COVER YOUR ASSETS (Patricia Smiley)

The cover of this mystery has a quote from Janet Evanovich describing the novel as "a real treat", and she is right! I really enjoyed sleuth Tucker Sinclair, a smart, determined management consultant with a wacky movie star mother named Pookie, a silver Boxter, and an adorable dog named Muldoon. In this entry Tucker is called upon by old friend Cissie Brice to help her clean up loose ends after the murder of Cissie's husband Evan, who also happened to be Tucker's fiance in college before she caught Cissie and Evan in flagrante delicto. Tucker is drawn into the investigation of Evan's death after she is asked by Cissie to clean out Evan's apartment, which he purportedly used to unwind from the demands of his career as a successful Hollywood agent. Tucker's natural curiosity, analytical skills, and daredevil tendencies lead her through a series of almost believable adventures, including a car chase, a mugging, and a desparate search for a lost dog. This promises to be a solid mystery series with likeable characters and very logical, well-thought out plots.