Helping his mother run the family hotel doesn’t usually offer much excitement. The only other people around are Penny Price, a spoiled child actor and star of the hit TV series Little Miss Murder being shot in town, and Mr. Ignato, an elderly resident at the hotel. When Mr. Ignato dies from a fall down the stairs, Charlie suspects foul play. Nobody believes him except for Penny, who jumps at the chance to solve a real murder. The two of them discover that Mr. Ignato was once a famous international jewel thief who stole a million-dollar diamond that was never recovered. Is Mr. Ignato’s criminal past related to his untimely death? And can Charlie and Penny prove that it wasn’t an accident?

There are a dozen ways this mystery could have gone sideways but didn’t.

The ingredients are ideal for a kitschy, predictable tale. Corny characters? Check. A murder victim pushed down the stairs? Give us a break. A teen diva who solves murder dramas in her everyday acting life, and rallies when faced with one in real life? Yeah, right. A pampered dog named Baby helps with the detective work? Sigh.

Yet if you’re willing to suspend a little bit of disbelief, it all works like a well-oiled charade, and will put a smile on your face as lonely loser Charlie teams up with drama-queen Penny to solve a murder mystery. Subplots (from flashbacks of chess game conversations with an elderly hotel guest to driver’s education in a hearse) are well woven in, and characters are believable (just) and consistent.

The story is almost a spoof on murder mysteries, yet shines in its own right. And hurray for this new addition to fast and easy-read novels that suit reluctant and eager readers alike (something at which Orca Book Publishers specialize). That category entices less-than-keen readers to read.

Dialogue-heavy and told in first person from Charlie’s deliberately slow-paced, unenthusiastic point of view, it entertains start to finish, even if the choice of past tense feels awkward at times. Humor is key to this novel’s success, yet it’s not a humor novel, per se.

I stepped on the brake and made the tires squeal again. The old lady in the crosswalk smiled at me and waved. But Dexter said, “Driving is not bowling, Charlie. You do not get points for knocking pedestrians over.”

“You know the only difference between a real murder and one on a crime show?” Penny asked. “At work, the dead body gets up for a sandwich when we break for lunch. But the same basic rules of investigation apply in real life.”

“What rules?” I asked.

“First we need to find a motive,” she explained.” Why would somebody want to kill a harmless old man? Then we need to find evidence. Clues that point the way to our killer.”

Enjoy the read.

-Pam Withers