AGNES AND THE HITMAN, by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

• Pub. Date: August 2007
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 

 

Synopsis

When a fiery food writer meets a hitman with a heart of gold, all bets are off in this“wildly entertaining” (Seattle Times) novel from bestselling authors Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer.
IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT
Agnes Crandall’s problems are rolling to a boil. First, a dog-napper invades her kitchen, seriously hampering her attempts to put on a wedding that she’s staked her entire net worth on. Then a man climbs through her bedroom window to save her. “Shane” (no last name) may be Agnes’s hero, but he’s also a professional hitman—so he’s no stranger to trouble himself…
GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN
Between a rival who wants to take him out and an uncle who may have lost five million bucks in Agnes’s basement, Shane’s plate is plenty full. Soon Agnes and Shane are tangled up with the lowlifes after the money, a gang of Southern mob wedding guests, a dog named Rhett, and—most dangerous of all—each other.

Review

Cruise is fantastic and light and entertaining as usual. I read Welcome to Temptation this bast Christmas and got hooked on her style of mystery and romance. I haven't read anything singly by Mayer, but I feel the need to now so I can see how each is incorporated in their joint works. Yes, I said workSSS.

The setting is whimsical, like a Nora Roberts backdrop with some added mystery and violence (maybe Janet Evanovich-y?) The story's beginning is complicated, only to get even more so once the reader is filled in on the circumstances. My favorite character is Brenda and the situations she creates or finds herself in. That and the dead body pileup. In real life it wouldn't be funny, but this author duo makes it work.

Like I said before, although it is a mystery novel, it was light reading with a great, twisty little ending. Worth the read.