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Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman #1
Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
Maggie Lee is not your average hitwoman. For one thing, she’s never killed anyone. For another, after hitting her head in the car accident that killed her sister, her new best friend is a talking lizard—a picky eater, obsessed with Wheel of Fortune, that only Maggie can hear.
Maggie, who can barely take care of herself, is desperate to help her injured and orphaned niece get the best medical care possible, so she reluctantly accepts a mobster’s lucrative job offer: major cash to kill his monstrous son-in-law.
Paired with Patrick Mulligan, a charming murder mentor (who happens to moonlight as a police detective), Maggie stumbles down her new career path, contending with self-doubt, three meddling aunts, a semi-psychic friend predicting her doom, and a day job she hates. Oh, and let’s not forget about Paul Kowalski, the sexy beat cop who could throw her ass in jail if he finds out what she’s up to.
Training has never been so complicated! And, this time, Maggie has to get the job done. Because if she doesn’t … she’s the mob’s next target.
Maggie, who can barely take care of herself, is desperate to help her injured and orphaned niece get the best medical care possible, so she reluctantly accepts a mobster’s lucrative job offer: major cash to kill his monstrous son-in-law.
Paired with Patrick Mulligan, a charming murder mentor (who happens to moonlight as a police detective), Maggie stumbles down her new career path, contending with self-doubt, three meddling aunts, a semi-psychic friend predicting her doom, and a day job she hates. Oh, and let’s not forget about Paul Kowalski, the sexy beat cop who could throw her ass in jail if he finds out what she’s up to.
Training has never been so complicated! And, this time, Maggie has to get the job done. Because if she doesn’t … she’s the mob’s next target.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2012
511 people are currently reading
2155 people want to read
About the author
J.B. Lynn
79 books399 followersAuthor of the series:
Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
Psychic Consignment Mysteries
Cursed Chick Club
Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman
Psychic Consignment Mysteries
Cursed Chick Club
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May 5, 2020
Note, May 5, 2020: I just edited this to correct a misspelled word.
My reading experience with this series was out of order (and that was a significant factor, as I'll explain below). Though I first read the previews of the original two books, I started my actual reading with the third installment, the e-story The Hitwoman Gets Lucky, because it's free for Kindle, and followed that up with the fourth one (and third novel), The Hitwoman and the Family Jewels, because I also had a chance to get the e-book for free. So I knew the basic premise of the series, was acquainted with the characters, and knew something about how certain plot lines and relationships would develop, before going back to pick up on Maggie's "origin story."
Although I haven't read much fiction focused on assassins, I think a fully-rounded assassin who has a conscience and some kind of emotional complexity (as opposed to a one-dimensional amoral or sadistic thug who just kills for pleasure and/or self-interest) has the potential to be an interesting protagonist. Maggie Lee fully lives up to that potential (in her case, "emotional complexity" and "interesting" is actually rather mild terminology). The Goodreads description of the book is reasonably accurate (though it portrays Maggie as inept, and she's really not), and I describe the series premise in my reviews of the installments I already read. But for those who've read neither venue, our heroine-narrator's a young, single urban woman (with a seriously messed-up family) who answers phone calls for an insurance company. Shortly before this novel opens, she was a passenger in a car with her big sister Theresa, Theresa's husband, and their 3-year-old child, Katie. In a blinding instant, Katie's parents were killed by a drunk driver (who also perished), and the toddler, whom the childless Maggie dearly loves, was left in a coma.
The also-comatose toddler in the hospital room next to Katie's is the maternal grandson/grand-nephew of the Delveccio brothers, heads of the local mob. His head injury wasn't an accident; his father, Alfonso Cifelli, threw him down a stairs in an attempt to kill him. When events bring Maggie to the notice of Tony/Anthony Delveccio (when she named her twins, their mom didn't realize that Tony is actually a nickname for Antonio), she gets an offer: $100,000 for Katie's hospital bills, in return for removing Alfonso from the world. (He's been arrested, though he's out on bail; but although Lynn doesn't go into this, mafiosos have a centuries-old ingrained tradition of dealing out their own vengeance, rather than relying on the distrusted authorities.) As the author explains things, the offer is unusual, but credible in context. Maggie's no evil sociopath or psychopath; as typical, secular American young women go, she's pretty much an average, regular gal, with a genuinely kind heart and good instincts, and an abhorrence of the idea of deliberately killing ...but she's also a fiercely loving and protective aunt, with a capacity for going the second mile for those she cares about. So she's faced with a real and agonizing moral quandary here. The title telegraphs how she'll resolve it; but she doesn't resolve it lightly, nor without a lot of angst and second-guessing. And even in her new side profession, she clings to an ethical compass to as full a degree as she can.
This is serious stuff, and so are the emotional complexities of Maggie's fraught psyche and family relationships. Her father's been in prison since she was a kid, for a murder committed during a bank robbery (though he says he wasn't the shooter); her mother's been in an insane asylum for years; another, younger sister was kidnapped from a carnival when Maggie was 17 and her dead body was found years later, and Maggie blames herself. A fourth sister (the victim's twin), ran away after this and is presumed dead; and Maggie's relationships with her three maternal aunts, who mostly raised the girls, are stressed and problematic. The moral challenges and family relationships here make for some really emotionally compelling moments, which can be the warp and woof of good fiction, even great fiction. Surprisingly, despite all of this, humor is a frequent tone here (I actually chuckled out loud in a few places), but Lynn uses it --in much the same way that Maggie uses her wry, smart-aleck mouth-- to defuse and relieve the darkness into something halfways bearable. I didn't mind that, as far as it goes. So, why only three stars for a rating?
Some of the negatives weren't, by themselves, problematical enough to drag down the rating that far. The author doesn't develop Cifelli's character enough to give us a clue as to why he wants to kill his own child; he and the other villain here are just cartoon caricatures of embodied evil. (Both of them are also unrealistically careless about their personal security.) Maggie's overly foul-mouthed here, with a lot of use of the f-word (that appears in the speech of other characters too, although there's little or no religious profanity) --that trait has disappeared by the third installment, but it's gratingly present here. There's also some gratuitous (male) nudity, though it's not milked for sexual titillation; and Maggie comes across as more hormone-driven than she does in the later installments, although there's no actual sex in the book. However, these weren't the principal factors that prevented the four or five star rating the book could have earned.
A kind of gimmick in the series is that, since hitting her head in the afore-mentioned accident, Maggie hears animals' vocal noises --principally those made by Katie's pet anole lizard Godzilla ("God" for short --I didn't take this as intended to be blasphemous), whose care Maggie took over-- as English-language speech, and (as she narrates it) is understood by them when she speaks. In the installments I previously read, I've always interpreted this as a hallucination on her part, a "slightly neurotic" coping mechanism; and I didn't have a problem with it. After reading this book, however, I have to conclude that this interpretation is untenable --the lizard communicates factual information to Maggie that she could not possibly have subconsciously known before. Lynn means for us to understand that, as our protagonist puts it, she actually IS "Doctor-freakin-Doolittle." That premise worked for me as a child devouring Lofting's series. It doesn't work in an adult series that wants to be taken seriously, particularly when the way it's handled is completely unrealistic. (Lizards able to vocalize more articulately than dogs? A lizard able to comprehend human behavior and moral issues? For that matter, a reptile forming an emotional attachment to a human?)
That revelation comes relatively late in the book, so didn't interfere with my enjoyment of most of it. I genuinely like Maggie as a character, despite her faults (if you didn't mind having a hitwoman for a friend, she'd be your best choice --and she'd undoubtedly be a very dependable and loyal friend), and the positives in the book earned it three stars. But the insertion of such a far-out premise undercuts the serious realism that would actually make the series work the way I thought it did. I don't regret reading as much of it as I did; but I don't plan to pursue it any further.
As a final note, one reviewer characterized Maggie as "the next Stephanie Plum." I've never read any of Evanovich's best-selling series; but from what I know about it, the two characters do share commonalities --they're both New Jersey natives, young single women with eccentric families and some seemingly ditzy traits, working in male-dominated fields, and coping (at least in this book) with a sort of romantic triangle. But I don't think Maggie was intended as a Stephanie Plum clone; and (at least before the talking-animal revelation!), my impression would have been that the tone of her character, and of the series, was darker and more serious than that of the Plum novels.
My reading experience with this series was out of order (and that was a significant factor, as I'll explain below). Though I first read the previews of the original two books, I started my actual reading with the third installment, the e-story The Hitwoman Gets Lucky, because it's free for Kindle, and followed that up with the fourth one (and third novel), The Hitwoman and the Family Jewels, because I also had a chance to get the e-book for free. So I knew the basic premise of the series, was acquainted with the characters, and knew something about how certain plot lines and relationships would develop, before going back to pick up on Maggie's "origin story."
Although I haven't read much fiction focused on assassins, I think a fully-rounded assassin who has a conscience and some kind of emotional complexity (as opposed to a one-dimensional amoral or sadistic thug who just kills for pleasure and/or self-interest) has the potential to be an interesting protagonist. Maggie Lee fully lives up to that potential (in her case, "emotional complexity" and "interesting" is actually rather mild terminology). The Goodreads description of the book is reasonably accurate (though it portrays Maggie as inept, and she's really not), and I describe the series premise in my reviews of the installments I already read. But for those who've read neither venue, our heroine-narrator's a young, single urban woman (with a seriously messed-up family) who answers phone calls for an insurance company. Shortly before this novel opens, she was a passenger in a car with her big sister Theresa, Theresa's husband, and their 3-year-old child, Katie. In a blinding instant, Katie's parents were killed by a drunk driver (who also perished), and the toddler, whom the childless Maggie dearly loves, was left in a coma.
