Take the Monkeys and Run: A Barbara Marr Murder Mystery

HOW FUN WAS THAT ? AUG 1 2011 WOW THAT WAS A FUN READ

T. J. IN KY MY LIFE IN THE BURBS SHOULD BE SO FULL OF CRAZY EXCITEMENT. IT REMINDS ME OF SOMETHING LIKE LUCY AND ETHEL GONE WILD. REALLY WAS ALOT OF FUN!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun Read

The author caught my attention as soon as the monkeys showed up, and she never let me go. The tongue-in-cheek stereotypes (New Jersey wiseguys nicknamed "Frankie" [after Frank Sinatra], "Elvis" [a look-alike], and "No Toes") and crazy plot twists make for a great page turner. The implausibility of Barbara Marr's life going off the rails like this just adds to the charm.

It's more of a cozy than an action-thriller for most of the way, but I had to reset my expectations toward the end, where the comedy diminished and the action ratcheted up. Overall a good combination, with the writing style so enjoyable that I was able to overlook the typos, which tend to bog me down in a less interesting book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

highly recommend

this is an easy, laugh out loud book

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun Book!

Suburban housewife Barbara Marr is not having a good day. In fact, it's something straight out of the movies she so loves to watch. Her husband suddenly walks out on her and their three daughters, she's turning 45 and now there are monkeys running wild around her backyard.

After hearing strange noises coming from the vacant house next to hers, Barbara does some snooping and finds a rotting dead head. She wonders just what is going on in the small town of Rustic Woods, Virginia. With the help of her friends, Barbara starts to do some investigating. She's determined to get an explanation for the monkeys and the dead head, but when her neighbors decide not to talk, she knows something very big and very bad is going on in Rustic Woods. When she starts to receive death threats, Barbara fights back and refuses to back down until she gets some answers.

This is a rip-roaring, laugh out loud, cozy mystery. I couldn't put my ereader down. The characters are off beat with a wide range of different personalities - loveable ones to not quite so loveable. From bumbling mobsters to a cop who bares a striking resemblance to Brad Pitt.

The story is fast-paced, fun and with quite a few twists all rolled into one cute adventure. There was one scene in the book that scared this animal lover, but I kept reading and I'm glad I did. I do hope there will be more Barbara Marr stories in the future. I already miss Barbara and her wacky friends and family.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A great, zany ride

I read this book a few months ago and liked it so well I immediately sent fan mail. :>)

It's a fun, fast-paced cozy mystery with a little side of romance--the old-fashioned kind. Okay, so not *every* one of the wild action scenes was...entirely plausible, but who cares? It's zany, funny and well-written. The characters jump off the page; they are lovable, a little crazy and a lot of fun.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Anon 5/19/2012

Great fun! Couldn't put it down

Lots of Fun

Who doesn't like a murder mystery that includes the mob, monkeys, and a heroine who is housewive with a husband and a couple of kids. There's lots of humor and having an ex boyfried show up adds some interest to the story. I will be reading her next book.

Hilarious romp in the burbs

Karen Cantwell's "Take the Monkeys and Run" is a fast paced mystery with trigger happy dialogue that has a little to do with monkeys and a lot to do with the laugh-out-loud antics of one suburbanite soccer mom/obsessed movie buff, who finds her imagination running wild when monkeys and a human head are discovered at the house next door. With the help of some neighborhood friends and an old flame from college, she unravels layers of hilarity and insanity, as well as secrets her husband has been keeping for their entire marriage. If you're in the dumps, this book will certainly brighten your day!

Average Read

This book is an average read. The characters were fine and somewhat amusing, but the plot was fairly predictable.

R

A very fun and entertaining read. My new favorite author. If you like Carl Hiaaen you will enjoy the books from Karen Cantwell.

Loved it!

Loved the book. I find Karen Cantwell's sense of humor tickles my funny bone.

A laugh a minute - what a fun read.

This is one fun to read book. Perhaps it touched too many areas that I have lived thru that were so "not funny" when they happened to me. It was fairly predictable as far as the twists and turns went, but a very enjoyable and entertaining book. I would read more by Karen Cantwell as her sense of humor is great and she makes you feel what is happening so realistically.

Funny mystery

Good mystery. Kept my attention.

