Author: Diane Stingley
Published by : Alibi
Date of publication: May 19, 2015
In the start of a charmingly imaginative cozy series sure
to delight fans of Carolyn Hart and Diane Mott Davidson, Diane Stingley
introduces a blundering detective who believes herself to be the
great-great-granddaughter of the legendary Sherlock Holmes.
After failing to launch her career as a Hollywood actress,
Tammy Norman returns home to North Carolina, desperate for a regular paycheck
and a new lease on life. So she accepts a position assisting Shirley Homes, an
exceptionally odd personage who styles herself after her celebrated
“ancestor”–right down to the ridiculous hat. Tammy isn’t sure how long she can
go on indulging the delusional Shirley (who honestly believes Sherlock Holmes
was a real person!), but with the prospect of unemployment looming, she decides
to give it a shot.
Tammy’s impression of her eccentric boss does not improve
when their first case involves midnight romps through strangers’ yards in
pursuit of a phantom dog—that only their client can hear. But when the case
takes a sudden and sinister turn, Tammy has to admit that Shirley Homes might
actually be on to something. . . .
The Case of the Invisible Dog is supposed to be a take off on a Sherlock Holmes mystery. I love Sherlock Holmes, so I was eager to read this one. I do enjoy a good cozy and quirky mystery, but unfortunately, this wasn't one for me. It ended up being a DNF.
The book is told from Tammy's point of view. I had a hard time liking Tammy. She seemed lazy and immature. I couldn't imagine taking a job not knowing who I really worked for. Shirley clearly is not right in the head and thinks she is a descendant of Sherlock Holmes. She lives above a bakery and has a sister named Myra. I imagine this could be funny, but I got tired of her long-winded explanations for everything. It was almost too quirky/spoofy. I stopped reading when Shirley's doctor approached Tammy to talk about Shirley's issues. Ethically, no doctor would do that.
I'll have to chalk this as another one not for me. I think for the right reader, this will be a hit.
The book is told from Tammy's point of view. I had a hard time liking Tammy. She seemed lazy and immature. I couldn't imagine taking a job not knowing who I really worked for. Shirley clearly is not right in the head and thinks she is a descendant of Sherlock Holmes. She lives above a bakery and has a sister named Myra. I imagine this could be funny, but I got tired of her long-winded explanations for everything. It was almost too quirky/spoofy. I stopped reading when Shirley's doctor approached Tammy to talk about Shirley's issues. Ethically, no doctor would do that.
I'll have to chalk this as another one not for me. I think for the right reader, this will be a hit.
About Diane Stingley
Diane Stingley is the author of Dress
You Up in My Love and I’m With Cupid. She was also a
columnist for The Charlotte Observer and received e-mails from
around the country in response to her columns. She currently resides in North
Carolina and is hard at work on the next Shirley Homes mystery.
Purchase Links
Diane Stingley’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, May 11th: Kahakai Kitchen
Monday, May 11th: A Chick Who Reads
Tuesday, May 12th: Bibliotica
Wednesday, May 13th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, May 14th: Mama
Vicky Says
Monday, May 18th: Priscilla
and Her Books
Monday, May 18th: Bell, Book & Candle
Tuesday, May 19th: Book Babe
Wednesday, May 20th: Reading Reality
Monday, May 25th: Patricia’s
Wisdom
Tuesday, May 26th: Open
Book Society
Wednesday, May 27th: Mom in Love with Fiction
Thursday, May 28th: For the Love of Fictional
Worlds
Monday, June 1st: A Book Geek
Wednesday, June 3rd: Dwell in Possibility
Monday, June 8th: Staircase Wit
Thursday, June 11th: Joyfully Retired
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour.
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