Take the Monkeys and Run by Karen Cantwell is the first book in the new “Barbara Marr” murder mystery series. Publisher: Karen Cantwell, June 2010

Film lover Barbara Marr is a typical suburban mom living the typical suburban life in her sleepy little town of Rustic Woods, Virginia. Typical, that is until she sets out to find the missing link between a bizarre monkey sighting in her yard and the bone chilling middle-of-the-night fright fest at the strangely vacant house next door. When Barb talks her two friends into some seemingly innocent Charlie’s Angels-like sleuthing, they stumble upon way more than they bargained for and uncover a piece of neighborhood history that certain people would kill to keep on the cutting room floor.

Enter sexy PI Colt Baron, Barb’s ex-boyfriend who would love to be cast as new leading man, filling the role just vacated by her recently estranged husband, Howard. When Colt flies in from out of town to help Barb, events careen out of control and suddenly this mini-van driving mother of three becomes a major player in a treacherous and potentially deadly FBI undercover operation. It’s up to her now. With little time to spare, she and she alone, must summon the inner strength necessary to become a true action heroine and save the lives of those she loves. The question is can she get them out alive before the credits roll?

Oh my gosh, from the first page to the last, this book will tickle your funny bone as we watch Barbara Marr live out scenes from movies. When she accidentally stumbles upon a crime scene, her curiosity gets the best of her and dragging her two friends with her set out to solve the mystery of the empty house next door. Along the way Barbara gets involved with some interesting characters. The situations that Barbara gets into will have you rolling on the floor as she discovers that things are not as the appear. This fast-paced and action-filled story was a fun book to read. I hope we get to see more of Barbara Marr and friends.

*new-to-me author