How
to Lose a Job
A
Kate Williams Mystery
Becky
A. Bartness
iUniverse
(Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-595-49709-8 (0595497098)
ISBN-13: 978-0-595-49709-6 (9780595497096)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $21.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): After working fourteen years as a successful criminal
law attorney in Chicago, Kate Williams leaves her job looking for a
more stress-free lifestyle. A recent vacation at an Arizona dude ranch
entices her to the state, and she accepts a position as a deputy county
attorney in Phoenix.
Within weeks of beginning her new position, Kate realizes that the
Maricopa County Attorney's Office is not the employee haven she'd hoped
it would be. Not only does her supervisor, County Attorney Stan
Rantwist, claim he receives his orders from a higher power, but his
sneaky assistant Alan White seems to have made it his life's work to
spy on Kate's professional and personal activities. Worst of all, it
looks like something illegal may be going on in the office. Kate
enlists the help of her oddball assistants-the tattooed and pierced MJ
Polowski and the germaphobic Marcus John Martinez-O'Reilly Ramirez,
otherwise known as Sam-to help her investigate a series of grossly
overcharged criminal cases.
When investigation of the improper charges leads Kate and her crew to
the discovery of more serious, widespread corruption Kate faces the
difficult decision of who to trust. Can she be sure that the handsome
Deputy Sheriff Bryan Turner is on her side when he offers to assist?
One misstep and it could be more than her career at stake.
Review:
Kate Williams so much enjoyed her time in Arizona (the setting for the
first mystery in this series) that she decides to move there, quitting
her high-stress job in Chicago for a presumably more tranquil routine
in How
to Lose a Job, the second
mystery in this series by Becky A. Bartness.
After working 14 years as a successful criminal law attorney, Kate
accepts a position with the Maricopa County (Phoenix) Attorney's
Office. It doesn't pay nearly as well, but the quality of life is
better. Getting settled in means reviewing current cases before the
county, and what she sees is puzzling. Cases that should have been
classified as misdemeanors are entered as felonies. Cases that should
have been dismissed for lack of evidence are still active. As Kate and
her assistants delve deeper, she runs the risk of antagonizing her
supervisor, Stan Rantwist, a religious fanatic with his own agenda:
ridding the county of sin and using a "higher authority" as both his
spiritual and legal guide. Kate enlists the help of the deputy sheriff,
and together they discover an extensive drug trafficking ring that may
have links to the County Attorney's Office. But can Kate sort all this
out before she's given her walking papers and loses her new job ... or
worse?
How
to Lose a Job is filled with
delightfully quirky characters, especially Kate's assistants, the
heavily tattooed and pieced MJ and the obsessive/compulsive clean freak
Sam. Kate, herself, is quick and witty, and her new dog Ralph always
brightens the narrative whenever he's present. The story is light and
breezy, and fits well with the characters and setting. How to Lose a Job
is an entertaining mystery and makes for a pleasant way to spend a lazy
Saturday afternoon.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of How to Lose a Job and to Becky A. Bartness for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read How to Lose a Job? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
How to Ruin a Vacation
iUniverse (Trade Paperback), February 2008
ISBN-10: 0-595-45405-4 (0595454054)
ISBN-13: 978-0-595-45405-1 (9780595454051)
How to Lose a Job
iUniverse (Hardcover), February 2009
ISBN-10: 0-595-49709-8 (0595497098)
ISBN-13: 978-0-595-49709-6 (9780595497096)
Omnimystery
keywords for How to Lose a Job
...
Location(s) referenced: Phoenix,
Arizona.