The also-comatose toddler in the hospital room next to Katie's is the maternal grandson/grand-nephew of the Delveccio brothers, heads of the local mob. His head injury wasn't an accident; his father, Alfonso Cifelli, threw him down a stairs in an attempt to kill him. When events bring Maggie to the notice of Tony/Anthony Delveccio (when she named her twins, their mom didn't realize that Tony is actually a nickname for Antonio), she gets an offer: $100,000 for Katie's hospital bills, in return for removing Alfonso from the world. (He's been arrested, though he's out on bail; but although Lynn doesn't go into this, mafiosos have a centuries-old ingrained tradition of dealing out their own vengeance, rather than relying on the distrusted authorities.) As the author explains things, the offer is unusual, but credible in context. Maggie's no evil sociopath or psychopath; as typical, secular American young women go, she's pretty much an average, regular gal, with a genuinely kind heart and good instincts, and an abhorrence of the idea of deliberately killing ...but she's also a fiercely loving and protective aunt, with a capacity for going the second mile for those she cares about. So she's faced with a real and agonizing moral quandary here. The title telegraphs how she'll resolve it; but she doesn't resolve it lightly, nor without a lot of angst and second-guessing. And even in her new side profession, she clings to an ethical compass to as full a degree as she can.
This is serious stuff, and so are the emotional complexities of Maggie's fraught psyche and family relationships. Her father's been in prison since she was a kid, for a murder committed during a bank robbery (though he says he wasn't the shooter); her mother's been in an insane asylum for years; another, younger sister was kidnapped from a carnival when Maggie was 17 and her dead body was found years later, and Maggie blames herself. A fourth sister (the victim's twin), ran away after this and is presumed dead; and Maggie's relationships with her three maternal aunts, who mostly raised the girls, are stressed and problematic. The moral challenges and family relationships here make for some really emotionally compelling moments, which can be the warp and woof of good fiction, even great fiction. Surprisingly, despite all of this, humor is a frequent tone here (I actually chuckled out loud in a few places), but Lynn uses it --in much the same way that Maggie uses her wry, smart-aleck mouth-- to defuse and relieve the darkness into something halfways bearable. I didn't mind that, as far as it goes. So, why only three stars for a rating?
Some of the negatives weren't, by themselves, problematical enough to drag down the rating that far. The author doesn't develop Cifelli's character enough to give us a clue as to why he wants to kill his own child; he and the other villain here are just cartoon caricatures of embodied evil. (Both of them are also unrealistically careless about their personal security.) Maggie's overly foul-mouthed here, with a lot of use of the f-word (that appears in the speech of other characters too, although there's little or no religious profanity) --that trait has disappeared by the third installment, but it's gratingly present here. There's also some gratuitous (male) nudity, though it's not milked for sexual titillation; and Maggie comes across as more hormone-driven than she does in the later installments, although there's no actual sex in the book. However, these weren't the principal factors that prevented the four or five star rating the book could have earned.
A kind of gimmick in the series is that, since hitting her head in the afore-mentioned accident, Maggie hears animals' vocal noises --principally those made by Katie's pet anole lizard Godzilla ("God" for short --I didn't take this as intended to be blasphemous), whose care Maggie took over-- as English-language speech, and (as she narrates it) is understood by them when she speaks. In the installments I previously read, I've always interpreted this as a hallucination on her part, a "slightly neurotic" coping mechanism; and I didn't have a problem with it. After reading this book, however, I have to conclude that this interpretation is untenable --the lizard communicates factual information to Maggie that she could not possibly have subconsciously known before. Lynn means for us to understand that, as our protagonist puts it, she actually IS "Doctor-freakin-Doolittle." That premise worked for me as a child devouring Lofting's series. It doesn't work in an adult series that wants to be taken seriously, particularly when the way it's handled is completely unrealistic. (Lizards able to vocalize more articulately than dogs? A lizard able to comprehend human behavior and moral issues? For that matter, a reptile forming an emotional attachment to a human?)
That revelation comes relatively late in the book, so didn't interfere with my enjoyment of most of it. I genuinely like Maggie as a character, despite her faults (if you didn't mind having a hitwoman for a friend, she'd be your best choice --and she'd undoubtedly be a very dependable and loyal friend), and the positives in the book earned it three stars. But the insertion of such a far-out premise undercuts the serious realism that would actually make the series work the way I thought it did. I don't regret reading as much of it as I did; but I don't plan to pursue it any further.
As a final note, one reviewer characterized Maggie as "the next Stephanie Plum." I've never read any of Evanovich's best-selling series; but from what I know about it, the two characters do share commonalities --they're both New Jersey natives, young single women with eccentric families and some seemingly ditzy traits, working in male-dominated fields, and coping (at least in this book) with a sort of romantic triangle. But I don't think Maggie was intended as a Stephanie Plum clone; and (at least before the talking-animal revelation!), my impression would have been that the tone of her character, and of the series, was darker and more serious than that of the Plum novels.
April 3, 2012
I had low expectations for this book but it did manage to exceed them. On the surface, the book could be taken for a cheap attempt to cash in on Janet Evanovich's raging success with her Stephanie Plum series. And there are certainly a lot of similarities. You have a single woman, mildly klutzy, with family issues, living in New Jersey taking on a job generally reserved for gung-ho bad-asses being romantically pursued by two guys who are actual gung-ho bad-asses. Oh, and who sometimes talks to her pet in a terrarium.
That's a lot, right? Well yeah, but...
J.B. Lynn's main character, Margaret (Maggie to her friends) Lee, is a deeper character with a better reason for entering her profession and more motivation to succeed. Let's face it, when the novels start, Stephanie Plum is little more than a pastiche—a jilted housewife taking a job on a lark and sticking with it for no reason beyond not wanting to work retail. Pretty thin pickings, really. Janet Evanovich's stories work mainly by using humor to encourage the reader to continue suspending disbelief. This is no small accomplishment and something I applaud in her, mind.
Maggie, on the other hand, comes to us with a deep backstory that gives us a rich understanding of her choices and actions. We know exactly why she makes the decisions she does, including why she couldn't possibly turn down the invitation to become a hitwoman—not because the author orchestrated events to that outcome but because the author crafted a character who would choose to do so (more about the offer itself below, however). Yeah, it's a fine distinction but a fundamental difference in approach. A more difficult one to pull off, I might add, but one Lynn succeeds with. Also, Maggie is actually well-suited for her job, though in subtle and surprising ways, and is relatively good at it, even if she is only just starting out.
And I liked the characters surrounding Maggie, too. Again, they may have passing similarity to Evanovich's cast, but it'd be a strain to think they were derivative. Like Maggie, many of the side characters have a depth and complexity that support their actions and gives their involvement in the story a richness they wouldn't otherwise have. My favorite of these, though with the least depth or reason, is God. Godzilla (God for short) is Maggie's niece, Katie's, anole (it's a lizard, kind of like a chameleon. Yeah, I didn't know that before looking it up). After the car accident that starts the book, it turns out that Maggie can understand God. She figures she's probably going a little crazy, like her mom, so Maggie mostly just rolls with it—but carefully so as not to end up in the nuthouse, like her mom. God becomes her confidant and councilor when she can't really confide in anyone else (hitperson rule #1 Don't Get Caught).
In the end, I liked the book more than I do Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.
So why just three stars, you might legitimately ask? The book has two weaknesses that drag it down some. First, the writing is a little choppy, particularly at the start. Nothing egregious, it’s just mildly awkward. It takes a while to get fully into stride with Maggie and doing so is crucial to enjoying the story. I'm not writer enough to pick out exactly what could be improved. I think that exposition and description were sacrificed a little too expediently (to hurry the story and/or dialogue?). Because so much depends on getting the characters right, it wouldn't have hurt to slow down a little and paint the scenery a little better. Also, naming the two love interests Patrick and Paul is a mistake. There's little-enough to distinguish them and having their names be phonemically similar made it a chore to keep them apart on initial reference.
Second, some core elements of the story are more or less blatant manipulation. Katie is in a coma mostly so Maggie will need the money for her care. Tony/Anthony Delveccio offers Maggie her first hit job with very slim justification. And giving her a job-skills trainer makes little sense from Delveccio's point of view, either. Yeah, there's a little hand-waving but it doesn't really withstand scrutiny very well. And let us not forget the stupid industry-standard love triangle. I am getting so very tired of those. Given the depth of the other characters, this cursory treatment stands out and detracts from the otherwise solid characterizations.
So take those caveats into account, if you will. Personally, I liked the book and look forward to the next. I hope J.B. Lynn doesn't make us wait long...
That's a lot, right? Well yeah, but...
J.B. Lynn's main character, Margaret (Maggie to her friends) Lee, is a deeper character with a better reason for entering her profession and more motivation to succeed. Let's face it, when the novels start, Stephanie Plum is little more than a pastiche—a jilted housewife taking a job on a lark and sticking with it for no reason beyond not wanting to work retail. Pretty thin pickings, really. Janet Evanovich's stories work mainly by using humor to encourage the reader to continue suspending disbelief. This is no small accomplishment and something I applaud in her, mind.
