Blurb: Maggie Lee is not your average hitwoman. For one thing, she's never killed anyone. For another, after hitting her head in the car accident that killed her sister, her new best friend is a talking lizard—a picky eater, obsessed with Wheel of Fortune, that only Maggie can hear.Maggie, who can barely take care of herself, is desperate to help her injured and orphaned niece get the best medical care possible, so she reluctantly accepts a mobster's lucrative job offer: major cash to kill his monstrous son-in-law.
Paired with Patrick Mulligan, a charming murder mentor (who happens to moonlight as a police detective), Maggie stumbles down her new career path, contending with self-doubt, three meddling aunts, a semi-psychic friend predicting her doom, and a day job she hates. Oh, and let's not forget about Paul Kowalski, the sexy beat cop who could throw her ass in jail if he finds out what she's up to.
Training has never been so complicated! And, this time, Maggie has to get the job done. Because if she doesn't . . . she's the mob's next target.
Review: I picked up J.B. Lynn's Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman for two reasons: I just won copies of books three and four from Armchair BEA (and I hate starting in the middle of a series) and because it has been compared to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series.
While I wouldn't say Lynn is as riotously funny as Evanovich, the comparison is a fair one. There is crazy family, two love interests, and the heroine is a woman who is incompetent at her job(s). But that's where the comparisons stops because Lynn has taken on the huge task of making contract killers likable... and she pulls it off. Granted, I wouldn't say that I love Maggie, but I don't think that has anything to do with the fact that she's a would be assassin. I like Maggie; I love her tenacity and her strength. Maggie has had some horrible experiences in her life, some of which I can relate to, some of which I can't even imagine, but her naivete considering and her pervasive guilt complex are a little frustrating for me. However throughout the novel we start to see Maggie grow, and that I can appreciate.
As for Patrick, I really want to like him, but I can't. Once again it has nothing to do with being a hired hitman and everything to do with the life choices that got him there in the first place. (But I will say I look forward to his continued attemptes to win me over.) And then there's Paul. I agree with the lizard on this one, I just don't trust him. Which leads me to my favorite character by far, the lizard, Godzilla.
Yes, that's right, I love that little guy. He's the smartest one of the bunch.
I'm one book in and I think this has the potential to be a fantastic series. This is a perfect beach read, not too heavy but not so fluffy it blows away. I can't wait to see where things go from here, learn more about Maggie and her family, and definitely hear more from her talking animals.
Final Take: 3.75/5
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