One Dead Under the Cuckoo's Nest: A Pauline Sokol Mystery

If you enjoy Stephanie Plum, Myron Bolitar and other smartly written, part time investigators with quirky friends, families, impersonality's, you will enjoy this series as well.

Fans of Janet Evanovich's books will love this one. A wacky mystery with a slightly wacky heroine. I mean who would let themselves to be committed to the locked unit of a mental institution voluntarily?? But you have to give the heroine points for dedication to her job. I'm looking forward to reading more about the sparks that are definitely there between Pauline and Jagger.

Lori Avocato's new release, ONE DEAD UNDER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, is a fun and sassy addition to the mystery genre. This third foray into the strange and wonderful world of Pauline Sokol, registered nurse turned fraud investigator, takes Pauline to the other side of the needle. Locked up against her will in a mental institution is nearly enough to drive her insane, especially when it's with the full knowledge of her supposed partner, the mysterious but oh-so-sexy Jagger. But with patients disappearing into the mysterious Ward 200B and then leaving covered by a sheet, Pauline realizes that there's more at stake than a few minor inconveniences --- like shackles on her bed and the occasional shock therapy. In addition to tight pacing and a well developed plot, Avocato has done a wonderful job of creating believable, lovable, secondary characters. The flamboyant Goldie, along with his devoted boyfriend Miles, are truly endearing. They're both tough and compassionate and give the book extra zing. And for all you Jagger fans from Avocato's first two books, never fear --- he's back at his snarky but seductive best! I'm looking forward to the next offering from this rising star on the mystery shelves!

Pauline Sokol is a burned-out registered nurse. [In the first book of this series] Pauline leaves nursing and becomes an insurance fraud investigator for Scarpello & Tonelli Insurance Company. Pauline should have known something was up when Jagger shows up at her parents' house for her birthday party. Jagger says all he needs her to do is help him escort a lady to the Cortona Institute of Life, a mental institution run by nuns. By coincidence, her boss has given her a third case. This one is for psychiatric fraud. So Pauline now has two psychiatric cases at the same time. It all goes down hill and Pauline is the one committed, unwillingly, to the institution. Even her attractive sometime-cohort Jagger refuses to help get her out. No one believes that she really sane and a mistake has been made. Since she is there anyway, Pauline begins doing what she does best, snooping. Turns out that she is not the only one that has been kidnapped and committed. A huge scam is going on and she is in WAY over her head. When the first body shows up, Jagger wants Pauline out. However, Pauline now refuses to leave. Other innocents are depending on her. With a little help from Jagger, her own kooky family, and a few "sanity-challenged" friends, Pauline just may survive this case. ***** This is Pauline's most serious case yet! There is more romance, more time spent with her interesting family, and the secondary characters (in and out of the institution) are even more colorful than before. The Sokol's extended family members have carved a place for themselves within my heart. If the book has Lori Avocato's name on the front, buy it! Don't even bother reading the synopsis on the back cover. You won't be disappointed! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Former nurse Pauline Sokol is enjoying her birthday party with her parents when the mysterious Jagger, who she has worked with before, shows up claiming he needs her help. He wants Pauline, a Scarpello & Tonelli insurance fraud investigator, to assist him in escorting Mary Louise Huntington to the Cortona Institute of Life mental institution near Hartford, a facility run by nuns; Jagger insist that the escort must be a nurse. At the same time her sleazy boss Fabio dumps a psychiatric fraud case on her lap while he goes to gamble at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The two simple cases collapse when the nuns take Pauline in as their patient. No one including Jagger bails her out and she fails to prove to the Sisters that's she is sane. So rather than mope, she begins sleuthing only to learn other patients have been abducted and committed to this institution. However, the fraud turns ugly when murder occurs, but Pauline refuses to walk away as she has befriended some of the innocent victims. The third Sokol insurance fraud mystery (see A DOSE OF MURDER, THE STIFF AND THE DEAD), ONE DEAD UNDER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, is a terrific tale. Pauline is not only at her courageous best, but her family, the mental institution patients, others and especially Jagger add depth and to a degree eccentricity to the exciting story line. Lori Avocato writes a fabulous mystery starring a delightful protagonist and a horde of supporting players who together provide a fine who-done-it reading experience. Harriet Klausner