Thugs and Kisses

An Odelia Grey Mystery #3

by Sue Ann Jaffarian

With the class bully murdered at her 30th high school reunion and her boss, the annoying Michael Steele, missing, Odelia doesn't know which hole to poke her big nose into first. This decision is made for her as she's again swept into the action involving contract killers, tangled relationships, and fatal buyer's remorse. Throughout this adventure, Odelia deals with her on-again, off-again relationship with Greg and her attraction to detective Devon Frye.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Contemporary, Humor, Crime

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2008

About the author

Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of the popular Odelia Grey mystery series, the Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series and the Madison Rose vampire mysteries, as well as short stories.

Sue Ann also writes the Winnie Wilde romance novellas.

Like the character Odelia Grey, Sue Ann Jaffarian is a middle-aged, plus-sized paralegal. She lives in Los Angeles.

In addition to writing, Sue Ann is sought after as a motivational/ humorous speaker. You can visit her on the web at www.sueannjaffarian.com, www.sueannjaffarian.blogspot.com, and on Twitter and Facebook.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this third volume in the Odelia Gray series just as much as the first two. Jaffarian has a fairly light touch, so the humor comes through a pretty tightly written plot. I like the way she promotes fat acceptance through her "plus-sized" heroine--it's a theme woven through each of the books but not the focus of the story. The main character is involved in a support group for plus-sized people, and there's more detail about it in the first book than the next two, but it's still mentioned each time. This series is a nice antidote to some of the fatphobia I've read elsewhere in the mystery genre (e.g., Nevada Barr).

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odelia attends her high school reunion

Odelia is thinking about Greg while dancing with Dev at the reunion, but when one of high school football players is shot and she is a suspect she has to find out who did it.

[☺Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odelia, once again, bravely becomes Steele's saviour! And Willie is, once again, Odelia's protector and saviour! Thank goodness!
Oh, Tim! With friends like you, who needs enemies?
On to the next!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thugs and Kisses
~MIDNIGHT INK
(14)
Corpse Magnet Extrodinaire, December 23, 2011
By Ellen Rappaport
This review is from: Thugs and Kisses (The Odelia Grey Mysteries) (Paperback)
This cozy mystery in the Odelia Grey series is exactly why this author, sue Ann Jaffarian, is so successful as a writer. Each character is presented to the reader in detail, each relationship starting from childhood on is taking the reader one step closer to the present day in Odelia's life. Each situation leads us, the reader, closer to understanding the bonding-resentment-and all the ins and outs of the people in Odelia's life.

Odelia attends her 30th high school reunion, but not with Greg. Instead Odelia attends the reunion with Dev. Can Odelia be sabotaging her relationship with Greg herself? If so...why? Is Odelia afraid of commitment or afraid of failure?
Then the one person at the reunion who had humiliated Odelia at their high school prom...is murdered. But Odelia wasn't the only person to hold grudges against Donny Oliver-class bully.

While Odelia begins to search and research involved parties in the murder victims' life...Michael Steele, Odelia's boss, goes missing. Odelia unravels the motives behind Steele's absence by delving into his private documents hidden away in his office. Who else knows about these documents?

This has to be the best Odelia Grey book ever. How this gifted author gets better when other authors burn out before getting to book #3...I don't know. But I do know that sue Ann Jaffarian is a top notch author and Odelia Grey is a CORPSE MAGNET.
Ellen

[☯Emily Ginder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. The author has a knack of raising suspense at the end of each chapter so you want to continue reading.

The book is part of a series and is not the first book. It might be better to read the books in order because there are a lot of references to previous murders and previous events. In addition, there was not a lot about Greg, Odelia's boyfriend, in this book. He comes across as immature and makes me wonder why Odelia loves him, as opposed to all the other delectable men in her life.

Odelia goes to her 30th high school reunion and meets an old nemesis and lover. Immediately, the two spar and soon afterwards, he is killed. Odelia should have been a suspect, but she came with a cop friend, so she is not arrested. This allows her to investigate the murder. However, before she can do that, her boss disappears. There are forged documents found at work. Did her boss disappear after forging the documents? If so, why? Odelia is allowed to investigate his disappearance. This allows her to meet all sorts of unsavory characters, as well as ask for help from an unsavory character in her past. Altogether a fast and enjoyable read.

