Murder as a Second Language by Joan Hess

 Reviewed by Kristin

Claire Malloy is bored. She has recently turned over the day-to-day operation of her bookstore to her clerk Jacob, and she just doesn’t have that much to do.  While she and her family have just moved into her newly remodeled dream house, not much needs to be done there either.  After a semi-successful stint at learning French cooking, Claire sets aside her bouillabaisse, coq au vin and soufflé au chocolat and begins searching for something else to do.  In the meantime, looking for ways to fluff up their college applications, Caron and friend Inez have signed up to volunteer as ESL tutors with the Farberville Literacy Council.  After hearing much moaning from the teenagers about how the unexpectedly longer hours will cut into their mall and lake time, Claire decides that she will volunteer alongside the girls to reduce their tutoring load.

The Farberville Literacy Council has strict rules for their tutors, the first of which is that they must attend an introductory training session.  The next orientation isn’t for a couple of months, so Claire is turned down politely.  However, (stretching the limits of believability,) Claire is asked to join the board of directors as they are unable to get enough board members together during the summer for a voting quorum.  The Council’s financial accounting is a mess, and they need to get it straightened out or they might be forced to an imminent closure.  As Claire attends her first board meeting, many members already seem to be aware of her reputation as an amateur sleuth.  Roped into the responsibility, Claire reluctantly accepts the board appointment.

With a variety of students from around the world, the Literacy Council is a busy place.  Keiko, the young Japanese program director, quickly ropes Claire into volunteering to answer the phone.  Keiko is prone to panic, and her inability to pronounce the letter “L” is over emphasized by the author as Claire is called “Mrs. Marroy” repeatedly.  Claire quickly becomes involved with all the players and is learning the group dynamics when an abrasive older Polish woman comes to a bad end.  Of course, Claire’s law-enforcement husband Peter tries to keep her out of the investigation, but Claire just can’t stop sticking her nose where it does not belong.

This is certainly a colorful, eye-catching book with international flags attached to police tape strung across the cover.  I like the flow of the author’s writing, even if she sets up her sleuth in situations that may stretch my fiction reading suspension of disbelief.  While this is a series, enough background is provided in each book that you can just jump in anywhere.  As this is the 19th installment in the Claire Malloy series, I have grown fond of the characters and look forward to further adventures.