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Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries #1
Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun
When Anastasia Pollack's gambling-addicted husband permanently cashes in his chips in Vegas, her life craps out. She's left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, and her nasty, cane-wielding Communist mother-in-law. Not to mention a loan shark demanding fifty thousand dollars.
Anastasia's job as crafts editor at American Woman magazine makes life even stickier when she discovers the dead body of über-ambitious fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg hot-glued to Anastasia's office chair. Marlys collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos. When evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia's husband, Anastasia becomes the prime suspect. Can she sew up the case and keep herself out of jail before the real killer puts a permanent end to her investigation?
Praise:
"Oddball characters, uproariously funny situations, and a heroine with a strong sense of irony will delight fans of Janet Evanovich, Jess Lourey, and Kathleen Bacus."—Booklist, starred review
"Crafty cozies don't get any better than this hilarious confection. Anastasia is as deadpan droll as Tina Fey's Liz Lemon."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum. Funny, gutsy and determined, Anastasia has a bright future in the planned series."—Kirkus Reviews
"Lovers of funny mysteries, outrageous puns, self-deprecating humor, and light romance will all find something here as Anastasia progresses through repeated misadventures to emerge triumphant in the end."—ForeWord Magazine
"Winston has turned a sticky situation into a delightful romp through the halls of who-done-it."—Star-Ledger
"Quirky, laughable, and loveable . . . Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun is clever and thoroughly entertaining—a must-read!"—Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author of Trust Me and Watch Me
Anastasia's job as crafts editor at American Woman magazine makes life even stickier when she discovers the dead body of über-ambitious fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg hot-glued to Anastasia's office chair. Marlys collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos. When evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia's husband, Anastasia becomes the prime suspect. Can she sew up the case and keep herself out of jail before the real killer puts a permanent end to her investigation?
Praise:
"Oddball characters, uproariously funny situations, and a heroine with a strong sense of irony will delight fans of Janet Evanovich, Jess Lourey, and Kathleen Bacus."—Booklist, starred review
"Crafty cozies don't get any better than this hilarious confection. Anastasia is as deadpan droll as Tina Fey's Liz Lemon."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum. Funny, gutsy and determined, Anastasia has a bright future in the planned series."—Kirkus Reviews
"Lovers of funny mysteries, outrageous puns, self-deprecating humor, and light romance will all find something here as Anastasia progresses through repeated misadventures to emerge triumphant in the end."—ForeWord Magazine
"Winston has turned a sticky situation into a delightful romp through the halls of who-done-it."—Star-Ledger
"Quirky, laughable, and loveable . . . Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun is clever and thoroughly entertaining—a must-read!"—Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author of Trust Me and Watch Me
301 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2010
131 people are currently reading
1206 people want to read
About the author
Lois Winston
65 books326 followersNewsletter sign-up: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.
Visit Lois and Emma at www.loiswinston.com and visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth.
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.
Visit Lois and Emma at www.loiswinston.com and visit Anastasia at the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog, www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com. Follow everyone on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anasleuth.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
January 10, 2012
Over the top? Yes. Formulaic? Yes. Annoying supporting cast of characters? Yes. Implausible? Yes. Ridiculous, even? Yes. Did I still like it as a fluff piece of curl-up-and-read-on-a-winter-afternoon? Absolutely.
With a title like this, I wasn't expecting anything more than it was. Thus, I wasn't disappointed. Anastasia was a bit of a frustration for me. As were some of the plot developments. But then, again, with a title like this there was no way I was expecting more.
A solid 3 stars for liked it. Will I read more by this author? Yes. Do I wish for improvement in her writing? Again, yes. Still, I didn't feel like I had wasted my time.
With a title like this, I wasn't expecting anything more than it was. Thus, I wasn't disappointed. Anastasia was a bit of a frustration for me. As were some of the plot developments. But then, again, with a title like this there was no way I was expecting more.
A solid 3 stars for liked it. Will I read more by this author? Yes. Do I wish for improvement in her writing? Again, yes. Still, I didn't feel like I had wasted my time.
April 10, 2019
Much has been made about the humor in Lois Winston’s first Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries Series, Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun, and rightfully so. Anastasia is a Jersey girl often compared to the equally funny Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovich’s series. Jersey is where the comparison ends.
Laughing out loud, as I did when reading this cozy mystery, is related mainly to Anastasia’s acerbic wit. As a reader, I always welcome humor. However, humor is also a great way to get across some rather serious ideas. I’m pleased to say that this book has ideas as well as laughs.
Anastasia is far more mature, not “feisty” and “spunky” like Stephanie Plum, and certainly not a superhero who overcomes all adversity. Anastasia is a real woman, an ordinary woman, who manages to find internal resources to overcome some very serious challenges.
She is a middle-aged woman working as a crafts editor for a women’s magazine. She finds herself in the middle of an epic sh*t storm when her husband dies suddenly. She learns that he has emptied out the family bank account to feed his gambling addiction, and that he is in debt to the mob. A mobster is calling and demanding money. Then Anastasia finds the body of her colleague dead and glued to her office desk at work.
Things go downhill from there. The police show signs of thinking she’s guilty of murder. Then her house is broken into – three times! On top of that, she’s living with her obnoxious and very fervent Communist mother-in-law who demands special treatment for herself and her dog. Anastasia’s narcissistic and very selfish mother (and her cat) shows up and starts taking up space. And there’s that parrot mouthing off, quoting Shakespeare no less. There’s not enough money to pay the electric bill or feed Anastasia’s two teenage boys.
