Review: Stand By Your Man (and kid, and dog, and...)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2013
This was my first foray into the works of Bobby Hutchinson.  Maddie Bertusso is a private investigator and owner of a rescued basset hound, Watson, keeper of a seriously dysfunctional digestive system that leaves entire rooms in clouds of toxic gas.  Maddie has been asked by her sister Francie to help exonerate Francie's boyfriend, Sebastian.  Sebastian has been accused of being the "Cycle Snatcher," a motorcycle purse thief who knocks down old ladies and steals their purses before taking off into the unknown.The problem with the request is that Maddie is certain Seb is guilty as sin.  Maddie's ever-controlling parents think the same thing.  Since she had already agreed to help her parents convince Francie of Seb's guilt, she agrees to look into things for Francie, without telling her that the plan is actually to cement his conviction.This book kept my attention throughout, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Grandmother Thelma was a riot, and I cackled at all of her antics!  I was also as exasperated with Maddie's family as she was.  She doggedly pursued her task despite the interference of family members with their own problems.  Finn Fisher is brother to Sebastian and father to Zoe, a precocious child who thoroughly steals Maddie's heart as well as several scenes in the book.  He also turns out to be Maddie's fantasy come to life, which poses problems in and of itself when he hires Maddie (for actual money ~ no family favors here) to help prove Seb's innocence.  Thus begins an incredibly fun romp through the life and times of the Bertusso family peacekeeper.I read through this novel in a single sitting, and I will definitely be looking at additional books by this author.Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from Story Cartel in exchange for my honest review.