Caught in the Act

"Caught In The Act" (Amhearst Series #2) has main character Merrilee Kramer bumbling from one klutzy moment to another, getting herself into scrape after scrape as she tries to find out who killed Arnie Meister. Merry is the local paper's cub reporter covering the murder story who fashions herself to be a sleuth. It's Christmas, and she is having a hard time figuring out who would want to kill Arnie, her co-worker's soon to be ex-husband. But before you can string up some garlands, the suspects start piling up: the soon to be ex, an old high school flame, the biggest business tycoon in town. To make matters more complicated, Merry thinks she's falling in love with Curt Carlyle, a local painter, but are her many brushes with near death scaring him off? I liked Merry Kramer and her antics. The book is well written, as are all Gayle Roper's books. As it's set at Christmas, this would make a dandy Christmas gift.

After reading Caught in the Middle, the first book in this series, I thought that it would be impossible for the second installment in Gayle Roper's series to measure up to the first book. Happily, the second book is even more entertaining than its predecessor and will not disappoint readers in any way. Perhaps the best part of this series is the main character. Merry Kramer continues to be a person that everyone can relate to. She, unlike many characters in Christian fiction, is a real person who is not perfect. She makes mistakes but learns from them, just like the rest of us. She battles with bad hair days and the always present cat hair on her pants. She often finds herself in unusual and often hilarious situations and never runs away from a challenge. The rest of the books characters are immensely entertaining; from Merry's demanding cat to the artist who is constantly frustrated at her independence. The newspaper staff that Merry works with is full of colorful characters who provide many of the best scenes in the novel.As an avid mystery reader, I am used to being able to predict the endings of mysteries before the main character does. I was very happy to discover that I was completely wrong in my guess at who the murderer was in this book. The ending is a complete surprise; I cannot think of a better way to end such a charming, entertaining book.Humor, mystery, faith, and a little bit of romance are all skillfully blended together to create a book worthy of a "prime" spot on anyone's bookshelf.

If you read my review of the first book, you know that I loved it. Well, in my mind, this one is so much better. I don't remember laughing out loud at this one, but over all the story is so great. The mystery is harder to solve, yet makes perfect sense. The romantic subplot is great as are the plots involving the other characters that we meet. I saw a lot of myself in Merry's problems with her personal life. The first book is great and a great way to meet the characters, but this book gets even better. Be sure to read them both. I'm egarly waiting the third book, Caught Napping, which the author has just started on.

I didn't think I would enjoy "Caught in the Act" as much as I did "Caught in the Middle", but I liked it even better! The mystery kept me guessing until the end of the book(and so did the romance). I can really relate to Merry. She seems like someone who would be a good friend(if she were real). She's a great character. I cannot wait for the next in the series. Write(and publish) faster!

The predecessor to this book was good, but the sequel was even better. The characters are just as real and loveable, and the feisty heroine Merry tells her story with both dry wit and tender feeling. The mystery was also even better--just about as hard to solve as an Agatha Christie. If you liked the first book, grab "Caught in the Act"!