Read Time:2 Minute, 7 Second
Burned out after a few too many years as a nurse, Pauline Sokol finally cracks. She hands in her thermometers and tongue depressors and walks out the door. But then reality hits—she needs to find another job, but she’s not trained in anything but nursing. Fortunately, her roommate, Miles, has plenty of connections, and he hooks her up with a new job—in insurance fraud investigation.
Pauline’s first case is to prove that Tina Macaluso, a nurse and the wife of an orthopedic surgeon, made a fake Workers’ Compensation claim. Tina looks perfectly healthy, and all Pauline has to do is catch her lifting something heavy on film. It seems like a snap. But then gorgeous and mysterious Jagger shows up and gets Pauline involved in a much bigger case—one that includes big-time insurance fraud…and murder.
When I first started reading A Dose of Murder, I had a feeling it was something I’d enjoy. After all, it’s very similar to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels—frighteningly similar, even. Stephanie and Pauline are both 30-ish single women who walk away from their jobs and end up in some form of investigation (for which they’re totally unqualified and unprepared). They end up with the assistance of a quirky sidekick and two very different guys who are both attractive in their own way—and who don’t really get along. Both women are also close to their families (which include a meddling, constantly-cooking mother, an inattentive father, and a crazy old person).
Unfortunately, Pauline just isn’t someone the average reader will be able to relate to—or get behind. She’s cute and petite and naturally blonde. She weighs 115 pounds, and she’ll never be any larger, since she loves to exercise. And when it comes to her job, she’s possibly the least perceptive PI I’ve ever come across. Sure, she’s new at the whole investigation thing, but it was frustrating to feel like I was always a step ahead of her. Pauline isn’t lovably bumbling like Plum—she’s a perky airhead (imagine Chrissy from Three’s Company as a PI).
On the other hand, Avocato creates an interesting story, and the rest of the characters are satisfyingly silly (though they are a little too similar to Evanovich’s characters). And Pauline’s new, so I’m not going to give up on her yet. I just hope she smartens up a little bit before her next adventure…
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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