By Laura Nawrot, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

If you have not discovered mystery writer Laurie Moore, you are seriously missing out. Jury Rigged is the first (but certainly not the last) of her books that I’ve read. A typical mystery, this story contains a murder or several, numerous twists, and characters quirky enough to rival Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and friends.

The story begins with the engagement of main character, C’ezanne Martin, to Johnson County Sheriff, Bobby Noah, on Christmas day. The pair are semi-colleagues in Texas law enforcement; C’ezanne was a homicide detective in Fort Worth and bordered Johnson County where Bobby is assigned. C’ezanne has just taken a leave of absence from her detective position to launch a new career as a lawyer. The sheriff is called away on duty shortly after his marriage proposal is accepted, and C’ezanne is immediately sucked back into danger from a recently escaped felon that she helped convict.

From there, the story becomes a roller coaster ride of mishaps and intrigue, with each new character and event adding to the confusion of C’ezanne’s life. If you think Stephanie Plum has a strange family and finds herself in some tight spots, you must get to know C’ezanne Martin. Similar to Stephanie Plum, C’ezanne seems to have a talent for drawing danger into her life while just managing to squeak though the toughest situations.

Even though I hadn’t read anything by Laurie Moore prior to this book, I thought she did a good job of keeping the reader up to date on important events and characters from past encounters without sounding stilted. The pacing within the story was good. Moore delivered enough details without overwhelming reader with unnecessary facts. Moore’s writing is a little darker and more edgy that that of Janet Evanovich, but I think would definitely appeal to Evanovich’s faithful readers who may be looking for something new.