Maggie, on the other hand, comes to us with a deep backstory that gives us a rich understanding of her choices and actions. We know exactly why she makes the decisions she does, including why she couldn't possibly turn down the invitation to become a hitwoman—not because the author orchestrated events to that outcome but because the author crafted a character who would choose to do so (more about the offer itself below, however). Yeah, it's a fine distinction but a fundamental difference in approach. A more difficult one to pull off, I might add, but one Lynn succeeds with. Also, Maggie is actually well-suited for her job, though in subtle and surprising ways, and is relatively good at it, even if she is only just starting out.
And I liked the characters surrounding Maggie, too. Again, they may have passing similarity to Evanovich's cast, but it'd be a strain to think they were derivative. Like Maggie, many of the side characters have a depth and complexity that support their actions and gives their involvement in the story a richness they wouldn't otherwise have. My favorite of these, though with the least depth or reason, is God. Godzilla (God for short) is Maggie's niece, Katie's, anole (it's a lizard, kind of like a chameleon. Yeah, I didn't know that before looking it up). After the car accident that starts the book, it turns out that Maggie can understand God. She figures she's probably going a little crazy, like her mom, so Maggie mostly just rolls with it—but carefully so as not to end up in the nuthouse, like her mom. God becomes her confidant and councilor when she can't really confide in anyone else (hitperson rule #1 Don't Get Caught).
In the end, I liked the book more than I do Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.
So why just three stars, you might legitimately ask? The book has two weaknesses that drag it down some. First, the writing is a little choppy, particularly at the start. Nothing egregious, it’s just mildly awkward. It takes a while to get fully into stride with Maggie and doing so is crucial to enjoying the story. I'm not writer enough to pick out exactly what could be improved. I think that exposition and description were sacrificed a little too expediently (to hurry the story and/or dialogue?). Because so much depends on getting the characters right, it wouldn't have hurt to slow down a little and paint the scenery a little better. Also, naming the two love interests Patrick and Paul is a mistake. There's little-enough to distinguish them and having their names be phonemically similar made it a chore to keep them apart on initial reference.
Second, some core elements of the story are more or less blatant manipulation. Katie is in a coma mostly so Maggie will need the money for her care. Tony/Anthony Delveccio offers Maggie her first hit job with very slim justification. And giving her a job-skills trainer makes little sense from Delveccio's point of view, either. Yeah, there's a little hand-waving but it doesn't really withstand scrutiny very well. And let us not forget the stupid industry-standard love triangle. I am getting so very tired of those. Given the depth of the other characters, this cursory treatment stands out and detracts from the otherwise solid characterizations.
So take those caveats into account, if you will. Personally, I liked the book and look forward to the next. I hope J.B. Lynn doesn't make us wait long...
March 18, 2017
Q:
She ignored that as she started rummaging in her purse. “What you need is to channel your inner Chiquita.”“You want me to channel my inner banana?” I knew what she meant, but I liked teasing her. For as long as I’ve known Armani, she’s been trying to get me to set my “true self” free. I was too bottled up for her taste. I didn’t tell her that my reserve was something I’d carefully constructed over the years. The ability to control my emotions, to lock them up and refuse to express them, was a conscious choice. It was what separated me from my crazy mother. I wasn’t about to let loose any time soon . . . or ever, if I could help it.
(c)
Q:
This stuff was too much for me on a good day, forget about it when I’m hung over. Apparently there’s some whole sexual fetish thing concerning people who are disabled or disfigured. I don’t get it, and quite frankly, since it’s not my thing, I don’t particularly want to get it. I feel the same way about math, fashion, and white bread.
(c)
Q:
I wanted to tell her that it was okay. I wished I could tell her to just spit it out. I wasn’t going to collapse, or cry, or freak out. I’ve heard it all before: Your father’s been arrested for murder. Your mother needs help. Darlene’s body has been found. Marlene’s left a note, she’s run away. There’s been an accident. Katie’s in a coma. I’m as accustomed to receiving bad news as some ridiculously lucky people are to yell “BINGO!” on a weekly basis.I couldn’t tell her all that, though. I would have sounded crazy. So instead I just waited, watching as she adjusted her glasses. She and Katie were currently in a dead heat when it came to scintillating conversation.
(c)
Q:
She wasn’t teary, or sniffling, or crying. No, she was sobbing. Body-shaking, gut-wrenching, soul-cleansing sobs.
For a brief moment I envied her liberal expression of pain.
...
I yearned to slap some sense into her like they used to do to hysterical women in black-and-white movies, but that was socially unacceptable.
(c)
Q:
I took a step back so that I could see her properly. Besides being ridiculously good-looking, my dear friend Alice was an amazing humanitarian who traveled to exotic spots all over the world to teach English . . . or is it irrigation? Either way, she enriches lives, while I, on the other hand, ask people if the police had given them a ticket when they crashed their vehicle.
(c)
She ignored that as she started rummaging in her purse. “What you need is to channel your inner Chiquita.”“You want me to channel my inner banana?” I knew what she meant, but I liked teasing her. For as long as I’ve known Armani, she’s been trying to get me to set my “true self” free. I was too bottled up for her taste. I didn’t tell her that my reserve was something I’d carefully constructed over the years. The ability to control my emotions, to lock them up and refuse to express them, was a conscious choice. It was what separated me from my crazy mother. I wasn’t about to let loose any time soon . . . or ever, if I could help it.
(c)
Q:
This stuff was too much for me on a good day, forget about it when I’m hung over. Apparently there’s some whole sexual fetish thing concerning people who are disabled or disfigured. I don’t get it, and quite frankly, since it’s not my thing, I don’t particularly want to get it. I feel the same way about math, fashion, and white bread.
(c)
Q:
I wanted to tell her that it was okay. I wished I could tell her to just spit it out. I wasn’t going to collapse, or cry, or freak out. I’ve heard it all before: Your father’s been arrested for murder. Your mother needs help. Darlene’s body has been found. Marlene’s left a note, she’s run away. There’s been an accident. Katie’s in a coma. I’m as accustomed to receiving bad news as some ridiculously lucky people are to yell “BINGO!” on a weekly basis.I couldn’t tell her all that, though. I would have sounded crazy. So instead I just waited, watching as she adjusted her glasses. She and Katie were currently in a dead heat when it came to scintillating conversation.
(c)
Q:
She wasn’t teary, or sniffling, or crying. No, she was sobbing. Body-shaking, gut-wrenching, soul-cleansing sobs.
For a brief moment I envied her liberal expression of pain.
...
I yearned to slap some sense into her like they used to do to hysterical women in black-and-white movies, but that was socially unacceptable.
(c)
Q:
I took a step back so that I could see her properly. Besides being ridiculously good-looking, my dear friend Alice was an amazing humanitarian who traveled to exotic spots all over the world to teach English . . . or is it irrigation? Either way, she enriches lives, while I, on the other hand, ask people if the police had given them a ticket when they crashed their vehicle.
(c)
January 5, 2012
This was a great book. I loved Lynn's The First Victim, but Confessions is even better. I cried... I laughed... I cried again... laughed again (see a pattern?). Full review: http://www.girl-who-reads.com/2012/01...
April 3, 2012
Previously posted at PaperbackDolls.com
If you’re looking for a good laugh, you’ve come to the right place. J.B. Lynn has given us the next Stephanie Plum in the form of Maggie Lee.
What’s a girl supposed to do when an accident leaves her sister and brother-in-law dead, her tiny niece Katie in a coma, and the insurance isn’t enough to cover the expenses? As a claims representative for Insuring the Future, Maggie doesn’t make the kind of money needed ensure her niece has the very best care, so she has to figure out how to cover the costs before the hospital turns Katie over to another facility. She also has to take care of Katie’s very small anole lizard named Godzilla….God for short. Oh, yeah, he talks. At least, he talks to Maggie.
After being rudely accosted in the hospital hallway by a sleazy jerk, Maggie decides to give him a piece of her mind and follows him into a patient’s room only to discover that he’s smothering the patient. She does the only thing she can think of—hits him with a plastic chair—thereby preventing a murder. She later learns the man was Alfonso Cifelli, son-in-law to mob boss Anthony/Tony Delveccio. (Delveccio is a twin. Their not-too-bright mother named them Tony and Anthony and Maggie has no idea which one she’s dealing with.) The person she saved turned out to be Anthony/Tony’s grandson…Alfonso’s son.
Anthony/Tony makes her an offer: Kill Alfonso and he’ll pay her one hundred thousand dollars—enough money to keep Katie right where she is. But since Maggie has no skills and only a week to do the job, Anthony/Tony arranges a meeting with someone who will train her. That someone turns out to be police detective/hitman Patrick Mulligan.
The path of the story is never straight, never what you expect, but always darkly funny. Maggie’s three weird aunts, incarcerated father, and mother in the loony bin make it seem she’s the only sane person around. But after talking to God (the lizard), she begins to doubt her own sanity.
The secondary characters are as bold and quirky as Maggie Lee. You’ll fall in love with her co-worker, Armani Vasques, who gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘smart ass’ and Paul Kowalski, who may or may not be a dirty cop. Fifty-something Aunt Leslie, who’s usually higher than a kite, is twin to Aunt Loretta, the sex kitten.
This dark comedy is great entertainment, and I hope Lynn plans to make this into a series, because I can’t wait to read more.
If you’re looking for a good laugh, you’ve come to the right place. J.B. Lynn has given us the next Stephanie Plum in the form of Maggie Lee.