Reading this as it unfolds (and laughing, too) led me to think about how people handle a major life crisis…..or two or three or four as in the case of Anastasia. Her wit and her caustic asides are fundamentally acting as a coping mechanism. She wants to laugh so she won’t fall apart. Her asides suggest that her marriage wasn’t all that great, and that she was just hanging in there. The two mothers are ongoing problems too. The commie mother-in-law Lucille struck me as someone on the edge of dementia who is unable to cope with her son’s death, much less the awareness that he was a thoroughly reprehensible character responsible for three people’s deaths. And Anastasia’s mother is even more obnoxious, a childlike woman who seems to think her highest goal in life is to acquire another husband (number 5? number 6?). Neither lifts a finger to help Anastasia. Another interesting character is Erika, a coworker of Anastasia, who has been browbeaten by every man in her life, starting with her father.
So we see a woman in this book who normally does a great job of taking care of everyone around her, but who is not so great at taking care of herself. Anastasia’s wit keeps her from having a breakdown under the stress. However, part of her own character development in this series will be to learn how to say “no” to the mothers, how to get those teenage boys to help out more, how to assert herself at work, and how to find the courage to ask out that good-looking dude who is renting space over the garage. I think there are more than a few readers out there who can relate to this challenge.
Laughing out loud, as I did when reading this cozy mystery, is related mainly to Anastasia’s acerbic wit. As a reader, I always welcome humor. However, humor is also a great way to get across some rather serious ideas. I’m pleased to say that this book has ideas as well as laughs.
Anastasia is far more mature, not “feisty” and “spunky” like Stephanie Plum, and certainly not a superhero who overcomes all adversity. Anastasia is a real woman, an ordinary woman, who manages to find internal resources to overcome some very serious challenges.
She is a middle-aged woman working as a crafts editor for a women’s magazine. She finds herself in the middle of an epic sh*t storm when her husband dies suddenly. She learns that he has emptied out the family bank account to feed his gambling addiction, and that he is in debt to the mob. A mobster is calling and demanding money. Then Anastasia finds the body of her colleague dead and glued to her office desk at work.
Things go downhill from there. The police show signs of thinking she’s guilty of murder. Then her house is broken into – three times! On top of that, she’s living with her obnoxious and very fervent Communist mother-in-law who demands special treatment for herself and her dog. Anastasia’s narcissistic and very selfish mother (and her cat) shows up and starts taking up space. And there’s that parrot mouthing off, quoting Shakespeare no less. There’s not enough money to pay the electric bill or feed Anastasia’s two teenage boys.
Reading this as it unfolds (and laughing, too) led me to think about how people handle a major life crisis…..or two or three or four as in the case of Anastasia. Her wit and her caustic asides are fundamentally acting as a coping mechanism. She wants to laugh so she won’t fall apart. Her asides suggest that her marriage wasn’t all that great, and that she was just hanging in there. The two mothers are ongoing problems too. The commie mother-in-law Lucille struck me as someone on the edge of dementia who is unable to cope with her son’s death, much less the awareness that he was a thoroughly reprehensible character responsible for three people’s deaths. And Anastasia’s mother is even more obnoxious, a childlike woman who seems to think her highest goal in life is to acquire another husband (number 5? number 6?). Neither lifts a finger to help Anastasia. Another interesting character is Erika, a coworker of Anastasia, who has been browbeaten by every man in her life, starting with her father.
So we see a woman in this book who normally does a great job of taking care of everyone around her, but who is not so great at taking care of herself. Anastasia’s wit keeps her from having a breakdown under the stress. However, part of her own character development in this series will be to learn how to say “no” to the mothers, how to get those teenage boys to help out more, how to assert herself at work, and how to find the courage to ask out that good-looking dude who is renting space over the garage. I think there are more than a few readers out there who can relate to this challenge.
February 13, 2023
Update: I just finished the audio version of this book, and it's truly wonderful. The narrator does a fantastic job capturing the characters. Great pacing!
This book had me laughing out loud, biting my nails in anxiety, and eager to find out the killer's identity—sometimes within a few pages! Such a well-written, well-plotted book, with characters to die for. I'm late to the game, but I look forward to continuing the series!
This book had me laughing out loud, biting my nails in anxiety, and eager to find out the killer's identity—sometimes within a few pages! Such a well-written, well-plotted book, with characters to die for. I'm late to the game, but I look forward to continuing the series!
November 13, 2018
“Assault With a Deadly Glue Gun” earns 5/5 Sticky Situations…Engaging Fun!
Lois Winston has penned a delightful first-in-the-series full of wonderful, some cringe-worthy, characters, quips and digs, a fast-paced mystery journey, and fun crafting! Beware of a few curses…teenagers, you know. Anastasia Pollack, widowed mother of two teens, is an admirable, yet flawed, character in the face of a husband who has plunged her into serious financial distress. She finds herself hounded by her husband’s creditors, ok, loan sharks, but it's the discovery of the dead body of a co-worker glued to Anastasia’s office chair that makes her suspect primo. From there Lois takes readers in and around the murder investigation racked with secrets, revelations, and close scrutiny by law enforcement. A delightfully engaging book with a well-written first-person narrative filled with clever insights, inner thoughts, and great descriptions. She also includes banter between the characters that illustrates personality, tone, and emotion keeping me eager to turn each page. Add a mother-in-law from hell and a mother not much better…well, you've got to experience that on your own! She provided a satisfying ending, but it popped up a little earlier than I like…I'm partial to suspense to the end. Don't forget the bonus, a perfect way to make something so special with marvelous “Anastasia’s Crafts” ideas: Handmade Bridal Tennies, Birdseed Roses, Recycled Jeans Placemats, Fourth of July Clay Pot Candles, and Decoupaged Flag Tray.
