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We all should have a Charlotte Adams in our lives - our closets would be coordinated, our kitchens would be organized, and all our spices would be in alphabetical order. Emmy Lou Rhinebeck is in need of Charlotte's skills to sort out her mammoth collection of stuffed animals. As Charlotte and Emmy Lou are working on a plan to put the animals in some sensible order, two immature young men, Tony Starkman and Kevin Dingwall, appear at the window looking menacing, and ready to sneak some pictures. Both women are upset, but Emmy Lou freaks out. When Charlotte returns for a pre-arranged meeting, she finds Tony dead at the bottom of the steps. Emmy Lou keeps repeating that she is responsible for the death and refuses any legal help that would get her out of jail. Charlotte is totally befuddled, since she is convinced that Emmy Lou is innocent, but the woman is adamant in her refusal of assistance. Suspects pile up in the cul-de-sac where Emmy Lou lives. There is the ageing hippie, Pattie Magliaro, who walks her cat regularly in the area. There is even Emmy Lou's husband, Dwayne, to whom she has been married less than a year and who, at least in part, is responsible for the stuffed animal collection that threatens to take over the house. There are two friendly neighbors, the Baxters. He's a computer consultant and she, though suffering from multiple sclerosis, nevertheless manages to bake cupcakes for a small business. Most formidable are Emmy Lou's neighbors across the street, who are actually Emmy Lou's autocratic father and timid mother. As Charlotte persists in her search for Tony's killer, she is hampered by her former friend, now foe, Pepper, a policewoman who - very wrongly - believes that Charlotte has set her cap for her rather dim-witted husband. Charlotte is an appealing character, but one has to wonder why she insists on chasing the killer when she has only met Emmy Lou twice and the woman keeps insisting she's responsible for Tony's death. The character you'd like to take home to dinner is Jack Reilly, Charlotte's landlord and - so it seems - boyfriend. His happy-go-lucky attitude is infectious as is his insatiable appetite for Ms. Baxter's muffins.
Reviewed by Mary Elizabeth Devine, June 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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