What’s a girl supposed to do when an accident leaves her sister and brother-in-law dead, her tiny niece Katie in a coma, and the insurance isn’t enough to cover the expenses? As a claims representative for Insuring the Future, Maggie doesn’t make the kind of money needed ensure her niece has the very best care, so she has to figure out how to cover the costs before the hospital turns Katie over to another facility. She also has to take care of Katie’s very small anole lizard named Godzilla….God for short. Oh, yeah, he talks. At least, he talks to Maggie.
After being rudely accosted in the hospital hallway by a sleazy jerk, Maggie decides to give him a piece of her mind and follows him into a patient’s room only to discover that he’s smothering the patient. She does the only thing she can think of—hits him with a plastic chair—thereby preventing a murder. She later learns the man was Alfonso Cifelli, son-in-law to mob boss Anthony/Tony Delveccio. (Delveccio is a twin. Their not-too-bright mother named them Tony and Anthony and Maggie has no idea which one she’s dealing with.) The person she saved turned out to be Anthony/Tony’s grandson…Alfonso’s son.
Anthony/Tony makes her an offer: Kill Alfonso and he’ll pay her one hundred thousand dollars—enough money to keep Katie right where she is. But since Maggie has no skills and only a week to do the job, Anthony/Tony arranges a meeting with someone who will train her. That someone turns out to be police detective/hitman Patrick Mulligan.
The path of the story is never straight, never what you expect, but always darkly funny. Maggie’s three weird aunts, incarcerated father, and mother in the loony bin make it seem she’s the only sane person around. But after talking to God (the lizard), she begins to doubt her own sanity.
The secondary characters are as bold and quirky as Maggie Lee. You’ll fall in love with her co-worker, Armani Vasques, who gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘smart ass’ and Paul Kowalski, who may or may not be a dirty cop. Fifty-something Aunt Leslie, who’s usually higher than a kite, is twin to Aunt Loretta, the sex kitten.
This dark comedy is great entertainment, and I hope Lynn plans to make this into a series, because I can’t wait to read more.
April 17, 2012
"I know your name, where you live, where you work, and that you're the legal guardian of that little girl. I also know how much your annual salary is, that you have no criminal record, and what's in you bank account. Most importantly, I know how much this 'premium care' costs. People say I'm a crook, but the medical establishment has got nothing on me. They just know how to bleed you dry legally. And that is why I think you might find yourself amenable to the offer I'm going to make you."
"You've lost me."
"Think of this as a lucrative job opportunity. A change to make some extra cash to care for little Katie."..."I like you. You're a feisty one. That's why I'm offering you $100,000 to take out Alfonso."
"My mouth went dry as I stared at him. I asked, "You mean like take him out to the ballgame? Or take him out to dinner?"
He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows knowing damn well that I'd understood his offer and was just playing cute and/or stupid with those questions. The man had just offered me a boatload of bucks to kill his son-in-law.
Maggie Lee was living a rather ordinary life three months ago. That was when tragedy struck. She and her sister and her sisters' family had been in a fatal car accident. Maggie survived fairly unscathed, but her sister and brother-in-law did not. Her niece, Katie, was in the hospital in a Coma and Maggie was her legal guardian. The insurance was about to pull the plug on her niece's care and Maggie was not in the financial position to be able to continue Katie's needed care without it. As a "thank you" Anthony Delveccio, Alfonso's father-in-law, had offered her the job that could make all her financial troubles disappear. She'd just stopped Alfonso, the guy whom she'd been offered the hit on, from killing his son who resided in the hospital. The question now is dare she take the job or leave it and walk away.
This is a fun yet somewhat zany tale. You really can't take it seriously or you won't enjoy the ride. In some ways Maggie reminds me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum character only Maggie can shoot. Plus, being a hitwoman is different than being a bounty hunter. Additionally, since the car accident that took place three months ago Maggie appears to have picked up some Dr. Doolittle skills--she can talk to animals. At first I didn't know what to think about her ability to speak with animals, but by the end it had me grinning.
Maggie is a likable character who is attempting to hold things together as best she can. Her mother has been institutionalized for her mental state, and her father is in jail for murder. Before the accident her sister had asked Maggie to take care of her daughter if anything happened to her, and Maggie is doing her best to fulfill that promise. Stuck between a rock and a hard place she is torn between taking the hit so she can properly take care of her niece or backing away and attempting to find some other means of caring for her.
Godzilla is her niece's pet lizard, and is the first animal she realizes she can converse with. He adds some humor to the already fun story especially when he requests she call him God. He delves out advice, loves watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and has a voice that sounds like Professor Snape from Harry Potter.
Armani is one of Maggie's friends. She was apparently disabled by a "runaway Zamboni that had ruined her leg and chewed up her missing fingers." She claims to hold psychic abilities and at one point warns Maggie, "I had another dream. In it, I kept hearing those three words. Doomsday is coming, Doomsday is coming."
The only thing that sort of bothered me was there seems to be an attraction between Maggie and Patrick. Patrick is the man teaching her to be a hitwoman and is already married to two different woman. I'm hoping the author isn't going to got there, but it was making me awful nervous. There is another love interest in the story, but it's complicated because he's a cop and one of the first rules to being a hitwoman is, "Don't get caught." That's kind of hard to do if you end up "sleeping with the enemy", so to speak.
Some of my favorite quotes/lines/moments:
- 'For a split second I thought there was a spark of sexual tension hovering in the air. Yeah, I was so lonely that the mere mention of the word sex in conversation had me misreading signals.'
- "I've freed my inner Chiquita, and I'm living dangerously," I said dryly.
- "Didn't your mother ever tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?"
I thought about it for a second. "Nope." That job had fallen to Aunt Susan. "But she did tell me furlies live behind the couch."
"What the hell is a furlie?"
I shrugged. She'd imparted that particular bit of mother advice during one of her delusional stages. "I dunno. The way she talked about them I suspected they were some sort of rabid dust bunny."
- "What the hell is that?"
Apparently Gary had taken note of the little lizard gesticulating wildly on his countertop. He took a shot at God too.
- "Did you bring your lizard to a hit?"
An overall funny book that had me laughing and grinning. I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. I will definitely be reading any sequels that the author writes. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one got a BLUSH rating--at the beginning stages of romance where something is just starting to be stirred.
If you'd like to read more of my reviews please visit my blog at www.seducedbyabook.com
"You've lost me."
"Think of this as a lucrative job opportunity. A change to make some extra cash to care for little Katie."..."I like you. You're a feisty one. That's why I'm offering you $100,000 to take out Alfonso."
"My mouth went dry as I stared at him. I asked, "You mean like take him out to the ballgame? Or take him out to dinner?"
He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows knowing damn well that I'd understood his offer and was just playing cute and/or stupid with those questions. The man had just offered me a boatload of bucks to kill his son-in-law.
Maggie Lee was living a rather ordinary life three months ago. That was when tragedy struck. She and her sister and her sisters' family had been in a fatal car accident. Maggie survived fairly unscathed, but her sister and brother-in-law did not. Her niece, Katie, was in the hospital in a Coma and Maggie was her legal guardian. The insurance was about to pull the plug on her niece's care and Maggie was not in the financial position to be able to continue Katie's needed care without it. As a "thank you" Anthony Delveccio, Alfonso's father-in-law, had offered her the job that could make all her financial troubles disappear. She'd just stopped Alfonso, the guy whom she'd been offered the hit on, from killing his son who resided in the hospital. The question now is dare she take the job or leave it and walk away.
This is a fun yet somewhat zany tale. You really can't take it seriously or you won't enjoy the ride. In some ways Maggie reminds me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum character only Maggie can shoot. Plus, being a hitwoman is different than being a bounty hunter. Additionally, since the car accident that took place three months ago Maggie appears to have picked up some Dr. Doolittle skills--she can talk to animals. At first I didn't know what to think about her ability to speak with animals, but by the end it had me grinning.
Maggie is a likable character who is attempting to hold things together as best she can. Her mother has been institutionalized for her mental state, and her father is in jail for murder. Before the accident her sister had asked Maggie to take care of her daughter if anything happened to her, and Maggie is doing her best to fulfill that promise. Stuck between a rock and a hard place she is torn between taking the hit so she can properly take care of her niece or backing away and attempting to find some other means of caring for her.
Godzilla is her niece's pet lizard, and is the first animal she realizes she can converse with. He adds some humor to the already fun story especially when he requests she call him God. He delves out advice, loves watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and has a voice that sounds like Professor Snape from Harry Potter.
Armani is one of Maggie's friends. She was apparently disabled by a "runaway Zamboni that had ruined her leg and chewed up her missing fingers." She claims to hold psychic abilities and at one point warns Maggie, "I had another dream. In it, I kept hearing those three words. Doomsday is coming, Doomsday is coming."
The only thing that sort of bothered me was there seems to be an attraction between Maggie and Patrick. Patrick is the man teaching her to be a hitwoman and is already married to two different woman. I'm hoping the author isn't going to got there, but it was making me awful nervous. There is another love interest in the story, but it's complicated because he's a cop and one of the first rules to being a hitwoman is, "Don't get caught." That's kind of hard to do if you end up "sleeping with the enemy", so to speak.
Some of my favorite quotes/lines/moments:
- 'For a split second I thought there was a spark of sexual tension hovering in the air. Yeah, I was so lonely that the mere mention of the word sex in conversation had me misreading signals.'
- "I've freed my inner Chiquita, and I'm living dangerously," I said dryly.
