What do You think about Body Movers (2007)?
Miss Bond, you and I are going to have a long relationship - well at least as long as the Body Movers continues!Carlotta Wren and her then nine-year old brother were abandoned by their parents after her father was accused of embezzling funds from his clients and jumped bail with their mother. Carlotta's fiance broke off their engagement and any hopes for college were destroyed since Carlotta was now her brothers keeper.Ten years pass. One night at a party, Carlotta runs into her ex-fiance, Peter Ashford, and it seems like there is an ember or two still burning in the ash pile that was once their romance.A few days later, Peter's wife is found dead in their pool, a victim of an accidental drowning, however the police soon learn she was murdered and Peter is their number one suspect.Carlotta is upset to discover Peter is a suspect. The head detective on the case, Jack Terry, is giving Carlotta a hard time after learning she was once engaged to Peter and the detective isn't too sure Carlotta didn't have something to do with the murder!
—Sally
Didn't really like the characters in the story. Don't find the main character Carlotta all that endearing. Since Carlotta is not in the body moving business, I thought she would end up with Coop. But by the end of the book, she has 3 guys chasing after her. Peter, her ex - well, I guess he was too young and too sheltered to stand up for her when she needed him to. But he paid a terrible price for it. After his disastrous marriage, he will really cherish Carlotta - if she lets him. It seems like she is just hanging on to her memories and her 'my perfect life would have turned out like this..' rather than real love for Peter. Coop is a great, sexy guy but it seems like she notices him only when he's standing in-front of her! Jack seems like a nice guy but personally, I couldn't stand a guy with that much take-charge personality. I'd feel suffocated! It's really predictable that the one she will end up with in the future is Jack. No suspense there and I don't like that. Why the repeated emphasis that her parents abandoned them? Before her father was arrested, he was a workaholic and her Mom was an alcoholic. The abandonment began long before the physical flight! Won't be reading the rest of the series.
—Pinto Neo
I thought the writing was good, I appreciated the vocab being above the level of grade schoolers. I also found the characters to be very life-like, I could picture them and the scenes really well. My main problem was that the Carlotta is so stupid!! She's worrying about money constantly, meanwhile she has a car she could sell and a closet overflowing with designer clothes. I can understand having a sense of style, but I can't believe she wouldn't have learned more thriftiness after ten years of being on her own with her brother. Sentimentality over cars and clothes doesn't feed you. Which brings me to the food - "We're so poor! We owe so much money! How about lamb for dinner? Or salmon?" Those were my main issues. Overall it was an enjoyable read, although I rolled my eyes many a time. I'll probably read the next one.
—Kate