"Disclosure: I received an ARC. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments."
Lois Winston has penned a delightful first-in-the-series full of wonderful, some cringe-worthy, characters, quips and digs, a fast-paced mystery journey, and fun crafting! Beware of a few curses…teenagers, you know. Anastasia Pollack, widowed mother of two teens, is an admirable, yet flawed, character in the face of a husband who has plunged her into serious financial distress. She finds herself hounded by her husband’s creditors, ok, loan sharks, but it's the discovery of the dead body of a co-worker glued to Anastasia’s office chair that makes her suspect primo. From there Lois takes readers in and around the murder investigation racked with secrets, revelations, and close scrutiny by law enforcement. A delightfully engaging book with a well-written first-person narrative filled with clever insights, inner thoughts, and great descriptions. She also includes banter between the characters that illustrates personality, tone, and emotion keeping me eager to turn each page. Add a mother-in-law from hell and a mother not much better…well, you've got to experience that on your own! She provided a satisfying ending, but it popped up a little earlier than I like…I'm partial to suspense to the end. Don't forget the bonus, a perfect way to make something so special with marvelous “Anastasia’s Crafts” ideas: Handmade Bridal Tennies, Birdseed Roses, Recycled Jeans Placemats, Fourth of July Clay Pot Candles, and Decoupaged Flag Tray.
"Disclosure: I received an ARC. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments."
May 13, 2015
It's not masterful writing by any means but it's a fun easy read.
April 4, 2019
Hilarious! I couldn't put it down. Welly written. I read this book under 2 days! Now I'm on to the next.
June 25, 2024
Couldn’t get off the first page before the swearing began. Just not for me
July 6, 2011
I first discovered this book on a fellow writer's blog. It was interesting but I don't often find books that I see on blogs since my access is limited (I know I could go online but then my budget would never forgive me). Imagine my surprise when this book appeared on the list of new books at the library. When I finally worked my way down the pile of books from the library to this gem I devoured it. (Why is it that all my requests are available at the same time?)
Lois Winston has created a nice little mystery. Assualt with a Deadly Glue Gun introduces Anastasia Pollack, a crafts editor for a national magazine. The story starts with Anastasia's husband dying and leaving her in a mountain of debt due to his closet gambling addiction. The debts keep piling on as the story continues. And he left her with his mother who was staying until she could get back on her feet. If that's not enough, her mother's husband dies and Anastasia soon has both mothers and a house full of chaos and a co-worker is found murdered at her desk (like how I did that?).
The story is great. It does wrap up a little to quickly at the end but overall it's a great read. There is so much going on in this book that it's practically overwhelming but it's realistic. The story is peppered with humor and action (I actually laughed out loud at one point and startled myself).
I look forward to the next book in this series and highly recommend it. There are a few craft ideas in the book but I don't think it works as well as those mysteries with recipes. Crafts are really visual and I couldn't picture half of what the end results were suppose to be but that's just a little part of the book and easy to skip over.
Lois Winston has created a nice little mystery. Assualt with a Deadly Glue Gun introduces Anastasia Pollack, a crafts editor for a national magazine. The story starts with Anastasia's husband dying and leaving her in a mountain of debt due to his closet gambling addiction. The debts keep piling on as the story continues. And he left her with his mother who was staying until she could get back on her feet. If that's not enough, her mother's husband dies and Anastasia soon has both mothers and a house full of chaos and a co-worker is found murdered at her desk (like how I did that?).
The story is great. It does wrap up a little to quickly at the end but overall it's a great read. There is so much going on in this book that it's practically overwhelming but it's realistic. The story is peppered with humor and action (I actually laughed out loud at one point and startled myself).
I look forward to the next book in this series and highly recommend it. There are a few craft ideas in the book but I don't think it works as well as those mysteries with recipes. Crafts are really visual and I couldn't picture half of what the end results were suppose to be but that's just a little part of the book and easy to skip over.
July 23, 2016
Anastasia Pollack is up to her neck in problems. She's newly widowed - finding out only after her husband's death that he wasn't who she thought he was. Karl was a gambling addict who swindled away their life savings, plotted to steal his mother's life savings and get her run over with a car, spent his sons' college funds, and got in bed with a loan shark...a loan shark who is now coming to call on Anastasia.
She certainly doesn't need to discover the dead body of a much-despised coworker in her desk chair...killed by her hot glue gun. Anastasia ends up a murder suspect at the same time she is trying to figure out how to keep the loan shark from collecting on his debt.
I liked this story a lot. There were a few language issues I didn't think were necessary to the story (strong cursing, but only a couple of times). They didn't add to the story at all, and I feel they could have been left out. Anastasia is a character that I liked right away - I just felt bad for her and the predicament she was placed in. She was saddled with all this debt, dealing with both her mother-in-law and her mother under her roof, as well as two teenage sons (who were the ones cursing a few times). Between that, work, and all the crazy problems like murder and mob loan sharks, Anastasia had a lot going on. But she was pretty smart and it was nice to kind of see a flawed character. She knew she wasn't the best looking or smartest woman out there, but she wasn't trying to be either. I will read more in this series.
