How to Succeed in Murder

by Margaret Dumas
The second book in the series. Whipped through this one even faster than the first, and was ecstatic to see the return of my favorite character, Flank. Flank is a bodyguard and is representative of everything I like about these books: He’s a bit of a stereotype (bodyguard, super-hairy, built like a tank, mafioso-looking) but he’s just plain fun. He can only speak clearly when he’s holding a gun (or something equally macho and phallic, like the gearshift of a Hummer). He’s nigh-unstoppable when the person he’s supposed to be protecting (usually Charley, the series heroine) is in danger. He’s a source of much tension-relieving comedy, and generally a lot of fun to have in a scene. Yay.
Book 2 in 2007