I'll explain...

First, the book I just couldn't get into. I'm not terribly squeamish. I've always loved murder mysteries, and dead bodies (in a literary, not literal, sense) don't bother me, but for some reason one particular part of the book Dead Guy's Stuff just had an 'ick factor' I couldn't get around. I won't say what it is, but it just turned my stomach.

  I may have forgiven this but for a problem (in my perception) with the author's technique. This may not bother you, but it is a deal breaker for me. The author, Sharon Fiffer, introduces in rapid sequence four different viewpoints to the novel, and I hated it. It felt like head-hopping, even though she did adequate preparation for each POV. She got great reviews on amazon.com, so I can only think this is a personal bugaboo that bothers me. If not for the ick factor, I probably would have ignored that part and read on.

Next, the book I flipped to the end of. I started out mildly interested, but found myself bored. Why? Two factors, both of them personal. First, though Joanne Pence did a great job of isolation and atmosphere, two things I love in mysteries, I felt there was too great an emphasis on the romantic aspect. I like romance, so why did this bug me? I'm not sure, but it may have to do with my second bug about the book. The heroine is only 24, and I must say the author did a great job of conveying a 24-year-old's feelings, and for me that was the problem. She did such a great job that I lost interest, foreseeing a whole lot of relationship angst in the mystery... 'does he love me, does he not love me, why doesn't he love me...'

It just impeded the mystery aspect, so I flipped to the end, and then though I know who did it, I clearly missed a whole lot. Oh well, life's too short to read books one doesn't love.

And that leads me to the winner, Murder Sets Seed. This book made me read even through Jeopardy, and I love Jeopardy!

I loved this book!!! Janis Harrison got every detail right for me, and the heroine's personal life angst was done to perfection. Perhaps what it comes down to to some extent is that this book speaks ot me because of a couple of factors: it is in my favorite POV - first person - and that is well done. I can 'hear' the heroine's voice; the heroine has weight issues, and that is so close to home; and the heroine is in her forties.

So what it comes down to is, I clearly have a much smaller realm of mysteries to choose from if my definition of a good mystery is that narrow. However, I don't demand perfection from every mystery, just a factor or two I can enjoy. I'm off to scan my TBR pile to see what else piques my interest. But first, I'm going to look for the first book in the Murder Sets Seed series, and also see what has come after.

Right now I just dove into Farewell Performance by Donna Huston Murray, and it seems promising... first person, thirties-aged heroine (Ginger Barnes), great attitude. Her sweatshirt, with the word 'whatever' emblazoned on it, bodes well. And I love it when the murder happens in the first chapter.

See you after my next reading jag!!!!