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Meet Wollie (short for Wollstonecraft) Shelley. She's the manager of a struggling greeting card store in a seedy part of Los Angeles. Wollie dreams of someday having enough time and money to design her own greeting cards full-time. Right now, though, Wollie has no time to spare. She is desperately trying to keep her store afloat, helping to care for her schizophrenic brother, and has agreed to participate in a dating experiment --- dating forty men in sixty days --- to help a radio shrink do research for a book on dating.
When Wollie drives to her brother's mental hospital late one night, she almost literally runs into a dead body. Then she's held hostage by a mysterious (but incredibly attractive) man she knows only as Doc. Who is this guy, and how is he involved with the murder? Why are two Swedish hit men on Wollie's tail? What is a ferret's favorite food? And will Wollie find the man of her dreams on the dating circuit or in a more unexpected place? These are just some of the burning questions answered in the course of DATING DEAD MEN's wacky, fast-paced plot.
Fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series will find much to enjoy in this mystery, the first in a series. Spunky Wollie keeps up a hilarious commentary on everything from the mystery itself to the absurd fashions she is required to wear on her dates. Wollie's sidekicks, including her uncle and her co-workers at the store, also add comic flavor to the tale. Unfortunately, many of these supporting characters drop out of sight midway through the book, as the plot grows increasingly complex.
As the mystery plot grows more central to the story, the weaknesses of this first novel show through. The two stories --- about the mystery and about the serial dating --- are not sufficiently integrated, and the relationships among the various mobsters can be as difficult to unravel as a plate of spaghetti.
There are some really poignant moments here, though, particularly regarding Wollie's brother and Doc's mute daughter. These thought-provoking characters help add depth to the novel, and readers will look forward to learning more about these characters in future installments. DATING DEAD MEN is a light-hearted romp through Los Angeles's singles scene and its crime scenes, and fans will be cheering for Wollie to find love and nab the bad guy in one fell swoop.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
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