A murder by beheading sends Alice Harte, reluctant real estate broker for thugs, running into the arms of Nigel Channing, a charming British con man.
This urban fantasy is set in Miami and London. Fans of Stephanie Plum will cheer for Alice as she watches her back in attempting to keep her head, while being stalked by Nigel's daft ex-wife and inept, but dangerous mobsters. Alice's world is filled with memorable characters strangely reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. She's guided through her dangerous adventure by her own Cheshire Cat.
Nigel, a chubby John Cleese with serious dress-code problems, whisks Alice to England. Alice sees him as her White Rabbit rescuer. The plot trips along at a cracking pace with Alice flinging zingers like a drive-by shooter.
After Alice discovers a gangster's freshly beheaded body in his Miami mansion, she launches a desperate self-defense in a kangaroo court. The main witness against her is Algy Green, a bumbling cockney swindler who super-glues his bat wing ears to his head and commits perjury for theme park tickets. But in the middle of the trial a small piece of evidence opens her eyes.
Reviews:
The Author Nails a Brilliant Tongue-in-Cheek Spin on The Lewis Carroll Classic ~
The heroine, Miami real estate broker, Alice Harte, is caught between her thug boss, Leslie Archer, and an angry mobster intent on exacting revenge for the death of his brother. Archer's wife, Maris, is quite a character herself surviving on white wine and diet biscuits; she adds another slice of anxiety to Alice's dire situation. Then there's Nigel, a British charmer who may be the happily-ever-after man of Alice's dreams. A who-dunnit with twists and turns coupled with quick witted humor. The story stands alone in the unlikely event the reader doesn't know the original. Review by Becky Littrell for Chicklit Club.com
A Hilarious Read ~
This book was laugh out loud funny and a quick read. I highly recommend it for anyone who would love a quirky take on a classic tale. Review by Monie Garcia for ijustfinished.com
Author bio:
Barbara Silkstone is the author of The Adventures of a Love Investigator, 527 Naked Men and One Woman - a humorous nonfiction account of her odyssey into the hearts and minds of over 500 men. She lives in South Florida where she teaches a class on the opposite sex called "Men, A Mystery" Her writing has been described as perfectly paced and pitched - shades of Stephanie Plum and Carl Hiaasen without seeming remotely derivative. Fast moving action that shoots from the hip with bullet-proof characterization.
The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland, Age 42 and Three-Quarters
This book is so quirky. A great read, one of my favorites of 2010.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED The Secret Diary of Alice in Wonderland! Very fun and FUNNY read. :-)
ReplyDeleteI too loved the book with all its twists and turns - and sly riffs on the original 'Alice' tale. You can't go wrong with this one.
ReplyDeleteGreat title! Will have to put it on my reading list.
ReplyDeleteThank you all. This was a pleasant surprise.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to publishing Wendy & the Lost Boys in a few months. (Peter Pan)
Thanks for the comments, all! Good luck with the new novel, Barbara!
ReplyDelete