A must read

I enjoyed the characters in this book, thought they were well laid out and easy to follow. There was just enough lightness to make me laugh. A very good book, I enjoyed it very much and will watch for the next one.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cantwell has a sure winner

Meet Barbara Marr-- mother, wife, and snoop. After her husband leaves her, Barb needs to find something that will distract her from her woes. That something arrives in the form of monkeys in her trees early one morning. Barb has always felt there was something wrong about the empty house next door, and after hearing what sounded like monkeys, she decided she had to investigate closer. Barb's snooping not only puts herself in danger, but also a few of her closest friends. And Barb will learn very soon, that the house next door isn't the only one that's been keeping a secret.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Laugh your way through a murder!

Take the Monkeys and Run is a quirky and fun murder mystery. Barbara Marr is not your typical young, beautiful murder mystery heroine. This is a good thing! She's in her forties with two daughters and a husband who has just left her. She's broken, but not destroyed. Investigating the strange happenings next door is just what she needs to keep going.

The story has monkeys, a human skull, mobsters, and an ex-boyfriend. What more does a mystery need? Humor! There's lots of it! Barbara is sarcastic, with a self-deprecating wit. The mobsters are so dumb, they are hysterical! The author, Karen Cantwell, even managed to make the ending full of suspense, terror, and mirth. I laughed my way to the end. Read it and you will, too!

A Lilac Wolf and Stuff Review

I loved this book...the cover is colorful and quirky, the title definitely catches your attention. It really sets you up for a silly mystery.

It starts out with Barb, the main character bemoaning her lack of talents. She thinks she's a good mom and thought she was a good wife, but her husband just left. She is miserable, she really thought her marriage was fine and then he up and walked out on her and the girls. She also loves watching movies and does comparisons throughout the story. The first one is that she is determined to be more like Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. She wants to be tough and not weepy.

Late one night she hears a truck pull up to the House of Bones, the house next door that has been abandoned for nearly 30 years. She is curious...the next morning her yard is overrun with monkeys...yes monkeys...she is beyond curious. She pulls her friends in and finds a head in the house next door. It's officially a murder mystery.

To top it off her husband keeps showing up. This is frustrating to say the least and I think in part is drives her detective work because it is the only thing she can control.

That is all I can say now. There are LOTS of surprises and the characters are all colorful and enjoyable. I especially love Barbs mother, a bigger than life woman who owns every room she is in. There are also a few guys vying for Barb's attention, but is her marriage really over? Pick up a copy and read for yourself! Barb Marr is my new favorite heroine.

Pure Brain Candy- and that's a good thing!

The first in the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery series, this book by Karen Cantwell is a hoot. Barb is zany, outlandish, and doesn't always make the best choices, so she's a lot of fun to follow. She says and does things we all think about sometimes. She's a typical mom with three girls and a bit -ok, more than a bit- of a movie fetish. Barb sees things in terms of how characters in a movie would react, which adds some nice color commentary. I found this tact to be a clever way to tie the storyline in with Barb's character, and it really helps you get a more developed picture of what Barb is like. It also leaves a lot of potential for future storylines. The wacky premise and kooky cast of characters is reminiscent of those found in books written by Jennifer Crusie and Jane Heller. If you prefer realistic mysteries, then this may not be your best choice. This book is pure fun and silliness, and what I consider to be complete "brain candy." I know, for me, indulging in brain candy is a really relaxing and entertaining way to spend some free time.

Along the line of these types of stories, the writing style is a bit quirky, with some interesting grammar constructs. In a story of this genre, this informal and offbeat writing doesn't seem out of place. The storyline gets a little more outlandish on each new page turned. The sometimes eccentric secondary characters add color to the story, and the descriptions of each character allow you to really picture them. There is some predictability to the plot, and some of the male characters, in particular, seem cliche, but it's all in line with the genre of the story. The ending is satisfying in the way that is typical of this type of book, and it prepares you to read the next story in the series.

Overall, a zany and fun adventure in which to immerse yourself!

@ MotherLode blog

I can see why there isn't a sample

While the premise to Take the Monkeys and Run is interesting, the book itself is less so. Barbara has to tell us what she would do, then she has to do it, and finally she has to tell us what she did. I took a chanc and bought this without a sample - won't make that mistake again.

Need a laugh?

This is a good, fun and silly story. Ah, a little suspense and mystery in the burbs. Oh yeah and I really did laugh out loud more than once. I highly recommend for a light, quick and put a smile on your face read. Enjoy!