Dead of the Day

Karen E. Olson's character Annie Seymour is fabulously flawed. She is a reporter for a fictional New Haven Ct newspaper and has a great sense of humor AND, self. She has romantic problems, work problems,and someone is trying to kill her. This book is a quick , enjoyable read with murder, mayhem and romance. I love how she inserts real New Haven places into her novels. If you are from New Haven you can try to guess who her characters might be based on. But even if you are not, you will enjoy this book. If you like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, you'll love Annie Seymour.Olson writes mysteries realistically. I loved this book. If you are a fan of Rocco's Bakery you will appreciate her mentioning it.

Annie is working on a profile of the new New Haven police chief, Tony Rodriguez, for her paper when he is unceremoniously gunned down in front of a local theatre before she even manages to finish the article. He had seemed like a very `benign' fellow, and Annie is puzzled as to who would want him dead, so of course must begin to dig deeper. Annie and her new boyfriend Vinnie the private investigator are on the outs after an argument at Christmas, but why is Vinnie's brother Rocco hanging around trying to get them back together? And what is his connection to a mysterious Hispanic girl who also seems tied in some way to a body that was found in the river--and to another body that is found in the trunk of Annie's beloved, battered Civic? And what is Annie's mother's role in the whole grand scheme of things? Lots of questions, but Annie's a reporter and finding answers is what she does. Oh, and if you remember in my previous reviews of this series I mentioned the `animal' theme--the first book featured cows, the second one chickens. No pigs were found in this book...the theme animal here was...BEES! No, I'm not kidding...and it's an odd role they play, too. This series has quickly become one of my favorites; I love Annie's brassy, sassy character (with Annie's propensity towards using four-letter words, this is definitely NOT a cozy!) and the secondary characters are also interesting, although Annie's menfolk don't seem to have much depth at this point--all they seem to do is smile enigmatically, kiss energetically and show up at the right time to ask, "Are you all right?" There is definitely some room for growth there. Heh. There is a `torn between two lovers' element to this book, but for some reason it doesn't `bug' me as it does with some other books--and it SEEMS to be resolved at the end of the book. But then again, I thought it was resolved at the end of the last one too! WhatEVER! I enjoyed this entry in the series--and I'm looking forward to November and Shot Girl.

Karen E. Olson's third book is an engaging fun read. I feel the stories are getting better and funnier. I won't repeat the comments on Annie, she is great. Loved the action in the New Haven Herald. Now, when is the next one coming out?

I absolutely loved this book. Karen Olson takes her readers on a non-stop ride with great plot twists. And as exciting as the plot is, the book is truly centered on Annie Seymour herself - a winning combination of tough and vulnerable. There are wonderful sparks in terms of the romantic leads, as well, and intriguing details about life in New Haven. Reading this gave me a much needed vacation. GREAT STUFF!

Crime reporter Annie Seymour is presently working on two pieces for the New Haven Herald: a floater at Long Wharf whose body is covered with bee stings and a profile of on the city's new chief of police Tony Rodriguez. However, Annie struggles with the profile that isn't coming together because Rodriguez is so bland she can't find a hook. The story about the floater is also difficult to write about because nobody knows who he is or where he came from . The chief of police story turns exciting when a drive by shooting leaves Rodriguez dead while he sat in his car. Witnesses claim that someone opened fire on two policemen, Annie's ex-boyfriend Tom and Rodriguez's second-in command Sam O'Neil. The shooter is now in the hospital in a coma. Annie is assigned the story and finds much more than she bargained for with illegal immigrants, a green card scandal, bomb sniffing bee experiments and someone wanting to permanently stifle the curious intrepid reporter. This crime thriller starts out at light speed and accelerates from there never giving the readers a chance to catch their breath. Annie is a strong willed woman who never lets a death threat frighten her off the investigation. Besides dodging bullets and cars that want to run her off the road she is trying to figure out if Vinnie the P.I. she is in love with and hasn't spoken to in months wants to get back together. This is a great investigative series and readers will look forward to the next book in the series. Harriet Klausner