There are occasional vulgar references. Odelia has a potty mouth and she uses those types of words with regularity. For this reason, I can't rate the book higher than three stars.

[Stephanie P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! They just keep getting better and better! There was so much going on, but it was all nicely interwoven and in end, it was all important to the story. Many other authors who get a lot going in a novel (IMHO) end up just finishing up on the main characters and leave you hanging on the other characters....leaving you confused as to what happened to them and sometimes, "Why did they even take the time to create that character to that extent and leave them unfinished"? I'm loving the main character and feel like I have known her for years. She is an unlikely "detective", but not like the usual formula of a scatter-brained person literally stumbling onto something they should have no chance figuring out if it wasn't for some major luck. Odelia is very intelligent and even though she obviously is out of her element, she uses her brain. Yes, she should use her brain more to stay out of it...lol...but what fun would that be?

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odelia Grey is again sticking her oversized nose (and body) into things better left to the police. At least that's what her buddy Dev, a cop, keeps telling her. But, the murder was her nemesis from high school, and the missing person is her boss Mike Steele. Besides, one of the law firm owners has asked her to look into Steele's disappearance. What's a girl to do?

I enjoy reading about Odelia and her trials and tribulations, her friends are warm and loving, her family is beyond description and her enemies are very deadly. In other words, mysteries mostly driven by character but with strong plots to support them, my favorite kind.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a book about a girl named Odelia Gray that is a detective.She has to solve two cases but, somehow ALWAYS ends up in trouble.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reading!

[Khanson919 · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the third Odelia Grey mystery, Odelia gets involved in trying to solve her boss's disappearance and a former classmate's murder. This story takes a lot of twist and turns, but the author manages to tie up all the loose ends in a way that makes sense and is not forced. What I think I liked the most about this book is the author is not allowing Odelia to stay stagnant in her personal life. So many series never let the heroine make a choice between her two love interests. I am not sure why they do this. That storyline gets very old if it drags on book to book. I was so happy with this book ending with Odelia's wedding. Knowing that she has made a major life decision makes me want to read the next book to see what happens.

[GREGORY · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another adventure that only Odelia can get herself into. A lot of the usual supporting cast had very small roles in this addition (Greg, Michael Steele, Odelia's father and her mean/weird stepfamily and Zee and family), but that left more space on the pages for the employees of Wallace, Brown, Boer & Yates. You can see why Greg is concerned about Odelia being a "corpse magnet", but she gonna do what she gonna do. The story was a good, easy read and I will keep reading the series. Love the cover art as usual, but don't really get the connection between the title, "Thugs and Kisses" and the story.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I found this book to be better than the last one and on par with the first book in this series. Odelia is still poking her nose in where it doesn't belong, asking the uncomfortable questions ... but she ends up getting the answers needed to figure things out. Eventually. Her penchant for getting in trouble is well known by now but she ignores the signals and goes in without a care for herself or those she loves/who love her. I can see this becoming a problem down the road. For now I will enjoy reading about this sassy lady and her wacky adventures!

[Melissa A Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

All I can say is I love Odelia! Sue writes a twisting a turning take with a pinch of comedy, I laugh out loud read faster with anticipation, get goosebumps and have tears come to my eyes all within one chapter. Marvelous! On to book four!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really loving Odelia and her assortment of friends (and enemies). The cases she gets involved with are plausible and almost fun. I also love the romance between her and Greg and the almost romance she had with Dev. On to the next!

[Annabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on a cozy mystery kick! While I didn't find this book to be as fuzzy and happy go lucky as her other books, I still was enthralled until the last page. I adore Odelia and her spunk, but wonder how I might react in the same position? Does this seem plausible to me?

[Melissa Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so love the Odelia series

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to get to the next book.
She's that good.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few times that I partially figured it out. Good story, but I get so tired of women who put themselves in dangerous situations.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Odelia Grey book and I absolutely loved it. I had a lot of fun coming up with the theories and revising them as I went. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good book with some laughs throughout. This might have been a 4, but I took off a star because the author has the main character texting while driving. A big no-no.

