Asking For Murder (Advice Column Mysteries)

This was a terrific mystery that kept me guessing until the last moment. But even more than that, it made me want to be there with protagonist Rebecca Butterman as she figured it all out. Besides the mystery line -- who's attacking Rebecca's best friend and leaving her for dead -- there are fascinating details on sandtray therapy and a great romantic triangle. Plus, you can almost smell the pancetta frying when Rebecca has a dinner party.

When psychotherapist Rebecca Butterman's friend, therapist Annabelle Hart, misses a luncheon engagement and does not return her calls, Rebecca becomes concerned. She goes to her friend's house and finds Annabelle badly beaten. Annabelle is rushed to the hospital, where she lies in coma. Rebecca's attempts to see Annabelle at the hospital are denied by Annabelle's sister, a cold woman who writes a catty gossip column. Rebecca incorporates the help of Detective Meigs, who concludes that Annabelle was beaten as the result of a botched robbery, and then mysteriously disappears. Rebecca decides to do some sleuthing on her own, which isn't easy with so many people connected to Annabelle acting suspicious, if not guilty. This third outing in the Advice Column Mystery series by Roberta Isleib proves another winner. Rebecca Butterman is complicated, has unresolved issues, and is still trying to find her way in the world. She can be petty and has lingering doubts about her divorce, but overall is intelligent and loyal and works hard to make the best out of the situations she finds herself in while trying to deal with past traumas and lingering issues. Isleib throws in plenty of red herrings, wrapped around an intriguing plot.

i hope we get to see more of dr. butterman. ms. isleib has created a character i enjoy cuddling up with late at night.

When Dr. Rebecca Butterman's close friend, therapist Annabelle Hart is badly beaten and left for dead, Rebecca not only takes on some of Annabelle's patients she sets out to find her attacker. The police, including Detective Jack Meigs, think it was either a botched robbery or an abusive boyfriend, but Rebecca disagrees and wants to find out what really happened. She's on her own - Meigs doesn't want her help, nor does Annabelle's sister Victoria. Rebecca is determined to find out who attacked Annabelle, even if it puts her own life at risk. "Asking for Murder" is a nicely written, well-plotted mystery. Rebecca is a complex character - a psychologist who is good at her job but with plenty of her own issues. One of the things I like best about her is that she doesn't have all the answers and often jumps to the wrong conclusions, which makes her a very realistic character. She is a loyal friend to Annabelle but she struggles with her relationship with her ex-husband and Meigs as well as a new relationship with a guy who might be too nice for her. The psychology aspects are well done (author Roberta Isleib is a clinical psychologist) and I found the sand play therapy fascinating. Rebecca also writes an advice column and Isleib deftly weaves the advice columns into the plot. The mystery is well plotted and readers will have a hard time figuring out who Annabelle's attacker is. There are some surprises that are nicely incorporated into the book and at the end I went back to a few spots to see how cleverly Isleib had worked them into the plot. While the book sounds like a cozy mystery, it is a bit too gritty at times to be called that (it reminds me a bit of Diane Mott Davidson's catering mysteries). "Asking for Murder" is the third book in the "Advice Column" mystery series (the first two are Deadly Advice (An Advice Column Mystery) and Preaching to the Corpse: An Advice Column Mystery) and the series gets better with each book. Well done!

Dr. Rebecca Butterman arrives at her friend Annabelle Hart's office only to find her gone. It's not like Annabelle to forget about the lunch the two friends have been planning and Rebecca starts to worry. Dr. Butterman drives to Annabelle's home, where she finds a hidden key and lets herself in. Something terrible has happened and she's shocked to find Annabelle's bruised and battered body. Rebecca's friend, Detective Meigs and the police believe Annabel's attacker might be one of her patients. Both women are therapists and it seems like a frightening possibility. Annabelle's attack and recovery take center stage as Rebecca puts aside her own problems and determines to find her friend's attacker. Annabelle's sisters arrive on the scene and neither one of them seem very nice. Rebecca's involvement soon puts her in danger. It's becoming clear that Annabelle's attacker is after her too. I'm fond of reading stories with Rebecca Butterman in them. Her character's strong, feisty and likable and the stories are well written and entertaining.