I read this book in a boxed set called Sleuthing Women, which was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. My opinions were not influenced in any way.
She certainly doesn't need to discover the dead body of a much-despised coworker in her desk chair...killed by her hot glue gun. Anastasia ends up a murder suspect at the same time she is trying to figure out how to keep the loan shark from collecting on his debt.
I liked this story a lot. There were a few language issues I didn't think were necessary to the story (strong cursing, but only a couple of times). They didn't add to the story at all, and I feel they could have been left out. Anastasia is a character that I liked right away - I just felt bad for her and the predicament she was placed in. She was saddled with all this debt, dealing with both her mother-in-law and her mother under her roof, as well as two teenage sons (who were the ones cursing a few times). Between that, work, and all the crazy problems like murder and mob loan sharks, Anastasia had a lot going on. But she was pretty smart and it was nice to kind of see a flawed character. She knew she wasn't the best looking or smartest woman out there, but she wasn't trying to be either. I will read more in this series.
I read this book in a boxed set called Sleuthing Women, which was provided to me in exchange for my honest review. My opinions were not influenced in any way.
May 2, 2015
Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun is fun cozy in spite of the endless problems Anastasia's husband left her to face. I enjoyed the interaction with her co-workers and look forward to getting to know her hunky tenant better! I will be reading the whole series now that I have met this crew.
Could life get any worse? It isn't until her husband dies of a heart attack that Anastasia learns that he has a serious gambling addiction. Not only did he cash out every penny they had saved, but he died in debt to a loan shark who expects her to come up with $50,000 in just a few days and he is intent on making her life miserable until she hands over the money. Money that he has reason to believe her husband had before he died.
Then there is the monster-in-law that they had planned on providing with alternate housing since her savings went up in smoke along with all of her possessions when her apartment building burned down. This is the one character that I got tired of; I felt that Anastasia had enough problems for any humorous book character although she provides much of the humor in the book.
And then there is the dead body that shows up in her office and the murder used her industrial sized glue gun that is covered with Anastasia fingerprints since she regularly uses it in her job as editor for the craft section of a supermarket woman's magazine.
I read this book in the collection Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, Books 1 and 2.
Could life get any worse? It isn't until her husband dies of a heart attack that Anastasia learns that he has a serious gambling addiction. Not only did he cash out every penny they had saved, but he died in debt to a loan shark who expects her to come up with $50,000 in just a few days and he is intent on making her life miserable until she hands over the money. Money that he has reason to believe her husband had before he died.
Then there is the monster-in-law that they had planned on providing with alternate housing since her savings went up in smoke along with all of her possessions when her apartment building burned down. This is the one character that I got tired of; I felt that Anastasia had enough problems for any humorous book character although she provides much of the humor in the book.
And then there is the dead body that shows up in her office and the murder used her industrial sized glue gun that is covered with Anastasia fingerprints since she regularly uses it in her job as editor for the craft section of a supermarket woman's magazine.
I read this book in the collection Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, Books 1 and 2.
September 4, 2015
Crafts editor Anastasia Pollack is at her funniest and most determined when her luck is at its worst, and she’s just been run over by the bad luck bus of life. It may be hard to imagine how hilarious a book can be when the protagonist’s husband dies and leaves her broke and in debt and with a Communist mother-in-law who moves in with her—but it just gets funnier. And though I cringed at the image I found the weird creativity of the murder itself it comical.
Early on, I figured out whodunit but this was still a nonstop page-turner. I enjoyed reading to see if I was right. Anastasia is an irresistible character. While some of the comedy—her mother’s many marriages, her parrot that quotes Shakespeare at the perfect moment—is larger than life, the protagonist feels real, and so do her teenaged sons and her relationship with them. Winston strikes exactly the right balance between believable and over-the-top. The pacing of the plot kept me asking how Anastasia was going to get out of each crisis and when and how the killer would get caught. The narrative style is so engaging, I think I could read a book without a plot by Winston and still be entertained.
For those who enjoy the truly cozy aspect of a cozy mystery, there are craft projects at the back of the book—directions how to do the projects Anastasia works on in the course of the story. There’s also a tempting sneak peek at the next book in the series, which promises to be equally amusing and well crafted.
Early on, I figured out whodunit but this was still a nonstop page-turner. I enjoyed reading to see if I was right. Anastasia is an irresistible character. While some of the comedy—her mother’s many marriages, her parrot that quotes Shakespeare at the perfect moment—is larger than life, the protagonist feels real, and so do her teenaged sons and her relationship with them. Winston strikes exactly the right balance between believable and over-the-top. The pacing of the plot kept me asking how Anastasia was going to get out of each crisis and when and how the killer would get caught. The narrative style is so engaging, I think I could read a book without a plot by Winston and still be entertained.
For those who enjoy the truly cozy aspect of a cozy mystery, there are craft projects at the back of the book—directions how to do the projects Anastasia works on in the course of the story. There’s also a tempting sneak peek at the next book in the series, which promises to be equally amusing and well crafted.
November 24, 2017
Anastasia Pollack works as a Craft Editor on a low key fashion magazine. The editor, Marlys, has it appears slept her way to her position and made several enemies along the way.
When Marlys is found dead on the premises, in Anastasia's office, murdered with Anastasia's glue gun, Anastasia seems the prime suspect.
