Okay, first things first. The Hero of this story is Mitch PEATWICK (aka Mitch Kincaid), not Mitch PEABODY. You would think whoever designed the blurb for the back cover would have at least gotten that right or that somebody would have caught it before the book went to print. No such luck. Anyway, not a big deal, just something that irked me. What the Lady Wants is another re-release of an earlier Crusie book. While I'm glad that these earlier novels are being re-issued for us newer fans to Cruisie, I have to say that some of them have been better than others. This one I'm kind of sitting on the fence. It took a long time to warm up to it, but by the end I was smiling. (view spoiler)[Mae Sullivan is on a mission. Mae needs a PI, the stupider the better, to investigate her Uncle's death. Although he died of a heart attack, she makes up a harebrained story saying she believes he was murdered and hopes to seduce the PI in question into investigating and stirring up as much trouble as possible. It's not because she believes that her uncle was really murdered but instead because someone has stolen his diary and she hopes to smoke that person out. So that's why she finds herself in a less respectable part of town, squeezed into a too small skirt and killer heels, knocking on Mitch Peatwick's door. Mitch, the PI in question, is rather disillused with his job. He's seen one too many divorce case and has become rather cynical about relationships and people in general. What makes things more depressing is that this is supposed to be his fantasy job. Almost a year ago, a druken Mitch Kincaid, stockbroker, made a bet that he could become a succesful PI in a year. The catch? He can't use his real name to drum up business and must live off the proceeds of his investigations. Fast forward a year and Mitch Peatwick (aka Kincaid) needs a little over $2000 to put him over the top to win the bet. So it's like a dream come true when the beautiful Mae Sullivan crosses his threshold. (hide spoiler)]
Mae belle Sullivan(nick:maebel)-main characterMitchell Peatwick(kincaid-real last name)-investigator/dude that mae ends up withGio Donatello-mae's uncleCarlo Donatello-gio's grandsonharold-mae's bultler,also june's loverbob-someone/something(dont know)-think its mae's dogJune-someone related to mae/knows her, also harold's loverBarbara Ross-was dating uncle armand,the girl armand was with while he was also with stormyuncle armand(armand lewis)-mae's uncle,died of heart attack, his diary missingnewton-mitch's friendStormy Klosterman-girl that was making love to armand and he died while they were togetheruncle claud(claud lewis)-maes unclePrescott-claud's bultlernick-dude thats married to tess, use to date maetess-nicks wifedalton-mae's ex husbandthis book basically tells about a life where two people who are really different and opposite meet, and fall in love throughout the book..this book has all of the things a happy ending would have, but of corse there was some kind of conflict in the book to make readers read on to find out.technically throughout this whole book, its about how mae hired mitch and they tecnically fall in love throughout the book while investigating other things that leads them to the diary. this book is great throughout, but the only thing i dont like is how the characters state their feelings out in the open..its just weird to me but to me everything else that happens in this book was exactly the right way that any book would lead to a happily ever after.......well, for most people.
What do You think about What The Lady Wants (2002)?
One of the lesser Crusies. It's got the same humor and wit(view spoiler)[ (Mitch the stockbroker! Mae's maybe-criminal uncle!) (hide spoiler)]
—Alison
Dizzy good fun that doesn't quite hold together when the dizziness wears off. This is a mishmash of lovely little details that are way too much fun and puzzling little details that don't actually quite make sense. But it's fast and lightweight enough that it doesn't really seem to matter all that much.The characterization feels a little thin for our two leads. She insists no one ever gives her what she wants, just what they think she wants; he insists that marriage is for idiots. They both kind of abandon these motivations without a lot of cause. And there's backstory that never quite makes it to the fore, including her ex-husband who's clearly a cad but we're never sure why she married him in the first place.But there are a lot of snappy dialogue and great details. Stuff like the three uncles (the cold fish financial mastermind, the mafia godfather, and the deceased all-around-asshole) whose familial relationship is baffling but who are lots of fun to deal with. There's the best friend who secretly longs to be the detective. There's the concussed dog and the unwanted Mercedes. There's an airhead mistress and a ruthless girlfriend. And shenanigans. Lots of shenanigans.Just don't think too hard about it all.
—Rebecca
This is an interesting romantic mystery involving Mitch Peabody, stock-broker turned private eye, and Mae Belle (Mabel) Sullivan, an orhpaned neice of a recently deceased uncle whom she was slated to inherit a great deal of money from. Her living relatives are less than reputable and will do anything to protect her. She hires a private eye to help her find her uncle's diary (containing daily entries about the details in his life), by claiming her uncle was murdered. Together they determine that almost everyone had a motive to murder Uncle Armand. The quagmire of events in the book are comparible to the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. This unlikely pair are drawn together by circumstances and feelings they can't control. The result of their search is reached, after multiple twiests and turns, with an unexpected conclusion.
—Gramy
