AT WITT'S END/OUTWITTED

AT WITT'S END by Beth Solheim was read with an online book club.

From Amazon.com:

Things are really bustling at the Witt's End resort in Northern Minnesota.  Clients are vying for one of the few remaining rentals, except Cabin 14 - thing is no one gets out of Cabin 14 alive.  Sadie isn't your typical sixty-four year old senior citizen.  She has things she wants to do and should be expected to solve a murder while trying to prevent an unscrupulous sheriff's deputy from shutting down the lakeside resort she owns with her straight arrow sister.  But that's exactly what Sadie Witt must do.  When five guests with hidden agendas arrive at Cabin 14, they're stunned to learn that the flamboyant Sadie is their conduit to the hereafter.  Clad in the latest fashion trends - fads typically reserved for those without sagging body parts - and sporting hairdos that make bystanders want to look away but can't, Sadie realizes one of the guest has been murdered and must work against the clock to untangle the web and prevent further mayhem.

I wasn't thrilled with this book.  When I began reading, I felt like I was starting in the middle of the story.  I checked to see if this might be the second or later book in a series, but it is the first.  The characters, with the exception of Sadie, were non-descript and on the boring side.  Sadie, on the other hand, was completely over the top.  The story line was confusing and seemed to jump all over the place.  I got the impression that the author had the story in mind, but was in such a hurry to put it on paper, that she skipped some important parts.  I had to flip back pages a few times to see if I had missed something.

I bought this book for under $2 for my Kindle, so I didn't feel too bad about spending the money for a book I didn't like.  I checked Amazon and found the second book, OUTWITTED, for less than $3, so I thought I'd give this author one more chance, hoping that the second book would be more enjoyable.


OUTWITTED by Beth Solheim

From Amazon.com:

The Witt's End Resort in Northern Minnesota will never be the same when Sadie Witt assumes the role of funeral director's helper after the untimely murder of the previous assistant.  After skeletal remains are discovered under Cabin 12, Sadie and her sister set out to solve a murder and reveal a secret that ties a prominent community member to a notorious crime operation.  Shenanigans abound when the resort manager unwittingly rents Cabin 12 to the funeral director's ex-husband, a raucous character who causes one outrageous funeral mishap after another.  Flamboyant Sadie isn't your typical sixty-four year old senior citizen.  The recently departed arrive at Witt's End with issues and she has no choice but to help them unravel their puzzles.  BE WARNED...If you think Cabin 12 conceals a mystery, don't check into Cabin 14, because no guest ever leaves alive!

Was the second book in this series better than the first.  No.  There was the same problem with the story jumping all over.  No interesting characters.

For a little less than $5, I've come to the conclusion that I will not read any more of this series, if there are any more books written, nor would I recommend this author.