Book ~ "Irish Eyes" (2000) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ Callahan Garrity is the owner of House Mouse, a cleaning service that tidies up after Atlanta's elite. She's also a former cop and a part-time sleuth. She and her coterie of devoted helpers can ransack a house for clues faster than it takes a fingerprint to set.

When Callahan Garrity gets caught in a liquor store holdup on the way home from a St. Paddy's Day party, one of her best friends is shot. Callahan and her House Mouse cleaning crew dive into the investigation - only to discover that her old friend might have been working both sides of the law as an accomplice in a string of robberies. It will take every trick they've got to pierce the veil of secrecy surrounding an Irish police organization and prove that the case is more than it seems. 

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

Callahan goes to a St. Patrick Day's party with her best friend, Bucky, put on by the Shamrock Society, a drinking club for Irish police officers.  Bucky wants her to meet his new girlfriend, Lisa, who he is in love with, something that has never happened to Bucky before.  Lisa is a cop and is tied up with a case and doesn't show up.  When Bucky gives Callahan a drive home, he makes at stop at a liquor store along the way where he is shot twice in the head.  It's reported that that clerk working in the store disappeared that night with the store video of what happened and lots of money from the store safe.

Bucky is essentially brain dead and Callahan starts to investigate how this happened to her friend ... was he targeted or was in the wrong place at the wrong time?  She learns that he has been working part-time doing security at the store and other members of the Shamrock Society do security at other stores and restaurants in which the owners are eventually robbed at ATMs.  Coincidence?!

In the meantime, Mac, Callahan's longtime boyfriend has been offered a job five hours away in Nashville and he wants Callahan and Edna to go with him.  Edna's psyched but something is holding Callahan back from making the move.

The writing was okay.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  Because it was originally written in the late 1990s and is set in the late 1990s, they are still using pay phones, answering machines, cheques, VCRs, etc. Some of the terms used are now cringe-worthy such as the "N-word" and "coloured" which makes the book seem racist.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the eighth (and last) in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series. Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided.  It wasn't a great series but I read them all.  This book ended really depressingly rather than happily as most series do, which was surprising.

Book ~ "Midnight Clear" (1999) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ It's a few days before Christmas and sometime sleuth/full-time cleaning lady Callahan Garrity has things under control for a change, until her ne'er-do-well brother, Brian, shows up. He's kidnapped his toddler daughter, Maura, from his estranged wife, a vengeful shrew with the law on her side.

When his ex-wife is found dead, the cops suspect Brian. To save her brother and her holiday, Callahan, along with her irascible mom, Edna, and a gaggle of House Mouse employees, will crisscross yuletide Atlanta, going everywhere the search for truth leads. 

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

It's a couple days before Christmas and the House Mouse is having their holiday party ... when they are surprised by the the arrival of Brian, Callahan's younger brother, who hasn't been in touch with the family in about ten years.  Edna is ecstatic but Callahan is pissed, especially when he drops off his three-year-old daughter, Maura, who they didn't know existed.  Apparently Brian had married Shay, the local tramp, and when they split up, Brian didn't have any custody rights so he grabbed Maura and is hoping Edna will take care of her for a couple days as he gets himself settled.  Then Shay is found murdered and Brian, of course, is the main suspect and he's being less than cooperative.

The writing was okay, though the editing could have been better as there are typos.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  Because it was originally written in the late 1990s and is set in the late 1990s they are still using pay phones, answering machines, telephone books, etc. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the seventh in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series.  Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided. It hasn't been a great series but this has been the best book so far (only one more to go).  I liked that it was less about the House Mouse employees' flakey side stories and more focused on the main story.  I found Brian to be an unbelievable character ... he cared enough about the welfare of this daughter that he kidnapped her but then pretty much abandoned her with his family who he abandoned ten years earlier.  He was disrespectful of the help that was given to him.

Book ~ "Strange Brew" (1998) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ The winds of change are blowing, bringing gentrification to Callahan Garrity's funky Atlanta neighborhood. Though it probably won't harm her House Mouse housecleaning service, not everyone welcomes the rebirth. And when the body of a murdered microbrewer is discovered in the aftermath of a furious Halloween gale, suspicion falls on the aging "flower child" shopkeeper whom the victim put out of business.

A former cop, Callahan isn't as quick to condemn a colorful local character as some law officers still on the force. But her investigative zeal is stirring up secrets that are forcing her to reassess old friendships and a one-time love - and is brewing up more lethal trouble than Callahan and her "mice" can safely swallow. 

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

The neighbourhood where Callahan and Edna live is cleaning itself up ... trendy and cool businesses are pushing out the struggling businesses that have been there a lot time.  One of them is Wuvvy's shop where she sells posters, teeshirts, etc.  Wuvvy is a the local free spirit who drinks, smokes weeds and sleeps with everyone.  There is a brewpub moving into Wuvvy's shop and she doesn't like it one bit and she's not quiet about it.  When the owner of the soon-to-come brewpub is found murdered, Wuvvy is the suspect, especially since she has disappeared.  Callahan's not convince that Wuvvy did it so starts to investigate.

