Jinx Schwartz Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: Jinx Schwartz Type: Fiction Pages: 341 Copyright: 2006 ISBN-13: 9781465757210 Hetta Coffey, a globe trotting civil engineer,is the epitome of the b word, bold, bossy, brassy, breezy and brash. Hetta Coffey is a globe-trotting civil engineer with attitude who is working on coming of age, a little late. Pushing forty and still single, Hetta is the epitome of the b word: bold, bossy, brassy, breezy and brash. After leaving a lifelong swath of failed multi-national affairs in her jet stream, it is no wonder Hetta prefers living with her dog R.J. But old habits die hard, and trolling for triceps is Hetta s hobby. Plying the waterfront in search of Saturday brunch, Hetta s attention is snagged by a parade of passing yacht--especially their predominantly male skippers--and experiences a champagne-induced epiphany: if she had a boat, she could get a man. In hopes a floating Valhalla will overcome an all-time low-water mark in her life, Hetta buys her dream boat in spite of a spectacular ignorance of all things nautical. But a shadowy stalker, an inconvenient body, and Hetta s own self-destructive foibles imperil not only her new life, but a newly- found romance

review #1
By Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME) This review is from: Just Add Water (Hetta Coffey) (Paperback)
Meet Hetta Coffey. She's a globe-trotting civil engineer with an attitude. Seeing a parade of yachts while having brunch with her best friend Jan, Hetta decides if she had a boat, she could snag a man. So she and Jan set out to learn about boating. There are many humorous adventures while learning.

Finally Hetta buys her dream boat. A shadowy stalker, a body appearing, work woes, and her past coming back to haunt her, don't stop Hetta from going for her dream. They just slow her down a little and throw some wrenches in her plans.

Hetta must stop an attempt on her life and figure out who wants her dead and why.

This is the first book in a new series. Hetta is a fun character. She has an attitude and knows it. Jan, her best friend, sticks with her through thick and thin. The men in Hetta's life add to her many adventures. The setting on the water gives the book a unique flair. I recommend this book and look forward to reading the next


review 2
y FictionAddiction.NET - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Just Add Water (Hetta Coffey) (Paperback)
Can't get a man? Just add water.

Hang on tight for a rollicking adventure with Hetta Coffey, a globetrotting civil engineer with an attitude. After a lifelong swath of failed romances, Hetta prefers living with her dog and commiserating her single status with best friend, Jan.

But old habits die-hard and one morning while brunching with Jan at the waterfront, Hetta's attention is snagged by a parade of passing yachts and their hunky male skippers. She decides that if she had a boat, she could get a man.

Despite her naiveté of all things nautical, Hetta buys her dream boat and sets about learning to sail.

A series of events, including a shadowy stalker and an inconvenient body threaten to imperil her new lifestyle. As her past comes back to haunt her, Hetta must use all of her gritty resources to foil an attempt on her life to figure out who is determined to kill her and why.

Author Jinx Schwartz will need to change her name to Lucky when readers discover Book One of the Hetta Coffey series, Just Add Water. Schwartz has not only hit a home run, her first book is out of the ballpark.

This book is a refreshing antidote to the seriousness of the mystery genre. Readers will fly through the pages in anticipation of what Hetta will do and say next.

Schwartz ties up all the loose ends at the conclusion of the book, leaving readers eagerly anticipating Book Two of the Hetta Coffey series.


review #3
By Martha A. Cheves (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME) This review is from: Just Add Water (Hetta Coffey) (Paperback)
Just Add Water - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat
`Picking up my ballpoint, I filled in under SAILING EXPERIENCE, Caribbean, Mediterranean, and trans-Pacific. I left out the fact that all of this cognitive content was gained on cruise ships the size of small cities. The next question was easy. WHY DO YOU WANT TO LEARN TO SAIL? It is against my nature to answer this type of question with any honesty, but I thought, what the hey? And wrote: Meet new people. Learn a skill. Find a mate.'

Being as honest as possible, Hetta Coffee fills out her application for sailing lessons being given by the Gay Nineties Sailing Club. The whole idea of learning to sail was Hetta's and she actually convinced her best friend Jan that it is the perfect way to meet men. In fact, Jan set up the lessons. Hetta wished she had paid attention to the actual name of the club. So, after 4 hours on board a sailing vessel made up of all women, both Hetta and Jan decided they just might need to find another club to learn their new skill through.

Hetta's pricy home, complete with dog playground and trap door, sits among homes owned by several of the NBA players. It's large but has become quite costly, plus Hetta soon finds out that someone has found access into her home and is apparently searching for something. And she's pretty sure she knows what they are searching for and even who the intruder might be. Five years earlier she was given a key to a bottle club in Tokyo. A bottle club is a lounge that rents you a locker allowing you to store your own drinking preference to be enjoyed whenever you are in town. But when her one and only suspect turns up as a floater in her own hot tub, she decides she has had enough and should move on. So when the owner of the "Sea Cock" makes her an offer she can't pass up, she sells her home and buys herself a yacht. But as I'm sure you can guess, the troubles don't stop there.

Just Add Water has been a joy to read. Jinx Schwartz' style of writing includes a good murder mystery, a lot of suspense, many suspects and a ton of humor. This is such an enjoyable light mystery read.