Take the Monkeys and Run (A Barbara Marr Murder Mystery) by Karen Cantwell

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: EBook
Release Date: October 2010

Suburban housewife Barbara Marr is not having a good day. In fact, it’s something straight out of the movies she so loves to watch. Her husband suddenly walks out on her and their three daughters, she’s turning 45 and now there are monkeys running wild around her backyard.

After hearing strange noises coming from the vacant house next to hers, Barbara does some snooping and finds a rotting dead head. She wonders just what is going on in the small town of Rustic Woods, Virginia. With the help of her friends, Barbara starts to do some investigating. She’s determined to get an explanation for the monkeys and the dead head, but when her neighbors decide not to talk, she knows something very big and very bad is going on in Rustic Woods. When she starts to receive death threats, Barbara fights back and refuses to back down until she gets some answers.

This is a rip-roaring, laugh out loud, cozy mystery. I couldn’t put my ereader down. The characters are off beat with a wide range of different personalities – loveable ones to not quite so loveable. From bumbling mobsters to a cop who bares a striking resemblance to Brad Pitt.

The story is fast-paced, fun and with quite a few twists all rolled into one cute adventure. There was one scene in the book that scared this animal lover, but I kept reading and I'm glad I did. I do hope there will be more Barbara Marr stories in the future. I already miss Barbara and her wacky friends and family.

A book that can bring so many hours of laughter into my life, definitely deserves a 5 kitty rating and the Socrates’ Great Book Alert Award.






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