Unfortunately I got distracted after reading this and didn’t immediately review it- apologies to Pam and Lorraine, AKA Ellie Campbell, who asked for the review. It’s a follow up to Looking for La La, and follows the further crazy adventures of Cathy with her disastrous foray into the world of advertising, unfortunately without the buffer of her partner in crime Rosa. The main focus of the book is her investigation into workplace sabotage and the latest neighbourhood shenanigans which have once more taken a turn for the murderous. Just as in the previous book, Cathy is juggling domestic catastrophes while solving multiple mysteries, earn a living and keep her marriage alive.

It would be best to read La La first as it’s more of a continuation of that, although it would work on its own. It’s best described as madcap, which is one of those words you wouldn’t use in conversation, but fits quite well. There is an occasionally confusing abundance of colourful characters, most of whom come under suspicion at some point; and a tangled web of plot lines which somehow get sorted out by the end. Neither Cathy nor her husband learned their lessons in communication after the last book; this nearly leads to the demise of their marriage again. It’s fun and fast moving, wittily told, and definitely frothy.

UK: Amazon for £1.99, sometimes on special for less.

US: Amazon for $2.99.

What to Expect:
Bored stay at home mother, Cathy, finds her predictable routine upturned as she investigates a lipstick-covered love postcard sent to husband, Declan. Who is this mysterious La La? Could Declan really be having an affair? And – wait – is Cathy actually being stalked?
With all her friends hiding secrets, a sexy admirer igniting long-forgotten sparks, and the stress of organizing the school’s Save The Toilets dance, soon it’s not only Cathy’s marriage that’s in jeopardy. Add in the scheming antics of Declan’s new assistant and a possible murderer on the scene and the stage is set for a dangerous showdown and some very unsettling, even deadly, revelations.

Ellie Campbell is actually a team of two sisters who kindly offered me a review copy, which I had to decline…. because I’d already bought it! It’s akin to recently reviewed Goodness, Grace and Me in general theme- batty housewife investigates possibly cheating husband and uncovers all sorts of neighbourhood shenanigans. Luckily I read a palate cleanser inbetween to avoid confusion.

Kooks for your Kindle?– There’s almost an overabundance of characters here, it’s quite a busy book. Everyone is well characterised though, and everyone’s a possibility in the hunt for La La: Many varied mum friends, some old friends, some random acquaintances. Declan is Cathy’s stressed husband who is mostly on board with Cathy’s scatty nature, but has his impatient moments and he’s oblivious to the manipulations of his assistant at work. Raz is an old mate who enjoys a child-free, career-minded life while temporarily inhabiting Cathy’s loft conversion, while Rupert is her boyfriend who seems to have a creepy fixation on Cathy.

The Bella-Swan-Pathetically-Self-Sacrificing-Factor– Cathy begins the tale as a rudderless housewife, struggling with domestic chaos even though her kids are at school and she has a weekly cleaning lady. Although her husband Declan first fell for her nuttiness, he’s running out of patience now and is pressuring her to rejoin the paid masses. Despite Cathy’s loopiness, she has her feet on the ground some of the time, has a refreshing outlook on life and can put away an impressive amount of alcohol. She’s kind and good to her friends, bordering on too soft especially where creepy Rupert is concerned. Now that I think of it, she reminds me of an older, domesticated Bridget Jones- I’ll have to read her latest to check.

Evaluation of your eBook?– For such a frothy book it has a cast of thousands, and more red herrings than sea world. If you can guess whodunnit before the end, bravo, I was certainly still guessing. I did like Cathy, even though her insane decision making made me shout at her occasionally. There’s a lovable collection of extras, almost all of whom are suspects at some point, and made for a warm, chaotic, dramatic and funny read.

Frothy Ranking: 4/5 cocktails.

Can be obtained from:

UK: Amazon for £2.65, although it was 99p for a while, so click for the latest.

US: Amazon for $3.99.