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Kate Kennedy and her friend Marlene are discussing the current senior dating scene in southern Florida -- and within the first two pages, this reader was laughing. Marlene is definitely my favorite character; she has spunk and a longevity attitude for her passions. Three times married and available, Marlene is seriously pursuing a date match. She hopes to meet her next possible admirer if she can only find her shoes. The relationship between Kate and Marlene is honest and comfortable. When Kate needs an aide for her personal investigations, Marlene is her choice. Kate moved to Florida when her husband, Charlie, died. A recent nine month widow, she misses him terribly. Charlie was a former New York homicide detective and Kate is keeping him in mind as she conducts her sleuthing -- and she gets plenty of practice! Her neighbor Mary Frances invites her to a posh dinner celebrating Swami Schwartz's accomplishments as the Palmetto Beach Yoga Institute founder. Not knowing why she is present, Kate quickly learns that Swami plans to offer her a board position. Who is Swami? He's Brooklyn born and went to India where he practised yoga and meditation. Returning to the United States, he opened his institute with the help of some moneyed friends. But the dinner party is abruptly interrupted by a death. Characters displayed at this dinner reveal the descriptive power of the author. Two of these characters are Dallas, a Marilyn Monroe understudy type who loves her horse, and Mary Frances, the dancing ex-nun. Most characters are very visual and many of them are larger than life. It does not take long before you realize there are other shenanigans going on involving after-death experiences. This is the only flaw in the story for me; sections of this theme appear choppy and disjointed. Having said that, the characters over-ride this factor. Main character, Kate Kennedy, is billed as June Cleaver. She is also dubbed as Miss Marple by Detective Nick Carbone. He is a rough, tough investigator who likes to spar verbally with Kate. In future installments, I am sure Carbone will be present and there may be more action, especially in a romantic sense between these two characters. The appealing print, short crisp chapters and the characters (especially Marlene) contribute to making this story a quick read. Another plus for me in this story is the appearance of Ballou, Kate's westie. For those of you who are dog people; he is a great addition. This book is the second in the Kate Kennedy series.
Reviewed by Rita Ratacheck, January 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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