Ghost Writers In the Sky (The Camilla Randall Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

This story is best described as a classic "whodunnit" with a touch of the grittier "hard boiled" American version of detective stories - minus the on stage violence. Perhaps, chick lit meets the cozy?

I'm not normally a fan of mystery novels - cozy or hard boiled - because the plots are usually so convoluted I feel I need to take notes to keep track of all the clues to determine which were mentioned and which were "dropped in" conveniently at the climax/resolution. I didn't feel that sense of loss in Anne's novel however.

As an example (and not a spoiler): our heroine Ms. Camilla Randall (Dr Manners) is given a key to an essential character's red Ferrari to get her from a crime scene to a safe area. She gets out of the car, pushes the button to lock the vehicle, and drops the key in her purse. A perfectly natural act, one so routine it is forgettable. Later, at a point of misdirection, the key is in the purse, exactly where it needs to be. There are many such expertly integrated plot points throughout the "puzzle". Essential objects are moved about in such subtle, routine manner you forget you notice, until the point you need to remember.

I won't mention the Fendi shoe - you'll just have to discover that one on your own (LOL).

I never once had to flip back through pages to see if the clue was previously mentioned (and believe me, with an e-book, page flipping is no easy maneuver). The reader is drawn into the mystery, not lead or deceived. The misdirection is successfully accomplished, and in the end, I was doing a "Duh, of course."

I especially loved the voice of the MC, Dr Manners. Whitty, intelligent, fashionable. The story plot was a bit over dramatic, but still completely believable. The type of scenario I could see escalating out of proportion to the circumstances in my everyday life.

I did a lot of giggling, outright laughing, and head nodding in agreement, and eye-candy type drooling while reading Ghost Writers In The Sky. The characters were vividly portrayed, the dialogue so real I wanted to check gossip magazines for the fictional celebrities, the humor and action blended perfectly.

If you're looking for pure entertainment with a nostalgic feel, and a game of follow the clues, you'll love this novel as much as I did.

........DHOLE

The setting for this fast-moving mystery is that glamorous rural celebrity playground we've all seen backdropping upscale Westerns, the scenarios we'd love to live in if we but had the resources. Anne Allen creates a very recognizable facsimile of the classic Western, complete with the classic personas, to play out clever contortions of murder and mystery. All sorts of wannabe writers mill around the rustic setting of a writers' conference: dewy, suspicious, earnest, and funny, to populate the action with fascinating suspects. It's fun to read because of her ingenious and witty style.

Deep in the bosom of cow gal country, Golden West Writer's conference guest speaker, Dr. Manners, must beg her audience's pardon. The impeccable etiquette of her inner great aunt has been violated by the recent release of her photo in a compromising sadomasochistic posture with her journalist ex-husband.
Aside from the criminally poor writing of the would-be novelists at the Rancho Montano Grande conference, other crimes, specifically murders, are being committed. Dr. Manners, or Camilla Randall, nonfiction columnist, attempts to retain her composure wearing trashed designer clothing and size twelve footwear.
Superbly written, masterfully crafted, a humorist's feast.