There's Something About Marty

Working Stiffs Mystery #3

by Wendy Delaney

It was Marty McCutcheon’s bad luck to die on his birthday. Then again, since Marty is the third husband his young widow will be burying, maybe luck had nothing to do with it.

As Deputy Coroner Charmaine Digby discovers when she questions Marty’s widow about his sudden death, the woman had ample opportunity to kill him. She even admits as much, right before she asks Char to solve her husband’s murder.

What? A suspected black widow who wants her husband’s murderer brought to justice? She is either the most skillful liar Char has ever encountered or someone else has spun a web of lies to cover their murderous tracks. But who, and why?

With no hard evidence to go on, it’s up to Char and her ability as a human lie detector to break this case wide open. Assuming that someone doesn’t crack her skull open first!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

301 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Wendy Delaney writes fun-filled cozy mysteries and is the award-winning author of the Working Stiffs Mystery series. A longtime member of Mystery Writers of America, she's a Food Network addict and pastry chef wannabe. When she's not killing off story people she can be found on her treadmill, working off the calories from her latest culinary adventure. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Wendy lives in the Texas Hill Country with the love of her life and is a proud grandma.

Reviews

[JoAn]

Another fun cozy mystery with Char Digby as again she tries to find answers for a death that some family members demanding to know what happened. There was plenty of laughter, too, since Char's mother is back in town to plan her wedding.

[Lisa Ks Book Reviews]

A well written, wonderful mystery!

In this third book of the Working Stiffs Mystery series, author Wendy Delaney has delivered a truly entertaining mystery that pulled me in from page one.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARTY is the first book I’ve read in this series, but it certainly won’t be my last. I also plan to go back and read the first two.

I enjoyed protagonist Charmaine Digby. She was so interesting to spend time with. And I really like that she is a “deception detection specialist” aka human lie detector. It will be intriguing in future installments to see how often that super power may let her down. The supporting characters that round out the series are multi-layered and add just the right feel to this series.

Author Delany’s writing style is crisp and clear, flowing across the pages in a way that compelled me to read just one more page, just one more chapter, until I found myself at the end of the story in record time!

I’m very much looking forward to my next visit into Ms. Delany’s world.

[Laura Cromer]

A fun romp

Char and the Dukes regulars are a fun cast that make for an entertaining read. Great summer reading. I have read books one through 3 so far and I have 4 qued up and ready to go.

[Michelle Munoz]

Mystery, mayhem and romance

I absolutely love getting to know the characters and what tangles Char can get into... add the Whodunit and a sweet love story to bring the best fun.

[Sandra Lopez]

Charmaine is a detective specialist with a new case. Marty suddenly died at his birthday party, possibly from a cardiac arrest. But there’s been some speculation that the wife may have had something to do with it.


Although the story gets right to the case from the start, it kind of has a lagging progression. Charmaine certainly tries to play the quirky, off-beat character, which makes her slightly likable; however, she didn’t quite reach the par. She was okay, but not great. There were also a few too many characters—something I tend to get annoyed about on a regular story, but especially more so in a murder mystery. That may have over-complicated the plot a bit. Actually I had a hard time weeding through the plot, to be perfectly honest. I think I would’ve liked it better had the story started before Marty’s death. Maybe I would’ve understood it better had I been acquainted with the events leading up to Marty’s death, but I guess that was really up to Char to figure out. It’s just that I wasn’t too keen on her style.

[Moondance]

The last thing I'd expected to hear this morning was Patsy Faraday chirping a greeting like a songbird.

Deputy Coroner Charmaine "Char" Digby is called upon to interview the family of Marty McCutcheon after his sudden death at his birthday party. Char is a powerful weapon against crime as a human lie detector. She quickly learns that a large number of people are not being truthful about Marty's last night.

Char's relationship with Steve has progressed although ER doctor Kyle throws in a few snares. The arrival of Char's movie star mother sends her from Grandma's house to Steve's much to the delight of the local gossips.

The mystery was well done with lots of suspects. We have an ex-wife, a younger current wife, fighting siblings and a surprise family member. Char is relentless in her pursuit of the killer. She stirs up lots of chaos and gets in a few tight spots.

A fun and at times, madcap read. I look forward to the next book.

[Susan]

I'm having a little trouble reviewing this book. The mystery was fine, but it was overshadowed by character elements. Since character is a chief interest of mine in any book, character overshadowing plot negatively is a problem. First there's Char's supposed lie detection. Many cops in many books have better detection of lies than Char seems to. Then there's her relationship with Steve. I want to like them together, but he is so condescending when she spouts off thoughts and theories about murder. Then even though she knows how he'll respond since he does it all the time, she'll still try to get him to talk with her about it. It's an odd relationship, and I find it disconcerting.
I'm not sure where I stand on this book or the series. I may need something to change.

