Skating Around the Law [Hardcover]

What struck me the most about this novel was the strong thread of humor running throughout, and I enjoyed the heck out of that. There is an excellent cast of characters holding up an interesting little whodunnit, with just enough twists and mild coincidences to keep the story flowing. An excellent first novel from Ms. Charbonneau!

When Rebecca Robbins returns home to tiny Indian Falls, Illinois she initially thinks she has one problem to deal with - selling the roller rink she inherited from her mother - but ends up with something decidedly more ominous on her hands... a dead body in one of the roller rink's bathrooms.

Though at first it looks like an accident or suicide given the bottle of prescription pills found nearby, the town's doctor / coroner soon rules it a homicide making Rebecca's task of selling the roller rink even more difficult. (Who wants to buy a murder scene?)

And if a dead body throwing a monkey wrench into her plans to make a quick sale and hightail it back to Chicago wasn't bad enough, the glacial pace - and incompetence - of local law enforcement's investigation makes the prospect of Rebecca ever getting out of Dodge look downright grim.

What's a girl to do? Take matters into her own hands, of course. So, with the "help" of her grandfather, Pop, Rebecca becomes a reluctant detective... and finds more than she expected.

Author Joelle Charbonneau has obviously drawn upon her extensive experience in the performing arts to give each of her characters a strong, and unique, voice. From Rebecca (who has a wonderful mix of whimsy and level-headedness), to Pop (who's both well connected and disturbingly "active" in the town's retired community), to Neil (Rebecca's seriously misguided boss and would-be suitor), to Lionel (the veterinarian Rebecca loves to hate... or is it hates to love?), to Elwood the camel, every character has an incredibly rich, fully realized personality (yes, a camel can have a personality... trust me on this.)

A few of the situations Rebecca finds herself in are reminiscent of the early Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich (when they were still fresh and funny), though Charbonneau wisely never veers into the all-out slapstick territory that Plum frequently ends up in. Rather, Charbonneau has managed to deftly balance a healthy dose of comedy with a serious and engaging mystery. Add to that pitch perfect descriptions of the ins and outs of small town living and Skating Around the Law hits so many right notes it's like reading an exquisitely conducted symphony.

Joelle Charbonneau's first novel, Skating Around the Law, is a great example of the way the cozy mystery can be given a refreshing new twist of a wry, almost subversive sense of humor, all the while delivering a satisfying mystery that will leave the reader guessing whodunit until the conclusion.

Well in line with the classic conventions of the genre, Skating Around the Law's heroine and amateur sleuth is the cute, determined Rebecca Robbins, the owner of a roller rink in a small Illinois town who finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery when a corpse turns up in her establishment's bathroom. Hoping to sell the rink as fast as she can so she can get back to Chicago, Rebecca needs to outwit a killer who seems to be too many steps ahead of the ineffectual local cops.

Aside from the engaging Rebecca and the oddball cast of supporting characters, what makes this book a winner is the way it doesn't merely enact the requirements of the genre, but slyly comments on and parodies many of them as well. Plus, in a mystery subgenre full of quaint small towns, Skating Around the Law makes a few very effectively pointed comments about some of the not-so-cozy aspects of insular, traditional little communities where - for good or ill - everyone knows everyone.

For a fun mystery with quirky characters and an edgy sense of humor, you should treat yourself to Joelle Charbonneau's Skating Around the Law as soon as you can.