Anyone who has devoured the Perry Mason mysteries will love reading this story. The author has carefully researched the life and times of Earl Stanley Gardner and she flavors this book with much of it. In addition, the protaganist, Cece Caruso, is a great character who sports vinatge clothing. What great fun for the reader. I am ready for the next book in the series.Calliforni

Move over Stephanie Plum. Kandel's heroine, Cece, is Italian (in name only) instead of Polish; but she's got big hair, she's tall and her boyfriend is a policeman. Well, if the formula works, why change it? Cece has left New Jersey for West Hollywood and she's prettier than Ms. Plum,and thinner,too. But, like Stephanie, Cece lives on a diet of junk food.

The mystery is solved and the culpable meet their fate all in the space of two pages. Considering the book is 280 pages long, she could have dragged out the climax for a few more pages. Unlike Evanovich, the prose doesn't ring true. Evanovich manages to make the most outlandish characters seem plausible--maybe because she feeds into our dearly-held stereotypes. Kandel always seems to be trying to hard to make her characters loveable eccentrics, but they aren't believable for a minute. Still, I couldn't put the book down.

My expectations for this book weren't very high for some reason. I thought it would be just another chick-genre mystery with a gimmick and not much to make it stand out. I was surprised to find that not only was the story good, the tie-in with Erle Stanley Gardner seemed extremely well researched and truly a part of the plot, not just something thrown in as a device. In the first chapter I wasn't so sure I was going to appreciate Cece's passion for vintage clothing, but that came across as a genuine part of the story and part of the character as well and wasn't overdone. The writing is good, the locale is really well described and the characters are interesting. I am looking forward to seeing what the author does with Nancy Drew in the next book (Nancy was my first introduction to mystery fiction!).

I thought this book had promise- I liked the premise, thought the title was cute, and the PARADE magazine in the Sunday paper had recommended the follow up book "Not A Girl Detective". However, I was disappointed to find myself having a hard time getting into this book. The plot was good, but the writing was not very captivating, and the characters were likeable, but not overly engaging. I'd give it two and a half stars to be exact.

A friend gave me this book because I'm a fan of the Perry Mason books and because I live in Ventura (where the book takes place, and where Erle Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason books, practiced law himself).

For some reason I found it annoying at first and put it down. Then one night, desperate for something to read, I picked it up again and thoroughly enjoyed it. Her breezy writing style is entertaining and it's good for the kind of light, pleasant, undisturbing story that is nice to read before bed. The dialogue was witty and the main character spunky and fun to hang out with. The plot got a little thick, but she was canny enough to provide recaps along the way so that one didn't get lost. The character is interested in vintage clothing and I found that an interesting side plot.

Her depiction of Ventura was accurate and insightful.

I would read another book starring this character.