Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Trying to solve the kidnapping of a friend's daughter sounds more compelling than leading a Portland writers' conference to an out-of-town writer who's suddenly been put in charge.After establishing herself with some success as an authorand how much success can the average author even expect?Charlemagne Russo, known to friends as Charlee, agrees to speak at a writers' conference as a favor to a friend. When Charlee arrives in Portland, she expects her friend and the conference organizer, Viv Lundquist, to want a little help with the final conference plans, but Viv has other ideas. After telling Charlee that her adult daughter, Hanna, has been kidnapped, Viv pressures Charlee to take the reins of the rest of the conference organizing, from stuffing gift bags to herding volunteers. Charlee is agreeable (though Viv's harried entitlement might make someone who was less of a softie turn her back on the request) and tries to do what she can in a sort of Murphy's Law of conference planning. First, it seems that the conference site, the Pacific Portland Hotel, has double-booked a dog agility show for the same days, and the hotel staff doesn't seem to think this is a problem. Then an East Coast storm means that many of the prestigious workshop leaders may be unable to make it for their sessions, but Viv doesn't seem to think it's a problem if Charlee steps in and offers professional writing advice in their steads. Charlee's almost at her wits' end with Viv's requests and loses patience when Viv is willing to embezzle conference fees to pay Hanna's ransom. All of this leads Charlee to wonder if Hanna has been kidnapped at all or if Viv is looking for an excuse to liquidate the funds for herself. Drawing on her past success in investigating, Charlee decides the time has come for her to get to the bottom of Hanna's disappearance, even if the truth implicates someone she once trusted.Idiosyncratic characters annoy rather than charm in this book-centric cozy that doesn't have the humor or lightness of Clark's debut mystery (Fiction Can Be Murder, 2018, etc.). Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Clark's second Mystery Writer's mystery falls short of the high standard set by its predecessor, 2018's Fiction Can Be Murder. Charlemagne "Charlee" Russo flies from Denver to Portland, Ore., for a writers' conference, where she's slated to give the keynote speech. The conference has been organized by her good friend, Viv Lundquist, and the two aren't even out of the airport before a distraught Viv reports that her 20-something daughter, Hanna, has been kidnapped. Viv delegates preparations for the conference to Charlee, while she searches for Hanna. What follows is a mash-up of cutesy panic and chaos when Charlee learns that, not only has the hotel booked a dog competition for the same weekend but the hotel chef has been fired. Meanwhile, Viv is incommunicado, leaving Charlee to pursue any suspicious characters. Sly asides and quips distract from the carefully crafted story line. Charlee operates among other characters, most of whom are undeveloped caricatures, in a reactive mode that fails to engage the reader's sympathy. Hopefully, Clark will do better next time. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Mystery writer Charlemagne (Charlee) Russo is to be a keynote speaker at her friend Viv's Portland, Oregon, writers' conference. Charlee soon discovers Viv's daughter, Hanna, has been kidnapped. Viv begs for Charlee's help in finding Hanna without involving the police the kidnapper has promised to kill Hanna if the police are notified. Charlee initially refuses, but she volunteers to run the writers' conference while Viv follows the kidnapper's instructions. Charlee soon must deal with a diminished volunteer corps (food poisoning), double-booked conference rooms, a fired chef, and late presenters (due to a massive snowstorm). Charlee soldiers on but reluctantly concludes that she must find Hanna in addition to saving the conference. She investigates a multitude of suspects, including the young hotel concierge, a maid, a former drug dealer, a man named Brad Pitt (given the name before the famous actor), and Viv herself. With the help of a canine neighbor, Charlee solves the crime. Framed with details of planning and attending a writers' conference, this humorous cozy boasts an engaging sleuth, well-drawn secondary characters, and numerous plot twists.--Sue O'Brien Copyright 2019 Booklist