The Book:
Source for ‘The Book’ section : From Goodreads
When Regan Reilly returned to the West Coast, where she began her career as a PI, she never imagined that her unsuccessful appearance on a game show seven years earlier would throw her trip totally off course!
REGAN REILLY is in Los Angeles with her husband, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad. After Jack finishes his meetings with the LAPD, the couple may head north to the wine country, or may head south to Baja. Their only plan is to see which way the wind blows. The first day back, Regan goes shopping at an upscale new mall in West Hollywood. To her surprise, she runs into Zelda, a woman she’d become friendly with seven years before at a television studio in Burbank, when they were waiting to appear on the game show Puzzling Words. They haven’t seen each other since. Zelda and Regan didn’t win much money, but Zelda made up for it! A year ago an elderly neighbor she barely knew left Zelda eight million dollars. She has been enjoying her newfound wealth but is aware of the need to give back. At a recent fundraiser, she bid on a week’s stay in an old Hollywood Hills estate and was the lucky winner. She’s currently in residence there and invites Regan to a party at the mansion. While Jack attends a business dinner, Regan goes to Zelda’s by herself, unaware that she is being followed. Regan is more than surprised at the run-down condition of the house and grounds. People should be paid to stay here, she thinks. Zelda introduces Regan to a colorful cast of characters, including her old neighbors, friends from her yoga class, a filmmaker, Zelda’s financial adviser, her bookkeeper, and her personal assistant. It’s all good fun. As the guests are leaving, Zelda asks Regan to stay for a cup of tea. They’ve barely sat down to chat when Zelda falls ill. A worried Regan doesn’t want to leave Zelda alone and decides to spend the night at the isolated, aging estate. It’s not long before Zelda asks Regan to investigate people in her life, starting with her father’s new wife, Bobby Jo. The couple said “I do” in the back of a cab at a drive-through chapel in Las Vegas after only three months of togetherness. Has Zelda’s windfall put her in danger? Regan is determined to find out, not knowing that she’s a target herself!
The View:
I like the Reagan Reilly mysteries and you must have figured that as I seem to be devouring them every time I get a chance. ‘The Book’ section from Goodreads has already revealed a lot about the book so for this review I will just stick strictly to my thoughts. Gypped is a fun book and a quick one. I enjoyed the plot. Even though the mystery was light it did have some interesting twists to it.
The characters were good, though not as unique as some of the characters from the previous books from this series. They were honest and could be any person we meet in our day-to-day life (at least most of them where). I found it unbelievable when Zelda reveals how she became the heir to such a vast fortune. It was too good to be true in real life. Zelda’s friends and family could all be suspects though the only thing that eliminated her dad and his ‘wife’ was the fact that they were not with her when she falls sick. I really did wish they were in town so the plot could have thickened.
This is a light-hearted mystery and a fun read. Most of her books seems to have a similar winning protocol and ‘Gypped’ merely follows that. Rated a 4 on 5. Although there is nothing ecstatic about the book it entertains …. And sometimes don’t we just want that?
Filed under: Book Reviews, Fiction, Mystery, Reviews 2012 | Tagged: A Reagan Reilly Mystery, Carol Higgins Clark, Gypped | Leave a Comment »
Friday 56 is hosted by 
