Reviewed by Kristin
Move over Stephanie Plum,
there’s a fresh new character in town and she’s got a ticket to write.
Maisie McGrane is from a large
Irish family full of Chicago cops. All
her life she has planned to join their ranks, but suddenly she learns that she
has failed the psych exam for having an overwhelming need to be liked, and thus
will be summarily dismissed from the police academy. Maisie’s first thought is that this can’t be
happening. All the McGranes are either
cops or lawyers. So what’s next for
Maisie?
Appeal the academy’s decision?
Apply to law school?
Become a meter maid?
Soon, Maisie has put on the
neon green vest and hit the streets.
Training with Traffic Enforcement Agent Letitia Jackson, Maisie
encounters the disgruntled public who are just as likely to throw rotten
milkshakes on her head as to beg for mercy when she is about to place an
AutoCITE ticket on their windshield.
Being a meter maid is not for the thin-skinned. No matter what that psych exam said, Maisie
is determined to succeed. Dealing with
high level Chicago political intrigue, Maisie manages to navigate her way
through the streets of the city in a 3-wheeled “Interceptor” cart issuing
tickets and putting the boot on vehicles with multiple violations.
Full of strong and sometimes
zany characters, this promising new series has more than a few similarities to
Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books. First
off, Maisie has taken on a new job for which she is not exactly suited. Her family is tight knit and definitely in
Maisie’s business, like it or not.
Sidekick/supervisor Letitia is overflowing with personality and surely
would be stopping at Cluck-in-a-Bucket if only she were in Trenton instead of
Chicago. A bit of a love triangle is set
up in this first book of the series as well, although Maisie seems to favor the
mysterious bad/good guy Hank Bannon rather than the family approved cop Lee
Sharpe.
This first installment in the
series has begun with a bang and seems to promise even more depth and
development in future publications. Next
in the series are Choked Up and Shoot ‘em Up.
I recommend Time’s Up enthusiastically, and look forward to getting to
know Maisie, her family, her co-workers, and her love interest(s) as the series
continues.
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