Shakespeare's Champion (Lily Bard Mysteries, Book 2)

Its a day like any other. Lily Bard wakes and heads to Body Time to get in her daily workout, but as a favor to her friend Marshall(who is sick with the flu)Lily arrives early with the Gyms key to open for the day....when she walks in she is shocked to find a dead man. The 3rd dead man in Shakespeare in as many months....who was stalking the people of Shakespeare?? Coming to the conclusion of this mytery was wild fun and filled with twists and turns all over the place..not to mention more of your fave characters and a steamy hot new one :o) I liked this installment even better than the first and I intend to devour the 3rd the moment it hits my mailbox. Charlaine Harris can write. Her dialogue flows fresh and natural and she has a real knack for mixing the serious and the scandalous with the fun and the flirty. I just adore her work. If you have not yet read this series, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It is soooo entertaining!

When housecleaner Lily Bard discovers a body in her gym, Body Time, she sees a connection to earlier murders that have taken place in her adopted town, Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily Bard moved to Shakespeare several years before to restart her life after a personal tragedy received national media attention, but her life since then has been anything but quiet. After stopping an interracial fight at a local drive-in Lily becomes the focus of unwanted attention by some of the town residents. She decides not to move, but instead to stay and try to solve the murders that have made living in Shakespeare difficult for many of its citizens. Charlaine Harris has a more complex plot structure in "Shakespeare's Champion". Events go back and forth in time and details are revealed from Lily's former life. And Lily really develops as a character in this book: when big things go down in Shakespeare Lily is forced to make crucial decisions that show what she's made of. This is also the book where she meets Jack Leeds. ; )This is my favorite Lily Bard installment yet. Charlaine Harris uses an economy of words that makes every narrative detail important. I love the names she chooses for characters and businesses, but for all those whimsical details her stories are streamlined and focused.If you've started the Lily Bard series that begins with "Shakespeare's Landlord", be sure to read "Shakespeare's Champion". Harris' other series are also a lot of fun. And if you like Harris' writing be sure to try Elizabeth Peters' and Laurie R. King's mystery series.

Shakespeare's Champion is the second book in the Lily Bard series, but can be read as stand alone if you should be so lucky to find this book first. This book finds Lily still cleaning away and uncovering more secrets about the residents of Shakespeare than she ever really wanted to know. However, Lily has quite a few secrets of her own so she knows how to keep her mouth shut. When she isn't cleaning, Lily is busy going to the gym where she works on bodybuilding and karate. One morning, on her way to an early workout, she discovers a fellow gym member, dead, with a barbell across his throat. Lily desperately wants to believe that it was an accident, but there are too many other suspicious "accidents" including a young black man's unsolved murder, the bombing of a church, and many others. It appears that most of the crimes are racially motivated, but Del is a white bodybuilder who works in the sporting goods store. How does his death fit in with the others? Lily unwillingly involves herself in investigating the crime and uses her unique vantage point and circumstances to collect information. She quickly discovers that there is something fishy in Shakespeare. Lily doesn't want to suspect one of the longtime residents, but there are only so many newcomers to town. So when Lily discovers one dark stranger showing up at the most unlikely places, such as her client's closet, it is only natural that her suspicions would fall on him...I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries and/or tough female characters. Charlaine Harris' characters are wonderful. They are quixotic combinations of practicality, spotenaity, weaknesses and strengths. I felt that I could identify with most of the characters immediately upon meeting them. It was also wonderful to get the start of a love story for Lily. True, she dabbled in a little romance in Shakespeare's Landlord (book #1 in the series), but she has a serious shot at a relationship in this book. The plot was well drawn and, I must admit, the final chapter of the book was a surprise. If you enjoyed the first one, you will love the second one. Just be aware that this is by far the most expensive book to own in the set. It isn't hard to find - just expensive!

I've read all four books in this series, and am looking forward to the fifth. This is one of the best. Lily's actions and attitudes ring true with her past, and it's fascinating watching her guard go down in small ways as she starts to let people into her life. The mysteries are intruging, and the characters (Jack is a solid addition) fit the setting.

I loved this book for many reasons. Harris' style is unique, and as a sixteen year old girl I found it very enjoyable.