- "Didn't your mother ever tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?"
I thought about it for a second. "Nope." That job had fallen to Aunt Susan. "But she did tell me furlies live behind the couch."
"What the hell is a furlie?"
I shrugged. She'd imparted that particular bit of mother advice during one of her delusional stages. "I dunno. The way she talked about them I suspected they were some sort of rabid dust bunny."
- "What the hell is that?"
Apparently Gary had taken note of the little lizard gesticulating wildly on his countertop. He took a shot at God too.
- "Did you bring your lizard to a hit?"
An overall funny book that had me laughing and grinning. I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses. I will definitely be reading any sequels that the author writes. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one got a BLUSH rating--at the beginning stages of romance where something is just starting to be stirred.
If you'd like to read more of my reviews please visit my blog at www.seducedbyabook.com
April 3, 2012
Evoking shades of Wonderfalls and Stephanie Plum, CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN could just as easily been titled "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". This book bears more resemblance to a wacky, caper of a contemporary romance than urban fantasy, but the addition of talking animals gives it one foot in the paranormal camp… or perhaps, as the main character worries, the mental hospital.
Maggie Lee is the responsible sister in a family with more than its fair share of characters and ne'er-do-wells, and it was no surprise when her overdeveloped sense of responsibility lands Maggie in the world of contract killing. And oh what a world it is. The "professional" parts of Maggie's life were what required the largest suspension of disbelief on my part, but ultimately it was worth the effort. The circumstances that set this plot hurtling forward are the crucible in which Maggie is fired... and cracked. Her careful veneer of distance and control starts to slip as soon as she wakes up from a car accident and hears Alan Rickman's voice emerge from her niece's anole, but hearing animals talk turns out to be the least of her problems. I liked the risks the author took with Maggie and her earnest, bigamist partner, and these two get the most development amongst the many zany characters that Lynn introduces. While I found Patrick relatable, I’m not sure I can really root for a relationship when he has two wives already. Paul’s attractions are skin deep, and his interest in Maggie’s father’s hidden loot an obvious gambit for a future book. These are just two of the many plots and characters left hanging in CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN, and while I can’t say I’m burning to continue the series, this introduction certainly piqued my interest.
While all the slapstick and over the top action didn’t quite make up for characters that were more quirks than depth, I was very entertained by Maggie's transformation from a tense, controlled ball of anger to a slightly less tense professional killer. Funny, wacky, and violent, CONFESSION OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN was an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. The road ahead doesn't look smooth for Maggie and her partners in crime, but it will certainly be interesting.
Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex.
Maggie Lee is the responsible sister in a family with more than its fair share of characters and ne'er-do-wells, and it was no surprise when her overdeveloped sense of responsibility lands Maggie in the world of contract killing. And oh what a world it is. The "professional" parts of Maggie's life were what required the largest suspension of disbelief on my part, but ultimately it was worth the effort. The circumstances that set this plot hurtling forward are the crucible in which Maggie is fired... and cracked. Her careful veneer of distance and control starts to slip as soon as she wakes up from a car accident and hears Alan Rickman's voice emerge from her niece's anole, but hearing animals talk turns out to be the least of her problems. I liked the risks the author took with Maggie and her earnest, bigamist partner, and these two get the most development amongst the many zany characters that Lynn introduces. While I found Patrick relatable, I’m not sure I can really root for a relationship when he has two wives already. Paul’s attractions are skin deep, and his interest in Maggie’s father’s hidden loot an obvious gambit for a future book. These are just two of the many plots and characters left hanging in CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN, and while I can’t say I’m burning to continue the series, this introduction certainly piqued my interest.
While all the slapstick and over the top action didn’t quite make up for characters that were more quirks than depth, I was very entertained by Maggie's transformation from a tense, controlled ball of anger to a slightly less tense professional killer. Funny, wacky, and violent, CONFESSION OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN was an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. The road ahead doesn't look smooth for Maggie and her partners in crime, but it will certainly be interesting.
Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex.
February 23, 2012
A twisted plot and a twisted but lovable main character, dark humor, a talking lizard and an edgy but flaky psychic...put it all together and you get a fun romp into the dark side with a woman forced to kill for money. (Note: The bad guys are truly bad and deserve what they get.)
The family situation between Maggie and her aunts was a well-written subplot (don't we all have family members who make us crazy?), and Armani, the screwed up psychic, made me laugh out loud. I'd love to have friends like Armani and Maggie, although I'll skip the talking lizard unless I can watch Wheel and Jeopardy with him!
The family situation between Maggie and her aunts was a well-written subplot (don't we all have family members who make us crazy?), and Armani, the screwed up psychic, made me laugh out loud. I'd love to have friends like Armani and Maggie, although I'll skip the talking lizard unless I can watch Wheel and Jeopardy with him!
November 19, 2019
After finishing the book I read a few reviews that drew similarities between this book and the Stephanie Plum novels, unfortunately I can see some of the similarities. The action relies on too many ridiculous things happening, like falling over or dropping the gun just at the wrong time. The story would also have been much better without the men in her life. It’s a real pity, as I quite liked the idea of an unlikely assassin forced into the role to help her goddaughter.
Perhaps my biggest problem with the story is it just takes too long to get anywhere, there is too much inane filler, it could have easily been a hundred pages shorter.
If possible I would have given 1.5 stars.
Perhaps my biggest problem with the story is it just takes too long to get anywhere, there is too much inane filler, it could have easily been a hundred pages shorter.
If possible I would have given 1.5 stars.
October 2, 2012
This is the second book for author JB Lynn. Her books so far are complex. She has so much going on but it's not confusing. It's laid out nicely in a good pace that you can follow and savor as you go. I didn't know what to expected based on the title and cover and the brand spanking newness of this author. Was it a thriller? Seemed like it might be since the last one was. OK but the blurb mentions a talking lizard so maybe it's funny too??? Ha it's a mix of both. There are some dark sad elements going on in this book and some suspicious characters too but it's God or Godzilla if you want his full name that brings the funny to this book. Every time Maggie talks to the lizard or refers to him as God i want to crack up. The thriller part comes from what Maggie has to do to help her niece get the medical care she needs. Of course getting paid to be a hitwoman and kill someone isn't exactly something Maggie knows how to do. She gets help from a two side guy who is both hot cop and secret hitman for hire. Patrick is supposed to teach her the ropes so she can get the job done and help her niece. There is something going on between them but you can never quite put your finger on it. Things don't well with the hit though and Patrick decides he has to help her out of the mess. This is one of the most interesting books I have read in a while. I hated to see it end but the author leaves it open at the end for the possibility of more books. 5 out of 5 Modokker Book Stars for Confessions of a Neurotic Hitwoman by author JB Lynn.
January 8, 2013
Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwomanarrived on my Kindle as the result of winning a contest. How the heck had I not discovered J.B. Lynn and her wonderfully neurotic heroine, Maggie before now? Ms. Lynn has quickly become a favorite author. Do you know that feeling when you walk into a fun house? When the mirrors get you all discombobulated and the floor starts buckling? And then it starts spinning around like a tilt-a-whirl? Yeah. That's what reading CONFESSIONS is like. It's a crazy ride with highs, lows, laughter, tears, laughter AND tears, and a real sense of "Damn, I'm sorry that book ended." Ms. Lynn and her Hitwoman series are now definitely on my auto-buy list and keeper shelf.
February 10, 2016
Hilarious fun!
May 5, 2019
Full review: https://girlswithguns.org/confessions...
I guess there is at least something logical about this, in how its heroine, Maggie Lee, becomes the assassin of the title. She takes on her first contract to pay the medical bills of her niece, left in a coma after a car accident which killed her parents and injured Maggie. That’s the kind of motivation which I can see, causing a person to take desperate steps. Unfortunately, it’s a rare island in a sea of largely implausible plotting and uninteresting characters.
I guess there is at least something logical about this, in how its heroine, Maggie Lee, becomes the assassin of the title. She takes on her first contract to pay the medical bills of her niece, left in a coma after a car accident which killed her parents and injured Maggie. That’s the kind of motivation which I can see, causing a person to take desperate steps. Unfortunately, it’s a rare island in a sea of largely implausible plotting and uninteresting characters.
Read
December 13, 2023Dnf
Wasn't as I anticipated , unfortunately this one didn't hold my attention .
Wasn't as I anticipated , unfortunately this one didn't hold my attention .
January 12, 2023
I just finished book 22 in the series and thought I'd come back to the first one and write a review. If you like animals... you'll love this series. If you like a woman who is willing to do what it takes for her family and has a good heart... you'll love this series. I honestly couldn't get enough. After each book, I would count how many was left and say to myself, 'Oh no, I only have... so many left and then it's over for a while or at least until the wonderful J.B. Lynn can write another one.'
I recommend this series to everyone. I'll be rereading it many times in the future.
I recommend this series to everyone. I'll be rereading it many times in the future.
June 12, 2017
I opened this book, wondering how a normal woman could become a hit woman. That's the thing, Maggie's not really normal. I was thoroughly entertained with Maggie and God. The side characters added so much to this story that you couldn't help but smile at the drama. Already started the next book .
January 14, 2023
Wow. I am not sure I can even describe this book. There were parts that were very “Stephanie Plum”. Parts that were just goofy. Parts that seemed to take too long to pull out the plot point and a boatload of characters too numerous and crazy to describe. It was not exactly what I expected and there is adult language. But that being said, I will probably read the 2nd one (there are over 30!) to see where it’s going. Maybe it’s the talking lizard that has me intrigued…..
