RachelAmphlett

I was looking forward to reading this, the current offering from "Seven Steps to Closure" author Donna Joy Usher, and I wasn’t disappointed.

In Chanel Smith, the author has created a character who is hapless yet beguiling, managing to both pursue a serial killer whilst wearing tottering heels, cope with her mother’s metamorphosis from small-town wife to chic pole dancing instructor, and avoid the wrath of her new boss.

The opening scenes following Chanel through police training will resurrect memories of both the "Police Academy" and "Private Benjamin" films in readers' minds, which is made all the more entertaining with a dog involved.

The book obviously isn’t meant to take on the hard-line crime novels found elsewhere on this site, being more akin to Janet Evanovich’s sharp observations and witticisms. Instead, Cocoa and Chanel is an easy read: a fun crime caper with some great one-liners, a storyline which powers along without being too taxing, and a perfect escape for those days when you want to relax, laugh out loud and not take life too seriously.

I’m now looking forward to the next in the series. Five stars all the way.