Review: My Jury is Out
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2012
This previously published series is being offered at very attractive prices, a good reason to see if it is congenial to your tastes. Most seem to be at a buck, with this and one or two others at nothing. Can't beat it. This one seems to lie somewhere beyond the beginning of the line, which raises the question of whether it is typical. We are given two heroines, both married, who have somehow previously earned so great an esteem from a Scotland Yard Inspector, that he freely shares much, though not all, knowledge of a case, with them. Further, he not only allows, but encourage them, to become near-equal participants with fellow police officers, to the extent that certain relevant tasks are assigned to them. One of the pair, has apparently persuaded the Inspector (in previous books) that her "visions" or "intimations" are valid clues to what might have happened at crime scenes and in other venues. (In this book, the author restricts her to only a dim "feeling", with relevance to forthcoming events, although the Inspector does make phone inquiry of her friend as to whether she has had any recent flashes for him). About all one can tell about the husbands (or live-in mates) is that they do exist, their role, apparently, being to offer moral support and to have provided some, probably irrelevant aid in siring the children (who are not to be found on the scene). The two are prime competition in nosiness and intrusiveness in other people's lives, with any individual or pair that the cozy mystery literature has to offer. They are ultra-modern, their mobile (American-cell) phones are always at the ready for speech or texting which is no hindrance to their willingness to go anywhere at any time to infringe on the lives of other people in whom they have an interest of any kind. They can talk, talk, talk, whether on the  phone or in person, they seem to gabble away constantly. Introspective consideration seems to take moments only for either one, then back to the interpersonal verbal exchange. Aside from from these traits, they seem amenable enough, save when they perceive any violation of what, in the United States, is called "political correctness". Physical retaliation for an uncalled-for remark is sufficient cause for physical (and illegal) violence.The plot is simply stated although the path to nabbing the evil doer is filled with twists and turns. One of the heroines mates runs a  sort of home-like meeting place for his widowed mother (who does the cooking). The couple manage the place which is on its maiden voyage with a gathering of wannabe authors come to be tutored by a successful writer to whom they say they grew attached in a previous, more formal, gathering.The wife of the successful author is found dead the first night, having apparently registered for the meeting under an assumed name. Who dun it?I should say that the regular reader of cozy Kindle mysteries, in which group I would number myself, should take  a look at this book, in order to answer the question, do I want to buy and read more of these, while they are priced so favorably.My answer, as I have suggested, is to hedge my bets, take the two (or, perhaps, three) free books, and read them to make up my mind as whether to acquire the others before the price rises. They show promise, this book might be a little below the average for the series, or, naturally, at the norm or above it. I do not regret the time spent to read the book in its entirety but cannot give it an unqualified positive recommendation.