[Mrs. Garen L. Herd]

Good read

Shades of Stephanie Plum mysteries, minus the explicit sex. Charmaine is a human lie detector and works for the County Coroner and Prosecutor Office. Her boyfriend, Steve, is the only detective in the Sheriff's Dept. If there is even a whiff of a murder, Charmaine is on the hunt and won't let it go, no matter who tells her to leave it alone. In this book, a very wealthy man dies at his birthday party and the ex-wife blames the current wife, but they have to wait on the toxicology. Charmaine does not do waiting well and the chaos begins. Heavy flirting, lots of humor, lots of mystery and fun. Highly recommend.

[Pat Eroh]

Great story but was disappointed in some sexual descriptions. If you don't mind that, cool but I try to stick to cozy mysteries so there's less foul language, less violence, and less sexual content. I was very annoyed that Char boyfriend was so unsupportive of her but that's cozy mysteries I suppose. Otherwise, I did enjoy the story and it was a great story! I won't describe it here as it's been done by so many other reviewers so this opinion is just that.

"I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

[Ashley Kelley]

Good story

I enjoy Charmaine and Steve and the rest of the quirky characters in this little northwestern town. I could do with Charmaine talking a little less about how much she needs to lose weight...seems like an unnecessary amount of focus on that, to the point where as a 34 year old woman who could also stand to lose a little weight I get a bit annoyed by her constant focus on this.

[Kristin]

A fun little small town mystery. Our civilian investigator in this series is an example of taking one's job title and running with it, stretching it beyond what her employer would have ever imagined, but it works to bring her into contact with cases. Her mother is a little… beyond belief, and there's some suspension of disbelief with how our investigator doesn't get herself fired by continually ignoring what she's directed to do. But if you're going to do it, being right sometimes helps!

[Ellen White]

Charmaine working in the coroners office was sent to get a report was Marty’s death anything else but natural. A will had been changed, and too many people hoping to gain. As for her personal life, she is keeping a sheriff undercover, insecurity , and dreading of what people might say, to let it be known. Not getting answers, she using herself to go after them. The story is good, good plot.

[Slugpuppy3]

Humorous, entertaining, and a complex mystery. THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARTY is a fun read that keeps you guessing right to the end. All the characters are interesting (except great-aunt & uncle are pretty superficial), and Steve needs to step up and show more affection and respect for Char - especially publicly. Overall, a very entertaining book.

[Kathy]

Loved this cozy mystery! A natural seeming death starts a detailed sleuthing trail by a very dedicated amateur. You'll find family ties and more and will be very surprised at the end. Definitely one to read!

[Marcia]

A Fun Read

Char is quite the character and her sleuthing puts her right in the middle of tangled webs. Interestingly she finds herself in the right spots at the best times for twisting the web tighter. Quite enjoyable with a good balance of intrigue and humor.

[gwen graves]

Not bad for a cozy mystery

I real like the main character, she was just goofy enough to make the story good. The way the author has written all the characters made it a good story and gave the story a delightful interesting take on a rather ordinary mystery.

[Jana Gundy]

Another fun one

Char is so much fun to read, along with her mom and the gang at the diner. The mystery is well plotted and I enjoyed it. I still think Steve is a jerk but hopefully becomes better soon.

[Maryruth Drescher]

Great mystery series

This is my third book and I have loved them all. The characters are fun, but every time she goes to the grill I need to find something to eat especially a burger. I read in bed at night and getting a burger isn't an option darn it. Enjoy anyway

[Rebecca]

I started out really liking this series, but the more I read the more annoying Steve became. Charmaine was witty, but her tolerance of Steve’s condescension really decreased my enjoyment of these books.

[PAM]

I love this services.

The characters Are funny, story keeps moving along, main character is head strong and always gets in trouble. Looking forward to the next story.

[Gina]

Not bad, humorous

Thanks for laugh, easy read!
Looking to read more from her
I really enjoyed it, try it out every one!

[Donna Clark]

Good book, easy and quick read.

[Marie Delaney]

Totally enjoyable reading.

I chose this book to read originally because the author and I have the same last name. But once I started reading I was hooked.

[Carole Davey]

Cute story

It was a fun read. The characters were likable and it was a well written "who-done-it". It kept me guessing.

[Terri]

Great Mystery!

Mary knows something is not right....she let's it go and she should have trusted her gut! Good characters. Her Mom is quite the character!

[Johnna Hill]

I love this series. I can't stand charmaines mother. She is a vain woman who judges her daughter even though shes a two bit actress.

[Cindy Miller]

I really enjoy reading this series, Charmaine and her gang are a hoot.

[Christine]

JU

[Patricia M.]

Another excellent and funny mystery by Wendy Delaney! I truly enjoy the characters and setting in
this series.

[Marnie Nash da rosa]

Really cute

It’s really cute cozy easy read mystery with a little romance on the side . I also have enjoyed her other series so I guess I am now a fan