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Kelly O'Connell #3
Trouble in a Big Box
In this third Kelly O'Connell Mystery, Kelly has her hands full: her husband Mike Shandy is badly injured in an automobile acciden, developer Tom Lattimore wants to build a big-box grocery store called Wild Things in Kelly’s Fairmount neighborhood, and someone is stalking Kelly. Tom Lattimore’s pressure turns to threats when Kelly activates a neighborhood coalition to fight the project and tries to find out who is stalking her and why. Mike is both powerless to stop her and physically unable to protect her and his family. After their house is smoke-bombed and Kelly survives an amateur attack on her life, she is faced withan unwanted trip to Mexico from which she will never return.
228 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
10 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Judy Alter
146 books132 followersAfter an established career writing historical fiction for adults and young adults about women of the nineteenth-century American West, Texas author Judy Alter turned her attention to contemporary cozy mysteries and wrote three series: Kelly O’Connell Mysteries, Blue Plate Café Mysteries, and Oak Grove Mysteries. She has most recently published two titles in her Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries--Saving Irene and Irene in Danger.
Her most recent historical books are The Most Land, the Best Cattle: The Waggoners of Texas and The Second Battle of the Alamo, a study in both Texas and women’s history. Judy’s western fiction has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Public Library. She was named One of 100 Women, Living and Dead, Who Have Left Their Mark on Texas by the Dallas Morning News, and named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in the Arts, 1988, by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women
Judy is a member Sisters in Crime and Guppies, Women Writing the West, Story Circle Network, a past president of Western Writers of America, and an active member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Retired after almost thirty years with TCU Press, twenty of them as director, Judy lives in a small cottage—just right for one and a dog—in Fort Worth, Texas with her Bordoodle Sophie. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. Her hobby is cooking, and she’s learning how to cook in a postage-stamp kitchen without a stove. In fact, she wrote a cookbook about it: Gourmet on a Hot Plate.
Her most recent historical books are The Most Land, the Best Cattle: The Waggoners of Texas and The Second Battle of the Alamo, a study in both Texas and women’s history. Judy’s western fiction has been recognized with awards from the Western Writers of America, the Texas Institute of Letters, and the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame. She has been honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA and inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame at the Fort Worth Public Library. She was named One of 100 Women, Living and Dead, Who Have Left Their Mark on Texas by the Dallas Morning News, and named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in the Arts, 1988, by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women
Judy is a member Sisters in Crime and Guppies, Women Writing the West, Story Circle Network, a past president of Western Writers of America, and an active member of the Texas Institute of Letters.
Retired after almost thirty years with TCU Press, twenty of them as director, Judy lives in a small cottage—just right for one and a dog—in Fort Worth, Texas with her Bordoodle Sophie. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of seven. Her hobby is cooking, and she’s learning how to cook in a postage-stamp kitchen without a stove. In fact, she wrote a cookbook about it: Gourmet on a Hot Plate.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 5, 2014
The third part of Kelly O'Connell series was good, actually really good. It was action-packed and rather fast-paced, with our already-well-known characters as well as several new ones.
This time, we meet with Kelly who is already settled in her marriage and her daughters are slightly older. That will not come as spoiler, while that is part of the book description, that Mike becomes seriously injured in a car accident and for the whole story he is convalescing, re-learning to walk.
What I liked - introduction of a new characters like elderly Otto and Jose - Keisha's would-be boyfriend. There is also enough of Claire and some briefing moments with Conroy (usually funny). I liked that the story shifted slightly from Kelly doing a leg-work and questioning people (or rather pestering them) to Kelly trying to avoid such situations. It actually felt this time as really, honest to God, everything was against her.
There is a side-story, involving Tom Lattimore - Kelly's business colleague, who has outrages plan to re-zone historic district and build a sort of high-end chain store there. Obviously, that is unacceptable so people of Fairmount organize protest, while Kelly juggles that aspect with helping Mike, visiting with Claire, driving Em and Maggie, etc.
