Claire Fontaine Crime Fighter: A novel of life and death....and shoes

by Tracey Enright

A Novel of Life and Death...and Shoes Claire Fontaine is sassy, sexy, sophisticated, and rich. Henry Bennett is fat, sloppy, slow, and a bad dresser. He's a private eye, and as far as he's concerned, she's his assistant. As far as she's concerned, he's her partner. Their entire relationship, in fact, is one big difference of opinion, and the results are hilarious. Now Henry has been hired to investigate the murder of a young woman who liked to party. Claire helps (or hinders, depending on your point of view) when she can drag herself away from her Brentwood mansion and the James Bond-like hunk who lives next door. As Claire and Henry try to trace the victim's last known companions, they stumble across streets that the rich and famous desperately try to hide. If you like sleuths who are stylish, seductive, and full of great fun, then Claire Fontaine is the crime fighter for you.

Genres: Mystery, Humor

240 pages, Hardcover

First published June 27, 2006

Reviews

[Cyndi Janssen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not like this book. Too much designer name dropping.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and was hoping to find that the author had written a series. The set up was such that the reader gradually got to know the characters and was a good conduit for more books where we get to know the characters slowly and they can be fleshed out.

There were a few things that I thought should have been in the book but weren't such as - Doesn't this chick have ANY friends??? Where does she get her money??? How 'bout family?? Not having any of this in the story made the main character a little bit flat.

Hmmmm..... the more I think about this book the more I think I should have given it 3 stars instead of 4.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so odd. It was a good mystery, but there was pretty much no information on any of the characters. Not one! How can you be invested in a book and its characters when you know nothing about any of them? And it seems like the author wasn't sure if she wanted this to be a silly cozy or a hard-core, serious murder mystery. She'd name-drop designers and talk about clothes and make fun of Claire's outfits, but then she'd also have Claire make some deep, dark observations using very poetic language. The murder mystery was good and I'm glad that Claire seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. But I mostly found myself thinking how strange this book was.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

#119 08/29/06
CLAIRE FONTAINE CRIME FIGHTER by Tracy Enright
RATING: 4/B
TIME/PLACE: Present, Los Angeles, CA
CHARACTERS: Claire Fontaine/Asst to Henry Bennet/PI
COMMENTS: Light fun, 1st in series. Claire is wealthy & stylish, she starts to work for Henry Bennett in his PI business. Henry calls her his asst, she prefers partner. Several women have been murdered, their lifestyles my ahve been on the loose & wild side but they didn't deserve to die.

[eRin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was horrific: the dialogue stilted and awkward being the most distracting element. I figured this out quickly, but for some reason continued. All in all, it wasn't a horrible story if you can get past the bad writing. It's the first in a series (supposedly--this one came out a while ago and no sign of a second yet), and I would probably read a second on a rainy afternoon with nothing else to do.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took forever to get where it was going. Each lead the main characters uncovered were boring. There was nothing gripping or page turning about the mystery. And the author spent Alot of time dropping designer names when describing what Claire was wearing. But never detailed what the outfit looked like. Snore

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire Fontaine is a rich girl trying to find a profession. An arranged interview connects her to Henry Bassett, ex-cop turned P.I. Looking at a murder from her privledged viewpoint, she's able to solve the crime. Slow at first but worth it. As the tag says, a fun mystery.

[Darbi Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining quick read, but not terribly high quality. The author name drops labels like its a Gossip Girl novel. There's a love interest that we know nothing about. Claire is fun, but this is a weak effort.

[V C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Evanovich but fun none the less probably a cross for those who like Devil Wears Prada too!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick. Really like the main character Claire and her ridiculous relationship with Bennett. I would like to read another in this series and find out more about the past of the main character.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modern

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever![return]Read through it so fast, I couldn't believe it when I got to the end...[return][return]This heroine (Claire) rocks!!

[Lake County Public Library]

“Entertaining chick lit/ mystery. Imagine Legally Blonde meets a detective novel.”
–Nicole, Central Library

[Thezza Baluyos · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a funny book. I mean, just imagine a woman wearing 3-inch high stilletos investigating stuff. There's also a bit of romance (which is also funny). A good book.

[Christian Belz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp. The writing is sharp and quick witted. Claire Fontaine is a hoot!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Might give it another try if i see it again in the library

[Amy Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and light.