Decent mystery and a pretty good introduction to the series. It's pretty short so there isn't very much character development but it's a five book series and I liked the main character and her quirky friends and Dawg the dog so I'll be reading more books in the series. ( )

this is fun, quick, pretty well written, and amusing. it's labelled a "caper" not a "mystery" on the front cover, which explains what could be considered the hijinks that escalate as the story goes on. normally i wouldn't like this because it's a little over-the-top, but knowing what i was getting into made it ok and it didn't really matter that parts of it weren't too realistic. there are some good lines, the plot is silly but solid, and the characters are really fun. and the sexual tension between the main character and the cop is great, and as much as i wanted them to get together it's actually refreshing that there's no sex in this book. although i'm sure they get to that later in the series.

this is a fun one. i enjoyed it a lot even though it's not my usual read. i will say, though, that it was written in 2011 about what seemed to be present day, and while not everyone would have had a smart phone then, i don't think almost anyone would have had a vcr anymore. ( )

Really great character assitablishment right from the start. Have never read a series where the main character is a lesbian before. Very unique and funny book

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/254579856 ( )

I stumbled upon this book when I wandered into the book release party at Once Upon a Crime Mystery Bookstore in Minneapolis. I chatted with the author, Jessie Chandler, and her friends; and I decided if the book had nearly as much personality as the author, it HAD to be a good book.

Shay O'Hanlon, the co-owner of a coffee house, comes to the aid of a friend who's wanted for questioning by the police in connection with a murder. It seems Shay's friend Coop just got fired from his job at a notorious Mississippi river gambling boat, and shortly afterward his boss turns up dead. This is just the beginning in a serious of escalating, outrageous situations in which Shay and her close circle of quirky friends find themselves.

The story's got murder, mayhem, the Mafia, and mammoth junkyard dog. There's also a smoking-hot police detective who's definitely captured the interest of both Shay and her coffee-house co-owner Kate; and the temperature goes up a notch whenever she's around.

If you know Minneapolis, you'll also be delighted by all the local color and familiar locations.

"Bingo Barge Murder" is billed as "A Shay O'Hanlon Caper", which implies the author is planning a series of these. Sign me up! I'm hooked on this new author. ( )