Staying Cool

by Catherine Todd

Alternate Cover Edition for this ISBN can be found here.

With a successful business to run, an elderly mother gradually losing her focus, and a teenage daughter about to spread her wings, Ellen Santiago Laws is the last person who should be taking unnecessary risks. The forty-something widow thought she was only doing her civic duty by serving on a jury that convicted the murderer of a flashy matchmaker for lonely Southern California bigwigs. But despite her busy schedule and better instincts, a nagging conscience won't let Ellen leave well-enough alone. Posing as a love-starved client, she intends to get a closer look at the chic dating service -- and ends up staring into the stunning blue-gray eyes of Mr. Unexpectedly Right! A lawyer with principles, he's as interested in seeing justice done as she is -- leading Ellen to wonder whether it might be possible to find true love and a killer ... at the same time!

Genres: Mystery

Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me quite a while to finish, and I think it's mainly because the narrative was so dull it felt like groundhog day every time I picked it up to read.

Ellen is on a jury and convicts a young Latino man of murder. She gets a threatening call on the phone and decides to investigate further. She's got the usual odd mix of misfits helping her solve the murder, the playboy next door neighbour, nonchalant teen daughter, jealous friend, etc.

But there's just a lot of filler, and I mean a loootttttt..... there's chapters dedicated to the characters talking about the plans to accelerate the story forward, and chapters dedicated to nothing in particular.

It is passable as a novice character/ crime investigation novel, but it's not new, different or thrilling. And I'm slightly resentful it took me this long to read it.

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this one since it gets off to a slow start. But the author keeps putting in new threads and it really gets good. It's the story of Ellen Laws, widowed five years ago, who has been bravely trying to face her world of art consultation while being lonely and afraid. She is called to jury duty in a murder trial - a young Hispanic man accused of killing a woman who ran a high-end matchmaking service in L.A. Ellen votes with the rest of the jury to find him guilty, but she's never sure. She investigates the scene of the crime and discovers that the person who anonymously called the police couldn't possibly have seen what he/she said he/she saw. She pretends to be interested in the services of the matchmaking firm and clearly is outside her comfort circle in interviewing the mother of the accused and the accused himself in prison. She meets a semi-retired lawyer through the matchmaking service and he becomes her ally in trying to prove the innocence of the incarcerated Hispanic. How Ellen deals with all the baggage she is carrying makes for a very good story.

[Mary Unger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book some 20+ years ago and it disappeared into my almost endless to-be-read pile ( read shelves and shelves). it wasn’t until I moved several years ago that I found it and moved it up on the list. Now I’m sorry I waited so very long to read it, as I quite enjoyed it. It wasn’t the fastest moving story I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed the characters and the author’s sense of humor she endowed upon Ellen. Now I have to find Ms. Todd’s other books to see how her last several decades have impacted her writing!

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me awhile to get through it but I finally finished. It wasn't horrible it just wasn't that I felt connected to the main character. She's older than I am and has rich connections. She tries a dating service because of a magazine article she trying to research. It was predictable. There wasn't anything special about her writing so I fell asleep sometimes while reading this book...which technically I using to help me unwind after work.

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those fun mysteries that keep you guessing, but with a smile on your face.