Missing Member

Me and Mr. Jones Mysteries #1

by Jo-Ann Power

Few Americans remember these days that politics can be funny.

 

But Texas congresswoman Carly Wagner knows this firsthand. She won her first election delivering one-liners about her opponent that made people chuckle so hard they voted her into his seat. She won not only because she could outtalk her rival but also because she wasn't shy about employing her sexy contralto, big baby browns, and the long legs that once got her the crown of Miss Texas. She doesn't apologize for her methods, either---in the Lone Star State, sassy women have always plowed tough ground to get what they want. Although she currently sleeps alone, professionally, Carly knows politics can make strange bedfellows. But when she walks into her office one morning and finds her party's second most powerful man murdered in her office chair, she finds out that politics can also be deadly serious.

 

Someone has to find the culprit before this capital crime kills Carly's prospects for reelection. Resourceful and gutsy, she wants to go it alone, but her party can't take that chance. When they send in the cavalry, she can't believe the kind of man they choose. He's young, yummy, and lethal. He calls himself Mr. Jones, owns toys like Mr. Bond---and acts like Mr. Corleone. He's one of the town's secret weapons of mass destruction---and she wants nothing to do with him. Then she wants to do everything with him.

 

Missing Member is the first in a vastly entertaining new series featuring the crime-solving duo of Congresswoman Carly and the delectable Mr. Jones.

Genres: Mystery

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2006

About the author

Aka Ann Crowleigh (joint pseudonym with Barbara Cummings).

Writing a new mystery series starring a Texas Congresswoman and her reluctant bodyguard, Jo-Ann Power truly writes what she knows! A career in Washington in media--and a new resident of Texas (relatively speaking...), "JP" has created a series that PW loves as well as RT, Booklist and many readers more!"

Reviews

[Elliedakota · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fat shaming the Girl Scouts was unnecessary and petty. This read like a House of Cards wanna be. The Janet Evanovich quote on the cover claimed the book was funny. She obviously didn’t read it. Snarky, yes. Funny, no.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried...even after reading the other reviews. Mainly because I love to prove critics wrong...but that wasn't the case in this book. I managed a chapter and it went to the donate pile.

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out with such promise! I loved the title since someone was a Member of the House of Reps and he was found dead with his ding dong in his hand.

But that is where the good stuff ended. It was ok, nothing great. The story had big gaps and talked a whole lot about Texas. She also made out Texas to be a little more dust bowl than it actually is, she doesn't give Texans credit.

I know it is part of the Mr. Jones series which I guess is because the character has a pet chimp. I thought she could have made that a little more funny, but again it seemed to have gaps in that story as well.

Read it if you have nothing else.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an entertaining book, the first in a series (currently 2 books in the "Me and Mr. Jones"). The political setting was a different spin than the usual, and although it did mention some detail (discussing aides and the party ranks and Carly dealing with her electorate and her constituents) it was not overly-complicated. I thought the main character was interesting and funny, and I appreciated her intelligence and her ability to think for herself. I found the list of characters in the beginning to be long enough that I wondered if it would be too many people to keep track of, but it flowed very well. It made me interested enough to want to read any other books in the series.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading many "fluffy" mysteries lately, I enjoyed one with a little more substance and mystery. I cannot see where the plot was "funny" as stated by Janet Evanovich in a review, but I definitely enjoyed reading until I could reach the end! It was a good pace and a mystery that was solved before they revealed whodunit at the end. Great light read!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time I got to the end, I realized I had read this before. I liked it both times, even if remembering whodunnit took aqway a bit of the suspense. This is a well-done chick-lit mystery with politics and a mysterious sexy hunk thrown into the mix. This is the first of a series.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light-hearted, fun beach read!

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started it and knew within one chapter that I couldn't take it. Present tense requires talent.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't see how a mystery with a Congresswoman as the main character could go wrong in my world. It did.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish this one. Not as fast-paced as I like a mystery to be.

[Jeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Am not enjoying this book at all. It's for my book club and I don't even want to finish it. I sorta skimmed to the end but nothing about this book interested me in the least.

[Bren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 I found the protagonist to be likeable and real. The who done it kept me guessing until near the end. I was not a fan of Abe. The author could have removed him entirely.