Review: Candy, Corpses and Classified Ads

Candy, Corpses, and Classified Ads
by JL Lawson

Twenty years ago, JT McCord jilted Molly Lawford. She survived and moved on to marry twice, but her first husband died and her second husband ran off with a hairdresser. Molly gave up on romance and settled down in Tangle Butte, Minnesota, as a small town reporter.

Now JT McCord is back in town as the Chief of Police. His first official act is to investigate how Molly's thought-to-be-vanished husband turned up buried next to the septic tank in Molly's back yard, dug up by a neighbor's marauding pig.

While helping JT unravel the facts, Molly's resolve about keeping him at bay unravels, too. If she can survive a couple of attempts on her life (and maybe arm wrestle a couple of town hussies for JT's affection) she might find the love of her life—all because of a pig and some plumbing.

I always find myself looking for words that describe the story I’m reviewing. I must admit that the words actually present themselves during the reading. I find the overall tone of this book to be light, airy, mysterious and fun to read. There is a gentle love story woven throughout. I was wowed by the heroine, Molly. I think you will find her down to earth. You know, a normal person and someone you could meet anywhere and enjoy chatting with. She is sensible but determined to have her life the way she wants it. The silliness and maybe the passion of youth has been displaced by a mature women displaying real emotions. It is refreshing to read and it made Molly’s character seem more realistic.

Her male counterpart in the story is J.T. He appears as the long lost love returning and that also has its own sweet quality. Having made mistakes earlier in his life, he left to go elsewhere until he felt the pull to return to his home town. JT appears as another solid, sensible person showing mature reasoning. Of course, as the local Chief of Police he finds that he is returning not only to his roots but to seek Molly out and rediscover the town he grew up in.

The town plays a big part in the story too. It’s a typical small town with many other characters moving throughout the story. Some examples are: a friend who reads Tarot cards, a mother's difficult relationship with her daughter,and a newspaper editor who is interested in all the characters.If you could find a town like that where the occupants support each other, you should move there. I know I would.

Of course the mystery is the base of the story. A body unearthed by a pig? How cool is that? That single event grabs your attention. The town folk galvanize into action to protect their own. That protection includes Molly and JT, with the locals using ingenious solutions to deal with the situation.

The story is fast paced. I personally love stories that I cannot put down until I've re-read it once more. The author hasn’t made one bumble; the story is smoothly written, events flow and your interest is kept focused on it. The romantic part of the story gave me that sweet feeling, making me warm all over. I never felt like I was dragged into the bedroom with the characters and forced to witness everything that went on. The love scenes reflected the more mature satisfaction of love.

All in all this story delivers a heady romance, a well written mystery and a great ending, which you will have to read to find out!



Review by Verbena