As the title would imply, this is a light, breezy read and is the first in a series featuring an L.A. private investigator named Mary Cooper.Mary's uncle, Brent Cooper, was an aging stand-up comedian, and when he's found murdered behind a seedy comedy club, Mary is called to the scene. Mary's reaction to the crime is witty and sarcastic--just what her late uncle would have expected and relished.As usual, the police tell Mary to butt out and not to interfere with their investigation. And, as usual in novels like this, Mary ignores their warnings and pursues her own investigation. She is usually about one step ahead of the cops and danger follows her everywhere. Soon there is another murder and it becomes apparent that some deranged killer has a group of aging comics in her or her sights.Mary plunges ahead, unconcerned about her own safety, and dealing with virtually every situation she encounters in the same sharp, comic way she dealt with her uncle's death. Underneath, it's pretty clear that Mary has a softer and more sensitive side, but she's damned if she's going to let you see it.This is a book that will appeal to readers who like their crime fiction on the comic and less-intense side, and there are plenty of laughs to even out the more gruesome crimes that follow Mary though her adventure. After reading this book I had a smile on my face - it reminded me so much of the Stephanie Plum books - the early ones - and after reading the 19th Plum book and being disappointed this was a pleasant surprise.Mary Cooper is no Stephanie Plum - she's a p.i., not a bounty hunter. She lives in California, not Jersey. She's pretty much a loner while Stephanie has the oddest entourage around her. She's capable, though prone to accidents, while Stephanie still has problems taking in her fugitives.However, Mary has an aunt who, while not Grandma Mazur, is a close second. The Sarcasm in the title reflects her humor - and if you don't like that type of humor you might as well not read this, because it permeates the book.Stephanie has a semi-steady boyfriend Jake, although in book one she is carried away with a new neighbor during an off-again time with Jake. The neighbor gets taken care of though - won't say how as it's a spoiler.I will say, I had a hunch who one of the bad guys was pretty early into the book, so it wasn't a total surprise, but the instigator of all the problems DID take me by surprise, so bravo.I finished this pretty quickly and am now reading the second book in what I hope will be a long series - as long as Dani Amore can keep the characters and plots fresh. It's not a perfect book to me, so I'm giving it four stars instead of five.
What do You think about Death By Sarcasm (2000)?
Fun read. Reminds me,a little of,Janet Evanovitch . Will read more.
—Arlcye
Another 99 cent special. Liked The idea, hated the jokes.
—Pete