As if life wasn't difficult enough. Her feckless dead husband has left her with insurmountable debts, the mob are chasing her for money owed, she has two teenage sons, a parrot that quotes Shakespeare and a communist mother-in-law.
It's a very engaging read, although I worked out the murderer some halfway in. The denouement is a little rushed and far too reliant on the murderer explaining to someone else how and why the murder was committed. There could have been a tad more suspense at this point but overall it didn't detract from an enjoyable read. I'll likely read more of these as now the characters are established it might be more of an adventure.
This came to me as part of a ten novel 'lady sleuth' set by different authors. This is the first. Let's hope the rest achieve or exceed the quality of this one.
When Marlys is found dead on the premises, in Anastasia's office, murdered with Anastasia's glue gun, Anastasia seems the prime suspect.
As if life wasn't difficult enough. Her feckless dead husband has left her with insurmountable debts, the mob are chasing her for money owed, she has two teenage sons, a parrot that quotes Shakespeare and a communist mother-in-law.
It's a very engaging read, although I worked out the murderer some halfway in. The denouement is a little rushed and far too reliant on the murderer explaining to someone else how and why the murder was committed. There could have been a tad more suspense at this point but overall it didn't detract from an enjoyable read. I'll likely read more of these as now the characters are established it might be more of an adventure.
This came to me as part of a ten novel 'lady sleuth' set by different authors. This is the first. Let's hope the rest achieve or exceed the quality of this one.
June 1, 2011
When someone at work is killed via glue gun, Anastasia takes the case. Someone has to prove it wasn't her
Anastasia's list of troubles got to the point where it was a bit ridiculous. It was (almost) worse than what the hard boiled guys got. Also, a few too many quirks. For example: a Shakespeare quoting parrot adopted from former teaching aunt, her mother's cat who's named after a Russian princess who may or may not be a relation, and a ill-behaving communist dog who only likes the mother-in-law and has to eat the special overpriced canned food. And that's just the pets.
Also - Winston hit two pet peeves:
1) You get to eat food at least once without having to say how horrible you're being and/or mentioning cellulite.
2) Winston used the word tennies like 12 times. Can't explain why, but good grief that work irks me. I hate it.
Includes two crafts but one is decorating a pair of bridal Keds. So yep.
That said, despite the fact that Anastasia hasn't quite figured out her sleuthing, there's some hope. I might check out the next from the library.
Anastasia's list of troubles got to the point where it was a bit ridiculous. It was (almost) worse than what the hard boiled guys got. Also, a few too many quirks. For example: a Shakespeare quoting parrot adopted from former teaching aunt, her mother's cat who's named after a Russian princess who may or may not be a relation, and a ill-behaving communist dog who only likes the mother-in-law and has to eat the special overpriced canned food. And that's just the pets.
Also - Winston hit two pet peeves:
1) You get to eat food at least once without having to say how horrible you're being and/or mentioning cellulite.
2) Winston used the word tennies like 12 times. Can't explain why, but good grief that work irks me. I hate it.
Includes two crafts but one is decorating a pair of bridal Keds. So yep.
That said, despite the fact that Anastasia hasn't quite figured out her sleuthing, there's some hope. I might check out the next from the library.
September 10, 2012
I liked the premise of this book and the suspense, but I feel like there was a lot of unnecessary fluff. How many times did we actually NEED to read 3 paragraphs about how the mother's cat & mother-in-law's dog hated each other and would growl and hiss at each other? we get it, move on! Sometimes there was so much going on, I felt like I was watching an I Love Lucy episode where everything was just piling on, and I prayed to God all the antics got wrapped up somehow.
That being said, I liked the character and the story itself. Enjoyed reading it, but don't feel a need to read any more of this series. I'd rather just pretend her life got back on track and didn't have to endure anymore hardships/murders.
That being said, I liked the character and the story itself. Enjoyed reading it, but don't feel a need to read any more of this series. I'd rather just pretend her life got back on track and didn't have to endure anymore hardships/murders.
November 11, 2011
When I first began Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, I chuckled. A few more pages into it, I almost stopped reading because it seemed like characters and incidents were overwhelming me. I'm glad I stuck with it as I found that the mad-capped things happening on each page were hilarious, especially when I got into the rhythm of Winston's dry sense of humor. The end of the book flew. Although I nailed who-dun-it early on, I'm looking forward to Winston's next book in the Pollack series. I think she has the potential give New Jersey and the craft industry a contender in the mode of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum.
October 28, 2011
Anastasia Pollack's dead husband left her straddled with a pile of debt, a lot of unanswered questions and a half-crazy mother-in-law. Throw in an angry loan shark and you have the makings for a fast-paced adventure. This is my first experience with this author and I enjoyed her work. Some of the scenes were over-the-top quirky, but the plot was good and the characters well-developed. Overall, I liked the book and wouldn't hesitate to read another one of Winston's mysteries.
January 2, 2011
Whacky and quirky, Winston's debut mystery features Anastasia Pollack, crafts editor of a women's magazine and plucky amateur sleuth. Enjoyable humor prevails, and the climax caught me a bit by surprise, which is always a good thing. Funny minor characters (the moms) get annoying at times. Overall, this is an enjoyable read.
January 13, 2011
Lois Winston has a hit on her hands with her fabulous debut for the new crafting mystery series. Anastasia Pollack is hillarious! I am a huge fan of fun, quirky characters, and Winston delivers big-time. The oddball secondary characters and crazy situations make for a really great read. If you don't check it out...you're missing out!
July 15, 2017
amusing characters!
The plot is decent for a murder mystery.
Anastasia Pollack is a lovable anti- heroine. It wasn't laugh out loud funny like early 'Stephanie Plum' but it made me smile and the twists were unexpected but made sense.
I think I'll look for the next one in this series.
The plot is decent for a murder mystery.
Anastasia Pollack is a lovable anti- heroine. It wasn't laugh out loud funny like early 'Stephanie Plum' but it made me smile and the twists were unexpected but made sense.
I think I'll look for the next one in this series.
April 6, 2018
I can forgive an easily-solved mystery if I like the characters enough to want to follow them on their investigative journey but every single person in this book is EXTREMELY annoying.
January 6, 2019
So ridiculous and way too busy. Between the random communist grandmother, the stupidly contrived detective names, and in general a bunch of nonsense, I can't even.
January 14, 2019
Ok story and main characters, rathy cooky extras.
November 11, 2022
While the first in this humorous craft-related cozy mystery series was first published in 2010, the audiobook was first published in 2022. With a New Jersey-accented narrator making this completely authentic, we learn that Anastasia Pollack has just been informed of her husband’s death in Las Vegas. Problem is, Anastasia had no idea her husband was in Las Vegas nor that he had a gambling problem. He had plowed through their nest egg, ravaged their home equity, cancelled the kids’ college funds, maxed out the credit cards, and borrowed from a loan shark who now wants to collect. Anastasia’s grumpy, Communist mother-in-law Lucille and her growling dog were currently living with her since her apartment and life savings hidden there had recently burned down. To make matters worse, Anastasia’s mother and her cat arrive on her doorstep, newly widowed herself with nowhere to live.
With Janet Evanovich’s character Stephanie Plum as a role model, and no one to rely on but herself, Anastasia returns to work as crafts editor at the New Jersey offices of American Woman magazine. There were plenty of shenanigans going on there as well with the fashion editor considering herself way out of anyone’s league. On this particular day, she breezed in several hours late and dressed to kill, including diamonds on loan from a New York jeweler.
Anastasia is called home to rent the apartment over the garage to a well-known photographer happy to find a place close to the city yet far enough away that neighbors don’t accuse him of running a meth lab rather than a dark room. Returning to work to prepare for the morning’s photo shoot, Anastasia finds the fashion editor sitting at her desk with hot glue dripping from her body and minus the diamonds.
Since the glue gun was hers and she found the body, Anastasia is high on the list of suspects and rallies her co-workers to help her investigate. Meanwhile at home she’s just trying to get her mothers and their pets to do more than growl at each other and help with her two teenage boys. She’s called home, again, to find the house ransacked by Ricardo, the loan shark, looking for his 50 G’s. Now the police were involved, just what she was told not to do.
Anastasia’s efforts to get out of this pickle had me laughing out loud. But her situation got worse, much worse, before she found relief. The author managed to keep the sarcasm light enough to be funny and the consequences livable. I enjoyed this tale very much and will await the second in the series to come out on audio. The narrator has agreed to read the entire series, always a plus in my book. In the meantime, I hope Anastasia’s family stops squabbling!
With Janet Evanovich’s character Stephanie Plum as a role model, and no one to rely on but herself, Anastasia returns to work as crafts editor at the New Jersey offices of American Woman magazine. There were plenty of shenanigans going on there as well with the fashion editor considering herself way out of anyone’s league. On this particular day, she breezed in several hours late and dressed to kill, including diamonds on loan from a New York jeweler.
Anastasia is called home to rent the apartment over the garage to a well-known photographer happy to find a place close to the city yet far enough away that neighbors don’t accuse him of running a meth lab rather than a dark room. Returning to work to prepare for the morning’s photo shoot, Anastasia finds the fashion editor sitting at her desk with hot glue dripping from her body and minus the diamonds.
Since the glue gun was hers and she found the body, Anastasia is high on the list of suspects and rallies her co-workers to help her investigate. Meanwhile at home she’s just trying to get her mothers and their pets to do more than growl at each other and help with her two teenage boys. She’s called home, again, to find the house ransacked by Ricardo, the loan shark, looking for his 50 G’s. Now the police were involved, just what she was told not to do.
Anastasia’s efforts to get out of this pickle had me laughing out loud. But her situation got worse, much worse, before she found relief. The author managed to keep the sarcasm light enough to be funny and the consequences livable. I enjoyed this tale very much and will await the second in the series to come out on audio. The narrator has agreed to read the entire series, always a plus in my book. In the meantime, I hope Anastasia’s family stops squabbling!
January 11, 2018
A quick read but no real oomph. The author references humorous mystery writer Janet Evanavich a few times and it was obvious she was trying to outdo J.E. with over the top characters. A little background: Anastasia Pollack is a crafter who writes for a women's magazine. She has a husband and two teen sons and all is ALMOST well, except for her weirdo mother-in-law, who is a communist and is cruel and bitter. Things are ok until Anastasia's husband dies and it is discovered he gambled away the family's savings. Now Anastasia has to deal with the fallout. To add to the misery, her mother shows up, in mourning for her 6th husband. There is a parrot who shrieks Shakespeare quotes. And with Anastasia's husband's death comes a vicious loan shark who wants the 50 thousand dollars he loaned to her husband.
As the troubles come to light, Anastasia's rotten, slutty co-worker at the magazine is discovered in Anastasia's office, glued to her chair, dead. Of course Anastasia's is the number 1 suspect.
