Brenda H. (booksinvt) - , reviewed on 7/15/2018 + 465 more book reviews

Cremains of the Day is the debut of the A Tallie Graver Mystery series featuring Tallulah Graver, ex wife of the wealthy Walden Phillips, now society housekeeper. Still smarting from her divorce from "Waldo" Tallie is making a go of cleaning houses for the people that she used to rub elbows with and trying hard to avoid working in her family's Graver Funeral Home.

When Tallie discovers Waldo lying in the alley behind her apartment, she is secretly disappointed that she hadn't been the one to tase him in his privates. The discovery of Katie Mitchner, her best friend Gina's cousin, tied up in the coffee shop followed by Tallie finding one of her clients stabbed and stuffed in the closet leads her to think that somehow all of these crimes are related. And, when the IRS shows up on her doorstep and accuses Tallie of tax fraud, she's more determined than ever to take Waldo down.

This was a really tough book to get into. The main character spends so much time obsessing about how much she despises her ex (which granted he is a major jackass) and determined to push away the IRS agent who is only trying to help that she comes across as rude, obnoxious and very unlikable. The cover and description lead the reader to believe that the story revolves around the family funeral business, but in fact other than the main character living in an upstairs apartment the funeral business and her family really play no role in the plot, other than the occasional mention of her mother baking cookies.

I will certainly give the second in the series a try, but will not be rushing out to make the purchase. There is much room for improvement and growth and I hope the author settles into the characters and we learn a little more about the Graver family and the townsfolk.

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