While this is happening, a storm brings destruction to Atlanta and there is a lot of damage, including to Callahan and Edna's house.  But this brings extra business to House Mouse, which is good because they need the extra money to repair their house and van that damaged in the storm.

The writing was okay.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  Because it was originally written in the mid 1990s and is set in the mid 1990s (just after the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta) they are still using pay phones, answering machines, cheques, etc. Some of the terms used are now cringe-worthy such as the "N-word" and "coloured" which makes the book seem racist.  Edna was nastier than usual in this book ... she was fed up with the "winos", "bums", etc. in her neighbourbood so she forms a neighbourhood watch.  I found the craft beer angle in this one interesting.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the sixth in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series.  Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided. It's not a great series but I only have a couple more to go so I've kept going.  This book was better than the last two.

Book ~ "Heart Trouble" (1996) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ Callahan Garrity has her hands full trying to expand her House Mouse cleaing business. So she's reluctant to take on a client in need of detective services, especially when that client is the most notorious woman in Atlanta - Whitney Albright Dobbs. Whitney is a wealthy socialite who, while under the influence, hit and killed a young black girl and just kept driving.

Whitney's light sentence has set the city's racial tensions on simmer and Callahan is not especially keen on helping track down Whitney's soon-to-be ex-husband's hidden assets. Against her better judgment though, Callahan launches a full-out search for Dr. Dobbs's dollars. But it only takes a glance to see that more than Whitney's alimony is at stake.

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

House Mouse has been asked to bid on a big job but Callahan would have to hire more staff if they won the job and she's having issues trying to find people.  In the meantime, she has been approached to take on an investigation job ... a wealthy woman is in the process of getting divorced and she suspects her soon-to-be ex-husband is hiding his assets and she needs someone to look into it.  Callahan can use the money but the wealthy white woman is one of the most hated women in Atlanta ... she recently ran over and killed a young black girl while under the influence and got away with it because of a technicality. The woman agrees to pay Callahan double her normal rate so Callahan accepts.  On top of all this, Edna is having heart problems so her health isn't great.

The writing was okay, though it could have been edited better as there were words left out. The storyline was more racial-charged than I was expecting and there was a lot going on (too many unimportant side stories like Neva Jean's husband buying emus and Callahan's sister and brother-in-law moving in because they are renovating their house). The ending came quickly and I wasn't buying it. 

It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  Because it was originally written in the mid 1990s and is set in the mid 1990s (just before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta) they are still using pay phones, answering machines, cheques, etc. Some of the terms used are now cringe-worthy such as the "N-word" and "coloured" which makes the book seem racist. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the fifth in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series ... I read the first one in 2018 and recently picked the series back up again.  Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided.  It's not a great series but I'm now more than halfway through so I'll keep going to the end.

Book ~ "Killer Fudge" (2012) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ Atlanta private investigator/cleaning business owner Callahan Garrity once again proves her ability to clean up a sticky mess. When the grandson of faithful House Mouse employee Ruby is charged with brutally bludgeoning an elderly antique dealer, Callahan is called on to investigate. What she discovers is a recipe for homicide. 

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

Ruby, one of Callahan's House Mouse employees, comes to her for help ... her young grandson had been arrested for the murder of an elderly client he had been hired to do lawn work for.  Plus he'd taken a pile of cash from the old man.  Callahan investigates and discovers what really happened.  The solving of the real killer is pretty lame.

This is a short story in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series. 

 Also included is a recipe for a fudge.

Book ~ "Fatal Fruitcake" (2012) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ Atlanta cleaning lady/private detective Callahan Garrity, the protagonist of the author's eight critically acclaimed mysteries, returns from a long hiatus in this short story to track down the source of a killer fruitcake--and in the process discovers that some forms of Christmas spirit really can be lethal. 

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

It's the Christmas season and Callahan and Edna are putting up their tree.  Callahan gets a call from Jacky, one of her House Mouse employees, that while cleaning after an office party, she came across a dead body in the boardroom.  Panicked she called Callahan who advises her to call the police.  When Callahan arrives, the coroner has found a piece of fruitcake lodged in the dead guy's throat and deems it death by asphyxiation.  Callahan doesn't believe this and investigates and discovers what really happened.

This is a short story in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series. 

 Also included is the author's recipe for a not-so-fatal fruitcake.

Book ~ "Happy Never After" (1996) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ Since retiring from the Atlanta Police Department, Callahan Garrity is really cleaning up with her House Mouse housecleaning company - especially since she added "crime investigation" to the list of services offered.

Callahan agrees to locate the missing member of the popular '60s girl group, the VelvetTeens. Then lead singer, Rita, is found passed out drunk by a swimming pool near the dead body of the trio's former producer. The smoking gun in Rita's hand suggests that the VelvetTeens won't be reuniting for a comeback tour anytime in the near future ... unless Callahan and her "Mice" can spotlight - and survive - a different killer act. 

