Janey Mack

I was pretty disappointed with this book. I had such high hopes when I started it. I got about a third of the way in and just got so disgusted with the way her family treated her that I couldn't go on. I thought that the lady who was training her to be a meter maid was almost the same character as Lula from Janet Evanovich so much so that it was distracting. Plus I was disgusted with the heroine for rolling over and buying her food. Really? I would have said "excuse me I am not paying for your food." I skimmed the rest of the book so I pretty much know what happened but the ride wasn't fun enough to make me read the whole thing.… (altro)

This was an okay read for me. I decided to read this book because it seemed to be exactly what I was in the mood to read. I remembered seeing some comparisons to Evanovich and thought a mystery with a side of laughter would be just perfect. Unfortunately, I didn't find this book funny. At all. I didn't crack a smile even once so that is a pretty big disappointment. The mystery did hold my interest though. It wasn't a bad read but it wasn't quite what I thought it would be.

Maisie McGrane comes from family of police officers and defense attorneys. Maisie is a meter maid which isn't exactly the same thing. Maisie does want to join the police but her family has blocked her path so she jumps at the chance to work undercover with a special unit. She is eager to quit her job and start her new career until she learns that they want her to continue working as she gathers information.

Maisie jumps into her new role completely. She is soon an important part of the life a notorious mobster, Stannis. There are quite a few action scenes with Maisie finding herself in danger more often than can be healthy. She must keep the mobster happy while feeding information to her contacts. Hopefully she can remain safe and explain things to her boyfriend later.

Maisie seemed to be in way over her head. I can't say that I really liked her or disliked her character. I didn't have a lot of confidence in her abilities and thought some of her actions were pretty questionable. Her boyfriend, Hank, didn't seem real to me at all. His character did remind me a bit of Ranger from the Stephanie Plum series but even little more perfect and superheroish.

In the end, I think that this story was rather forgettable. This is the second book in the series but I didn't feel like I was missing anything by reading out of order. I was really curious about how everything would work out which kept the pages turning but I don't plan to read any additional books in the series.

I received an advanced reader edition of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley.… (altro)

TIME’S UP ©2015 by Janey Mack stars a fabulous, feisty heroine. Maisie McGrane and her four brothers are Black Irish, first-generation Chicagoans. Her family are all cops and lawyers (including her parents). Maisie has had a life-long dream of being a cop, which is now thwarted, so, with characteristic deviousness, she becomes a meter maid, prone to mishap and misadventure.

The romance/sex appeal is just right: ever-present, not a slam dunk, not graphic, doesn’t take over the story. TIME’S UP is not a mystery in the usual sense, though there is a body. And, it could be that Maisie discovers the culprit. It’s a roller coaster, a "caper" story full of antics.

Maisie’s adventures can be very funny, but I found some confusing. A Cast of Characters didn’t help. Events occur and then people say things but I was often unclear of the meaning of an event or how subsequent conversation made any kind of resolution, though it was clear that various other characters in the story understood.

Now that I’ve said this, I *DO* intend to read the next in the series because Maisie really is delightful. And I hope the next time, Janey Mack is able to deliver more clues about what’s going on.

http://www.reviewsbytdev.com/content/TIMES-UP-Janey-Mack… (altro)