[Nicole]

Pg. 96
I normally cannot get into the Cozy Mystery genre, but i am 3 in on Odelia Grey. The author does a good job with the character development so you are really rooting for Odelia and the supporting characters.

Pg. 167
Two mysteries are going at once, so far the murder is more interesting to me than Steele's disapperance.

Pg. 302
I like that these two mysteries are more straight-forward than her 2nd book; Death of the Holy Pail

Finished. Out of the three i've read i enjoy this book the most. Will continue on in the series

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like fun, suspenseful mysteries with realistic, well-drawn characters, and a wonderful sense of humor, I bid you welcome to the world of Odelia Grey. This paralegal does not fit the Los Angeles area's size 0 body criteria, but she more than makes up for it with her warm heart, her sense of humor, and her sharp detecting skills.

Odelia's relationship with Greg has hit a snag. He's called an end to it because he doesn't like the way her amateur investigations put her in danger. But if she had her way, she wouldn't lift a finger to help police find Donny Oliver's killer; the class bully was beyond cruel. Moreover, if her law firm wasn't paying her to find her annoying boss, Michael Steele, she wouldn't bother with him either-- she's enjoying the peace and quiet.

Thugs and Kisses contains a good, solid mystery with plenty of tension at the end. It also reveals what happened to Odelia at her high school senior prom, and it's guaranteed to make anyone shrivel up in sympathy. Jaffarian skillfully combines a wide range of emotions with her tight plotting and nuanced characterizations to make a series that's so much fun to read. Odelia walks roughshod over clichés and worn-out expectations and right into your kitchen to share a chat over a cup of coffee. I've come to rely on my fictional best friend Odelia to deliver a dose of smarts, heart, and humor.

[Judy]

Fun mystery with interesting characters

[IslandRiverScribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

After more than a year since Odelia Grey killed in self-defense, she has decided to accept Greg Stevens’ marriage proposal. Only she hasn’t told him yet. And before she can, in the same day, one of Odelia’s archenemies from high school is murdered at their 30th reunion and her boss, Mike Steele, disappears under mysterious and possibly lethal circumstances.

On the short list of suspects in Danny Oliver’s murder and ordered by her law firm’s senior partner to find Steele, Odelia, using her legal skills and research prowess, begins two simultaneous investigations. As a result, and within hours, her entire life crumbles at her feet, from Greg to Dev to Seth and Zee.

Left with only a second archenemy from high school to help, an archenemy who just so happens to be the main murder suspect, Odelia steps into the fire. Protecting the brilliant and ethical lawyer, and their law firm, from Steele’s lack of people skills is one of the major tasks the firm pays Odelia to do. Her own ethics won’t allow her to do otherwise, anyway. Therefore, even at the risk of permanently losing all those she loves, Odelia knows she will not and cannot stop until she finds Steele, dead or alive.

Jaffarian writes a cozy mystery only if, by definition of “cozy,” one means that the violence of murder, kidnapping, or assault is not graphically described. Under that parameter, this is a cozy, but do not think, for one minute, that this is not a serious mystery. There are no cupcake bakers, event planners or naïve twenty-somethings sticking their amateur noses into trouble here.

The plot is convoluted, realistically structured and played out without any deus ex machina. The tension is tight and the final crisis is heart-pounding. The emotions and thought processes portrayed through Odelia’s first-person POV are equally realistic and understandable. This is a mature work with mature characters and a mature, acceptable ending.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thugs and Kisses is the third book in the Odelia Grey mystery series by Sue Ann Jaffarian. Odelia Grey is a plus-sized, middle-aged paralegal who has a knack for getting involved in murder investigations. In this one, she reluctantly attends her 30th high school reunion with her friend, Detective Devon Frye. Dev wants to be more than just friends, but Odelia is in love with her fiancé, Greg Stevens. Greg is home with a cold, so Dev stands in for him at the reunion.

At the reunion, the class bully Donny Oliver is murdered. There are many suspects as Donny was mean to a lot of people, including Odelia. Odelia teams up with her high school frenemy Sally Kipman to solve Donny’s murder. At the same time, her boss Michael Steele goes missing. This is very out of character for him so Odelia is enlisted by the law firm to search for him too.

