Heroine: short and solid

       After surviving a harrowing adolescence and maintaining her status as the town's foul-mouthed, hard drinking tart for twenty-plus years, shop teacher Maddie "Max" Maxwell thinks she's one tough cookie.  But she soon discovers her "soft center" when her hormones start going haywire with a surprise pregnancy.  After all, it's not everyday you go into the doctor's for a scheduled hysterectomy and come out with a due date for a baby--by a guy you are about to dump, no less!

        But Max is about to find out that even the toughest cookie is liable to crumble under the right circumstances.  If the pregnancy wasn't enough to bowl her over, surely the multiple murders occurring around town will do it.  Especially since all of them are connected in one way or another to Max herself!

What worked for me:

       I thought the writing was clever, and the plot held my interest with its nicely convoluted mystery.  The dash of raunchy sexual tension and heart-wrenching plot developments were also a great touch. 

       Size-wise Max is closing in on forty and built, in her words, like a fireplug.  And her best (and annoying) friend is rather voluptuous as well.

What didn't work for me:

       It was hard not to flinch when thinking about Max's drinking during her early pregnancy.

Overall:

      I found this story to be a creative hybrid of women's fiction and mystery.  Readers looking to be drawn into an emotionally raw, thought-provoking story would be well-advised to search this one out.