First Lines: January 2007. "Jack the Ripper had it made."
When travel agent Cyd Redondo finds herself responsible for bringing home the body of Shep Helnikof, client and Jack the Ripper expert, she wastes no time flying to London to cut through all the red tape and get the job done. What she doesn't expect is the fact that Shep's death was not due to natural causes; it was murder.
Cyd has a lot to keep her occupied on this trip to London. She was forced to bring along her uncle, Leon Spartacus Redondo, and her Aunt Helen has charged her with keeping a close eye on the man. That's not going to be easy since Uncle Leon vanished the second his feet touched British soil, and he won't return her calls. Getting Shep's body back to Brooklyn is proving problematic as well, and Cyd is beginning to think the only way she'll achieve her goal is to find Shep's killer herself. And-- as if she needed anything else to worry about-- she and her formidable Balenciaga purse run headfirst into a rodent smuggler.
Disappearing uncles, unemployed actors, Shep's former girlfriends, incompetent Embassy employees, amorous rodents... will Cyd ever find the time to actually enjoy her first trip to Jolly Olde England?
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Do I ever love this series! When I'm reading the latest adventures of Wendall Thomas's Cyd Redondo, I forget that I have to spend an hour a day hooked up to a (sometimes painful) machine. Instead, I'm laying there smiling, chuckling, and sometimes laughing loud enough that my husband comes into the room to find out what's so funny. The humor, the references to old movies, the characters, the mystery... everything weaves together into a winning combination that will brighten anyone's day.
Cyd is front and center. This is her show, and I love her voice. For a travel agent, she's done very little traveling herself, and I have to admit that I enjoyed watching her as she traveled the streets of London-- seeing places she'd discussed and booked for her clients and dreamed about, learning that the first floor isn't the same floor in England as it is in the United States... and who knew that closets were American?
No mention of Cyd Redondo is complete without her Balenciaga bag, the bag that MacGyver would kill to possess. It is even gaining a reputation. Don't believe me? Well, one character confronts Cyd and tells her, "I don't trust you. I trust your purse." All women should be so lucky to have a purse like Cyd's. Armed with such handbags, it would only be a matter of days until women ruled the world. Maybe even the universe.
Cyd's uncle and aunt add even more spice to the tale, especially Aunt Helen. All I can say is mess with the Redondos at your own peril. And don't forget that no Cyd Redondo adventure is complete without a critter. This time it's Bruce, the Casanova of rodents. So not only do I want a Balenciaga, I want a Bruce, too.
If you're in the mood for a good mystery filled with wit and humor, do yourself a favor and read all of Wendall Thomas's Cyd Redondo mysteries. Start with the first, Lost Luggage, enjoy your way through Drowned Under, and finish off with Fogged Off. Then you and I will be in the same boat-- waiting to see what Cyd Redondo gets up to next. This is a series that's good for what ails you. Do not miss it!
Fogged Off by Wendall Thomas
ASIN: B09D4145XK
Beyond the Page Publishing © 2021
eBook, 241 pages
Humorous Mystery, #3 Cyd Redondo mystery
Rating: A
Source: the author, Net Galley
