A few years ago, the purveyors of crime, the crimemongers of the world, came face to face with Vancouver’s self-absorbed detective, Joe LaFlam, in the book, Bye Bye Bertie. Joe has returned for another attempt to steer an unsuspecting babe away from her potentially crime-laced life and to get the real bad guys. My Fear Lady picks up where the first novel left off. Joe is unfortunately wealthy, driving a limousine while he pursues pedestrians, and the wicked cabal of soon-to-be world dominators, Spelunkers Global, has kidnapped some innocent young man in order to keep him from his girlfriend. None of that, however, is enough to distract Joe from worrying about being afflicted with celibacy, mentoring his older collegues, and how he can save the world and his family’s fortune.

There are many things going for this story, but there are several things going against it too. It’s funny, and many plot points are well written. The conclusion is perfect, but getting there is a bit of a long. If Joe’s mental ramblings get old too soon, the story will drag. The story pokes fun at many pop Christian ideas as well, so you may have a sacred cow BBQ somewhere here. Overall, I thought the story could use more complication and more straight-forward humor. I appreciate Rick sending me this book, and I wish him the very best.