A Tax Deductible Death

Malinda! This is good! It's funny; it's romantic; it's a quick, fun read, and it's very good. For a first novel, "A Tax Deductible Death" is remarkable. The tension is high, with the stakes raised every few pages. We genuinely care about Maggie, especially with her fate so linked to her parents'. I particularly loved the bag lady's hex. And your one liners: "...he felt as out of place as an opera fan at a monster truck rally." And, "Cleon raising his voice was about as common as Mother Theresa participating in wet tee shirt contests." I never tired of the sexual innuendo, as with "He stopped, turned around, and found a gun pointing at his crotch." And "[You don't like me] because my IQ isn't lower than my bust size?" You also did your homework on personal finance, such as the Title 31 provisions against "smurfing." And you even identified the penalties for an "aggravated case." Did you have an earlier incarnation as a stockbroker? There may be one or two plot elements that might have been handled differently, such as how Tim could have been in position to save Maggie from the bus yet not have seen her assailant. But, overall, I'm glad I tracked down "A Tax Deductable Death" from the reference on your editor's website. I'm ordering your second book, "To Give or To Deceive," today. And, honestly, girl; keep 'em coming.

This is a fast-paced whodunit with nicely drawn characters and sharp dialogue. A reader who is paying attention will figure out what was actually going on well before the final scene, but it actually isn't that important because so many stumbling blocks are thrown in front of the lead characters, it's just fun watching them twist and turn to avoid them on their way to the truth. The secondary characters were a conniving bunch who continued to make life difficult for our heroes.Maggie is a nice person who becomes morality-challenged through unforseen life circumstances. Tim is a fine example of what the average federal employee is like - just trying to do a good job and getting no public credit for it. A mild romance between them finally starts to develop by the end of the book, but it wasn't the primary focus of the book. This book begs the question, what would you do if you had access to all that money?I'm looking forward to further books by Ms. Terreri.

Malinda Terreri's new series featuring stockbroker Maggie Connors was both a well constructed mystery and a fun read. Fans of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich will like "A Tax Deductible Death" where Maggie,a dead client, and the IRS all are lead on a merry chase to a hoard of cash. I'm looking forward to the next installment!

A fun, witty novel! Maggie makes a great female protagonist - self-sufficient, smart, and sexy in a 21st century way. The plot is quite intriguing without being heavy. And there are many very interesting characters to muse over in this great end-of-summer read!Looking forward to the next book - hope Maggie's the star in it as well!

A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DEATH is an amusing investigative tale with several twists and turns that will surprise the reader. Though too much of Tim’s difficulties depend on coincidences, the story line is fun to follow. Maggie struggles with a money problem and someone trying to kill her, but retains her eccentricity throughout the plot. On the other hand, Tim "by the books" is not sure what happened to his perfect world, but it crashed rather quickly. Cleon and the odious Arthur round out the key players with their own brand of peculiar behavior. In her debut novel, Malinda Terreri provides a wonderful mystery due to an outlandish yet realistic group of players.Harriet Klausner