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Unfortunately, fireworks aren't the only things exploding over the holiday period. Hugo loathes the countryside; Tom has not only failed to score but fallen hopelessly in love instead; and, worst of all, Sam is flirting with a twenty-two-year-old with the face of a fallen angel. Distracted by the appalling state of her love-life,
the discovery of a dead body is an unwelcome complication for same,
especially when Tom becomes the principle suspect. Will she be able to
track down the real murderer before the local police haul Tom off to
jail? And will Hugo ever talk to her again? |
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I've motored through the first third of this, which should give a definite indication of my enjoyment. After the struggle to read of the last month, my head seems to have cleared just in time to make the most of this book. Ok, so a little scene setting is required...Sam and the increasingly demanding and annoying Hugo head down to Little Swinfold to spend New Year with Sam's best friend Tom. Yes, as incredible as it is, Sam does still get invited places despite the bodies accumulating around her. Her and Miss Marple; never invite them to a party unless you want the guests dead! So yeah, New Year, and Tom has his eye firmly on Janine, a pretty blonde single mum with an obnoxious brother and a son who's father remains unknown, even in the tiny village. All is well, apart from Sam's relationship with Hugo which is floundering on rocky ground...he's being a pain, and for the first time Sam is biting her lip...the best thing about Hugo and Sam was their banter, with that gone I no longer like Hugo. Without the humor, he's a pain...well Sam thinks so too, and when the stunningly beautiful (and young...intelligent, sweet and shy) Alan wonders into the picture (the eponymous Pretty Boy) her eye begins to roam. Who can blame her, frankly! She has one of those make or break moments, stay and drink with Alan, or go back to the house with Hugo...and the pretty boy wins, yay. She and Hugo don't speak...that is until Sam gets a call from Tom. Janine is dead, and top of the list of suspects is Tom, who fought with her the night she died. Obviously with her friend in trouble, Sam heads back to the village...nothing to do with Alan, no siree!! In case she feels the need to stray, she takes along reliable (and now recovered) Lurch. The reception they receive from the locals is Icy to say the least, but amongst his detractors Tom seems to have one or two people on his side, Emma his landlady for example. This is shaping up to be
a good old fashioned 'Murder in the Vicarage' type deally, and I'm
loving it. So many boo hiss characters that picking a likely perpetrator
right now is too hard! I wouldn't even go so far as to count Tom out
yet. I'm hoping Sam gets it on with Alan, simply because I'm bored of
Hugo...his pretensions are becoming tiresome. Anyway, I'm going back to
the book, I want to see what happens next! |
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So here we go with the update...Sam
slept with Alan...thereby cheating on Hugo, it went well but there was
no sparkage! Pity cos Hugo was a dork and I would have like to see her
off elsewhere, with some other guy. Ok, umm...there was something
else...oh yeah! There's a murder mystery here too! Janine's killer is
still at large, and the suspects are really not coming out of the
woodwork so far...though I have a theory. It seems that the key to the
killing is Pitt (ack, what a name!), Janine's son's father. He's a
married dood, and so far I think that Alan's dad is the likely sperm donor, given that his wife is
Mrs. Borderline Psychotic 'scription
Junkie Lady. I'm thinking all that stress has to come from somewhere,
right? Course, it could well be Alan, because she Janine was screwing
around with his old man and messing with his mama...actually that would
be a cool plot, Sam hasn't slept with a killer for a while...ok, I'm
done, I'll no doubt write more when I've done reading. Did I mention how
cool this is, or could you just tell? |
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I love reading Lauren Henderson's books, she's wonderfully irreverent, and Sam Jones is such great fun. Is it any wonder then that I read this at such speed? The only problem with this novel was that instead of concentrating on the goodly murder mystery, it was given the back burner in favour of Sam's romantic trials and tribulations. Instead of building the story with her usual skill, the ending when it came was rushed and a little unsatisfying. So here's the deal, I figured the who dunnit part after the second murder (Ethan, the USian houseguest with the annoying female hippy sidekick). There was a bunch of drowsy folks and some terrible alibis...the eventual outcome was that Tom's homely landlady was the nasty murderess person. He hubby sired the mysterious Pitt child, and when Janine threatened to leave the village...well she kinda lost it. Ok, so now that's out of the way...Sam screwed Alan! Well it had to happen, but it wasn't all starlight and fireworks, as it perhaps should have been. The only problem was the stark realization that it was Hugo she really wanted, and Alan didn't have a squeezable bottom! Then the angst began, and after the not so dramatic climax (the book, not Sam and Alan) when Hugo saves Sam from certain death and Emma's tree branch wielding sister, Sheila, she is left alone. Loving Hugo but unable to commit to him in the way he needs...awww, I want to give Sam a bug hug...ok, so I also want to smack her for not having the balls to go with him, or be strong enough to stand by her decision, and man I've really gotta remember this is fiction! I wanted Sam to cheat with Alan, but I also didn't want him to be such a dead loss. I was looking forward to the big fight with Hugo, perhaps the reconciliation or at least Sam telling him to go to hell...so now it's over I feel a little dissatisfied. Sure, I have no doubt Lauren intends to make more of this in the next book, but I'm instant gratification girl, I need the knowledge! This was great, like chilling out with an old friend (yeah, and a couple of dead people too, but we'll not think about that part, huh!) but this time I feel as though I only got half the story. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment, but I know it won't be happening any time soon...this I find displeasing.
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