Blind Dates Can Be Murder

After finally getting over being left at the alter Jo has decided to move on by joining a blind dating service. Her first date isn't at all what she expected him to be and then even worse: he dies during their date! Suddenly Jo finds that she's the target of kidnapping, stalking, and death threats. She has no idea why but clues seem to lead back to her deceased date. Along with best friend Danny (who is now hopelessly in love with Jo) the two set out to find out why Jo is being victimized. Once again Mindy Starns Clark has written a winner. I absolutely adore Jo, she is one of the best recent female characters I have read. Just like in Trouble With Tulip, you can find household hints sprinkled throughout the book (now in email format!) and which also help to solve the mystery. I'm really glad that Danny was able to talk to Jo, now the ball's in her court. It'll be interesting to see how all that happens. I found the blind dating service to be very interesting since I have never used one before. I was really chilled and frightened while reading this book. Especially near the end, I couldn't put the book down because I feared so much for Jo. It was totally like watching a movie: mystery, action, romance, suspense, drama, characters you hate- such a well developed story line. Actually I really think they should make this series into a TV show, you could learn household tips and be entertained at the same time. Sort of Heloise meets Alias type of deal. This was such an excellent book, I thought it was even better than the first one in the series. And with the cliffhanger at the end of this book, I can't wait to get started on the third which is in my TBR pile. VERY highly recommended.

If your looking for pure entertainment, this is the book to read. The story never stalls. The characters are real, likeable, humorous, down to earth, yet we can see their flaws too. I like the way Mindy allows the reader to see the story behind the "villains" behavior and weaves redemption into their lives. Excellent read! I highly recommend this book and this author.

Readers, be aware. Not only is this book entertaining and inspirational, but informative as well. (How do you get wine stains off a blouse?) Move over, Martha Stewart. Here comes Jo Tulip. Household hint guru Jo Tulip continues her climb to fame in this second smart chick mystery. Her agent is sure that she will enjoy greater success with her syndicated column and increase traffic on her blog by joining a dating service. Jo proceeds hesitantly, since she doesn't want anyone to think she's desperate. Little does she know that will be the least of her headaches. Jo can solve virtually any tough stain problem, but when her blind date collapses on the restaurant's floor, she has no remedy for death. The evening deteriorates further as Jo learns that her mystery man was not her real date, but a fake. Instead, she finds her true date tied up in the dead man's trunk. Thankfully, he is relatively unharmed and good-looking to boot. Perhaps the night wasn't a total loss. But why was he targeted for violence and she for deception? Jo phones her best friend, Danny, to fill him in on the news. He expresses fear for her safety amidst the current dilemma, wishing she would be more careful. After all, he is in love with Jo, and must find a way to tell her. Will she respond favorably to his declaration of love? Danger lurks at every corner. Innocent people teeter at the brink of destruction and criminals keep getting away with murder. How will neat freak Jo and photographer Danny get to this puzzle's core? There's nothing like a good mystery, and this novel is worth its weight in clues. Clark's characters are delightful, the story full of interesting side plots and an overarching theme of God's care for us. The heroine isn't the only one who realizes the hope she has in Christ, and who is able to bask in His forgiveness. My nod of approval accompanies this lively mystery. I came away encouraged that "regular" people like me can be used by God to change things for the good. Thank God He guides us in the right direction and rewards those who sacrifice their desires for His own. Besides, He alone knows what's best for us. Who are we to mess with it?

It's been six months since household hints expert Jo Tulip was left at the altar on her wedding day. Finally ready to move on, she and some friends sign up for Dates & Mates, a local dating service. On her first date, she is surprised to find her best match isn't tall, dark, and handsome but short, fat, and bald. Not only is he completely unattractive but he's also very creepy. He has a horrid asthma problem and drops dead just after the main course is served. Jo's best friend Danny Watkins has been waiting for the perfect time to tell Jo about his true feelings. He's only recently figured out that he loves Jo as more then just a friend. But Jo being involved in yet another murder investigation just complicates things. What neither of them realize is they are truly in danger. Jo's dead date had some pretty unscrupulous business partners who think he gave something to Jo before they died. They are going to be pulled into a case far more dangerous then they ever dreamed they would face. This book is a great example of romantic suspense. There are few clues to follow and Jo and Danny spend little time attempting to do so, usually turning over anything they figure out to the police. However, the book shifts viewpoints quite regularly, allowing us to know what the bad guys are doing and how it affects our heroes. Equally important in this book is the romantic storyline. While I'm not a fan of romance books as a rule, I found myself pulled into this plot just as much as the murder. While this plot is certainly more predictable, it's handled well with a nice twist or two to throw things off a little. Mindy Starns Clark is a master of building suspense, and this book is no exception. While things start with a bang, the suspense just keeps growing until the book becomes impossible to put down. And she leaves us with a cliffhanger on the last page that is sure to make the reader buy the next book as soon as it comes out. Of course, part of this is because the characters are so good. Jo and Danny are well developed and truly likable; it's easy to root for them. The best character in the book is Lettie, the villain's henchwoman. She is really developed well and I felt myself very conflicted over what I wanted to have happen to her before the story was over. As mentioned earlier, the story is told from multiple viewpoints, shifting quite regularly. Most of the time, the scenes are a couple of pages or less, which makes the book a little hard to get into. After a few chapters, that's no longer an issue and the story pulls the reader along until the end. I've now read all of Mrs. Clark's books and loved each one. My only disappointment is that I have to wait until the next one is published to read another one.

Although I enjoyed Mindy Starns Clark's debut into the chicklit mystery genre, THE TROUBLE WITH TULIP wasn't as stellar as her previous mysteries. However, I'm happy to say that her second in the Smart Chick series, BLIND DATES CAN BE MURDER, definitely surpasses the previous with its witty and very funny take on online dating, identity theft, and murder. Jo Tulip is a household tip diva who signs up for an online dating service on the advice of her agent as a way of shoring up publicity for her website. However, she doesn't expect her first date to result in murder, kidnapping, stalking, and the break-in of her home. She also doesn't hope to find true love, especially when it comes from a place she least expects. When the owner of a strip club suspects that Jo knows more than she lets on about the murder of her date, he sets woman who is a master of identity theft on Jo's trail and sets in motion a series of events that will result in more murders and endanger Jo and her loved ones. Told from multiple viewpoints, BLIND DATES delivers a very humorous mystery that explores characters who are never one dimension. The bad guys are never completely bad, and their reasons for doing wrong are often justified in their own heads. Clark also provides a fascinating look into the life of a prison inmate, including the mentality of an ex-con once freed. My one complaint is that Clark ends the novel with a doozy of a twist that ensures that readers will definitely be anxious for the conclusion of the Smart Chick series.