Fast Women Author:Jennifer Crusie Nell Dysart's in trouble. Weighed down by an inexplicable divorce and a loss of appetite for everything, Nell is sleepwalking through life until her best friend finagles a job for her with a shabby little detective agency that has lots of potential and a boss who looks easy to manage. Gabe McKenna isn't doing too well, either. His detective a... more »gency is wasting time on a blackmail case, his partner has decided he hates watching cheating spouses for money, and his ex-wife has just dumped him . . . again. The only thing that1s going his way is that his new secretary looks efficient, boring, and biddable. But looks can be deceiving, and soon Nell and Gabe are squaring off over embezzlement, business cards, vandalism, dog-napping, blackmail, Chinese food, unprofessional sex, and really ugly office furniture, all of which turn out to be the least of their problems. Because shortly after that, somebody starts killing people. And shortly after that, they start falling in love. Jennifer Crusie's Fast Women will keep you guessing, laughing, rooting for Nell and Gabe (and hoping that Gabe's cousin Riley wins their bet!).« less
One of Crusie's early chick lit offereings, with strong glimmers of the powerhouse writer she will become. This one is about three sisters-in-law, each coming to grips in her own way with the end of her marriage. Doesn't sound funny, but it is.
Much to my surprise, I found this to be an hilarious, thoroughly entertaining book. The characters are well drawn and unpredictable, while the plot takes so many unexpected twists and turns that I was always being surprised. I would have thought that this kind of book wouldn't be to my taste, but it definitely caught my fancy. Give it a try, you might be surprised, too.
I struggled with the first third of this book because it was a bit slow starting, but it picked up speed and finished well. Good characters that were thoroughly developed but the plot was a bit thin. could have been longer and more complex or about the same without quite so many characters.
Not a quick read, but by the time I finished it, I loved the characters and wished it wouldn't end. Easy to get into the story from the first page. Detective agency with a nod to Sam Spade type detectives meets woman bend on organizing everything she sees. Funny and neurotic, but enjoyable to watch people work through their marriages, divorces and goals on the way to figuring out who they are and what they want. Lots of romance and laughs, bad guys you'll love to hate. I need a sequel now.
Compared to Crusie's other novels, I thought this book was rather slow. The characters are good, nice and messed up, which makes them believable and fun. But it really dragged on too long without really getting anywhere. I could see that she was trying more daring/thrill stories which she does exceedingly well later, but the execution here was plodding and slow. I could recommmend it as a first book, but not after better ones like 'Bet Me', 'Agnes and the Hitman' or 'Faking It'.