What I didn't like - that Kelly doesn't speak out loud what she doesn't like about Mike's behaviour or attitude. Aaand - I was a little bit overwhelmed by the crowd and jumps in the action :) But that's my - completely subjective opinion and feeling. I also still don't get it that Kelly so easily drops her daughters on Keisha's, Theresa and Joe's or her mom's lap, whenever she needs to do something. It seems sometimes that the girls are raised and influenced more by other people than their mom.
Overall - highly recommended and good fun. Lots of interesting plots and rather well-constructed mystery.
This time, we meet with Kelly who is already settled in her marriage and her daughters are slightly older. That will not come as spoiler, while that is part of the book description, that Mike becomes seriously injured in a car accident and for the whole story he is convalescing, re-learning to walk.
What I liked - introduction of a new characters like elderly Otto and Jose - Keisha's would-be boyfriend. There is also enough of Claire and some briefing moments with Conroy (usually funny). I liked that the story shifted slightly from Kelly doing a leg-work and questioning people (or rather pestering them) to Kelly trying to avoid such situations. It actually felt this time as really, honest to God, everything was against her.
There is a side-story, involving Tom Lattimore - Kelly's business colleague, who has outrages plan to re-zone historic district and build a sort of high-end chain store there. Obviously, that is unacceptable so people of Fairmount organize protest, while Kelly juggles that aspect with helping Mike, visiting with Claire, driving Em and Maggie, etc.
What I didn't like - that Kelly doesn't speak out loud what she doesn't like about Mike's behaviour or attitude. Aaand - I was a little bit overwhelmed by the crowd and jumps in the action :) But that's my - completely subjective opinion and feeling. I also still don't get it that Kelly so easily drops her daughters on Keisha's, Theresa and Joe's or her mom's lap, whenever she needs to do something. It seems sometimes that the girls are raised and influenced more by other people than their mom.
Overall - highly recommended and good fun. Lots of interesting plots and rather well-constructed mystery.
November 12, 2013
Although I did enjoy the plot of this "light" mystery, I found the book to be highly offensive. I do not live in Fort Worth, but I have/had many friends who live/lived in the city. I am very familiar with the neighborhoods.
I felt that her constant pejorative references to the Northside neighborhood were very elitist. This is an area that has been a major part of Fort Worth for decades. It is a working class neighborhood that is primarily inhabited by Hispanics. While the area does have some problems with crime, there are many decent families who have lived there for generations.
I also was offended by the use of racist terms such as " a Mexican standoff."
I have enjoyed reading the books in the "Kelly O'Connell" mystery series, but due to the concerns listed above, I will no longer be reading the series or any books by Ms. Alter.
I felt that her constant pejorative references to the Northside neighborhood were very elitist. This is an area that has been a major part of Fort Worth for decades. It is a working class neighborhood that is primarily inhabited by Hispanics. While the area does have some problems with crime, there are many decent families who have lived there for generations.
I also was offended by the use of racist terms such as " a Mexican standoff."
I have enjoyed reading the books in the "Kelly O'Connell" mystery series, but due to the concerns listed above, I will no longer be reading the series or any books by Ms. Alter.
December 8, 2012
I very much liked the tone of this book, mainly because the family dynamic struck me as real and unforced, as did the secondary characters. Real estate agent Kelly O'Connell is determined to stop a big box superstore from opening in her historic neighborhood. On top of dealing with the different city factions for and against the project, Kelly's policeman husband is seriously injured in an auto accident that kills a nineteen-year-old girl. The driver at fault escapes, and the twin of the victim starts stalking Kelly. There's a lot going on in the story, none of which I'll divulge in a review, but Ms. Alter neatly handles the different threads to the final, exciting conclusion.
August 5, 2014
Love this series, but starting to notice that the main character is kind of self-centered. The way she deals with her mother, her husband, and especially her secretary and contractor seem kind of off. Everyone drops everything for her and does whatever she wants. In this book she also seemed kind of snobby. Way to much descriptions of peoples' clothing and her critiques of it.
March 16, 2015
Love this cozy mystery series set in Fort Worth Texas. This is book 3.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews