Review

Jordan Bingham has found her dream job and among the many benefits are a beautiful place to live, plenty of delicious homemade Italian food, and the chance to shop for valuable books for her employer. However, that's where the dream job becomes a cold, hard reality. Jordan's employer, the wealthy Vera Van Alst, is extremely difficult and demanding. Jordan's latest assignment is to quickly recover Vera's stolen first edition Dorothy Sayers mysteries. If Jordan is unsuccessful, not only could these valuable books be lost forever, but she could lose her job. When her search for the missing books leads to a dead body, the stakes for Jordan's detecting get a whole lot higher --- and more dangerous.

The Sayers Swindle is an excellent follow up to the series debut, The Christie Curse. The second book in the series has the same charm and fascination for book-lovers as the first with frequent references to classic mysteries. I've read enough Dorothy Sayers' mysteries to appreciate the references to her characters in this book, but a familiarity of Lord Peter Wimsey isn't required to enjoy Jordan's latest adventures. I was glad to see this book features all of the likeable characters from the first book. I love that the characters are truly unique and the fact that Jordan is far from a cookie-cutter cozy heroine. Her nearest relatives are her uncles, Mick and Lucky, who might just bend the law a bit, but always have Jordan’s best interests at heart. Although Jordan is determined to stay on the straight and narrow, she isn't above using her set of lock-picking tools, a birthday gift form her uncles, in a pinch. Jordan has a secret crush on her charming friend Lance and is flattered when he compares her to Dorothy Sayers' character Harriet Vane, calling Jordan "Brilliant and Dangerous."

The search for the missing Sayers volumes leads Jordan to question many suspects and get herself into more than a few difficult situations. Things really get complicated when her Uncle Kevin joins in, helping Jordan, while looking for a place to "lay low" from his own dangerous situation. Jordan is a smart amateur detective and with her uncles always there for her and adding a bit of fun, the book is a pleasure to read. It has the humor of Janet Evanovich, without the slapstick, and the intelligence of a classic mystery by Dorothy Sayers herself. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series and I hope Jordan has plenty of books to find for Vera as well as murders to solve in the future.