Staying Cool

by Catherine Todd

MATCHMAKER MATED WITH MURDER When the guilty verdict came in, forty-something juror Ellen Santiago Laws was relieved. After all, she helped convict the murderer of Natasha Ivanova, a flashy matchmaker who brought love to overworked Southern California movers-and-shakers. But afterwards, Ellen learns that Natasha may not have been the virtuous businesswoman the prosecution made her out to be. So, the usually reserved Ellen decides to dig up the dirt on the deceased by badgering the authorities and staking out the crime scene. But for the real low-down, she must penetrate the chic matchmaking service by enrolling as a love-starved client. Ellen soon finds that at her age dating is like Russian Roulette--with each new tryst being a miss rather than a hit. Her adept snooping, however, reveals several undetected motives, and Ellen senses that the real killer is on to her, so she must stay cool--to stay alive.

Genres: Mystery

394 pages, 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.