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What makes Wollie Shelley so endearing? She's so not the sort of person I normally read about, or even hang out with. Yet, in this second book by the amazingly talented Harley Jane Kozak, I warmed to her again. Is it because she has such good friends who stand by her? Is it her absolutely down-to-earth way of dealing with her brother, whose schizophrenia makes him difficult to cope with even on the best of days? Is it simply her good heart and caring about people in fast-paced, often-sleazy LA? Beats me.
When we reenter Wollie's world, she's without a job, a place to live, or a fiancé. She lost the card shop and her apartment, and moved in with Doc, but he's gone to Taiwan so she's house-sitting. There are some weird custody issues going on with her fiancé's cool kid Ruby, and they're out of the picture for some months, so Wollie is at rather loose ends. And while she does have a gig painting a frog mural, it's not a full-time job.
Wollie isn't exactly naïve nor in any way dumb; rather she's a tad artless, maybe "guileless" would be a better word. No one could be that clueless with all she juggles, including her brother P.B. But appearing on a two-bit, awful, sleazy cable "reality show" called "Biological Clock"? To get a boyfriend? Okay, sure Doc is gone, at least for a while, but this is what she's resorting to? Tsk. Her friends aren't doing her any favors here, helping her snag a guy this way. Granted that's probably pretty difficult in Los Angeles, but yuck, what a waste of time. She really is too smart for that, and way too nice.
Wollie's friend Annika has simply disappeared, and Annika's mother calls from Germany, worried about her daughter. Annika works as an au pair and has been pretty reliable. So Wollie, who has a hard time saying "no" to almost anyone, takes it on herself to try to find Annika. It's a weird world, that of young foreign women who come to the U.S. to take care of kids and be household aides, but Wollie is good at finding things out and she is always willing to listen to people, so they talk to her.
And then there's Simon. I'm not sure about Simon. Not for the same reasons as her mother and uncle, although the FBI isn't my favorite federal agency either. It's more the way he came into Wollie's life; just not quite believable. But that's fairly minor. And there was a clue that I knew --- I kept wanting to raise my hand and go "ooh, ooh, I know, I know" --- but again, it probably is pretty esoteric stuff that not everyone would know.
The book does suffer from TAMS --- truly annoying mother syndrome. Why is it that authors feel it's necessary to create these witches? Wollie's "I'm so in touch with my inner whatever" mother moves in, taking her daughter's bed, cashmere sweater, and privacy without a thought. It's a bit formulaic, and while Wollie suffers, I do wish she'd pack Mom's bags and give her the address to the nearest Zen temple.
In Kozak's favor is her other characters. She seems to get children just right and never presents P.B. as pathetic or scary; his illness --- like any other thing Wollie deals with --- is just something to understand and work on. So he has a mental illness? Wollie deals with it as she deals with most things --- matter-of-factly --- as she would if her brother had asthma or any other physical or mental condition. She copes, and her down-to-earth dealing with the situation is one thing that makes me like her a lot. I want her to succeed, and I certainly want to know what happens next time.
This book is fresh and delightful, much like the first in the series, DATING DEAD MEN. I'm still puzzled about Wollie, but I can't help but like her and root for her. And if she comes my way, I'll introduce her to some nice guys who will appreciate her for her good heart, warmth and wit, so she can stop wasting her time on dumb TV shows.
--- Reviewed by Andi Shechter (roscoe@drizzle.com)
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