Book Review
Diner Impossible by Terri L. Austin
Book 3: A Rose Strickland Mystery Series
Publisher: Henery Press
Publication Date: November 12, 2013
Format: Paperback - 286 pages / Kindle - 557 KB / Nook - 568 KB
ISBN: 1938383761
ASIN: B00GJYBY10
Genre: Cozy Mystery
BUY THE BOOK: Diner Impossible
BUY THE SERIES: A Rose Strickland Mystery Series
Book 1: Diners, Dives & Dead Ends
Book 2: Last Diner Standing
Book 3: Diner Impossible
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.
Book Description:
Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all! Diner Impossible is the third in the Rose Strickland humorous mystery series. In case you missed the first two, check out Diners, Dives & Dead Ends (#1) and Last Diner Standing (#2). Plus, Diners Keepers, Losers Weepers, a Rose Strickland novella, will be in the mystery anthology The Heartache Motel (December 2013).
Book Excerpt:
I arrived at my parents’ house ten minutes late—if anything would cure my mother’s strange behavior and induce her ire, tardiness was the ticket. It wasn’t my fault. I got held up by an accident on Apple Tree Boulevard. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t accept excuses.
I noticed my sister’s car missing from the driveway. Unusual. She always made it to family dinners. I was sometimes an afterthought, but Jacks had a standing invitation.
I rang the bell and shivered on the flagstone stoop. The sharp tang of wood smoke hung in the air. It was a perfect night for a fire. In the overcast sky, a sickle moon peeked through thick, swiftly moving clouds. I hoped we wouldn’t get snow. March. So fickle. Seventy degrees one day, stormy and freezing the next.
My mother answered the door, looking sleek as always in a bronze silk blouse with matching slacks. Every champagne blonde hair perfectly in place. Stick thin and flat-chested, I got my lack of the boobies from her side of the family. From my dad, I inherited my blue-green eyes. In fairness, he was flat-chested as well.
“Hello, Rosalyn,” she said. “Come in dear, it’s so cold.” Something about her was different tonight. The withering glare she always reserved for me was absent.
“Sorry I’m late.” I didn’t know what she’d prepared for dinner, but it smelled savory and delicious.
“Only by a few minutes, it happens. Let me take your coat while you go to the living room. Your father’s pouring drinks.”
This was not the verbal smackdown I’d been expecting. No Jacks, no vegetarian cuisine, no castigation. Who was this woman and what had she done with my real mother? Glancing over my shoulder, unable to pull my eyes away from this stranger who looked just like her, I stumbled into the formal living area.
My father stood next to the antique mahogany liquor cabinet. He wore his thick, sandy hair parted to the side. His uniform—khakis, golf shirt, and argyle sweater vest—showed off his trim figure. “Hello, Rosalyn. What would you like to drink?”
“Just water, please.” I needed my wits about me tonight. Something was going on and it scared me. Were they getting a divorce? Or moving to Boca Raton? No, that was insane. My father still had his podiatry practice and my mother held court at the country club and Junior League. She wouldn’t give that up, not for anything. In fact, they’d probably have to pry the Special Events Coordinator chair from beneath her cold, dead ass.
My father, John, poured a glass of sparkling water and brought it to me, bussing my cheek after handing it off. “Good to see you, dear.”
My mother reappeared. “Dinner’s ready. I made a roast. We don’t eat much red meat, but I know how you like it, Rosalyn.”
I slammed my glass down on the marble-topped coffee table, which caused my mother’s shoulders to twitch. “Okay, that’s it. What is wrong with you two? Mom, do you have a brain tumor?”
I noticed my sister’s car missing from the driveway. Unusual. She always made it to family dinners. I was sometimes an afterthought, but Jacks had a standing invitation.
I rang the bell and shivered on the flagstone stoop. The sharp tang of wood smoke hung in the air. It was a perfect night for a fire. In the overcast sky, a sickle moon peeked through thick, swiftly moving clouds. I hoped we wouldn’t get snow. March. So fickle. Seventy degrees one day, stormy and freezing the next.
