Book Review: A Real Basket Case

Reviewed By: Dawn Dowdle

A Real Basket Case     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Beth Groundwater
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Woman Main Character   Amateur Sleuth   Cozy
Five Star, Hardback, 3/07, 274 pages, $25.95

Claire Hanover is feeling lonely. Her Colorado Springs gift basket business is enough to fulfill her. Her husband is working night and day and ignoring her. Her friend Ellen, who has been bitter since her divorce, gets her to join her exercise class. When their handsome aerobics instructor, Enrique, shows interest in Claire, Ellen urges her to have a fling. Claire agrees to a massage. What she didn’t realize was that it would in her bedroom! Just when the massage was about to start, Enrique is shot and Roger, Claire’s husband, is in the doorway with the gun.

At first Claire isn’t positive Roger is innocent, but soon realizes he’s being framed. The police are happy they’ve got their man, so she sets out to prove his innocence. She finds herself with many unsavory people in the course of her investigation, especially the drug dealers. Then there are the many gym ladies he supplied with cocaine or seduced for money. Can Claire sort out the suspects and find the killer before the killer finds her?

I really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to read the next! Claire is such a fun character. The story kept my interest at every turn. It did have some situations where I found myself saying, no way would I do that. I felt a normal person would have called the police, but Claire persevered and won me over! I hope the author writes fast!

I highly recommend this book.

Dawn Dowdle

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Dawn Dowdle

Please visit Dawns website at www.mysteryloverscorner.com