I rated the book two stars, for "OK" because it was a quick read and author Lois Winston does have talent. But I just felt like I was reading a low end Janet E. novel, who by the way, has become tedious and redundant with her Stephanie Plum novels.
As the troubles come to light, Anastasia's rotten, slutty co-worker at the magazine is discovered in Anastasia's office, glued to her chair, dead. Of course Anastasia's is the number 1 suspect.
I rated the book two stars, for "OK" because it was a quick read and author Lois Winston does have talent. But I just felt like I was reading a low end Janet E. novel, who by the way, has become tedious and redundant with her Stephanie Plum novels.
March 9, 2020
Bonus points for a creatively gruesome murder weapon.
Anastasia Pollack’s career as crafts editor at a New York women’s magazine is a unique premise for a mystery series. In the opening pages, recently widowed Anastasia finds out her dearly departed hubby wasn’t the helpful partner she’d married. If possible, her life gets worse when a coworker is killed and guess who is the prime suspect? Bad luck sticks to Anastasia, well . . . like hot glue.
Surrounded by a hilarious cast of characters including two teenage sons, two obnoxious mothers and their pets, and helpful but bumbling coworkers, Anastasia has so much on her plate the reader genuinely questions whether she’ll find a way out of the mess. Especially when the mob gets involved.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical of this book at first.
Two reviews on the cover compared Anastasia Pollack to Stephanie Plum in the Janet Evanovich series. If you know anything about my reading tastes, you’d know that my mental vacation to Trenton, NJ to visit Stephanie’s friends and family is the highlight of my annual literary adventures. Could anyone write characters as memorable as Lula and Ranger?
But the reviewers were right.
This story is set in New Jersey with a cast of wacky family and friends, but Anastasia is an older, more mature answer to Stephanie Plum. The only way she can cope with the truly horrible things that keep messing up her life is to battle back using her wit and cleverness. Anastasia corrals her communist mother-in-law, clueless mother, and entitled sons to help out for a change, for cripes’ sake.
The mystery kept me laughing and guessing whodunnit until the end.
If you like solid mysteries filled with ironic one-liners, you’ll like this series. I’m excited to continue reading the rest of them. Lois Winston includes craft directions at the end for the projects mentioned in the book.
Anastasia Pollack’s career as crafts editor at a New York women’s magazine is a unique premise for a mystery series. In the opening pages, recently widowed Anastasia finds out her dearly departed hubby wasn’t the helpful partner she’d married. If possible, her life gets worse when a coworker is killed and guess who is the prime suspect? Bad luck sticks to Anastasia, well . . . like hot glue.
Surrounded by a hilarious cast of characters including two teenage sons, two obnoxious mothers and their pets, and helpful but bumbling coworkers, Anastasia has so much on her plate the reader genuinely questions whether she’ll find a way out of the mess. Especially when the mob gets involved.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical of this book at first.
Two reviews on the cover compared Anastasia Pollack to Stephanie Plum in the Janet Evanovich series. If you know anything about my reading tastes, you’d know that my mental vacation to Trenton, NJ to visit Stephanie’s friends and family is the highlight of my annual literary adventures. Could anyone write characters as memorable as Lula and Ranger?
But the reviewers were right.
This story is set in New Jersey with a cast of wacky family and friends, but Anastasia is an older, more mature answer to Stephanie Plum. The only way she can cope with the truly horrible things that keep messing up her life is to battle back using her wit and cleverness. Anastasia corrals her communist mother-in-law, clueless mother, and entitled sons to help out for a change, for cripes’ sake.
The mystery kept me laughing and guessing whodunnit until the end.
If you like solid mysteries filled with ironic one-liners, you’ll like this series. I’m excited to continue reading the rest of them. Lois Winston includes craft directions at the end for the projects mentioned in the book.
October 7, 2022
This was a fun read. Anastasia's life is not going well: recently widowed and discovering that her husband had a gambling problem that extended into the kid's college fund and everything else. To top it off, there's a loan shark out there wanting $50K she doesn't have.
Money troubles only snowball. But that's not all! Though she loves her job, she doesn't love discovering a co-worker in her office. Dead. Now, the police suspect her of doing the deed and don't seem to be looking past her. If they aren't looking for the real killer, then Anastasia has to.
There's a fun, quirky cast to the novel. I particularly love the "mothers," the evil communist mother-in-law vs the oft-married, recently widowed Daughters of the American Revolutionary mom. For animal lovers, there's a cat, dog, and Shakespeare-quoting parrot.
As a romance lover, I liked the tendrils of romantic tension between Anastasia and her handsome, prospective tenant.
I liked the mystery, red herrings, clues, and twists. I guessed the killer but didn't guess one of the twists, which were both satisfying.
The narration was good, and I liked that it had a solid ending.
Money troubles only snowball. But that's not all! Though she loves her job, she doesn't love discovering a co-worker in her office. Dead. Now, the police suspect her of doing the deed and don't seem to be looking past her. If they aren't looking for the real killer, then Anastasia has to.
There's a fun, quirky cast to the novel. I particularly love the "mothers," the evil communist mother-in-law vs the oft-married, recently widowed Daughters of the American Revolutionary mom. For animal lovers, there's a cat, dog, and Shakespeare-quoting parrot.
As a romance lover, I liked the tendrils of romantic tension between Anastasia and her handsome, prospective tenant.
