Purses and Poison by Dorothy Howell

4 Stars
R- 2-3 (no one actually has sex... just a lot of talking about how they aren't.)

Once again, Dorothy Howell gives us a fluffy mystery about the disorganized Haley Randolph. Okay, she's not entirely disorganized, but really.

Haley is not at all the kind of person I'd hang out with in real life. We'd have just about nothing in common, and I just don't think our attitudes would jive. But she's hilarious to read.

Once again, there's been a murder at the not-so-fabulous department store Holts... and once again Haley's in the thick of it. Claudia Gray was poisoned-- not good since she was the ex-girlfriend of Haley's sort-of-boyfriend.... and since the poison was on the fruit bouquet... made by Haley's mom's company.

(Don't you love the fruit bouquet with the skulls in it?)

Detective Madison wants to pin it on Haley, especially since he couldn't pin the last murder on her. How disappointing when she once again ends up two steps ahead.

Add in a stalker, boyfriend troubles, and college classes, and it could be a recipe for disaster!

The ending, however, is cruel and unusual! Leaving us hanging even more than the last book-- Haley is literally mid-conversations. That's right, conversations as in more than one! Sigh. When does the next one come out? Not until next summer? Figures...

*Purses and Poison is the sequel to Handbags and Homicide