Deadly Advice

Dr. Rebecca Butterman is used to helping people - she's a clinical psychologist and the author of an on-line advice column, so when Madeline, her next door neighbor is found dead from an apparent suicide, Rebecca wonders if she could have done something to help her. When Madeline's mother insists it couldn't be suicide, Rebecca agrees to look into the death. Rebecca soon realizes that Madeline was not all she seemed to be and as she investigates the on-line dating world for a writing assignment, she realizes the two are linked. The more she looks into both cases, the more she puts herself into danger, danger she may not escape from. "Deadly Advice" is a well written and well plotted mystery. Rebecca is a nicely done, complex heroine, recently divorced and just starting to get her life back together. She is not perfect and her own personal therapy sessions help develop her character. While her advice column is interesting to read about, as were her attempts at on-line dating, what I liked best about the book were the details about her home life - her cooking, her taking in Madeline's cat, and her neighbors and the condo meetings they had. Rebecca's neighbors - especially Mts. Dunbarton, Peter Morgan, and Babette Fnster - are all well done. The mystery itself is well written and well plotted with plenty of red herrings and readers will have a hard time figuring out who the killer is. While author Roberta Isleib flirts with the almost standard mystery plot device of a romance between Rebecca and Detective Jack Meigs, she adds a welcome wrinkle to that formula. And, while the book seems on the surface to be a cozy mystery, it's a bit too gritty to fit that definition. "Deadly Advice" is well done.

I thoroughly enjoyed this not so typical addition to my cozy mystery collection. The plot is engaging and well-written. The flow of the book kept me reading (I couldn't put it down) and there were enough unexpected twists to keep things interesting. The psychological aspects of the novel fit in with the storyline in most places, though the psychology jargon would occasionally weigh the story down. Rebecca is a wonderful mix of intelligent and sympathetic, a combination not found often enough. Overall this is a smart and suspenseful novel, a worthy read for any mystery lover.

I won't bother summarizing the plot since it's been done so thoroughly by others, but I will say that although people refer to this book as a "cozy," it is anything but. Sure, there's the amateur sleuth, a bevy of sidekicks, and touches of humor but this book is considerably less "gentle" than most cozy mysteries. In fact, that's why I like it better. So if you're getting tired of the small-town, small-minds type of cozy, pick this one up. You *won't* be disappointed!

Dr. Rebecca Butterman is a clinical psychologist and author of an online advice column. When her next door neighbor, Madeline, commits suicide, she is surprised she didn't see any of the signs. Isabel, Madeline's mom, asks Rebecca to give her opinion about some things she finds in Madeline's apartment. Isabel doesn't believe it was suicide. The cops are convinced it was. Rebecca really doesn't want to become involved, but she does. Rebecca ends up tracing some of Madeline's forays into the dating scene when her editor assigns a column on dating. Add to that a messy divorce and the nosy neighbors and you have Rebecca's mixed up life. As she tries to untangle the information about Madeline, she also has to come to terms with her own life. Did Madeline commit suicide? If not, who killed her and why? Can Rebecca answer these questions without putting herself in danger? I loved this into into a new cozy mystery series. What a great idea to have an online advice columnist and psychologist be an amateur sleuth. I love it. Rebecca is not a know-it-all by any means. I felt I could really relate to her. She's just a down-to-earth woman with a lot going on who ends up trying to help out. I thought the plot twists and turns at the end were great. I stumbled right along with Rebecca as she found the killer. I can't wait for the next one! I highly recommend this book.