing the next Michael Phelps there. It so happened that the day I read that line was the exact day that Phelps won his record 10th gold medal. Very eerie lol. I didn't feel that there was too much references to make this book dated. It is nice for the reader to see real objects they like find themselves in the fictional world.

The only thing that really bugged me about the story was Lacy's daughter Ashley. She was extremely rude and bratty to her mother. Other than teen angst, I could see no reason why she would act this way. I wish that Lacy would have been more strict with her. She obviously did well with one kid because Grant and her have a good relationship. It just irked my nerves to read about Ashley talking back to her mother and not getting any punishment for it.

What delighted me most about this book was there was no cursing and no sex. I was very happy to read an excellent secular story that didn't feel the need to throw objectionable content just for filler. The writing is sharp and witty. It's perfect for fans of chick lit mysteries. I'm going to have to go back and read the first one now. And I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Janice Kaplan has in store for us in the future.

A Job to Kill For by Janice Kaplan is published by Touchstone (2008)