What follows is a convoluted plot that ultimately connects the two cases. Odelia’s sleuthing is top notch and feels natural. Her budding friendship with Sally is great and I would love to see her again in future books. There are a bit too many coincidences towards the end, but I can overlook them because the book is so fun. I felt like we didn’t get enough of Greg in this book, because at first he is home with a cold, and then he is mad at Odelia and not speaking to her.

There are currently 11 books in this series. I have enjoyed the first few books very much, and plan on reading the rest. This is a fun, cozy mystery series with a likable protagonist and a very inclusive cast of characters. Odelia’s best friend is a plus-sized black woman, and her fiancé is in a wheel chair. If you like mysteries with an element of humor, you will like this.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis (from bn.com): With the class bully murdered at her 30th high school reunion and her boss, the annoying Michael Steele, missing, Odelia doesn’t know which hole to poke her big nose into first. This decision is made for her as she’s again swept into the action involving contract killers, tangled relationships, and fatal buyer’s remorse. Throughout this adventure, Odelia deals with her on-again, off-again relationship with Greg and her attraction to detective Devon Frye.



My thoughts: Indeed ths is book #3 in the Odelia Grey mystery series. What I love about Odelia Grey as a heroine, main character is that she is so very uncharacteristic of most female main characters – she is middle-aged, overweight, feisty, and definitely not afraid to speak her mind! Who doesn’t love these qualities in your female lead character!!!

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I must say however that this series is rather inconsistent for me. I love it, then I dislike it, then I like it again – ahhhhh! Which is it? I thought the very first book was absolutely hilarious which is is what brought me back. I struggled through book #2 and now book #3 was much better again. Perhaps I was just in a crazy, giddy mood when I first started this series, but I am finding that ensuing books just aren’t as funny as the first. I so do wish that the author would maintain this level of humorous antics through the series.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in the Odelia Gray series, so I obviously like the series enough to continue reading.

With that said, this book is probably my least favorite so far. It's more emotional as Odelia goes through some tough times with her boyfriend Greg and her boss going missing. Although I understand that the boyfriend thing is part of developing her character since it is part of a long series of books. The investigation also seemed a bit slow since technically Odelia was looking into two separate cases that eventually melded into one. Nevertheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book and I look forward to whatever else Odelia gets herself into in the rest of the series. It was also nice getting to know Steele a bit more, and I hope that his character is developed even more in future books.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many people dread their high school reunion, but Odelia Gray may have more reason than most. Her boyfriend is home sick so she brings a male friend along. Just as things get underway, the school bigshot/bully is murdered. Odelia had some unfinished business with the guy which makes her a suspect. But as she begins to look into his death, it seems everyone wanted the man dead. Meanwhile, her boss is missing right in the middle of a big case and Odelia doesn't believe it's coincidence.

I enjoyed this. I had never heard of this author, but it was a fun read. This looks like the third in the series, but I didn't feel like I was missing too much by starting with this one first. I wouldn't mind reading more about Odelia.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good, good, book and it had a HAPPY ENDING. The narrator is a middle-aged, plus-sized paralegal. Someone with whom I can totally identify. It was completely plausible other than two parts: 1) Odelia picking a pad lock with a bra's underwire was more than a little Macgyverish; and 2) Tim Weber, a lawyer, having a conscience??? I don't think so. I'm glad Tommy got killed. I thought that poetic justice for someone who had his own wife murdered and wanted to murder Steele. Steele is an ass. I wish they had knocked him around a little bit, but I'm glad he didn't get killed. At least he got good and dirty which is a lot of punishment for someone so fastidious. Now I've got to read the other Odelia Grey novels.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odelia Grey is a very busy lady in her third adventure, & just as enjoyable. Her relationship with boyfriend Greg is still in a rough patch: he's now unsure that he can handle being married to someone he would always have to be worrying about. Odelia then attends her 30th high school reunion, & in the middle of the post-traumatic stress that event brings about, the school bully gets murdered. One of those in attendance with a motive is Odelia herself. That's all horrible, but then add in the mysterious disappearance of her obnoxious boss - a man who may be extremely annoying in many ways, but is always reliable. She's really going to have her plate full with all this. Great characters & an excellent mystery.