Me, myself, & Irene

Hope everyone comes through the wrath of Irene ok. Batten down, stock up flashlight batteries, and lay down lots of mystery reads. This weekend will be good to catch up on reading if you aren't being evacuated!

Seriously, Love, Honour, and O'Brien by Jennifer Rowe, forthcoming Jan. 2012, is not the kind of thing I typically read and I didn't know if I would like it. Set in the picturesque Blue Mountains of Australia, it features Holly Love, a naive young woman, engaged to her dream man, who is not at all what he says he is. She leaves her secure office job to be married at the beginning thinking her fairy tale life is about to come true. Things unfold - I hate to give the plot away- but it is a lighthearted accidental detective story with some interesting twists and turns, some likable and highly unlikable characters- such as an Elvis impersonator chauffeur, kindly psychic, alcoholic detective O'Brien, a cool talking parrot and charming Holly herself. I really loved reading it. My only caveat is the ending is so abrupt I was looking to see if I had skipped pages. Not sure about that- maybe they plan a sequel to answer a lot of plot questions? Anyway, fun, amusing read with an empathetic note toward its characters foibles.