Gosh, these are fun. I started reading them because they offered the possibility of being fun mystery novels, but now I realise they're mysterious funny novels, which is even better. I'd be quite happy to follow Dahlia and her cohorts around even if there weren't any murders to solve, which is my highest praise so far as mystery novels go.

This one actually made me laugh out loud (insanely rare, most books normally offer up at most an unexpected grin or delighted smile). I'm likely paraphrasing, but my favourite sentence was close to this: ' "I'll just stay here, you won't even notice me," she said, a woman wearing a wedding dress. '

Mr. Wirestone keeps the plot rolling at a breathless pace, which suits the mood of the piece (sleep-deprived programmers). I'm not moved to tears, and while funny it's not the funniest, and as a mystery it's not the cleverest, so not 5 stars for me, but a pleasure to read and I'll be back for me. (Honestly, the ratings on Goodreads are so high, is 5 stars the default for most people? In my eyes, that's a rare and exalted rank).

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). ( )

Another fun entry in this series! Dahlia again is giving a mystery to solve in a way only she could do. Think Veronica Mars, but not quite as smart, but every bit as lovable! Mysteries don't get more zany than this as one improbable thing after another happens as we head to an ending that is every bit as satisfying as we could have hoped. Now I just have to get the song The Lady in Red out of my head... ( )