Trouble in Mudbug by Jana Deleon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I wanted something completely different to what I usually read and chose this book purely because of the cover, which screamed “light read”. And it is a light read, but by no means was it a boring read. I would class this book as a romance mystery with lots of humour. I really enjoyed it.
Maryse’s mother-in-law, Helena, is dead. This is cause for celebration because the old biddy is a real pain in the backside but before she can celebrate Maryse finds she hasn’t seen the last of her horrid mother-in-law yet. Helena climbs out of the coffin at the funeral and Maryse is the only person who can see her because she’s a ghost.
The combination of these two characters is really entertaining. Maryse has so much on her plate already, like trying to serve her allusive husband with divorce papers, trying to avoid a sexy man who makes her think thoughts no decent woman should be thinking, and staying alive long enough to claim her inheritance. Nothing much really, but Helena claims she’s not going anywhere until she also solves a murder case – Helena’s murder!
The story is character driven. It’s not fast paced, as such, but the interaction of the characters draws the reader through each chapter just because you need to know what’s going to happen next. However, underneath all the humour and sex, (yes, I did say sex) is a well thought out plot which I found to be convincing. I commend the author in her delivery of the clues and resolutions. It was very well done.
I recommend this book and will be purchasing book 2 in the series in the near future.