Formula for Murder

FORMULA FOR MURDER
By Diana Orgain
Berkley Prime Crime Mystery
2011
Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-425-23988-9
278 pages
$ 7.99

Working from home is the ideal career for a new mother. However, what kind of job can make you money and still allow you to be a mother? For Kate Connolly, it is being a private detective. Of course, she has the support of her husband and fortunately, the help and guidance of one of her mother’s boyfriends who already has his private investigator license.

Now, how do you get paying clients?

Kate has a natural ability to be at the wrong place at the worse time. While taking her young daughter on a drive to get her first holiday pictures, the two are hit by a hit-and-run driver. The car is totaled but the two of them appear to be fine. Kate cannot forget the face of the driver of the car. Fortunately, a witness is able to give her the information about the car and it is traced back to the French consul.

Naturally Kate and her husband visit the French consul and don’t get much assistance or information, but they do notice two well-known television reporters leaving. When one of these reporters is found the next day murdered, Kate manages to be hired by the victim’s former husband to investigate this death. Of course, she is still looking for who hit her vehicle seems to believe that the two acts seem to be somehow related.

FORMULA FOR MURDER is a well-written cozy mystery. The story keeps a fast pace while being realistic and having somebody always with the baby as well as the guilt for not always being the unrealistic perfect mother. The characters are fun and believable. I do believe that the reader would enjoy this book more if they have read Orgain’s previous books, BUNDLE OF TROUBLE and MOTHERHOOD IS MURDER which have the same characters and personal connections.

Diana Orgain is a resident of San Francisco and uses this setting in her novels.

FORMULA for murder is a fun mystery to read. I look forward to the next book in this series.