Casting Call 4 Murder, by J. C. Eaton

 

First, an admission. Even while shaking me head and rolling my eyes at the antics of Phee's mother Harriett and her equally  quirky, strong minded Sun City pals, I adore this series. I not only fully enjoy the frequent insanity of the Sun City bunch but am always amazed how Phee, usually with help from hubby Marshall and his investigative partner Nate, somehow manage to make it all make sense.  

Seriously, as is noted in the book, every time they think Harriet and the Sun City West gang can't get into or make things worse, they somehow manage to outdo themselves. I'm not even going to attempt to detail the plot but will say you'll come away perhaps knowing more about fish taxidermy than you ever wanted to. You'll also meet Austin, so to speak. Nope, not even going there to explain that one. You'll also meet a cast of actors putting on a mystery murder at a swanky hotel with, uh, oh, the Sun City West ladies involved in the play. Then there's a real murder. The Sun City ladies have been inserting lines as they occur to them, never mind what the script says, which just adds to the confusion and chaos. The guests there for the mystery murder show get into it all, too, adding to the enthusiasm and confusion, which is interrupted briefly by the appearance of the series' biggest scene stealer, Streetman. Nope, again. Not telling but it is a riot. Oh, and there's a fish involved, too, just to confuse you more. Grin.

Bottom line, while I'm sure I've only manged to confuse you, if you like your mysteries with an ample dose of humor and fun, quirky characters, this one may be for you. I mean, even their cyber hacker, er, sleuth, is a character in all possible ways. Thanks #BeyondThePage for initially introducing me to Sophia/Phee and her merry cast of friends and family, outlandish as they may be at times. I appreciate the early peeks at her life, knowing I'll not only be thoroughly invested in the story, even when totally mystified at how it all connects, and will come way with a smile. We all need all the smiles we can find in life, don't we. Definitely never a dull moment when the Sun City West bunch is about.