Skating Over the Line by Joelle Charbonneau
Minotaur Books, September 2011
Rating: 8
It’s a dream come true for Rebecca Robbins: someone finally wants to buy the Toe Stop roller rink. She should be overjoyed at the prospect of selling the business she inherited from her mother; after all, it’s the only thing keeping her in the tiny berg of Indian Falls, Illinois – especially now that her no-account flim-flam artist of a father has returned to town. So why is she so hesitant to start packing her bags?
Before she can dwell too long on that question, though, another mystery drops into her lap. It seems someone in Indian Falls has developed a penchant for stealing old cars – and then setting them on fire. Though her grandfather and the gang down at the Senior Center want Rebecca to use her sleuthing skills to catch the criminal, the local sheriff’s department is none too keen on the idea of her nosing around yet another of their investigations. But then some mysterious strangers start lurking around the rink and threatening the lives of her friends and family, and Rebecca comes to the realization that there's no way she can sit this one out.
Skating Over the Line is the second installment in Joelle Charbonneau’s Rebecca Robbins Mystery series. Given that the book’s cast includes an elderly Elvis impersonator and a hat-wearing camel, you might think that Charbonneau’s latest is all slapstick and no substance. You’d be wrong. Yes, Skating Over the Line is a comedy with more laugh lines than you can shake a jar of wrinkle cream at, but it also has plenty of heart.
Rebecca is a sassy, determined heroine for whom readers will want to root. Not only is she an intrepid amateur sleuth and a doting granddaughter, but as we learn with the introduction of her father, she’s also a girl with some serious abandonment issues. The scenes Rebecca shares with her father have surprising emotional resonance and shed a nice light on the choices she’s made in life (romantic and otherwise), giving her character a depth the likes of which you don’t often find in a cozy. Though Charbonneau’s no slouch at penning punch lines, I think her true talent may lie in writing sucker punches, and I, for one, hope we see more of this from her in books to come.
Rebecca’s somewhat stunted romance with the handsome-yet-patronizing Lionel Franklin is entertaining enough, but the most intriguing relationship here is the one between Charbonneau’s leading lady and cantankerous sheriff’s deputy Sean Holmes. Holmes’ interactions with Rebecca are suffused with the sort of smoldering chemistry that can only come from a good love-hate relationship, and I sincerely hope to see the pair thrown together more often in the future.
The rest of the cast is entertaining as well, comprised almost entirely of the sort of larger-than-life characters you’d find in a Maddy Hunter novel. Randy septuagenarians, spandex-clad roller-skating instructors, and sexually frustrated former strippers, the little town of Indian Falls has more color than your average double rainbow.
I confess I found the book’s mystery to be a tad predictable (I had the killer pegged from early on), but the pace is quick and the plot is fun, making this flaw easy to forgive. Looking for a light, fun small-town cozy to scratch that Joanne Fluke itch? Search no further than Skating Over the Line by Joelle Charbonneau.
REVIEW: A Taste of the Nightlife
Note: This review originally appeared in the The Season E-Zine's July mystery section.
A Taste of the Nightlife by Sarah Zettel
Obsidian, July 2011
Rating: 8 (Very Good) (The Season's rating scale runs from 1 to 10.)
For fans of: Juliet Blackwell and Charlaine Harris
Nightlife isn’t exactly your typical fine-dining establishment. The restaurant, run by Chef Charlotte Caine and her blood-sucking brother Chet, is one of the few places in New York where humans and vampires can not only dine together, but where a portion of the menu is catered specifically toward vampires. Nightlife is still relatively new on scene and has yet to actually turn a profit, so when undead food critic Anatole Sevarin shows up one night to dine, Charlotte and Chet set about trying to make sure Sevarin has a perfect evening; after all, a good review from him could make or break them. But then a drunk wizard stumbles in, tries to pick a fight with a vampire at table two, and nearly sets the restaurant on fire. The sprinklers engage, the restaurant empties, and their chance to impress the critic goes up in smoke.
To make matters worse, the next morning Charlotte shows up for work only to discover the scene-causing sorcerer from the night before drained of blood and lying on the restaurant floor. Nightlife’s declared a crime scene, and once the police discover Chet’s the only vampire with after-hours access to Nightlife, they haul him off for questioning. Charlotte believes her brother’s innocent of the crime, but she’s equally sure he’s hiding something from her. He may not be a murderer, but is he the reason a dead body was dumped at their door? Until the mystery is solved, it’s unlikely the police will allow Nightlife to reopen. Can Charlotte exonerate her brother and catch the real killer in time to save her beloved restaurant, or will she fall victim herself?
A Taste of the Nightlife is the first in author Sarah Zettel’s new Vampire Chef Mystery series. I admit, for the first 100 pages or so, I wasn’t quite sure what I thought of this book; the start is a little rocky, due in large part to the excessively detailed, info-dump-y manner in which Zettel introduces the reader to rules of Charlotte’s universe. Once Zettel gets past the formalities, however, she seems to find her flow, and the story just takes off from there. The premise is unique and fun, the plot is intricate and clever, and the mystery is sure to keep you guessing until the very end. Zettel has a young, hip writing style and an easy way with snarky dialogue, both of which to help set her apart from the other authors in her genre.
