At this point, it will come as no surprise at all that this is a wonderfully written book, amusing and entertaining.

Here there is a lot of stuff that feels like closure: Maddy is getting her Zoo ready for opening day, and her wedding with Auryn has finally a definitive date. But, of course, nothing goes smoothly when it comes to her. There is a murder (of course!); a new, presumptuous PR person; someone hired to take care of insects and reptiles; and lots of fun along the pages.

This is another fantastic addition to the series, with a great set of characters, a good plot and suspense enough to keep you glued to the pages until the end. As always with this author, and particularly with this series, this is a very recommended read. ( )

STORY-LINE:

In Chameleons And A Corpse, Madi is once again thrown into a murder investigation when Auyrn's invited to join the local secret society/gentleman's club. Madi's low opinion of the club does not improve when she finds another proposed inductee dead. Also, her zoo is almost ready to open, and she must tie up last minutes details. Hiring Pierce as her PR person, she not sure what he does around the zoo other hang around Tiff. Then hiring Gabby for the "creepy insects," she finds Gabby raises chameleons by the hoards and is a chameleon fanatic; she wonders if all will come together in time for the opening.

Can Madi solve a murder, get the Lucky Zoo going, solve staff problems, and plan her wedding before time is up? My book reviews follow.

CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:

As always Ruby Loren crafted an entertaining, intriguing mystery. I loved getting a glimpse into the closed society club. I find it more laughable than productive, even though they have high power in the commercial community. As a result, they have no issue with using that power. Most of them do not seem to have a moral compass in business or personal relationships. Oh my, everyone seems "to be having it on" with everyone but their spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend. With a cast of characters who see nothing wrong with affairs, lies, theft, or even murder, I was totally involved in the storyline. Just as I thought a character might have redeeming characteristics, they would disappoint me. Each had reasons to hate and murder the victim, Timmy. Personally, I am not sure how he managed to stay alive as long as he did; or for that matter any of the sordid characters.

As always, included alongside murder are fantastic animals for our entertainment and education. Rameses, the Pharaoh Hound, is quite a character and Lucky, of course, must stand her ground with the royal hound. Will a peaceful resolution between Rameses and Lucky be forthcoming?

With multiple-layer plotting, realistic characters, and an easy to read writing style, this tale kept me glued to the pages. Having read the earlier stories, I love the reappearing characters. Of course, we get another look at MI-5 and Madie's paranoia of being watched by them. Then again, maybe it's not paranoia. Madi gets to meet her old nemesis, Detective Treesden, and he doesn't think any more of her now than he did when he retired.
MY OPINION:

The scenes transition smoothly, and the writing flows well. Furthermore, I found the story easy to follow without bumpy or jerky prose. As usual, Ruby Loren sprinkled humor throughout this tale. I laughed and laughed when Detective Gregory and Pierce fought over Tiff. Has Tiff finally found her man? Hmm, you will have to read this story to find out. As usual, I did not ferret out the killer; I found their identity a surprise of enormous proportions. A cozy mystery is one of my favorite genres and Ruby Loren pens a superb cozy. I love this tale and would not hesitate to buy it for myself and a friend. I would recommend reading the entire series to anyone who enjoys clean well-written storylines.
CHAMELEONS AND A CORPSE RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4

ALSO PLEASE NOTE:

Additionally, I received a copy from the author. I chose to review the novel with honest book reviews voluntarily. Lastly, reviews of any novel are dependent on the author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews online and on my blog, are my opinions. ( )