Killer Commute (Charlie Greene Mysteries)

By Marlys Millhiser

Book Overview

Recovering from last year's Las Vegas trip-from-hell, Long Beach literary agent Charlie Greene is looking forward to spending this year's vacation at home. No manuscript reading, no needy clients, no killer commute for a whole week - just some good, old-fashioned rest and relaxation. But before Charlie's peaceful vacation even starts, her daughter's rambunctious cat, Tuxedo, causes her to stumble across the body of neighbor Jeremy Fielder, murdered in the front seat of his truck. And investigating officers are quick to remind Charlie that this isn't her first dead body. Now their quiet Southern California suburban community is becoming more hectic than rush hour on the L.A. freeway as Charlie and her zany neighbors face-off against nosy police officers, insatiable reporters, and a killer determined to drive them away. Another fabulous addition to Millhiser's acclaimed series, Killer Commute is a comical ride through a mystery sure to be a smash with both long-time fans and those just making Charlie Greene's acquaintance.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312266103
• ISBN13: 9780312266103
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Really good book!

Since I wrote a bad review for Nobody Dies In A Casino, I thought I ought to write a good one for this book, since I really enjoyed it. (I still don't like the casino one though.) I read this in one night so I know I liked it. I like Libby too and would like to see her in more of these books. She's almost as funny as her mom. Read it...it's a little farfetched in spots but who cares if you are enjoying the story!

A compelling, dynamic, page-turner of a mystery

When California literary agent Charlie Green begins her vacation by shutting off the phone and putting out the cat, she also finds the body of her neighbor slumped in his SUV. Charlie has a track record for stumbling over bodies, so she automatically becomes the prime suspect. This in turn leads to a wild ride through suburban Long Beach with a killer stalking her condo complex. Add dangerous secrets, hidden cash, a strategically placed bomb, a temporary loss of hearing, and a stint in jail, there is no getting around the fact the for Charlie, vacations can be murder! Killer Commute is a compelling, dynamic, page-turner of a mystery from first to last!

Good installment in this series

Long Beach, California literary agent Charlie Greene looks forward to her week-long vacation away from an assortment of naughts and the KILLER COMMUTE to her Beverly Hills office. Last year's trip to Vegas tuned into a fiasco (see NOBODY DIES IN A CASINO). This time heeding the advice of her nosy elderly neighbor Mrs. Beesom, Charlie plans to stay home and chill.However, on the eve of her vacation Charlie and Mrs. Beesom discover the murdered corpse of Jeremy Fielder. The lead detectives Amuller and Mason suspect Charlie, whose CA (criminal activity not commercial activities) includes involvement in several homicides in several different western states. Adding to the confusion is no paper trail seems to exist for Jeremy and his neighbors soon realize they no nothing about him except he always seemed to help them. Trying to salvage her vacation and remove the cops from her life, Charlie begins her own brand of inquiries not cognizant that a killer will murder again if necessary.KILLER COMMUTE is the usual Charlie Greene amateur sleuth tale filled with irony and amusing nonsense that feels real. This makes for a fun reading experience. Charlie, her neighbors, her daughter, and the cats make the "compound" seem genuine by adding to the fervor of a wild ride in suburbia. Marlys Millhiser imbues her prime player with a sarcastic (at least with her internal witty asides) satirical look at life that makes Charlie seem more like her audience than most protagonists do. With outrageous humor and a penchant for deadly vacations, this Greene entry is one of the better novels in an entertaining on-going series.Harriet Klausner