Charlotte’s an incredibly likable heroine for whom readers will want to root; strong, witty, and independent with a good head on her shoulders, she’s more than capable of carrying a series. Her emotions and interactions with other characters feel genuine, and they serve to not only further the plot, but to add depth and complexity to her personality, as well.
Zettel also does a good job of fleshing out the other characters who populate her book. Sorcerer-slash-sidekick-slash-knight-in-shining armor Brendan Maddox is a perfect love interest, and the chemistry between he and Charlotte positively sizzles. Chet is perfect as the screw-up brother whom Charlotte loves, but feels a constant need to protect. And Charlotte’s roommates, cosmetics saleswoman Jess and lawyer Trish, help to ground the story in reality and provide a nice counterpoint to all of the crazy supernatural high jinks that otherwise characterize Charlotte’s life. Zettel’s only real failure, character-wise, is restaurant critic Anatole Sevarin. Don’t get me wrong – I find Anatole intriguing, but despite her best efforts, I just don’t think Zettel successfully sells him as a potential love interest for Charlotte. She seems to have been aiming for someone akin to Charlaine Harris’ Eric, but I have a hard time not picturing him as Bela Lugosi. (A very smart, charming, and debonair Bela Lugosi, but still.) For this reason, Zettel’s attempts to fashion a burgeoning love triangle between Charlotte, Anatole, and Brendan fall kind of flat.
A Taste of the Nightlife ends so strongly and on such sure footing that I was very tempted to give it a nine; ultimately, however, the weak start dragged the score down to a very high eight. That said, I have incredibly high hopes for the series, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun summer read.
A Taste of the Nightlife by Sarah Zettel
Obsidian, July 2011
Rating: 8 (Very Good) (The Season's rating scale runs from 1 to 10.)
For fans of: Juliet Blackwell and Charlaine Harris
Nightlife isn’t exactly your typical fine-dining establishment. The restaurant, run by Chef Charlotte Caine and her blood-sucking brother Chet, is one of the few places in New York where humans and vampires can not only dine together, but where a portion of the menu is catered specifically toward vampires. Nightlife is still relatively new on scene and has yet to actually turn a profit, so when undead food critic Anatole Sevarin shows up one night to dine, Charlotte and Chet set about trying to make sure Sevarin has a perfect evening; after all, a good review from him could make or break them. But then a drunk wizard stumbles in, tries to pick a fight with a vampire at table two, and nearly sets the restaurant on fire. The sprinklers engage, the restaurant empties, and their chance to impress the critic goes up in smoke.
To make matters worse, the next morning Charlotte shows up for work only to discover the scene-causing sorcerer from the night before drained of blood and lying on the restaurant floor. Nightlife’s declared a crime scene, and once the police discover Chet’s the only vampire with after-hours access to Nightlife, they haul him off for questioning. Charlotte believes her brother’s innocent of the crime, but she’s equally sure he’s hiding something from her. He may not be a murderer, but is he the reason a dead body was dumped at their door? Until the mystery is solved, it’s unlikely the police will allow Nightlife to reopen. Can Charlotte exonerate her brother and catch the real killer in time to save her beloved restaurant, or will she fall victim herself?
A Taste of the Nightlife is the first in author Sarah Zettel’s new Vampire Chef Mystery series. I admit, for the first 100 pages or so, I wasn’t quite sure what I thought of this book; the start is a little rocky, due in large part to the excessively detailed, info-dump-y manner in which Zettel introduces the reader to rules of Charlotte’s universe. Once Zettel gets past the formalities, however, she seems to find her flow, and the story just takes off from there. The premise is unique and fun, the plot is intricate and clever, and the mystery is sure to keep you guessing until the very end. Zettel has a young, hip writing style and an easy way with snarky dialogue, both of which to help set her apart from the other authors in her genre.
Charlotte’s an incredibly likable heroine for whom readers will want to root; strong, witty, and independent with a good head on her shoulders, she’s more than capable of carrying a series. Her emotions and interactions with other characters feel genuine, and they serve to not only further the plot, but to add depth and complexity to her personality, as well.
Zettel also does a good job of fleshing out the other characters who populate her book. Sorcerer-slash-sidekick-slash-knight-in-shining armor Brendan Maddox is a perfect love interest, and the chemistry between he and Charlotte positively sizzles. Chet is perfect as the screw-up brother whom Charlotte loves, but feels a constant need to protect. And Charlotte’s roommates, cosmetics saleswoman Jess and lawyer Trish, help to ground the story in reality and provide a nice counterpoint to all of the crazy supernatural high jinks that otherwise characterize Charlotte’s life. Zettel’s only real failure, character-wise, is restaurant critic Anatole Sevarin. Don’t get me wrong – I find Anatole intriguing, but despite her best efforts, I just don’t think Zettel successfully sells him as a potential love interest for Charlotte. She seems to have been aiming for someone akin to Charlaine Harris’ Eric, but I have a hard time not picturing him as Bela Lugosi. (A very smart, charming, and debonair Bela Lugosi, but still.) For this reason, Zettel’s attempts to fashion a burgeoning love triangle between Charlotte, Anatole, and Brendan fall kind of flat.
A Taste of the Nightlife ends so strongly and on such sure footing that I was very tempted to give it a nine; ultimately, however, the weak start dragged the score down to a very high eight. That said, I have incredibly high hopes for the series, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun summer read.