Review: Great Beginning for Cosy Mystery Series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 23, 2013
I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I rated it 5 out of 5 Stars.Part comedy, part mystery, Eye Spy by Jenna Mattison is a fun; contemporary tale of a married woman who finds out her husband's a cheater and somehow ends up becoming a private detective.  With likable characters, witty dialogue and a good supporting cast, Ms. Mattison's book had me turning the pages from beginning to end.  While there is a small mystery, it's the comedy in the book that not only had me laughing out loud but made me fall in love with the characters.The wife of a podiatrist, Liza Radley can't believe her friends think her husband's cheating on her.  Just to prove them wrong, Liza decides to hire a private detective to spy on him.  Only she can't afford the $5000 retainer fee.  Deciding to do it herself, after all how hard could it be, Liza ends up at Eye Spy, a store specializing in electronic surveillance equipment.  Shocked when her friends turn out to be right, Liza finds herself filling for divorce and helping another woman check up on her husband.Jack Parella was forced to give up his badge as a Boston detective due to an injury received in the line of duty.  Running a store specializing in surveillance equipment is his way of staying on touch with his "cop" roots.  Attracted to a client who's determined to prove her husband is not a cheater, Jack is both saddened and relieved when Liza discovers her husband is a looser; he's relieved she's going to be free and available but saddened to realize she now thinks every man is a cheating looser.  Determined to prove her wrong, Jack agrees to be partners on a case she took on while in his store.The scenes between Liza and Jack are a riot.  They have great verbal give and take, and it's really fun watching a former cop, who's a big fan of film noir, chatting it up with a woman mostly stuck in the 80's.  It helps that Liza is completely hopeless when it comes to using verbal clichés and always gets them wrong.  Ms. Mattison does an excellent job developing both characters, separately and together, and it's great to watch Liza realize she had given up on her dreams and desires for someone else.  Watching her sort of fall back in love with herself and with her ideas was really great.Will Liza and Jack prove their client's husband is faithful or a cheater?  Will Liza realize she wants to be a "private eye" for real?  You'll have to read Private Eye to find out, I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading what Ms. Mattison puts these characters through next.