I liked the mystery, red herrings, clues, and twists. I guessed the killer but didn't guess one of the twists, which were both satisfying.
The narration was good, and I liked that it had a solid ending.
March 22, 2025
Madness, Mayham, and Murder
I have to admit this mystery is well crafted, well written, with a compelling plot, but I almost didn’t bother to read it when I read that the main character has children. Usually this is a turn off but the teenagers are fine, it’s the rest of the family that gave me a head ache. Meant to be humorous, the squabbling grandmothers were a complete turnoff for me. The constant arguing wasn’t funny and very quickly became highly annoying. Anastasia is the craft columnist at a magazine. She with her two high school aged sons live in New Jersey. Her husband falls over dead in Vegas after taking out additional mortgages on their home, raiding the son’s college funds and the family savings. Bodies are starting to turn up at work and she’s the number one suspect. Meanwhile, a loan shark is calling demanding his money back, and expects Anastasia to pay it back. This mass hysteria might appeal to another reader, it didn’t work for me.
I have to admit this mystery is well crafted, well written, with a compelling plot, but I almost didn’t bother to read it when I read that the main character has children. Usually this is a turn off but the teenagers are fine, it’s the rest of the family that gave me a head ache. Meant to be humorous, the squabbling grandmothers were a complete turnoff for me. The constant arguing wasn’t funny and very quickly became highly annoying. Anastasia is the craft columnist at a magazine. She with her two high school aged sons live in New Jersey. Her husband falls over dead in Vegas after taking out additional mortgages on their home, raiding the son’s college funds and the family savings. Bodies are starting to turn up at work and she’s the number one suspect. Meanwhile, a loan shark is calling demanding his money back, and expects Anastasia to pay it back. This mass hysteria might appeal to another reader, it didn’t work for me.
October 1, 2021
“Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun” has an interesting cast, a good sense of humour, and a slightly better than average plot.
It's also got too much going on, a lot of repetition, very little to do with crafting (not a bad thing in my humble opinion), and, in the case of Zachary Barnes, a lot of scenery setting that goes nowhere.
Recently widowed Anastasia Pollack finds out that not only has dead hubby Karl wiped out all their savings, he also owed $50,000 in gambling debts and Ricardo is threatening her family unless he gets it. And then, of course, there is the murder of unpopular coworker Marlys whose body is left conveniently glued to Anastasia's desk!
It's a tale of survival on all fronts for Anastasia.
Maybe I am all cosied out at the moment but it just didn't really work for me. It's not great, it's not bad … it's in between.
2.5 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars because I did get a chuckle or two out of it.
It's also got too much going on, a lot of repetition, very little to do with crafting (not a bad thing in my humble opinion), and, in the case of Zachary Barnes, a lot of scenery setting that goes nowhere.
Recently widowed Anastasia Pollack finds out that not only has dead hubby Karl wiped out all their savings, he also owed $50,000 in gambling debts and Ricardo is threatening her family unless he gets it. And then, of course, there is the murder of unpopular coworker Marlys whose body is left conveniently glued to Anastasia's desk!
It's a tale of survival on all fronts for Anastasia.
Maybe I am all cosied out at the moment but it just didn't really work for me. It's not great, it's not bad … it's in between.
2.5 Stars rounded up to 3 Stars because I did get a chuckle or two out of it.
February 17, 2024
2.5 When Anastasia Pollack’s husband permanently cashes in his chips at a roulette table in Vegas, her comfortable middle-class life in New Jersey craps out. She’s left with two teenage sons, a mountain of debt, and her hateful, cane-wielding Communist mother-in-law. Not to mention stunned disbelief over her late husband’s secret gambling addiction, and the loan shark who’s demanding fifty thousand dollars.Anastasia’s job as crafts editor at American Woman magazine proves no respite when she discovers a dead body glued to her desk chair. The victim, fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg, collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos on her ruthless climb to editor-in-chief. But when evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia’s husband, Anastasia becomes the prime suspect. [amazon synopsis]
OMG!!! Horrible book. MIL is a card carrying Communist and spouts crap on every page.
OMG!!! Horrible book. MIL is a card carrying Communist and spouts crap on every page.
October 26, 2022
I loved the narration of Alexandra Bitton-Bailey
When Anastasia's husband dies, her mother-in-law who is a nasty, mean know lives with her and her two teenage sons. Finding a dead body at work and being hounded by a loan shark over debt her late husband owes; Anastasia has her hands full. Not only has she has the mother-in-law from hell but her own mother is just as bad. Her late husband had a serious gambling addiction. Not only did he cash out every penny they had saved, but a loan shark who expects her to come up with $50,000.
Then Anastasia finds the body of her colleague dead and glued to her office desk at work. And the police are looking at her. As the murder used her industrial sized glue gun that is covered with her fingerprints.
The humour had me laughing out loud. Loved
When Anastasia's husband dies, her mother-in-law who is a nasty, mean know lives with her and her two teenage sons. Finding a dead body at work and being hounded by a loan shark over debt her late husband owes; Anastasia has her hands full. Not only has she has the mother-in-law from hell but her own mother is just as bad. Her late husband had a serious gambling addiction. Not only did he cash out every penny they had saved, but a loan shark who expects her to come up with $50,000.
Then Anastasia finds the body of her colleague dead and glued to her office desk at work. And the police are looking at her. As the murder used her industrial sized glue gun that is covered with her fingerprints.
The humour had me laughing out loud. Loved
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