Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Case of the Bouncing Grandma by A.K. Arenz -- Book Review



Do you love Christian cozy mysteries? Then The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (A Bouncing Grandma Mystery, Book 1) will be right up your alley.

After breaking her leg in a skateboarding accident, Glory Harper is stuck in a wheelchair; and Bouncy Grandma--named by her grandson, Seth--is bored out of her skull. When the new neighbors start moving into the house across the street, Glory is sure she sees a foot sticking out of a rolled up carpet, and things might start getting interesting.

Problem is, no one will believe her.

Glory's sister and daughter think she imagined the whole thing thanks to watching too much Law and Order, and as soon as the police realize the woman reporting the foot in the carpet sighting is the same one whose skateboarding adventure caused a multi-car pile-up, they aren't about to take her seriously. Undeterred, Glory keeps learning more and more about her new neighbors; and when she realizes she stumbled upon something more than a murder case, her research kicks into high gear. While following leads to what looks like the obvious culprits, the real criminals are closing in, placing Glory and her family are in danger.

Can she convince anyone of what she's uncovered? And if she does, will it be in time?

Right away I knew I was going to love this series by A K. Arenz. The youthful and adventurous Bouncing Granma, Glory Harper is the perfect amateur sleuth. She reminds me a bit of Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote, with her ability to ask the questions that help to solve the crime and how her abilites can sometimes be discounted.

In the first book of this series we meet several characters, all of whom are interesting in their own way. From the rude father and son who move in next door, to the cautious, yet pleasant twin girls whose luck is what prompted their familiy's move to the quiet town of Tarryton, from the peculiar realtor Elsie Wilkes, to the handsome Harrison Ford look-alike, Detective Rick Spencer who might just be interested in more than friendship with Glory, each of these characters blends together to create a cozy mystery that is both engaging and fun to read.

Faith plays a role in this book, as it does in all books published by Sheaf House Publishers. It's definitely not overpowering in this book, but faith in God is a part of many of the characters' lives and some events take place at their church.

I've already purchased the next book in this series, The Case of the Mystified M.D., an excerpt of which you'll find at the back of this book. I look forward to reading Book 2 and more Bouncing Grandma Mysteries from A.K. Arenz!


Title: The Case of the Bouncing Grandma
Author: A.K. Arenz
Publisher: Sheaf House Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-979-74856-1
SRP: $12.99

No comments: