Her Cousin, Much Removed

by Isa-Lee Wolf

From Amazon: Venetia Shipman wasn’t exactly fond of her cousin(ish) Delenda O’Brien, and Delenda’s sudden death didn’t really change that, especially since it looks like Delenda was trying to frame Venetia for something. What, she doesn’t know, but now this lawyer-turned-urban-gardener is in it up to her eyeballs thanks to her, and, to make it worse, Delenda died without even returning Venetia’s platter.

Now she may never get it back.

Detective Cadby James is on the case, and while he may not be too bad looking, Venetia isn’t so sure he can solve the murder without her help. Whether he wants it or not.

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2014

Reviews

[David Jesson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy mysteries, i.e. the slightly more humane end of detective stories, where the detective is unlikely to be hardboiled and drink whiskey, have become seriously big business in recent years. Most are series, with extra points if you can give the series a name that means you can give every book a themed title, usually with a very bad pun as a non-optional extra.

In Venetia Shipman, supported by Detective Cadby James, Isa-Lee Wolf has created a protagonist who sits firmly in this bracket, but stands out from the crowd. There are plenty of sparky, snarky heroines in the genre, but Venetia has a level of humanity that is rare. She feels more real than a lot of other characters - a flawed person trying to come to terms with a past trauma, and with some unfriendly relatives.

Well worth your time - enjoy with a cup of tea.

[Christi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fair warning, words removed

I was a little irritated by this book. The story was OK, but it did get a little silly and/or cheesy at times. Maybe a little too much for my liking. My biggest issue with it, though, was that words were missing. Just randomly, right in the middle of a sentence - missing word. It was not a fluke or rare occurrence, either. That, combined with the cheeky story, just made it impossible for me to give a highest rating.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venetia has given up the practice of law to water plants in corporate offices. Why, you might ask. Because one of her divorce clients was brutally murdered and Venetia still feels responsible. When her not-dear cousin Delenda (without returned Venetia's prized serving platter) meets her demise, Venetia comes under suspicion. Detective Canby James (what a name!), although quite attractive and usually polite, starts treating our poor heroine as if she were really the murderer. That's when things really heat up. The somewhat convoluted plot includes a ruthless rich guy, his now-dead wife, the wife's brother, the guy accused of the murder, cousin Delenda, Aunt Sissy, Delenda's assistant Billie, and the owners of the plant-management company. Quite a cast, and quite a story. At time intensely gripping, at others so complicated that you lose the plot, this book could be great with the help of a good developmental editor.

[Babette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, fast read with lots of twists and turns. I'm usually pretty good at guessing 'who done it', but this time, I had no idea until the end.

I.L. Wolf is also the author of 'The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management', one of the most unique books to come out of science-fiction in years.

[Patricia Bergman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this deserved 5 stars if the characters weren't constantly interrupting each other with, "Oh by the way, do you want some tea" or "I'll be right back, I'm going to make some coffee". This little device irritated the hell out of me. Otherwise, I really liked this clever mystery. I would definitely recommend it.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Good

the way so many people were busy trying to kill people.the unethical lawyers were so busy committing Crimes and blaming others.