This book seems to be a blend of 'chick-lit' and mystery, with the same sort of chatty, protagonist narrators and cutesy gimmicks as I have come to expect from much of the chick-lit genre, but tempered by a couple murders. This is the sort of book in which we know what brand of clothing the protagonists are wearing in every scene, though at least this sort of detail is not what the narrators are most concerned about in their storytelling. I enjoyed this story as light reading, but I'm definitely shifting to reading some murder/crime novels by female authors who do not stoop to chick-lit stylings in their books. I love that there are so many female sleuths now in the crime genre, but I wish more of them were written as professional, respectable sleuths equal in standing to Holmes and Poirot, rather than as cute girl sleuths for girl readers.

The sleuths in this series are a mystery writer and her grandmother, both on psychotropic drugs for mental illnesses, and the grandmother is decidedly annoying even when on her meds, I'd say not just bipolar but probably high-functioning autistic as well. She has absolutely no concept of appropriateness as far as her behavior, and no concern for how she affects those close to her. She is unlikeable both for the other characters and for many readers, but she does at least find out what she needs to, and she's smart. Her granddaughter is supposed to be an adult and divorced, but she acts like she's never really grown a backbone of her own, and seems closer to 16 to me, enough that I was occasionally surprised when she did things that reminded the reader that she's in fact a grown up. The dog, while present and treated as a central character, is not a sleuth, nor does it talk in any way, and is seemingly just an added cute factor to attract readers, though maybe in other books in the series the dog is more important.

I do recommend this book for those wanting a light, fast read with enough detective work to still seem like the mystery is the point of the book rather than a flashy extra, and maybe when I've read more of this series (I've got a few more checked out) I'll like this book more in context of the series. ( )

This particular novel involves the two women traveling to New York City to attend a comic book convention where they hope to auction off an original Superman drawing. Of course, the drawing is inside a briefcase, handcuffed to Vivian's wrist and who knows who has the key. Their car breaks down on the way and, when a Broadway costume designer stops to help them, they push on to the City with Vivian desperately trying to get the helper's name and address to add to her Christmas list, a list that one can never get off, not even if one dies.
They are also traveling with a blind dog.

There are several murders at the comic convention and Vivian does get involved somehow with mob figures, but this is as lighthearted and funny as murder can be. Their adventures, told in alternating chapters with their alternating points of view, are told in voices that can only be described as tongue-in-cheek. It is obvious, too, that the author team has some familiarity with these conventions and the odd characters found therein.

All in all, a fun, lighthearted romping novel that gives one a break from all the tough-nosed Mickey Spillane type fiction one reads. ( )