After hearing Harley Jane Kozak speak during a panel discussion at the L.A. Times Festival of Books one year, I had to try out her series. A greeting card artist and shop manager, Wollie, isn't the type of person you'd expect to get mixed up in trouble. At least not the kind that puts her life at risk. In an effort to make some extra cash, Wollie has signed up for a research project put on by a radio talk show host who is writing a book. She must date 40 men in 60 days. Doesn't sound so bad except for the fact that she came into the project late and is now rushing to fit in as many dates as she can in a short amount of time. Wollie is also under close scrutiny by the company who she works for as they determine whether she is franchise material or not. But that's just background information.

The trouble comes when Wollie receives a call from her brother about a murder at the mental hospital where he is a patient, discovers a dead body on the road, is taken hostage by a rather good looking and charming man, and becomes a target of the mafia. Yes, this book requires a bit of suspension of that ol' disbelief, but it's actually quite fun and comical.

Wollie is a great character--she doesn't always make the smartest choices, but she certainly is no slouch. There were only a couple of eye rolling moments; and as much as I could see the appeal of her main love interest, he was a bit too perfect. But you know what? That's okay. This book hit the spot and I thoroughly enjoyed it. ( )

The author is from Nebraska. My mother went to law school with her sister. When Kozak was coming thru on a book tour, I got mom to go with me to listen to her and meet her. I have since picked up all the books in this series. Wollie Shelley, named after the author of Frankenstein, has no interest in investigating crimes. She runs a card shop and dreams of earning the right to own a franchise. She also designs cards. Her brother, PB, is mentally ill, having been struck with this when he became an adult. Wollie finds a dead body when going to see PB at the facility where he is currently living. She has a friend, Joey, who was the star of a tv show called Gun Girl and who married well. Another friend, Fredricka, works at a nail salon and fills in at the card shop as needed. Wollie doesn't want to report the dead body as her brother tends to really wig out when around the police. At the facility, she is taken prisoner by a man she calls Doc and to whom she is really attracted to. They leave in her car and she lets him take her car. He keeps showing up and she gets involved in investigating the crime, mostly because she is afraid of her brother's possible involvement. She is also involved in a dating project, dating man after man for Dr. Cookie who wants to publish a book about dating. So Wollie goes back and froth from dates to investigating and is often stuck in extremely sexy clothes for her dates. There is a contract with a company who supplies the clothing for the dates and she is forced to wear what they supply. She is a very tall blonde (naturally). Lots of humor and suspense in the book. I like Wollie although I don't like all her choices. I listened to this book and really liked that.

If you like the Stephanie Plum series, you'll like Dating Dead Men. Wollie Shelley is a greeting card artist that gets caught up in a murder investigation, with often hilarious results. This book has more than enough twists and quirky characters to keep the reader glued to the book. ( )

If you like the Stephanie Plum series, you'll like Dating Dead Men. Wollie Shelley is a greeting card artist that gets caught up in a murder investigation, with often hilarious results. This book has more than enough twists and quirky characters to keep the reader glued to the book. ( )

An amusing book. ( )