Killer Listing [Paperback]

After reading and enjoying the first Darby Farr mystery, I have looked forward to the next book in the series. I agree with previous reviewers that the author's style has improved and the writing flows well. The story kept me interested, although the emphasis on making money from a big real estate sale was somewhat off-putting but, fortunately, that emphasis decreased somewhat as the story progressed. My major criticism of the the book is that it seems to me that the author tried to include too much in this story - maybe to make the characters more believable and real? Or to set up the focus of the next book?

For example, one of the main characters was constantly drinking, making or offering to serve a mojito. Irritating and redundant, to say the least. Another, fairly minor character, fired her assistant and then hired a young man that she thinks she could be attracted to. Huh? This has nothing to do with the story whatsoever and is a meaningless distraction. Even the policewoman who is interested in the detective is trivial and a bit silly. Ditto the ex-con who appears briefly before suffering an unusual and somewhat gruesome end. And then there's the mysterious request by Darby's California assistant for a substantial loan. And, finally, when the murderer is revealed, it's as though he has almost come out of nowhere. While not a totally unbelievable sequence of events, It seems as though he would have been investigated a bit more thoroughly at the beginning of the story. It's little things like this that prevent me from giving this book a higher rating.

With all this said, I'm still looking forward to reading the next installment in this series. Darby seems like a conflicted character, who has never recovered from the loss of her parents. As she moves around the country, selling real estate, she may find the answers she's looking for.

I think what I like best about reading a series of books is that you can truly experience the growth of not only the characters in the book but the author as well. That is certainly evident in Killer Listing as Doudera takes her heroine Darby Farr and transforms her into a more confident well rounded character. A very good progression from her first Darby Farr novel A House to Die For (A Darby Farr Mystery).

The writing in this second book has also grown and become a much more fluid form of story telling. By the end you felt like you really knew the characters and that stands true for Kyle Cameron who was killed in the beginning of the book. I look forward to the next installment where I'm sure I'll be stumped again on how the story will end. My wife and I are still wondering what else there is to know about Jane Farr and Darby's parents. Who knew the world of real estate could be so dramatic?

By way of letting folks know, my wife purchased this title for her kindle on Amazon and then loaned it to my kindle after she read it.

This novel is an example of a good idea that really and truly takes its premise to the max. I love the execution and approach. This has all the workings of a Nancy Drew mystery with a real estate angle thrown in for good measure. However, some things are not quite what they seem. It is absolutely entertaining and uplifting. Good one!