July 4, 2019
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the unique setup of single guardian under pressure turns hitwoman. I enjoyed Maggie Lee's interactions with her niece's anole lizard named Godzilla since she is hearing him - shades of Dr. Doolittle. God likes to watch game shows, but is not adverse to counseling Maggie on her life choices. I liked the other secondary characters as well. Quirky seems to be the perfect word for them.
The book is well-written. The plot moves forward at a good pace. And everything serves to either further characterize or propel the plot forward. I do wonder where the author is going with the Paul Kowalski character. That's a little bit of a cliffhanger, but not so much that you can't appreciate the ending and look forward to the next book.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy quirky characters, a little dark humor, and something a little offbeat. This book is definitely worth a read.
The book is well-written. The plot moves forward at a good pace. And everything serves to either further characterize or propel the plot forward. I do wonder where the author is going with the Paul Kowalski character. That's a little bit of a cliffhanger, but not so much that you can't appreciate the ending and look forward to the next book.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy quirky characters, a little dark humor, and something a little offbeat. This book is definitely worth a read.
June 8, 2023
A fun mix of Stephanie Plum series and Finley Donovan series. I had a lot of lols! And I really was drawn in to the story line and characters! Can’t wait to dive into the whole series!
April 4, 2019
I have read the hole series of books and found them very entertaining 👍
January 27, 2012
Veering from wildly funny to desperately sad, Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman is an entertaining dark comedy caper.
Maggie Lee survives the car accident that kills her sister and brother in law, leaving her niece, Katie, comatose. Maggie's parents are no help, her father is doing time for murder and her mother is in a psychiatric hospital. Maggie hasn't seen her sister in years and her three aunts are their own special type of crazy. A chance encounter with a hitman in the hospital brings Maggie to the attention of a mob boss who makes an unusual proposition. With a little help from God (not THE God), a killer cop and a psychic colleague Maggie just might be able to pay Katie's hospital bills, if she can become a killer.
As bitter and cynical Maggie is, her quick wit and devotion to her niece renders her likeable. Her background is messy and rife with tragedy so it's no wonder Maggie is able to embrace the unconventional. The leap from call center agent to hitwoman is a big one but somehow the author convinces us that her motivation is plausible.
Maggie's mentor, Patrick, is a mysterious figure whose reasons for helping Maggie are murky. I'm not sure I really like him but he is an intriguing character.
The most irresistible character is Godzilla, aka God, Katie's pet lizard now in Maggie's care. Maggie isn't sure if she is going as crazy as her mother or not as the lizard starts talking to her. Smart mouthed, opinionated and endearing, God makes for a hilarious sidekick.
The plot is cohesive even though it requires the reader to suspend belief. Between talking lizards, stoned aunts, hot police officers and a blackmailing hitman the story teeters on the edge of absurdity but is tempered by the darker elements of the story. Combining crazy characters and screwball comedy with a cynical edge, Confessions of a Neurotic Hitwoman is an enjoyable romp and a great start to a new series.
Maggie Lee survives the car accident that kills her sister and brother in law, leaving her niece, Katie, comatose. Maggie's parents are no help, her father is doing time for murder and her mother is in a psychiatric hospital. Maggie hasn't seen her sister in years and her three aunts are their own special type of crazy. A chance encounter with a hitman in the hospital brings Maggie to the attention of a mob boss who makes an unusual proposition. With a little help from God (not THE God), a killer cop and a psychic colleague Maggie just might be able to pay Katie's hospital bills, if she can become a killer.
As bitter and cynical Maggie is, her quick wit and devotion to her niece renders her likeable. Her background is messy and rife with tragedy so it's no wonder Maggie is able to embrace the unconventional. The leap from call center agent to hitwoman is a big one but somehow the author convinces us that her motivation is plausible.
Maggie's mentor, Patrick, is a mysterious figure whose reasons for helping Maggie are murky. I'm not sure I really like him but he is an intriguing character.
The most irresistible character is Godzilla, aka God, Katie's pet lizard now in Maggie's care. Maggie isn't sure if she is going as crazy as her mother or not as the lizard starts talking to her. Smart mouthed, opinionated and endearing, God makes for a hilarious sidekick.
The plot is cohesive even though it requires the reader to suspend belief. Between talking lizards, stoned aunts, hot police officers and a blackmailing hitman the story teeters on the edge of absurdity but is tempered by the darker elements of the story. Combining crazy characters and screwball comedy with a cynical edge, Confessions of a Neurotic Hitwoman is an enjoyable romp and a great start to a new series.
April 1, 2012
This book is definitely a laugh out loud read. JB Lynn has a great sense of humor and I would love to see this book turn out as a series. I want to read more about Maggie & Patrick.
Maggie is a strong character. I loved her and her smart comments. Maggie is willing to do what ever it takes to make sure her niece Katie gets the best care while she is in a coma.Maggie, Katie & her parents were in a car accident. Katie's parent didn't make it and now Katie is in a coma and Maggie is doing all she can to make sure her niece wakes up and gets the best care she needs.
Maggie has met a guy named Patrick who is a cop but is willing to train her to do the best she can to be a hit woman to get the money she needs to take care of her niece. Maggie is also taking care of her niece's lizard Godzilla who prefers to be called GOD and only will eat live crickets.
Patrick and Maggie has been spending alot of time together while he trains her to do and know all she needs to so she can do her first hit job. It's not fun for Maggie since Patrick has two wives but she is catching feelings for him.
This is an awesome book. Loved the characters, the talking lizard and Maggie's aunts who are known as three witches. This was a fast reading with lots of funny moments on each page. I couldn't stop laughing as I was reading this book and I sure did not want to sleep or take any breaks away from this story.
Does Maggie get to save her niece? Will Patrick and Maggie become lovers? To find out more you must get this book. You won't be disappointed if you get this book trust me.
JB Lynn sure has a great sense of humor and knows how to put it in a story that will have readers wanting more and loving her characters. I hope this book turns to be a series. I want the story to continue with Maggie and the talking lizard. Even hopes of her and Patrick. They are just to cute together.
Maggie is a strong character. I loved her and her smart comments. Maggie is willing to do what ever it takes to make sure her niece Katie gets the best care while she is in a coma.Maggie, Katie & her parents were in a car accident. Katie's parent didn't make it and now Katie is in a coma and Maggie is doing all she can to make sure her niece wakes up and gets the best care she needs.
Maggie has met a guy named Patrick who is a cop but is willing to train her to do the best she can to be a hit woman to get the money she needs to take care of her niece. Maggie is also taking care of her niece's lizard Godzilla who prefers to be called GOD and only will eat live crickets.
Patrick and Maggie has been spending alot of time together while he trains her to do and know all she needs to so she can do her first hit job. It's not fun for Maggie since Patrick has two wives but she is catching feelings for him.
This is an awesome book. Loved the characters, the talking lizard and Maggie's aunts who are known as three witches. This was a fast reading with lots of funny moments on each page. I couldn't stop laughing as I was reading this book and I sure did not want to sleep or take any breaks away from this story.
Does Maggie get to save her niece? Will Patrick and Maggie become lovers? To find out more you must get this book. You won't be disappointed if you get this book trust me.
JB Lynn sure has a great sense of humor and knows how to put it in a story that will have readers wanting more and loving her characters. I hope this book turns to be a series. I want the story to continue with Maggie and the talking lizard. Even hopes of her and Patrick. They are just to cute together.
January 19, 2012
This is the second book for author JB Lynn. Her books so far are complex. She has so much going on but it's not confusing. It's laid out nicely in a good pace that you can follow and savor as you go. I didn't know what to expected based on the title and cover and the brand spanking newness of this author. Was it a thriller? Seemed like it might be since the last one was. OK but the blurb mentions a talking lizard so maybe it's funny too??? Ha it's a mix of both. There are some dark sad elements going on in this book and some suspicious characters too but it's God or Godzilla if you want his full name that brings the funny to this book. Every time Maggie talks to the lizard or refers to him as God i want to crack up. The thriller part comes from what Maggie has to do to help her niece get the medical care she needs. Of course getting paid to be a hitwoman and kill someone isn't exactly something Maggie knows how to do. She gets help from a two side guy who is both hot cop and secret hitman for hire. Patrick is supposed to teach her the ropes so she can get the job done and help her niece. There is something going on between them but you can never quite put your finger on it. Things don't well with the hit though and Patrick decides he has to help her out of the mess. This is one of the most interesting books I have read in a while. I hated to see it end but the author leaves it open at the end for the possibility of more books. 5 out of 5 Modokker Book Stars for Confessions of a Neurotic Hitwoman by author JB Lynn.
Find out more about JB Lynn this book and her debut book First Victum on her website here www.jblynn.com
Find out more about JB Lynn this book and her debut book First Victum on her website here www.jblynn.com
January 20, 2012
Move over Stephanie Plum, there is another Jersey Girl on the book scene! Maggie Lee is one of the funniest characters you'll encounter in a long time. The story is full of color characters that you can't help but love. Oh and some really interesting animals!
It is hard to pigeonhole this book into a genre. It is a little bit chicklit but it isn't a real mystery or thriller either. What it is, is a whole lot of fun and a little bit of a roller coaster ride, with Maggie learning to be a hired gun from the sexy cop/assassin, the three witches (aunts), her BFF Alice, crazy co-workers, a hot cop that is more than a little interested in her...and a talking lizard who likes to be called God.
