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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Book Review - January Kills Me - Evan Katy

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Title:  January Kills Me

Author: Evan Katy

Review:  Samantha Rialto, middle school music teacher, is trying to pick up some extra cash after divorcing her abusive ex-cop husband. She has a fear of moths and tries hard to do the right thing but ends up making a mess of everything. She decides to employ her photographic skills by following cheating husbands and providing evidence to the wives. After witnessing the murder of a client's husband and his paid "date", she finds herself in a whole lot of trouble and on the run from a killer, who now wants her dead.

Evan Katy created a loveable and funny heroine who is surrounded by a cast people who could be your best friends.  Sam finds herself in the middle of a mystery she wants nothing to do with but can't get away from because the Killer seems to be attacking everyone she knows or cares about.  Ben Parker, Sam's ex husbands partner, cares for Sam but never asked the right questions when her ex-husband drunkenly killed another cop.  They are now are forced together and he is asking the right questions causing Sam to tell him the truth about what happened to her marriage.  Ben finds himself drawn to Sam hoping to keep her safe and hopefully a possible romance. 

Sam has an inner monolog that seems to be vocalized causing the reader to laugh out loud and enjoy the funny places Sam finds herself. 

There is a romance triangle but it’s more fun to read causing for some good laughs.  Ben needs to wire Sam to figure out who might have murdered the man in the alley, but when someone tries to kill Sam, coming out of nowhere, she is reminded of Batman. The more Sam wants Ben out of her life the more he finds ways of being there.
Maxie, Sam's best friend, is every girl’s best friend and someone you want by you side though thick and thin. She is a strong person who keep Sam sane when she feels she is losing her mind and will protect Sam at all cost.  Maxie is brilliant but also very feisty and wants nothing more than to kick someone butt to prove she is scary.

As I finished the book I was excited to find there were two more and I quickly bought them and enjoyed reading them from beginning and end and can't wait to see what happens next to Sam, Maxie, Ben and the rest of the cast who you can't help but fall in love with.

This book is a laugh out loud fun read with dark moments that are lighten with humor.  The reader will find themselves reading this book over and over again.  The reader will never guess who the murderer(s) are until the end of the book and even than she keeps you guessing until the last page.  I couldn't put this book down even if I wanted to because it drew me in from the first chapter with the attack of the moth to the very end. 


Publishers:  Published May 1st 2011 (first published 2011)
ISBN:  B004YWQKVS
Copyright: 2011
Pages: 228 Kindle Edition
Quick Review:  5 stars (out of 5)
Why did I read it: It looked funny and was only 99 cents at Amazon.

Synopsis:  January Kills Me is a romantic comedy, an action filled mystery and a cautionary tale of how not to go about recovering from a divorce. For those who like laugh-out-loud funny alongside poignant self-discovery and reclamation of a life gone askew, this novel will fill that requirement.

Samantha Rialto, a recently divorced, defensively snarky middle school music teacher, has taken up surveillance photography as a way to fill the gaps in her educator’s salary. As the daughter of the former Chief of Police it seemed like a reasonable choice for a side job. That is until a particularly cold week in January when Sam finds herself entangled in a mystery involving dead people, copious amounts of cash and a nutty Tai Chi enthusiast.

In a deserted alley two people are murdered and Sam is the only witness. Ben Parker, the detective assigned to the case, is not happy to see her again. A year ago his former partner, Harry Rialto – Sam’s ex-husband – killed a fellow cop in a bar brawl, single handedly tarnishing the local police reputation. Sam never spoke about how Harry treated her while they were married and she isn’t going to start now, even though Ben’s questions about the alley crime scene and her inability to answer them bring up old frustrations and ignite a surprising (and inconvenient) attraction.

Before long, Sam finds herself outfitted with a wire at dinner, nearly run over by a car, and shot at by a trained sniper. Her carefully constructed existence, post-divorce, begins to crumble as the widow of one of the victims refuses to leave her alone, her ex-husband begins stalking her and Ben’s sexy crime fighting skills cause a mild anxiety attack. When key evidence shows up linking Samantha to the murders, things become much more sinister. With the help of her best friend Maxie, Sam will tap into reserves of inner strength left scarce after her wrenching divorce and will have to use more than her considerable wit to stay alive.
Evan Katy
Author Biography:  Evan Katy was born and raised in Southern California. True to her roots she frequently visits Disneyland with her children, loves the Dodgers, and relaxes to the sound of ocean waves. She is currently busy writing the continuing adventures of Samantha Rialto and working on her middle grade science fiction story - A Breach in the Boundary.


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