January 4th, 2015 → 8:08 pm @ Robin Donovan
It was just another workday for Donna Leigh, ad executive at her own firm, when a colleague asks if she has heard the news– their former colleague, Claire, is dead and she has been murdered! Claire was a well hated person in the ad game, and it seemed everyone who ever came in contact with her might have enough motive, including Donna and the folks at Marcel. As problem solvers and people movers, Donna and the team at Marcel start looking into solving this mystery, mainly to keep themselves off the long suspect list. While their techniques are not always appreciated by the police, they do turn up information that helps and know they are getting too close to the answer when Donna begins getting threats. Ms. Donovan deftly negotiates the tightrope between suspense and humor in relaying this multi-character tale. Description sets the stage in Omaha and makes the characters come to life or, in Claire’s case, death. Through the teams missteps, blunders, and problem solving competition, the case is solved just in the nick of time for Donna. This is a delightful, fast-paced read which I recommend to all amateur sleuths with a good sense of humor. As I read, it was easy to cast characters and imagine this story on the screen.
December 29th, 2014 → 10:28 pm @ Robin Donovan
This review is from: Is It Still Murder Even If She Was a Bitch? (Kindle Edition)
Having worked at an advertising agency for many years, I know how crazy these people really are. Most tend to be a tad left of center, myself included. This is a humorous cozy mystery romp. I received an ebook in exchange for my honest review. The title sucked me in and the advertising references kept me entertained along with solving the mystery. Reality is not a requirement for fun reading.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
January 7th, 2014 → 5:46 pm @ Robin Donovan
By Sharon L. Cook on September 11, 2013
Format: Paperback Amazon Verified Purchase
The title alone tells you this isn’t a cozy about embroidering or making fudge. The central character, Donna Leigh, isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. But even when she finds herself in trouble, she never lacks for a witty response. This amateur sleuth compares herself to Miss Marple, albeit a “younger, hotter ” Jane Marple. And though she may unwittingly do ditzy things, such as propping a ladder against the dead woman’s house, thereby attracting the attention of the police, she is a savvy businesswoman. In fact, part of the book’s charm is the insider look at the world of advertising. Author Robin Leemann Donovan is part owner of a high profile advertising agency in Omaha, Nebraska, the setting of this mystery.
There’s something for everyone: fashionistas will love the descriptions of clothes worn by Donna Leigh and colleagues, a coterie of women who aren’t afraid to pile into the car and go investigate a murder. And though they’re bold and daring, they don’t always think before they act. Impulsivity runs rampant in that office. Nonetheless, they’re fiercely loyal, the kind of friends any woman would love to have in her corner–providing they remain in the corner.
Is it Still Murder Even If She Was A Bitch? is brimming with madcap fun, dark deeds, humorous musings and asides and old fashioned suspense along with a victim you love to hate. The protagonist is a whirling dynamo who never slows down, and never lets the reader down either.
Robin L Donovan on Facebook