Mel Anastasiou

Vancouver school teacher Frankie Ray, along with her friend Connie Mooney, head to Hollywood to become actresses. Frankie knows that Connie has the looks to become a star and, while she doesn’t, she is hoping for a career as an extra. Against all odds, her dreams are starting to come true only to come to a halt when a movie star turns up dead on her sofa. Frankie is the chief suspect in his murder and with Connie nowhere in sight, she has to work on her own to clear her name before she ends up in jail for a crime she didn’t commit.

“The Extra” was a fun mystery to read. This isn’t a try and figure out whodunit type of book – it is more of a sit back and enjoy the ride type of book. In fact, fittingly enough since this is a book about the movies – I felt more like I was watching a movie than reading a book which made this very enjoyable. The book is set in the 1930’s and there is plenty of slapstick humor that had me laughing out loud at times. Not everything in the book makes sense or is believable but that is part of the fun. I liked Frankie as a main character and just when I was wondering when she was going to get some backbone, she actually did! All in all I really enjoyed this book.… (mais)

Octogenarian and retired school librarian Stella Ryman lives in Fairmount Manor, a care home like many with overworked and underpaid assistants. Stella hasn’t been there long, but she’s already earned a reputation for solving mysteries. The kind of mysteries that occur in a care home, like what happened to her friend Thelma Hu’s mah-jongg box. You might say it’s a cold case, since the box disappeared shortly after Thelma moved in ten years ago.

It’s obvious that the author has spent time in real care homes. The characters are so well-developed that I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the next facility I visit. They form friendships, make enemies, and push the boundaries of the facility rules in order to hold onto as much dignity and independence as they can under the circumstances. The inter-generational relationships that develop in the book may draw in some younger readers.

This review is based on an electronic advance reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.… (mais)