Book Review: Who Killed What's-Her-Name

Reviewed By: Carol Schwaderer Dickinson - RAM

Who Killed What's-Her-Name     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Elizabeth Daniels Squire
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Cozy   Amateur Sleuth   Humorous   Woman Main Character
Series: Peaches Dann # 1
original Berkley Prime Crime, Reprint Alexander Books; 1994; 239 pp

People have been recommending this absent minded sleuth series to me for a while. Speaking as a person who lives with others with memory problems this character is on target. A lot of what others would think of as laugh out loud funny was just normal for me, but I can see that for anyone not plagued with the challenges of frequent forgetting would be constantly laughing through this book.

I especially liked the chemistry between the characters that continue through the series, and the word pictures the author paints. I could see the environment and the action as I was reading as if it were a movie. The world of Peaches Dann is rich with the flavor of the south, and details of the characters. She's the kind of woman I would love to find living in my neighborhood.

And I really enjoyed the first person voice which allowed the reader to share with the sleuth that inner conversation one goes through when trying to find lost items, recall important details or even get through the day without too many disasters while providing wonderful characterization and delightful moments of whimsy. The flawed memory of the sleuth allowed the writer to plant clues, hint at clues, and hide clues in plain site. I did see the key clue when I read it, but like Peaches I couldn't figure out what it meant even though I use the same memory trick myself.

This is a light quick read almost of the beach read category. I look forward to the rest of the series and am sorry that with her sudden passing there will only be the 7 remaining for me to enjoy.

Carol Schwaderer Dickinson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Carol Schwaderer Dickinson - RAM