Oh yeah, this is fun times!
Here's why you should read it:
1. Maggie is just so average that you don't expect her to be a killer. She works in a call center for an insurance company. (One of the worst jobs you can have) Oh and she has a slimy boss!
2. Her father is in prison for bank robbery and murder of a teller, her mom is in the loony bin. And most of her siblings are dead..and her niece is in a coma...hence her need for money and how she got messed up with the mob!
3. OMG! God is the most awesome book animal! He's snarky and not quite what you'd expect. Oh and Doomsday the Doberman = awesome, even if she has lousy communication skills!
4. Maggie's love for her niece is so sweet. I mean, how many people would turn hitwoman to keep you alive!
5. The three witches...erm aunts, Susan, Loretta and Leslie...all with their own special breed of crazy.
If you love series such as Evanovich's Plum and Bond's Body Movers, you'll love Confessions of A Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman.
It is hard to pigeonhole this book into a genre. It is a little bit chicklit but it isn't a real mystery or thriller either. What it is, is a whole lot of fun and a little bit of a roller coaster ride, with Maggie learning to be a hired gun from the sexy cop/assassin, the three witches (aunts), her BFF Alice, crazy co-workers, a hot cop that is more than a little interested in her...and a talking lizard who likes to be called God.
Oh yeah, this is fun times!
Here's why you should read it:
1. Maggie is just so average that you don't expect her to be a killer. She works in a call center for an insurance company. (One of the worst jobs you can have) Oh and she has a slimy boss!
2. Her father is in prison for bank robbery and murder of a teller, her mom is in the loony bin. And most of her siblings are dead..and her niece is in a coma...hence her need for money and how she got messed up with the mob!
3. OMG! God is the most awesome book animal! He's snarky and not quite what you'd expect. Oh and Doomsday the Doberman = awesome, even if she has lousy communication skills!
4. Maggie's love for her niece is so sweet. I mean, how many people would turn hitwoman to keep you alive!
5. The three witches...erm aunts, Susan, Loretta and Leslie...all with their own special breed of crazy.
If you love series such as Evanovich's Plum and Bond's Body Movers, you'll love Confessions of A Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman.
February 4, 2012
I am incredibly glad that I saw someone in my update feed reading this book and that I decided to check it out. It was awesome. I loved Maggie. She was funny. She was brave. She was loyal. She talks to animals. Really, I had so much fun reading her story. I found myself wondering if she really was going to it. She pulled it off. I don't know if it's weird that I felt proud of her for that, but I did.
I really wasn't sure what to expect with this book, though I figured there would be humor. I was even funnier than I expected and I loved that. I especially loved Maggie's interactions with God and her murder mentor, Patrick. I was just waiting for those two to get closer, but he kept pulling back. Then there was Paul. Sneaky Paul. He is so up to something. I didn't want to believe it at first, but his focus on gems and robbers is highly suspect. Is he even really attracted to Maggie? That dude has some anger issues.
I liked the way this ended, but I want to know more. I want to find out what Paul is up to and if Maggie's and Susan's feelings about Templeton are warranted. I want to see what could develop between Maggie and Patrick and see Katie wake up. Not to mention find out who's beating up Archie for info about those gems. I can't help but feel that Paul is involved in that.
I have to say, I'd definitely recommend this book to people. I find I rather like J.B. Lynn's writing style. I've gotta read more from her.
I really wasn't sure what to expect with this book, though I figured there would be humor. I was even funnier than I expected and I loved that. I especially loved Maggie's interactions with God and her murder mentor, Patrick. I was just waiting for those two to get closer, but he kept pulling back. Then there was Paul. Sneaky Paul. He is so up to something. I didn't want to believe it at first, but his focus on gems and robbers is highly suspect. Is he even really attracted to Maggie? That dude has some anger issues.
I liked the way this ended, but I want to know more. I want to find out what Paul is up to and if Maggie's and Susan's feelings about Templeton are warranted. I want to see what could develop between Maggie and Patrick and see Katie wake up. Not to mention find out who's beating up Archie for info about those gems. I can't help but feel that Paul is involved in that.
I have to say, I'd definitely recommend this book to people. I find I rather like J.B. Lynn's writing style. I've gotta read more from her.
March 31, 2012
A mix of Wonder Falls and Stephanie Plum, CONFESSIONS OF A SLIGHTLY NEUROTIC HITWOMAN could also be titled "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". Maggie Lee is the responsible sister in a family with more than its fair share of characters and ner-do-wells, but it's still no surprise when that over developed sense of responsibility is what lands Maggie in the world of contract killing.
And oh what a world it is. The "professional" parts of Maggie's life were what required the largest suspension on disbelief on my part, but it was entirely worth the effort. The circumstances that set this plot hurtling forward are the crucible in which Maggie is fired... and cracked. Her careful veneer of distance and control starts to slip as soon as she wakes up from a car accident and hears Alan Rickman's voice emerge from her niece's anole, but hearing animals talk turns out to be the least of her problems. Maggie and her earnest, bigamist partner are the best drawn of the characters in this book, but the author lays the foundation for more with Maggie's sexy but untrustworthy date, her felon father, and her missing little sister.
The slapstick and over the top plot was all background noise to Maggie's transformation from a tense, controlled ball of anger to an open maelstrom of emotions. The road ahead doesn't look smooth for Maggie and her partners in crime, but it sure looks interesting.
Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex.
And oh what a world it is. The "professional" parts of Maggie's life were what required the largest suspension on disbelief on my part, but it was entirely worth the effort. The circumstances that set this plot hurtling forward are the crucible in which Maggie is fired... and cracked. Her careful veneer of distance and control starts to slip as soon as she wakes up from a car accident and hears Alan Rickman's voice emerge from her niece's anole, but hearing animals talk turns out to be the least of her problems. Maggie and her earnest, bigamist partner are the best drawn of the characters in this book, but the author lays the foundation for more with Maggie's sexy but untrustworthy date, her felon father, and her missing little sister.
The slapstick and over the top plot was all background noise to Maggie's transformation from a tense, controlled ball of anger to an open maelstrom of emotions. The road ahead doesn't look smooth for Maggie and her partners in crime, but it sure looks interesting.
Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex.
January 26, 2012
If you are thinking that this sounds like 'chick-lit' or a light funny read, you may be in for a surprise. I was very surprised as to how this book played out, murdering another human for cash is a difficult subject to get the average reader to grasp. While this book did have a lot of elements of humor ( a talking lizard and at the end a dog?) I found the themes to be terribly dark but totally engrossing. The author managed to write a multi-layered, very deep character no matter how flighty she may seem on the surface.
Maggie has had a difficult life. She has lost many of her sisters to death and now she has just lost another and her her brother-in-law in a car accident which also left her 3 year old niece in a coma. She is trying to find a way to get money to keep her niece in a good hospital, when circumstances that she couldn't control have a mobster offering her a hundred grand to off his son-in-law...a true scumbag.
It was difficult for me to put myself in Maggie's place when she does decide to take the mobster up on his offer. But the author has done her best to write this so we have empathy for Maggie.
One problem I had is that the editing could have been a little better. I caught a problem with the description of Maggie's work friend who had an accident with a Zamboni and I wondered how they let this get through.
Maggie has had a difficult life. She has lost many of her sisters to death and now she has just lost another and her her brother-in-law in a car accident which also left her 3 year old niece in a coma. She is trying to find a way to get money to keep her niece in a good hospital, when circumstances that she couldn't control have a mobster offering her a hundred grand to off his son-in-law...a true scumbag.
It was difficult for me to put myself in Maggie's place when she does decide to take the mobster up on his offer. But the author has done her best to write this so we have empathy for Maggie.
One problem I had is that the editing could have been a little better. I caught a problem with the description of Maggie's work friend who had an accident with a Zamboni and I wondered how they let this get through.
December 27, 2019
I'm surprised and happy to say that this novel exceeded my expectations... which were really low, because I'll shamelessly admit that I'm the kind of reader who judges a book by its cover (and title).
I thought the book would feature an annoying, self-centered protagonist who thinks ineptness is a skill and constantly finds ways to land herself into trouble. Thank god, Maggie isn't like that.
I wouldn't say that I "loved" Maggie, but I found her relatable. It also helped that the writing was, how can I say... self-aware? Let's just say that the book title is true to its word.
The author doesn't pass Maggie off as a "perfect" character. It's clear that Maggie has her flaws, and her flaws aren't idealized and romanticized. Because of that, I decided to continue reading. It's nice to see that a character isn't excused for her bad decisions or actions which can hurt people's feelings.
Obviously, the tone of the novel was heavier than I thought it would be, but not in an unpleasant way. I thought it would be way more silly, considering how Maggie suddenly lands a job as a hitwoman and also can talk to animals. Yet the circumstances surrounding these events are quite serious.
Maggie ends up as a hitwoman because she has to pay to bills in order to keep her niece in a nice hospital. It wasn't because she thought it was fun or easy to do. No, she even struggled through the decision and only did so because she had no other choice.
And as for being able to speak to her niece's pet lizard? I thought it was kind of sad that the only "living being" that Maggie could truly count on and trust was a lizard. Godzilla or "God," as he likes to be called, becomes a supportive ally for Maggie.
It was nice to see Maggie "training" to be a hitwoman. She didn't magically know how to kill people and actually struggled through it. I did like how Lynn dropped hints and clues throughout the story that imply how Maggie has some traits that would be helpful to her new job. (E.g. her ability to compartmentalize, her skill at shooting, her paranoia, and her "averageness".) Rather than inept, I think she's just untrained.
