Book Highlight: Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman #1-2

I’ll confess first, I thought this was going to be another funny crime comedy book in the vein of Stephanie Plum. While it did have some aspects of that since Maggie’s concussion gave her the magical ability to understand animals, and its all based in NJ, it has a lot more heart. Maggie has issues, and not just self deprecating single lady issues. 

Her mother has a serious bipolar/schizo not quite diagnosed disorder that left Maggie feeling like she had to watch her mother and her 3 sisters. But one day, when she was busy making sure her mother didn’t cause a scene, her younger sister was kidnapped. She was never found and Maggie blamed herself (as well as resenting her mother). Especially when said kidnapped sister’s twin ended up overdosing herself to an early grave. And now Maggie has no sisters since she was in the car crash that killed her 3rd sister, the husband and left her niece in a coma. 

Now that’s where the hitwoman comes in, I won’t tell you how she gets the job but I think it’s plausible enough if you hold the suspension of disbelief, and you can imagine why Maggie is desperate enough to take it to help her niece. 

There is so much more to add like her hot love interest that cannot be since he’s married (to two different wives no less. There’s an explanation for it, trust me). God, short for Gozilla, her niece’s pet lizard provides the needed commentary and conscience. Not to mention there’s the supporting cast of her family members like her three crazy aunts who semi-raised her, and her jailed father (also a long story) as well as the niggling worry that maybe she is going to head to the asylum next door to her mother. Plus the emotional payoff in the end makes it all worth it.

Anyway, the second book is just as good as the first with how the character progression never remains static and the characters are always showing new sides to themselves that you’re never sure whether they are as bad as they seem (I still got my eye on you, Templeton) or that their good guy veneer hides a hot tempered psycho (I seriously want to know what is Paul’s deal?). There’s a lot more going on but I’m keeping it vague since more people should read it and then come discuss it with me.

Unfortunately only the first two are in paperback, the rest on kindle which may be more environmentally friendly but I will go cross eyed if I stare intently at a screen too long. But I still really want to know what happens next!