ELECTRIC BLUE is Nancy Bush’s second Jane Kelley mystery. This one was slightly better than, CANDY APPLE RED, the first one. At least she kept “who done it” unclear until the end in this one. But there was still far too much fluff to maintain an interesting level of tension.

In this story, Jane is investigating the strange machinations of the Purcell family at the behest of Jasper “Jazz” Purcell, her latest object of lust. While babysitting the family matriarch, Orchid, the old woman disappears. Blamed for her disappearance, Jane undertakes to find Orchid. When she does, the family holds a celebration, only to discover Orchid dead in her room.

This is just the latest in a series of strange events surrounding the family. Now off the payroll, Jane can’t leave the underlying mystery alone and continues to search for answers. In the meantime, her attraction to her boss/partner continues to grow, causing problems for her as she tries to decide between the rich, handsome Jazz or the handsome “I’m there for you” Dwayne. All this is done through an alcohol haze that would put a wino to shame.

While the underlying mystery is intriguing, Ms. Bush buries it in so much description and inanities that it becomes a chore to get through at times. Do we really need to know every single road she takes from place A to place B? Do we need to know that the only things in her fridge are bottles of wine that she imbibes on a more than regular basis? Do we really need to know all the details of her dealings with her mother, brother, and his fiancé—especially when they have absolutely nothing to do with the underlying mystery? A little less description and more dialogue and tension would help the books be more interesting.

If you're looking for a quick beach read, ELECTRIC BLUE and CANDY APPLE RED will be good fare to tuck into your bag, but if you want a serious mystery with high tension, you’d be better off elsewhere.

Reviewed by Vicky Burkholder
9/17/2006

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