A Fool and His Monet 

Serena Jones Mysteries #1

Paperback, ebook

March 1, 2016

by Sandra Orchard

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Revell 
• ISBN-13: 978-0800726713

Serena Jones has a passion for recovering lost and stolen art--one that's surpassed only by her zeal to uncover the truth about the art thief who murdered her grandfather. She's joined the FBI Art Crime Team with the secret hope that one of her cases will lead to his killer. Now, despite her mother's pleas to do something safer--like get married--Serena's learning how to go undercover to catch thieves and black market traders.

When a local museum discovers an irreplaceable Monet missing, Jones leaps into action. The clues point in different directions, and her boss orders her to cease investigating her most promising suspect. But determined to solve the case and perhaps discover another clue in her grandfather's murder, she pushes ahead, regardless of the danger.

With spunk, humor, and plenty of heart-stopping moments, Sandra Orchard gives readers an exciting string of cases to crack and a character they'll love to watch solve them.

My thoughts: Wow, wow, wow. A FOOL AND HIS MONET is total proof that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. I have never read any of Ms. Orchard's books before and I'm going into it with an "Okay, this sound interesting, but can she deliver?" attitude. And boy, oh boy can she deliver!  A FOOL AND HIS MONET started with action and didn't stop!  Even though I peeked at the end of the book to see who-dun-it, I absolutely had to keep reading to find out why, how the criminal was caught, etc. 

There are some loose ends. Serena's grandfather's unsolved murder. The hero... is it Nate, or Tanner?  There's a vote  here for the winner of the hero award, and wow, I couldn't vote. I loved both Nate and Tanner! I would cheer for either one of them. The story is written in first person which might turn some readers off, but honestly, I never noticed after the beginning page. 

I totally LOVED this book and highly recommend  A FOOL AND HIS MONET to anyone who loves suspense or cozy mysteries. VERY good book. 5 stars (plus!)