Rating: 
Summary: The Killing Of A President
Review: Altagracia Garcia, President of the local community college is making big changes. She's trying to get a new campus for the college, not renewing leases on several buildings they currently rent, as being unfit for use. Firing useless employee's. So it's not such a big surprise that at the Fall Festival, she drops dead from poison.
The police quickly arrest, Oscar Beckman, a Culinary Arts major who had just returned to school after being suspended for cheating in the last semester.
Bel realizes that Oscar, whose best grade outside the Culinary classes was an incomplete was no killer.
With the help of Illuminade Gutrerrez - an adjunt professor and full-time private eye and Altagracia's assistant, Betty Ramsey, Bel is determined to find out who killed the popular president. Could it be her husband who has a secret. One of the people she fired? One of the property owners who have lost income through the lost leases. Or someone else?
Highlights:
Bel's e-mail. Bel is going through menopause and has an on-line support group. The helpful suggestions they are offering are both informative and funny.
The mystery. Very good. I didn't figure it out and it took real detective work on the part of Bel and her new friends to solve it.
The supporting characters are good, especially, Illuminade & Betty. There are also, Becky & Mark. Bel's two kids. Becky is going to college in Washington, living with her boyfriend and generally keeps in touch through her e-mail. Mark is currently a nanny to two small kids.
The humor. There is a lot of humor in this book, I laughed out loud several times.
Lowlights:
Sol - Bel's live-in partner. This character is so lightweight I don't understand Bel's attraction to him. He's a retired economic professor, who's into preservation and working with Eastern European countries on their economies. Maybe he'll improve as the series goes along.
I had read a short story in the anthology book "Motherhood Is Murder" which got me interested in this character and I have bought the series and have finally started reading. Looking forward to the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful read with an original sleuth!!
Review: Bel Barrett is a hoot- a hoot from Hoboken no less - who makes menopause seem survivable and NJ seem like a fascinating place where crime pays very well. I am looking forward to the next book in this one of a kind series.
Rating: 
Summary: A funny, engaging story where M stands for more than murder
Review: College prof Barrett is deep in the clutches of menopause. While we follow her struggles to cope with that, she struggles to cope with the brutal murder of the new college president, and prove a favorite student innocent of the crime. It's a fun, often funny, inside look at some aspects of higher education and menopause. There are many clever bits and devices, which sometimes get in the way of a tighter story. The characters and the setting ring true and the solution is satisfactory.
Rating:
Summary: hot mama sleuth will make you laugh out loud!
Review: Endearingly humorous, Jane Isenberg's first novel is a deliciously fun read. Isenberg succeeds in bringing to life a host of characters who can't resist getting themselves into all kinds of trouble. You'll love reading Bel's witty dialogue with her friends. You'll laugh with (and at) her as she brings you into her bathroom, her bedroom, her classroom, and even her metamorphosing menopausal body. You'll cheer her on and laugh out loud. You might start doing yoga in the middle of the night. This is a brave and hilarious new take on mystery writing. Who knew a menopausal sleuth could be so funny?!
Rating: 
Summary: Not a page turner
Review: I bought this book after reading that this series was comparable to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series (One for the Money, etc.) Sadly, there is no comparison. There is little suspense or tension of any kind in this story. The menopausal humor never made me laugh. The dialogue is stilted, the characters are not particularly appealing. For fun mysteries with lots of laughs I suggest reading Janet Evanovich; for entertaining mysteries in a fascinating setting try Tony Hillerman.
Rating:
Summary: Not a page turner
Review: I started THE M WORD with great enthusiasm and, clearly, this mystery has its merits. The writing style of the narrative is excellent, though the dialogue often sounds stilted. The premise is clever, though the murderer--no, I won't give away the ending--seemed to be implausible, even as far as murderers go. (A good test of the plausibility of murderers in mystery books, I have found, is whether the reader can begin to imagine that particular character as the wrongdoer. Here, it would be impossible to link the crime to the resolution, and any clues are too few and too unconnected.)Author Jane Isenberg writes with great passion about her protagonist's love of New York City. This part of the novel, for me, was the greatest display of her writing talent, as well as the part of the entire story that resonated the best. On the other hand, she places most of the tale in a community college in New Jersey, and that actually begs the question: How many potential readers truly are interested in such a setting, regardless of how well she communicates it? Certainly, it doesn't come close to the Archy McNally mysteries in Palm Beach, or Simenon or Agatha Christie. Still, Jane Isenberg shows enough skill as an author that I certainly will read another of her Bel Barret mysteries before coming to a conclusion about whether I want to continue with this series.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven but promising
Review: I started THE M WORD with great enthusiasm and, clearly, this mystery has its merits. The writing style of the narrative is excellent, though the dialogue often sounds stilted. The premise is clever, though the murderer--no, I won't give away the ending--seemed to be implausible, even as far as murderers go. (A good test of the plausibility of murderers in mystery books, I have found, is whether the reader can begin to imagine that particular character as the wrongdoer. Here, it would be impossible to link the crime to the resolution, and any clues are too few and too unconnected.) Author Jane Isenberg writes with great passion about her protagonist's love of New York City. This part of the novel, for me, was the greatest display of her writing talent, as well as the part of the entire story that resonated the best. On the other hand, she places most of the tale in a community college in New Jersey, and that actually begs the question: How many potential readers truly are interested in such a setting, regardless of how well she communicates it? Certainly, it doesn't come close to the Archy McNally mysteries in Palm Beach, or Simenon or Agatha Christie. Still, Jane Isenberg shows enough skill as an author that I certainly will read another of her Bel Barret mysteries before coming to a conclusion about whether I want to continue with this series.
Rating:
Summary: For Women -- Especially those facing "Change"
Review: I think this is a heroine for our times! This is not one of those young, pouty-lipped, long-legged, blondes with whom every other male character falls in love. This is a real character with whom you want to meet for lunch and dish the dirt. This will be one of those you pass on to other female friends of a "certain age." I don't think men will like this one. They just won't get it. I also like the use of letters and emails to start off each chapter. It really helps move the story.
Rating:
Summary: For Women -- Especially those facing "Change"
Review: I think this is a heroine for our times! This is not one of those young, pouty-lipped, long-legged, blondes with whom every other male character falls in love. This is a real character with whom you want to meet for lunch and dish the dirt. This will be one of those you pass on to other female friends of a "certain age." I don't think men will like this one. They just won't get it. I also like the use of letters and emails to start off each chapter. It really helps move the story.
Rating:
Summary: Any woman over 45 will love this book
Review: If you have ever been a teacher, mother, wife, or friend, if you have ever wanted to be able to laugh at the trials of menopause, if you have ever fought dirty politicians in your city or town, you should read this book. Like Seinfeld, the author can take details of everyday life we all have experienced and make them very funny, even as she keeps us engrossed with the details of the mystery.
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