Agnes and the Hitman

[Lesa Holstine]

OK, ladies. Forget about Morelli and Ranger. Shane is the hottest hitman out there. No one does sexy and comic suspense as well as Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Their new book, Agnes and the Hitman is as much fun as their previous collaboration, Don't Look Down.

Weddings can be murder. And, if things don't go right, Agnes Crandall might end up killing someone. "Cranky Agnes" is a food writer who agreed to host the wedding of her best friend's daughter at her new home, Two Rivers Mansion. She and her fiancé will cater the wedding, host it and write a cookbook together, and, in exchange she'll get three months off the mortgage she owes to the grandmother of the bride. She's a food critic. Why is someone out to kill her?

Shane is on a job when his Uncle Joey calls for the first time in years, and says his "Little Agnes" needs help. So, Shane returns home to Keyes, SC, and manages to walk in just after Agnes has knocked a killer into the basement with a frying pan. From their first meeting, there's an attraction, but Agnes is still engaged to a wimpy chef. And, things just seem to pile up for Agnes as she tells Shane, "I got Joey in the kitchen, a cop in the front hall, a dead body in the basement, and you in my bedroom. Where do you want to start?"

Start with a wedding, throw in a moth-eaten dog, a secret agency, the Mob, a wicked woman, dry humor, guns and murder, a hunky hitman, and Crusie and Mayer have another hit on their hands. It's a fun, quick-paced and enjoyable story, with two likable leads. The food is hot, and the sex is hotter. Agnes and the Hitman is as enjoyable as a decadent dessert. How could they make this story more delectable?

Oh, yes, Moot. The cherry on the top is the cameo appearance of the one-eyed alligator from Don't Look Down. Don't miss the topper.

Agnes and the Hitman is a treat.

The website for Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer is www.crusiemayer.com

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. St. Martin's Press, ©2007, ISBN 13-978-0-312-36304-8 (hardcover), 384p.