Murder With a Twist: Review

Murder with a Twist by Tracy Kiely features wise-cracking, drink-swilling Nic and Nigel Martini. Nic (Nicole) was once Detective Landis of the NYPD--until the wealthy Nigel swept her off her feet into retirement and off to the West Coast. They return to New York City to spend Christmas with with family and to attend the gala birthday party that dear Aunt Olive is throwing for Nigel's cousin Audrey. A wrench is thrown into the works when Audrey's lounge-lizard, gold-digging husband does a disappearing act.

Considering how well-loved Leo is, you'd think the family would say good riddance and that the holidays would be even more festive without him. But Audrey is an emotional mess and refuses to play guest of honor at her own party unless her beloved is there to share the fun. So Aunt Olive and Nigel's other cousin Daphne rope Nic into donning her detective disguise one more time to track down the errant playboy. She and Nigel soon learn that Leo owed a bundle to a loan shark named "Fat Saul"--a man whose has an unusually low tolerance for welshers. Equipped only with their rapier-keen wits and a bull mastiff named Skippy who’s big enough to swallow Asta in one gulp, Nic and Nigel set off to interview Frank Little, an enforcer who works for the loan shark. But they find few leads. Then when "Fat Saul" and  Leo’s girlfriend, Lizzy Marks, are both found dead, Nic and Nigel realize that even the sharpest of wits may not be weapon enough to keep Audrey safe.

This is a hilarious homage to Nick and Nora Charles of the movies. The snappy one-liners come fast and furious--almost as fast as Nigel can down a martini. And Skippy makes for a terrific third to the comic family. The supporting characters are all well-done, though leaning a bit towards caricatures. Aunt Olive is perfect as the snobbish member of NYC's upper crust with specific ideas of how the wealthy elite should behave. 

The mystery is light and breezy. The perfect read for when you want something fun that doesn't require a lot of brain power. Several plot twists keep it interesting and Nic & Nigel take the Nick and Nora roles right through to the dinner party wrap up scene at the end. I look forward to future installments. ★★★★