Little Shop of Murders

Kate London Mystery #2

by Susan Goodwill

When Walter, a bathrobe-clad octogenarian, robs the bank using a concealed banana as the hold-up weapon, Kate and Aunt Kitty speed after him in Kitty’s mammoth 1974 Eldorado convertible. But instead of retrieving their cold hard box office cash, they find a still-warm dead body, much to the consternation of a sexy law enforcement official who happens to be Kate’s current person of interest in the boyfriend department. Things go from bad to worse when Kate’s ex-flame from the Treasury Department and a quart-low biker gang—the Devil’s Cheerleaders—get involved in the mayhem.

Despite continuous misadventures—from Sausage Festival pandemonium to a malfunctioning giant man-eating plant from Splotski’s Theatre Rentals—Kate and Kitty are determined that the show must go on.

Sexy, sassy, and hilarious, this mystery is the second in a series featuring amateur sleuth Kate London.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

255 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2007

About the author

Susan Goodwill writes the laugh-out-loud funny Kate London Mystery Series. Kate and her Aunt Kitty, an eccentric former B-grade movie star, own and operate the Egyptian Theatre on Michigan's west coast. When the first act is murder, the quirky cast of the Mudd Lake Players, Kitty's amateur theatre group, "assist" Kate in her pursuit of justice. Come along for tne outageously funny rides as Kate solves off kilter crimes and the Players struggle with the show. Stick around for the last act, Kate always drops the curtain on the bad guys.

Reviews

[Faith Brautigam · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the main character seemed like a Stephanie Plum wannabe, this was still a fun, light read.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turns out I read this six years ago, oh well, I didn't remember it at the start. Kate was raised by her aunt after her parents died, and she inherited the Egyptian Theatre, which is always in a state of disrepair. Standing in line at the bank with a deposit, she is robbed. This all leads to her trying to find the person who robbed her, and finding out why. She discovers a bunch of fake twenties, which leads to several bad guys. Of course, all is well in the end.

[Rick Bylina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second novel in the Kate London series starts out like a mad rush to get Elvis concert tickets and then picks up speed. Kate, her Aunt Kitty, and a gaggle of friends take on undercover agents, a biker gang, a giant man-eating plant, a childhood rival, rebelling actors, and a mumbling President Clinton to recover Kate's advanced-ticket sales stolen by a crazy octogenarian bank robber who happens to be dating septuagenarian and former movie star, Aunt Kitty. Oh yes, the murder of a crooked banker must also be solved. And that's all in the first three chapters. From there, Kate unravels a complex plot with zany twists worthy of a Mack Sennett movie to save Kate's production of "A Little Shop of Horrors" at Mudd Lake's historic Egyptian Theatre during the pandemonium of the town's Sausage Festival. And she must do this in four days while balancing the love interest of Sheriff Ben against the tingling sensation brought on by a past lover. I got so many paper cuts quickly turning the pages of this five star humorous cozy, I can only applaud with my feet.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to bother writing reviews for both of the books in this series where one'll do it. The main character starts off landing butt first in a big mess and it just keeps getting worse despite her best efforts to solve the mystery and save the day. Actually, that doesn't sound all that grand, but what saves it is the sense of humor. It's a sitcom kind of book, but you know it'll all be ok in the end so you can laugh at all the terrible things that happen to the protagonist.

[Joanne Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The library only had a large print edition...so needless to say, it was very distracting. I felt like I was reading a billboard. I honestly could have read this book without my contacts. And that's saying a lot. I may have liked it more if I hadn't had to keep rereading bits I got distracted on.

[Heather Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, we are back again with Kate and Aunt Kitty. Kitty has a bigger role in this book and I was super happy about it. Although Kate is technically the main character and I love her, Old Aunt Kitty is a bask of energy and a force to be reckoned with. Kate can barely keep up with her antics and trouble making. Sooo funny. This book is just as quirky and entertaining as the first book.

[Diane]

This book was really cute

[Kevin Connery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate London 2 (#1 not at library)

[Moondance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate, Kitty and the montage of misfits are back. Throw in an elderly bank robber, counterfeiting and a sausage festival. Kate and Ben turn up the heat....finally!

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even worse than the first in the series.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these books they are funny and cute wish she would write more