Rating: 
Summary: How the other half lives - and dies
Review: "Plain Brown Wrapper" is not your average mystery novel, and I mean that in both good and bad ways. Let's do the bad ways first: author Karen Grigsby Bates spends much more time and energy than necessary detailing the expensive restaurants, posh hotels, designers clothes, Ivy League educations and top notch career posts that seem oh-so-necessary for novice detective(and journalist)Alex Powell and her circle of friends and colleagues. It's certainly not a world one can write about without firsthand knowledge and Ms. Bates seems to be letting the reader know, through her story, that this is her real-life world. I was reminded of the "Negro Geography" I first learned of in Benilde Little's book "Good Hair". Now for the good ways: Ms. Bates has a keen ear for snappy dialogue,which moves the pace of the book along nicely and avoids those sometimes plodding moments in mystery novels when not much is happening. Through Alex Powell's sluething, the reader gets a clear sense of the victim - a well-known publishing magnate and ladies man - as a person and not just a chalk outline. The author also managed to throw in just enough red herrings to keep me changing my mind from one chapter to another on the indentity of the murderer. Overall, a good beach read. It was fun, a little frivolous, and entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: African American female sleuth mysteries have fast become my favorite genre. To me, it gives a little kick to the basic "girl meets guy" fiction. However, I really never felt the kick in "Plain brown rapper". If anything, there was a slight thump towards the end. I like the character that Karen Grisby Bates has created in Alex Powell. The cool, self-assured, no holds bar persona that she gives off works great for the world of journalists when it comes to getting much needed, highly protected information. What I could of done less with was the oodles of French descriptions and show of status the was pervasive throughout the novel. I do pride myself on being at least somewhat in the know. However, having to have an encyclopedia on the side takes a little something away from my reading pleasure. When Ev Carson, a big wig publisher of a major Black magazine, is found dead at the Black Journalist's annual convention, his friend Alex is solicited by on of LAPD's finest to use her finess and connections to find the culprit. The character development of the three main suspects, Jake Jackson, Frankie Harper and Chip Wiley was pretty decent. And traveling back & forth from coast to coast was also a fun ride, especially being that I won't be on the Vineyard anytime soon. As for her partner Paul, I think Bates could have also given their budding relationship a bigger kick as well. All in all it was decent. With this first mystery solved and a new man on the east coast, something tells me the next Alex Powell novel will be a better one.
Rating:
Summary: Oh What Fun! Really a 4.5
Review: Alex Powell is a riot. I laughed so hard at her commentary on all her friends, co-workers and suspects in this wonderful murder mystery. I should warn that in Plain Brown Wrapper the mystery is secondary. It is more of a backdrop for the introduction to a cast of characters that make up the black upper-middle/upper class in Journalism. Alex pokes fun at their little idiosyncrasies but it's never done with contempt which I found very refreshing. There is no doubt that she respects each of these individuals for what they have accomplished and contributed to the world of black journalism but she still doesn't mind giving us a humorous look at what they are all about. She paints them as intelligent, self assured, very comfortable with who they are and not tripping all over themselves to assimilate. At the annual Black Journalist Convention, Alex's mentor and friend Everette Carson, affectionately know as EV, is murdered. Alex and friend Paul Bates discover his body, in his hotel room and she rather rashly offers the police detective their assistance but retracts the offer after the dirty looks Paul starts giving her. Later the Police have no clues and decide that she and Paul might have more success finding out what happened since the general consensus is that the murderer is probably among the guest attending the conference. So Alex and Paul team up, they have a week to travel around speaking with the most likely suspects. The dialog is witty, clever, insightful and hilarious. Alex's boss at the paper, A.S. Fine, who she calls "a repressed Jew" with his blond hair, he tries very hard to disengage himself from anything Jewish. Alex constantly takes him to task , for example when he tells her the paper is giving her the week off to help the police: she says "Do I have a say in this, or did you already make the arrangements with the overseer? A. S. sighed. Oh please. Do we have to do the race thing this Morning? she says "If not now, When? If not us who?" You are also going to love Paul who is just as clever as Alex and who is without a doubt a "good brother". I hope this is a series, I can't wait for the next installment.
Rating: 
Summary: So/So
Review: I found the story to be too full of details. Each character was described with more adjectives than I felt necessary. I do hope that the author will continue to write but focus more on the story than every detail of all the surroundings.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected.
Review: I love "sister sleuth" fiction so I couldn't wait to get this book. After reading this book, I should have waited to borrow it from the library. I think the main character Alex Powell was a good character but the overall story just didn't have enough "kick" to it to make a good mystery. The story was so bad that to this day I don't remember who killed Alex's friend Ev. If this is the beginning of a new mystery series, this is a poor start.
Rating:
Summary: African-American Chick-Lit Meets Whodunnit
Review: I picked up this book at a little bookstore (Melodrama Books) that just opened up in my neighborhood in Queens. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Alexa Powell and Paul Butler are a fun quick-witted pair who gives us an intriguing look into the world of Black publishing. The mystery is secondary to the fascinating cast of characters, but I still thought it was an enjoyable whodunit as well. Alexa and Paul have sort of a Black urban Nick and Nora Charles thing going on. From the opening "manure tossing scene" which left me in stitches, to the end - the writing is hysterical! Bates has a wonderful sense of humor. She also has a wonderful eye for character detail even when it comes to the lesser characters. And her descriptions of people in their respective environments - such as the Martha's Vineyard set and New York subway riders - was not only funny but in some cases quite accurate. I will definately be purchasing the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: African-American Chick-Lit Meets Whodunnit
Review: I picked up this book at a little bookstore (Melodrama Books) that just opened up in my neighborhood in Queens. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Alexa Powell and Paul Butler are a fun quick-witted pair who gives us an intriguing look into the world of Black publishing. The mystery is secondary to the fascinating cast of characters, but I still thought it was an enjoyable whodunit as well. Alexa and Paul have sort of a Black urban Nick and Nora Charles thing going on. From the opening "manure tossing scene" which left me in stitches, to the end - the writing is hysterical! Bates has a wonderful sense of humor. She also has a wonderful eye for character detail even when it comes to the lesser characters. And her descriptions of people in their respective environments - such as the Martha's Vineyard set and New York subway riders - was not only funny but in some cases quite accurate. I will definately be purchasing the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book - I loved Alexa's character.
This one kept me interested and I am looking forward to another Alexa Powell novel.
Rating:
Summary: A Fun but Light Mystery
Review: Karen Bates has penned a delightful novel, and it is accurately described as chick-lit meets whodunnit. A fast, entertaining read, but not a terribly satisfying mystery. For that, I'd recommend Selena Montgomery (Never Tell is probably the place to start -- African-American romantic murder mystery) or a Tamara Sneed romantic mystery. But I'll keep my eyes peeled for the next Alex Powell!
Rating:
Summary: Applaudable First Effort!!
Review: Karen Grigsby Bates first offering turned out to be entertaining and enjoyable. The character of Alex Powell was well written as well as were the supporting cast. From beginning to end I enjoyed the book and look forward to more Alex Powell offerings from Ms. Bates. This character definitely has a future!
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