Phyllis Smallman

I had never heard of this book, apparently the first in a series, but it was offered as a free monthly selection by Kobo, so I took a chance on it. It was worth the price, anyway.

Sorry, that's an easy cheap shot. It's really not a bad book at all. There are some abrupt scene shifts where it almost seems like some paragraphs got chopped out for space, and some of the descriptions and characterizations lean a little too heavily on cliché, but the mystery is fairly satisfying if not surprising. The book reads like a poor woman's Janet Evanovich, but where Stephanie Plum is a wisecracking Jersey goil with an unfortunate tendency toward the madcap screwup, Sherri Travis just seemed a bit pathetic and the antics seemed a bit forced. Then again, maybe I just prefer Jersey to Florida.

Diana Gabaldon offers a list of recommended reads on her website for fans to fill the gaps between books in her Outlander series. I think she calls it The Methadone List. Similarly, if you are a Stephanie Plum fan looking for some methadone to fill your time between books, you could do worse than this series. For me, although I like the Plum books (at least the first dozen or so), I'll likely pass on the rest of the Sherri Travis series.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for quality mysteries with farcical humor set in Florida, you could do far worse than read any Carl Hiassen book you can get your hands on. Even if you have to (gasp!) pay for it.… (more)

Book #7, in the Sherri Travis Mystery

It has been too long between installments, 3 years in fact since Ms. Smallman picked up this series. I missed Sherri and her no nonsense personality. Although the author has not been idle since then, her fertile imagination was set on “Singer Brown Mystery” her latest series. I am mostly happy she came back to her roots and once more with a wonderful touch and oodles of ideas she has plunged one of my favourite protagonists into an entertaining saga. This time Sherri is in Key West with her best friend Marley for a little fun in the sun. Or so they thought. After leaving Rawhide Saloon, Marley vanishes…..

If you are a lover of soft mysteries or an aficionado of female sleuth protagonists you will love this one. What is Florida without a hurricane today we have Alma turning toward Keys West leaving Sherri to look for Marley amidst the chaos of the evacuation.

This tingling adventure is a fast and fun read very hard to put down. The storyline has a lot of momentum and keeps the tempo all through. Sherri is a colourful and down to earth character who plays well her part and is amazingly well described. The style is simple and a bit wry with a narration that is somewhat rough but this has not distracted me from flipping the pages and enjoying this entertaining story to the max.

Reading Ms. Smallman “The Last Call” is a pleasant change, the story is not taxing at all, you can zip through it in no time and be captivated by Sherri who is thrown into the middle of a mysterious saga searching for Marley accompanied by Lexi Divine, a six-foot drag queen…..what is not to like.

Thank you Ms. Smallman for this ARC… (more)