OK, I am far from a fan of Ballroom Dancing, but this book is by an author I like (Laura DiSilverio-not exposing any secrets...her name is on the copyright page)...so I decided to read this after I finished her Mall Cop series (read that too!) This was just great.I am also not a big reader of "cozy" mysteries. I have read her books and the "Jessica Fletcher" books, but as you can see from my books entered here, I read Children's Literature (and review it for Kirkus Reviews among other publications)...But I found it refreshing to meet an amateur detective who had no interest in detecting anything. This first of a series of three so far has a "cozy conceit" that is necessary to the story but does not feel false in any way or put on or forced.The characters and their relationships are authentic, the humor and dialogue realistic and the mystery was very nicely twisty--very Christie with nearly everyone having some possibility of being the murderer and several red herrings.Well worth your time if you enjoy a good mystery...even if you could not care less about ballroom dancing. Described as a "cosy mystery" I thought this would be a pleasant distraction. Around the halfway point, however, I wasn't overly convinced. Populated entirely with unlikeable characters—neurotic, rude, arrogant, violent, self-obsessed, bigoted...—it paints a fairly bleak picture of life in Washington. Admittedly, this is a murder-mystery and we need a decent suspect pool but still... And given that the protagonist is little better—condescending and utterly so convinced of her own self-worth—she was pretty hard to like.That said, around the half-way mark I actually began to enjoy it. Some people got their comeuppance, some plot points began to resolve...it began to entertain.My wife and I frequently watch several of the current glut of "police procedural dramas" and often joke how the guilty party is, 9 times out of 10, a tertiary character who appears early on and is quickly forgotten (presumably this allows people like me to feel smart week in, week out by yelling "They did it!" when they fail to reappear). It's nice to know that tradition is alive and well in literary form.
What do You think about Quickstep To Murder (2011)?
I really enjoyed this book, a guick read and could not put it down. I know you will enjoy it Col.
—Marc
I really liked this fun cozy mystery. It was just what I needed for a fun week-end book to read.
—Ren