My mother answered the door, looking sleek as always in a bronze silk blouse with matching slacks. Every champagne blonde hair perfectly in place. Stick thin and flat-chested, I got my lack of the boobies from her side of the family. From my dad, I inherited my blue-green eyes. In fairness, he was flat-chested as well.
“Hello, Rosalyn,” she said. “Come in dear, it’s so cold.” Something about her was different tonight. The withering glare she always reserved for me was absent.
“Sorry I’m late.” I didn’t know what she’d prepared for dinner, but it smelled savory and delicious.
“Only by a few minutes, it happens. Let me take your coat while you go to the living room. Your father’s pouring drinks.”
This was not the verbal smackdown I’d been expecting. No Jacks, no vegetarian cuisine, no castigation. Who was this woman and what had she done with my real mother? Glancing over my shoulder, unable to pull my eyes away from this stranger who looked just like her, I stumbled into the formal living area.
My father stood next to the antique mahogany liquor cabinet. He wore his thick, sandy hair parted to the side. His uniform—khakis, golf shirt, and argyle sweater vest—showed off his trim figure. “Hello, Rosalyn. What would you like to drink?”
“Just water, please.” I needed my wits about me tonight. Something was going on and it scared me. Were they getting a divorce? Or moving to Boca Raton? No, that was insane. My father still had his podiatry practice and my mother held court at the country club and Junior League. She wouldn’t give that up, not for anything. In fact, they’d probably have to pry the Special Events Coordinator chair from beneath her cold, dead ass.
My father, John, poured a glass of sparkling water and brought it to me, bussing my cheek after handing it off. “Good to see you, dear.”
My mother reappeared. “Dinner’s ready. I made a roast. We don’t eat much red meat, but I know how you like it, Rosalyn.”
I slammed my glass down on the marble-topped coffee table, which caused my mother’s shoulders to twitch. “Okay, that’s it. What is wrong with you two? Mom, do you have a brain tumor?”
My Book Review:
In Diner Impossible, the third installment in the Rose Strickland Mystery series, author Terri L. Austin transports the reader back to Huntingford, Missouri, for another zany adventure featuring the sassy diner waitress / part-time college student / amateur sleuth Rose Strickland. This time there are two interweaving cases for Rose and her quirky gang of friends to solve: the murder of Delia Cummings, the crooked police chief's secretary / mistress; and best friend Axton's request to look into the theft of a signed Star Trek uniform.
Diner Impossible is an entertaining cozy mystery told in the first person narrative by Rose, who takes the reader along for the ride on her latest investigative adventure. In this latest installment in the series, Rose is back in the wealthy society world that she grew up in dealing with family issues and a high profile local murder case; while also dabbling in the world of Trekkies, where her bestie Axton's group of Klingons are battling with their Starfleet rivals. This fast-paced cozy mystery has a lot of intriguing twists and turns that easily engages the reader and keeps them guessing what will happen next, while also providing a lot of laugh-out-loud moments that will keep you in stitches. Author Terri L. Austin continues to provide the reader with a series that has a great balance of humor, intrigue, and a touch of romance that is just plain fun to read.
The quirky cast of characters from the first two books in the series: Ma, Roxy, Axton, and Sullivan are all back in this book along with Rose's mom Barbara, who gives her wayward daughter more family grief. These fun characters will keep the reader entertained with their quirkiness, witty dialogue, and engaging interactions that makes this story fun to follow.
Diner Impossible is an entertaining cozy mystery that is full of drama, suspense, comedy and romance, you can't help but get hooked on Rose's zany amateur sleuth adventures!
Author Terri L. Austin won't keep her fans waiting long with the next installment of Rose's madcap adventures as Diners Keepers, Losers Weepers, a Rose Strickland novella, will be included in the mystery anthology The Heartache Motel that will be published in December 2013.
RATING: 4 STARS ****
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Thank you for the opportunity to host the virtual book tour event. I love this series! :)
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