Sit, Stay, Slay [Mass Market Paperback]

When we meet Kendra Ballentyne, she's watching her over-the-top tenants move into her beloved Los Angeles home. A few pages later, we learn why: she's a disgraced lawyer with a suspended license, forced to resign her old firm, forced into bankruptcy by her legal fees.

Visiting her friend Darryl, operator of an upscale boarding and training kennel, Kendra soon begins a new career as an upscale pet-sitter. Through a fortuitous alliance with a private detective, she unravels the clues that led to her own misfortunes and learns who was responsible for the dead bodies that she finds along the way.

This book belongs to the new sub-genre of mysteries featuring female lawyers who were disillusioned or disgraced. Frankly, some of their career distress seems misguided. Law is one of the most flexible careers. Some law school graduates never get licensed but find satisfying careers as teachers, legal researchers, business owners, corporate executives, and a whole lot more. Still, to be fair, many lawyers are unaware of their career options and our heroine loved certain aspects of litigation that are not to be found in other lines of work.

I gave the book five stars because it accomplishes what's promised in a paperback mystery with a female heroine: high-quality fast-paced writing with likeable (though not deeply drawn) characters. The book could be a textbook for writing a mystery. When we think, "Things can't get worse," they do. When the heroine begins to relax, a body or other disaster appears to complicate her life. And there's a nice romantic subplot.

Unlike most cozy mysteries, Sit, Stay, Slay boldly incorporates a hard-nosed value system that has been criticized by other reviewers. Some readers will question the heroine's decision to declare bankruptcy, thus relieving herself of her debts. Others will be disturbed by the solution, which raises questions of right, wrong and court-appointed justice.

It is important to remember that all literature - including murder mysteries - presents some value system, such as values related to marriage and child rearing. Researchers have found that mystery readers tend to identify with upper middle to upper class values of consumption; if you don't believe me, read the way Robert Parker's hero, Spenser, describes homes, food, clothing and furniture of his clients.

I was more disturbed when the heroine allows dogs on the couch (they need to know who's pack leader) and apparently hasn't spayed her dog. Those are *my* values!

And although the author herself is a lawyer, I wondered whether a disgraced lawyer would have such open access to her former firm. I also wondered about the source of her debts. Wouldn't the firm have bought out her partnership? Would her legal bills really be stratospheric for a non-criminal proceeding? Maybe...but I'd have liked some details spelled out.

Regardless, I liked Kendra and hope we see her again. Wisely the author has opened the way toward future alliances that will be rewarding for Kendra and entertaining for us.

I enjoyed this book, though I skipped a big chunk of it and didn't miss a thing. Hence the three stars. I can enjoy a book without liking the protagonist. As I did here.

Lexie the spaniel's much more likable than Kendra. But then, Kendra was, until her fall from grace, a successful hard-working civil litigator. Sure, charisma never hurts a litigator's career. But they do *not* tend to be lovable philosopher-philanthropists. More like competitive, hyperactive, aggressive, pragmatic, self-centered jerks who cut you off in traffic and revel in snatching the last decent parking space while talking on their bluetooth headsets.

It's easy to believe that Kendra could make some money pet-sitting in affluent LA - people there are away from their homes for long hours just because of their daily commute, not just when they leave town.

I found it less believable that Kendra would have such easy and continued access to her former high-powered law firm and its personnel - or why she'd want to anyway, since the place was a complete nest of vipers.

I will probably read the next book in the series to see how - or if - Kendra develops as a human being.

It seems like most mystery series today have to have a "hook" to draw the reader in. In this debut, Linda O. Johnston has offered up a rather entertaining hook with a lawyer who's forced to earn a living as a pet-sitter after having her license suspended. We meet Kendra Ballentyne as the people she's rented her house out to are moving in (a reality-show "star" who trying to extend her fifteen minutes and her boyfriend), a moment which pretty much exemplifies how much her life has changed.

This isn't a "cute" mystery; there's more than a touch of Raymond Chandler's mean streets here, and Kendra's not completely straight and narrow. She's a woman caught up in change, who's had her self-image cracked and is trying to figure out how to put the pieces back together. When a pet-sitting client and friend is found dead, her immediate reaction is to get involved not so much to seek the man's killers or find justice, but to keep herself from being eyed too closely as a suspect.

It's an intriguing start to a new series, with a main character who shows a great deal of potential for growth, something that can help keep the character fresh even as the bodies pile up around her.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 20 reviews  3.6 out of 5 stars