Trouble in Spades: A Nina Quinn Mystery

I have just discovered Heather Webber and she is a good writer. I will keep her on my favorit Author list. This book is funny, the charaters are 3 deminsional and the plot was good.

The 2nd installment in the Nina Quinn Mystery series continues shortly after the first book ends. Nina Quinn is the owner of Taken by Surprise, a horticulture business that does surprise makeovers to landscapes. In the previous book, Nina had just discovered that her detective husband had been cheating with his female partner, and she struggles to keep a brave front and to be a parent to her stepson, Riley. Leaving Riley in her care on what looks like a permanent basis, her soon-to-be ex, Kevin, leaves most of the parenting to her. Riley has started a new job bagging groceries at Kroger, and it would seem that he is coming out of some of his teenage rebellion. But when a series of burglaries in her neighborhood have the neighbors complaining about a panty thief, Nina starts to notice that Riley has been sneaking out of the house. Could he the prowler? Along with this disturbing discovery, Nina's future brother-in-law, Nate, disappears less than 2 weeks before he is to marry her sister, Maria, and they both suspect foul play rather than cold feet. When a body is discovered, and has a strong connection to Nate, Nina becomes very worried and starts her own investigation. Trying to uncover the panty thief, keeping Riley at home, working countless hours, and cleaning up after a Chihuahua with a bladder problem has Nina jumping from morning until late at night. And trying to find a murderer and Nate will really have her burning the candle at both ends. I love this series! This book was laugh out loud funny at times. I loved the quirky character of Nina, her assistant Tam, and neighbor, Mr. Cabrera. The scenes with Gracie (the dog) were hilarious, and I also enjoyed the family feud between Nina's mother and her aunt. The mystery was good, and I was glad to see that Nina did not rely on her ex for "inside" information from the police like happens in many cozies. This is a refreshing, fun series! The first book in the series was called "A Hoe Lot of Trouble". Enjoy!

"Trouble in Spades" picks up right where "Hoe Lot of Trouble", the debut of the Nina Quinn landscaping series, leaves off. In fact, the second book is set only two weeks after the first one. Ohio landscaper Nina Quinn, owner of a landscaping make-over company, is still in the midst of divorcing her police detective husband Kevin. "Trouble in Spades" revolves around another crisis which looms large for Nina's family--the rapidly approaching wedding of Nina's younger sister Maria. The wedding is only two weeks away, and Nina still hasn't been fitted for her matron of honor dress. But a bigger problem arises when Maria's fiance Nate suddenly disappears. Maria's not sure of Nate has gotten cold feet about the wedding or if his disappearance is connected to something more sinister. In the midst of doing a huge landscaping makeover for Maria for a wedding present, Nina finds herself getting involved in the search for the missing fiance. And as several corpses turn up (one is found right in the midst of the makeover site), Nina realizes that she may have turned up more trouble than she can handle. This second mystery definitely stands well on its own, as author Webber does a fine job of incorporating background information on all the important characters. Readers of the first book will enjoy getting to know Nina's family better. "Trouble in Spades" focuses a lot more on developing the character of Nina's sister Maria, who is a neurotic but lovable bride-to-be. This well-plotted mystery with a gardening twist was a quick and very entertaining read.

Nina Quinn is doing a backyard makeover for her sister Maria as a wedding gift. But when the groom, Nate, goes missing, Nina isn't sure what to think. Should she continue doing the makeover? Will the groom's father still pay? Where is Nate and why can't Maria contact him? When a corpse is discovered, things go from bad to worse. Is Nate in trouble? Is Maria in trouble? Can Nina help her sister find Nate and discover what is going on? Plus, there's a thief on the prowl in Nina's neighborhood preying on the elderly. And her stepson is not coming home until very late at night. Can Nina unravel all these mysteries without putting herself in danger? I really like this series. Nina is such a fun character. She's very down to earth and believable. The people she employs are fun, and her family really adds to the story. Then there are her neighbors. What a hoot! I can't wait to read the next one! I highly recommend this book! [...]

Here goes Nina Quinn in trouble, again. Just a few weeks after narrowly escaping death it seems that death isn't through with her yet. Thrown into the middle of a mystry involving her sister's fiancee', Nina again must try to solve this mystery before it desolves her. While Nina is trying to figure this one out, she has to team up with her soon-to-be ex and an undercover FBI agent. And to make matters worse, love decides to make an appearance in her life. As if she wasn't busy enough! ***** Just like her prevoius book, Heather Webber has gotten me completely hooked. If there will be any more mystry in Nina Quinn's life I want to read about it. I definatly recommend this one.***** Reviewed by K. Blair.