3 Men and a Body
Stephanie Bond
Mira, Aug 2008, $13.95
ISBN: 9780778326076

Stressed to the max due to the three men in her life and her being placed on work suspension giving her time to think about testosterone overload, Carlotta Wren needs getaway time from the three men who want in her life. She decides to flee from her former fiancee Peter Ashford who dumped her a decade ago (see Body Movers) and Atlanta Police Detective Jack Terry who accused her of murder (see Body Movers) and later both thought she was dead (see 2 Bodies For The Price Of One); as to the latter even her younger brother Wesley and his boss Cooper Craft believed she was murdered.

When Cooper asks her to accompany him to Florida to pick up the corpse of heiress Kiki Deerling, she agrees. Besides escaping from Atlanta and the three men in her life, she can decide whether to allow Copper to join the Carlotta sweepstake. Besides she has heard her parents, who escaped prosecution by deserting their children ten years ago have been seen in Florida; she wants to confront the pair. However, even before they leave Atlanta, things turn chaotic when Wesley stows away in Cooper's car to avoid a loan shark, who wants to break his knuckles; Florida proves worse as it seems everyone wants to take Kiki's body and Carlotta being hurt is insignificant to the celebrity stalking community.

The latest Body Mover mystery is an amusing satirical tale that skewers the obsession people have with the famous; in this case even a dead semi-celebrity. The storyline is fast-paced using hyperbole to provide the audience with a wacky funny Florida frolic. Although the plot is limited, the cast is strong; as with the previous madcap entries it is Carlotta and her merry men plus vicious star hunters who make this an entertaining read.

Harriet Klausner