Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Book Review: Who Glares Wins by Camilla Chaffer

Book Description:

Only a few weeks into her new job as a private investigator, Lexi Graves thinks she may have bitten off more than she can chew with her first solo cases.
In between going undercover as a plush pony at a “Bronie” conference and following her cheating brother-in-law, she’s got a saboteur-turned-killer to catch and a missing woman to find. Two of her cases may be connected, but how?
There’s no short list of suspects to investigate, but the closer Lexi gets to the killer, the more her life is put in jeopardy. Trying to avoid being framed for a murder she didn’t commit, Lexi knows her luck is running out.
To make matters worse, her boyfriend, sexy detective, Adam Maddox, thinks she’s out of the PI game faster than she got into it. Her boss, the mysterious Solomon, meanwhile, hopes to get her between the sheets by night, as well as solving cases by day, and Lexi’s "just say no" resolve might not be as fortified as she believes.
All she wants is to be taken seriously and there’s only one way she can do that—solve the cases, no matter what. (from amazon.com)


Book Review

Ms. Chaffer pulls it off again. Lexi is just as charming in Who Glares Wins as in the first book in the series, Armed and Fabulous.  

Lexi very much wants to be respected by her co-workers, but they all think she and Solomon have something on the side and that is why she got the job. I enjoyed how the author allowed Lexi to prove she is a capable investigator. She also has good instincts, developed in part by growing up in a family of police officers. She takes 3 solo cases, 2 pro bono without Solomon’s knowledge, and juggles them well. I love how Lexi utilizes all the tools she has available, work, family and friends and new acquaintances to solve tricky informational needs. The scene where she lays a honey trap for her brother-in-law is priceless and is worth reading the book!

I like how the book focuses primarily on the cases, family and friends, with romance off to the side. It’s not quite an after-thought, as Lexi does contemplate the two men in her life more than a bit, but it doesn’t take center stage and that’s a refreshing change from my usual reads. Lexi grows quite a bit in this book and doesn’t seem quite as klutzy as in the first one and far more capable. 

My one quibble with the book is how much people underestimate her, specifically Maddox. Although that actually turns into a positive when she proves just how capable and resourceful she is and successfully vindicates herself.

The humor, language, editing, pacing are all excellent. Who Glares Wins grabs your attention quickly and hangs on to it until the book is over. I highly recommend this series and am eagerly waiting for book 3, which is supposed to be out later in August 2012. I think the book would work as a standalone novel, but a reader would benefit from reading Armed and Fabulous for the backstory.

Sensuality: kissing, references to sex. Safe for teen readers.

Rating: 5 stars

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