November 8, 2009

Review: Poison Pen by Sheila Lowe



When publicist Lindsey Alexander was found dead in her Jacuzzi not too many people were sorry that she was dead. What was surprising to most was that she committed suicide. Lindsey was a horrible person that enjoyed stealing boyfriends and generally making life hell for those around her and didn’t seem like the type to take her own life.

After one stinging betrayal, forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose cut Lindsey out of her life many years ago but during a chance run-in Lindsey was able to convince Claudia to analyze a few handwriting samples for her and financially Claudia afford to pass up the opportunity.

Convinced her death wasn’t a suicide, Ivan, Lindsey’s business manager, hires Claudia to examine the suicide note. In her search for more handwriting samples to compare the note to, Claudia gets pulled into investigating Lindsey’s schemes and the real killer will stop at nothing to keep his involvement in the whole sordid mess covered up.

This is book one in the Forensic Handwriting Mystery series but the third one in the series I’ve read. Both books two and three stand alone and after reading and enjoying them I came back to Poison Pen to get the rest of the back story on Claudia. It was fun reading about her meeting the hunky detective Jovanic since I already know how their relationship progresses in the other books.

What was a little surprising to me was that in this book Claudia is a little rougher around the edges. She cusses and is a little meaner than I remember in the next two books. My impression of her in those is that she’s more professional and mellow but she’s a great character either way and I recommend this book and series to anyone who loves mysteries and cozies.

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1 comments :

Melissa said...

I have read the second book and have the first one on the way to me, but I don't know if I will go back to the beginning. I am enjoying the series so far though.