Book Review: Love and the Single Corpse

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Love and the Single Corpse     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Annie Griffin
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Senior Sleuths   Amateur Sleuth
Series: Hannah & Kiki # 3
Berkley, Aug 2000, $5.99, 288 pp.

Hill Creek lies about a half an hour north of San Francisco. The Marin County town is considered an upscale community with its residents consisting of yuppies and new-agers. It is a nice town where nothing ugly occurs and the latest craze is typically adopted here. When something wicked does occur, sisters Kiki Goldstein and Hannah Malloy can usually be found in the middle. The sexagenarian siblings have energy to burn that is the envy of teenagers.

A hit man murders Hannah's favorite teacher, Geraldine Markham. Hannah feels very guilty because the woman called her for help, but circumstances prevented Hannah from providing aid to Geraldine. Hannah vows to ferret out the identity of the murderer. Her quest sends Hannah and her sister into danger that almost costs them their lives.

The two sisters are eccentric dynamos, who vividly display that the retirement set can do more than just action shuffleboard. Kiki is a real cool character who flirts like a butterfly, but stings like a bee. Hannah tries to futilely keep her sibling in line. LOVE AND THE SINGLE CORPSE has an exciting amateur sleuth who-done-it that shows how talented Annie Griffin is.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner