I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Casting Call for a Corpse
by Heather Haven
Series: Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries #7
Series Rating:
Published by The Wives of Bath Press on August 1, 2020
Genres: Private Investigator Mystery
Pages: 295
Format: Kindle
Source: Great Escapes Book Tours
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository
A DETECTIVE AGENCY WITH HEART AND A WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!
Super sleuth, Lee Alvarez, finds a dead man wearing a tuxedo in a friend’s bathtub during a soiree for San Francisco’s VIPs. And not just any friend, but an internationally acclaimed actress who recently came to live in San Francisco. And not just any bathtub, but a bathtub residing inside one of Alamo Square’s famed Painted Ladies, recently bought by said actress.
The police believe it’s the actress friend who done the man in. After all, it’s her house and her tub. And another man died under suspicious circumstances around her recently. Both romantic encounters, doncha know. The actress must be guilty.
Or is she?
For ace detective Lee Alvarez, the timing couldn’t be worse. She is supposed to go off in celebration of her 6-month wedding anniversary with her hunky hubby. Paris is calling!
Or is it?
Her long-time friend, plus her mother – She Who Must Be Obeyed – thinks she should stick around and find out who the real killer is. So Lee, family, handsome hubby, and Tugger, the cat, are on the job. But Lee’s nose is itching. Which means not one of the suspects is telling the truth.
Or not all of it. Lee soon uncovers threatening letters, sullen playwrights, dead bodies, and a criminal web of jewel thieves, all treading the boards of her friend’s latest musical. This is showbiz?
Author Haven pulls out all the stops in a cozy fan’s delight about a charming, and unconventional Palo Alto detective family who get their man or woman, as the case may be. Book Seven follows its tradition of the Bay Area’s favorite PI, who rolls over with all four paw in the air when it comes to her darn near perfect mother. But with the help of her computer geek brother and handsome hubby, Lee works to solve the case in time to celebrate her own 6-month wedding anniversary.
Fans of PI stories, cozy mysteries, and women sleuths will love Lee Alvarez, especially if they love sharp funny female protagonists like Sue Grafton’s witty Kinsey Millhone and Janet Evanovich’s lovable Stephanie Plum. Aficionados of Lisa Lutz’s family series, The Spellman Files, will find another fun romp with the Alvarez clan!
Casting Call for a Corpse by Heather Haven is a fast passed mystery with humor and a bit of snark.
Will Lee find the killer before Gaby goes to jail?
This book is the first Alverez Family Mystery that I have read, and it’s incredible. I love the characters, their quick wit and familial teasing is funny and light-hearted.
Liana “Lee” Alverez Hanson
Lee is our point of view but not the only detective as their family business is investigating. However, when it comes to finding dead bodies, it seems that it is Lee’s job. She is also the one who does the fieldwork. Lee’s husband supports her in her work. They remind me of Jonathon and Jennifer Hart. Their anniversary dinner is following in that tradition.
I like Lee. She is good at setting people at ease and recognizing when they are lying. Lee also knows how to be a lady but lives the way that she wants, except when her mom is around, then it is to mind your manners all the way. The only fear it seems that Lee has is this “anxiety of the heights” as her Uncle Mateo says.
Richard Alverez
Lee’s brother Richard is the inside man for Discretionary Inquiries, which is a private investigations company. Richard has a family of his own, but the Alverezs remain close. He is a family man as her wife and daughter mean a lot to him. Richard is also the person that digs up all the things that people don’t want to be known. Oh, he is quite good at this, too.
I enjoyed the banter between Richard and Lee; even when the two of them are entirely wiped, they manage to spar back and forth with their words. Yet, you could tell that they love each other.
The Mystery
As we all know, there is never just one aspect of a mystery. This one has a couple of murders of which Gaby (Lee’s friend) is the main suspect, some robberies, a jerk of a Police Deputy Chief, a Russian gang, insurance fraud, arson, along with a bunch of secrets from Gaby and her household.
Five Stars
At first, I wasn’t sure about jumping into a series in the 7th book, but the last book I read by Heather Haven was excellent. So, I decided to go for it. I am happy that I did as I enjoyed the Alverez family, right down to “She Who Must Be Obeyed.” Therefore, my rating for Casting Call for a Corpse by Heather Haven is five stars. Be sure to check this one out, and Karen has graciously listed the previous books in the series below.
Other Books in the Series
Giveaway
Prize: (1) A darling, handmade, one of a kind purse. Value $75.(U.S. ONLY)
Tour Organized by:
To find all the tour information, click the banner at the top of the page or HERE.
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Casting Call for a Corpse by Heather Haven. Check out the other stops and giveaway if you have time.
Until the next time,
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove.
About Heather Haven
Heather Haven, in the midst of writing her fourteenth novel, has also written short stories, comedy acts, television treatments, ad copy, commercials, and plays. She has won numerous awards for her Silicon Valley-based Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries; Manhattan-based WWII Persephone Cole Vintage Mysteries; Ringling Brothers’ Circus mystery noir, Death of a Clown; and Corliss and Other Award-Winning Stories. She has two romantic suspense series: Love Can be Murder Mystery Novellas with Lee Alvarez and Gurn Hanson, the Nick and Nora Charles of Silicon Valley, and the new Snow Lake Romantic Suspense Novels, of which Christmas Trifle is Book One.
She and her husband of thirty-four years are allowed to live with their two cats, Ellie and Yulie, in the foothills of San Jose, California.
Thank you for hosting me once again! And I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. It was a lot of fun to write, especially with the state of the world today. Stay safe and thanks again.