As for the romance, there were parts I liked and didn't like about it.
First off, I want to say that both men are terrible love interests. I'm honestly hoping that Maggie doesn't end up with either of them.
Patrick, who is her "murder mentor," is a decent guy, but one with an incredible amount of baggage. Well, at least I was pleased to find out that he isn't a drop-dead handsome guy who looks like an Adonis.
Paul, the cop she meets later, is even a more terrible guy. In fact, he creeps the hell out of me (and God).
To be honest, I would have normally dropped this novel due to the love interests. But there's a reason for why these love interests are so bad, and Lynn does show it.
Maggie knows that she shouldn't be falling for Patrick, but she can't help it. Not only is he kind and understanding towards her, the way he looks at her makes her feel wanted. And for Maggie, who's never really been showered in love by her family and wallows in self-guilt all the time, falls for it HARD. She knows better, but she can't resist. (Luckily, Patrick can, hence why I don't hate him as a person, I just hate him as a love interest for Maggie.)
Likewise, Maggie knows the score with Paul. She's not stupid, and she can spot all the red flags. Yet, it's obvious that Maggie is lonely and kind of has terrible self-restraint. (And don't forget, she's got a lot of stress right now, dealing with the hospital bills, the loss of her sister, and all the guilt she's been shouldering.) Also, unlike Patrick, Paul was really vocal and physical about his attraction towards her. So while I didn't like how Maggie didn't dump Paul and kept giving him chances, I could understand, even though it made me unhappy.
All of this leads me to assume (and hope) that Lynn has some serious character development in store for Maggie.
That's not to say that this novel didn't suffer from some plot issues.
It was indeed a little far-fetched for readers to believe that Maggie would be offered a job to be a hitwoman, due to a single incident that anyone could have similarly been in. I was also surprised to find that the mob boss didn't bug her house, but I guess he doesn't really consider Maggie a threat. I found it even more unbelievable that two men would suddenly "fall" for Maggie.
I do know that Maggie is considered "average" in appearance, but possibly looks very attractive in make-up and the right clothing. Yet, I don't believe that only after so many years, two men suddenly "fall" for her around the same time. You can't tell me that Maggie didn't get hit on a few times when she was younger.
And as for Maggie's age, I honestly thought she was younger than 32. She seems almost mid-to-late twenties to me. But then again, I'm not 32, so what do I know?
The humor wasn't as prevalent as I thought, but there were a few moments that had me laughing, mainly:
I know I didn't give this novel a super amazing rating, but I don't plan on dropping the series. I like the way Lynn has handled parts of this story, and she seems to be leading up to things that will take time to be developed. It's safe to say that I'm quite invested now in Maggie's happiness. (Plus, I just really like God and Doomsday, and I can't wait to see more of these adorable pets.)
I thought the book would feature an annoying, self-centered protagonist who thinks ineptness is a skill and constantly finds ways to land herself into trouble. Thank god, Maggie isn't like that.
I wouldn't say that I "loved" Maggie, but I found her relatable. It also helped that the writing was, how can I say... self-aware? Let's just say that the book title is true to its word.
The author doesn't pass Maggie off as a "perfect" character. It's clear that Maggie has her flaws, and her flaws aren't idealized and romanticized. Because of that, I decided to continue reading. It's nice to see that a character isn't excused for her bad decisions or actions which can hurt people's feelings.
Obviously, the tone of the novel was heavier than I thought it would be, but not in an unpleasant way. I thought it would be way more silly, considering how Maggie suddenly lands a job as a hitwoman and also can talk to animals. Yet the circumstances surrounding these events are quite serious.
Maggie ends up as a hitwoman because she has to pay to bills in order to keep her niece in a nice hospital. It wasn't because she thought it was fun or easy to do. No, she even struggled through the decision and only did so because she had no other choice.
And as for being able to speak to her niece's pet lizard? I thought it was kind of sad that the only "living being" that Maggie could truly count on and trust was a lizard. Godzilla or "God," as he likes to be called, becomes a supportive ally for Maggie.
It was nice to see Maggie "training" to be a hitwoman. She didn't magically know how to kill people and actually struggled through it. I did like how Lynn dropped hints and clues throughout the story that imply how Maggie has some traits that would be helpful to her new job. (E.g. her ability to compartmentalize, her skill at shooting, her paranoia, and her "averageness".) Rather than inept, I think she's just untrained.
As for the romance, there were parts I liked and didn't like about it.
First off, I want to say that both men are terrible love interests. I'm honestly hoping that Maggie doesn't end up with either of them.
Patrick, who is her "murder mentor," is a decent guy, but one with an incredible amount of baggage. Well, at least I was pleased to find out that he isn't a drop-dead handsome guy who looks like an Adonis.
Paul, the cop she meets later, is even a more terrible guy. In fact, he creeps the hell out of me (and God).
To be honest, I would have normally dropped this novel due to the love interests. But there's a reason for why these love interests are so bad, and Lynn does show it.
Maggie knows that she shouldn't be falling for Patrick, but she can't help it. Not only is he kind and understanding towards her, the way he looks at her makes her feel wanted. And for Maggie, who's never really been showered in love by her family and wallows in self-guilt all the time, falls for it HARD. She knows better, but she can't resist. (Luckily, Patrick can, hence why I don't hate him as a person, I just hate him as a love interest for Maggie.)
Likewise, Maggie knows the score with Paul. She's not stupid, and she can spot all the red flags. Yet, it's obvious that Maggie is lonely and kind of has terrible self-restraint. (And don't forget, she's got a lot of stress right now, dealing with the hospital bills, the loss of her sister, and all the guilt she's been shouldering.) Also, unlike Patrick, Paul was really vocal and physical about his attraction towards her. So while I didn't like how Maggie didn't dump Paul and kept giving him chances, I could understand, even though it made me unhappy.
All of this leads me to assume (and hope) that Lynn has some serious character development in store for Maggie.
That's not to say that this novel didn't suffer from some plot issues.
It was indeed a little far-fetched for readers to believe that Maggie would be offered a job to be a hitwoman, due to a single incident that anyone could have similarly been in. I was also surprised to find that the mob boss didn't bug her house, but I guess he doesn't really consider Maggie a threat. I found it even more unbelievable that two men would suddenly "fall" for Maggie.
I do know that Maggie is considered "average" in appearance, but possibly looks very attractive in make-up and the right clothing. Yet, I don't believe that only after so many years, two men suddenly "fall" for her around the same time. You can't tell me that Maggie didn't get hit on a few times when she was younger.
And as for Maggie's age, I honestly thought she was younger than 32. She seems almost mid-to-late twenties to me. But then again, I'm not 32, so what do I know?
The humor wasn't as prevalent as I thought, but there were a few moments that had me laughing, mainly:
I'm not proud of what I did next, I'm really not. You've got to understand that what I did came from a place of sheer desperation.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Are you okay?" Yes, I fell back on my Insuring the Future spiel!
I know I didn't give this novel a super amazing rating, but I don't plan on dropping the series. I like the way Lynn has handled parts of this story, and she seems to be leading up to things that will take time to be developed. It's safe to say that I'm quite invested now in Maggie's happiness. (Plus, I just really like God and Doomsday, and I can't wait to see more of these adorable pets.)
September 23, 2012
This was a great book. JB Lynn’s writing was fun and witty and easy to read. I found it difficult to put this book down because I had to know how things turned out for Maggie in several situations. I think the book was set up perfectly for a series. There are so many questions that were answered yet I still had several others that will hopefully be answered in the books to come.
I really liked the first person point of view in this book. I really felt for Maggie and understood the decisions she had to make. Patrick was a welcome addition to Maggie’s life and hope that something will come of their friendship. There are so many great characters in this book including Armani and Godzilla. I even like Tony/Anthony! I enjoyed how there were so many little side stories that could sprout off with each character and loved every interaction that Maggie was in with the other characters. I found myself laughing and tearing up throughout this book. If you are looking for a fun, emotional read with great dialogue and well developed characters, try this one! I highly recommend.
I really liked the first person point of view in this book. I really felt for Maggie and understood the decisions she had to make. Patrick was a welcome addition to Maggie’s life and hope that something will come of their friendship. There are so many great characters in this book including Armani and Godzilla. I even like Tony/Anthony! I enjoyed how there were so many little side stories that could sprout off with each character and loved every interaction that Maggie was in with the other characters. I found myself laughing and tearing up throughout this book. If you are looking for a fun, emotional read with great dialogue and well developed characters, try this one! I highly recommend.
April 5, 2013
JB Lynn deserves our attention! She's won mine with her newest book, Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman. Just as editor Lucia Macro explains ([...]), this book'll make you laugh. And cry. And hope along with Maggie Lee that her problems will be solved in the end (at least somewhat-- come on, life, give us a break once in a while!). And because we all need a little comic relief in our lives, there's a talking lizard who has nick-named himself God. The romance is perfect: not too mushy, just enough enticement. Maggie is easy to relate to because she doesn't have the perfect life, and she's thrown into a situation where she has to wrestle with right and wrong. Turns out she's pretty talented with the wrong, which creates suspense as she interacts with the other characters. So please buy this book! Not only will you love the story, but you'll convince the publishers that Lynn deserves a chance to tell us the rest of Maggie's story in future books! And I personally am just dying to read them.
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