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

The VelvetTeens are heading for a comeback but are missing Delores, who no one has seen in about 20 years. Vondette, one of the singers, Delores' cousin and the ex-wife of a good friend of Callahan's, hires her to find Delores.  Rita, Delores' sister and a bandmate, has fallen into hard times over the years and is now an alcoholic,  When their former manager, Stu, ruins their potential comeback, Rita vows to kill him ... and then is found passed out at his house holding the gun that just killed him.  She is arrested and Callahan is then redirect to help her lawyer to prove Rita didn't do it.  Stu had lots of enemies so it could have been anyone.

The writing was okay, though it could have been edited better as there were words left out. The storyline was convoluted and there was a lot going on (too many side stories). The ending came quickly and I wasn't buying it. It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  Because it was originally written in the early 1990s, they are still using pay phones, CDs, answering machines, etc. and there are references by Callahan of growing up in the 1970s. Some of the terms used are now cringe-worthy. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the fourth in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series ... I read the first one in 2018 and recently picked the series back up again.  Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided.  It's not a great series but I'm now halfway through so I'll keep going to the end.

Book ~ "Homemade Sin" (1994) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ Callahan Garrity is the owner of House Mouse, a cleaning service that tidies up after Atlanta's elite. She's also a former cop and a part-time sleuth. She and her coterie of devoted helpers can ransack a house for clues faster than it takes a fingerprint to set.

Some people might call Callahan Garrity nosy but she prefers to think of her tendency toward snooping as a healthy interest in the truth. So when news reaches her of her cousin Patti's death during a carjacking, Callahan shakes off her House Mouse cleaning uniform to don her detective's cap. It's not that she doesn't have confidence in the Atlanta police - she used to be among their ranks - but the crime is too incongruous with Patti's suburban life to seem like a random incident.

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

Callahan is shocked and sad when her close cousin, Patti, is murdered in a carjacking.  Patti's young son was in the backseat when it happened and is a witness but has a mental handicap so isn't able to fully tell what happened.  The police are looking into it and suspect that it's gang related. But Callahan is wondering what her cousin was doing on that side of town where it happened because she rarely left her neighbourhood.  Callahan starts her own investigation by questioning and then alienating her family members.  There is a $1.5 million insurance policy on Patti so Callahan gets some help from the insurance company agent investigating it and friends who are still police officers but who aren't on the case.

The writing style and storyline were okay.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  Because it was originally written in the early 1990s, they are still using pay phones, CDs, etc. and there are references by Callahan of growing up in the 1970s.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the third in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series ... I read the first one in 2018 and recently picked the series back up again and read the second one last week.  Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided.

Book ~ "To Live and Die in Dixie" (1993) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ From her time on the Atlanta police force, Callahan Garrity, house cleaner and private investigator extraordinaire, has excelled at mopping up messes - of all kinds. But she has no idea what she's getting into when she agrees to work for infamous antiques dealer Elliot Littlefield.

The first day on the job she and her crew discover the bloodied body of a young woman in a bedroom - and are soon on the trail of a priceless Civil War diary stolen by the killer. As if two crimes aren't enough, deadly serious collectors, right-wing radicals and impulsive teenagers make the case even more difficult to tidy up ... and more dangerous.

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

House Mouse is hired to do a large last minute cleaning of a mansion.  When they arrive, they find a murdered young woman in one of the bedrooms.  The owner of the house is an antiques dealer and the woman, Bridget, was his shop assistant.  In addition to the murder, some Civil War artifacts were stolen and the owner hires Callahan to find them which taggles her into the police's murder investigation.  There are many suspects including the mansion owner himself, who was acquitted of murder many years ago of a young woman but everyone suspects he did it.  Or perhaps it was Bridget's secret boyfriend because she thought she was pregnant.

The writing style and storyline were okay.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  Because it was originally written in the early 1990s, they are still using pay phones, VCRs, etc. and there are references by Callahan of growing up in the 1970s.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the second in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series ... I read the first one in 2018 and for some reason never went back to continue the series though I liked it enough.  As with the first one, because there is enough going on with the storylines, I find it odd that the author includes health issues like Callahan recovering from cancer and Bridget's sister having eating disorders.  Though part of a series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough background provided.

Book ~ "Every Crooked Nanny" (1992) Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck)

From Goodreads ~ After ten years of cleaning up Atlanta's streets, former cop Callahan Garrity trades in her badge for a broom and starts a housekeeping business. She's on the job when her client announces that her pretty nineteen-year-old Mormon nanny has disappeared - along with jewelry, silver and some sensitive real-estate documents.

Soon Callahan and her crew of eccentric cleaners are involved in a job messier than any they've ever encountered. Illicit love triangles, crooked business deals, long-distance scams - it's going to require some industrial-strength sleuthing on Callahan's part to solve this one.

Callahan used to be a police officer for ten years but quit to open her own investigation agency.  That didn't work out so she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna.

Lilah, someone Callahan went to school with years ago, hires her cleaning service.  She then hires Callahan as a detective when she discovers that Kristee, her nanny, has disappeared along with some jewelry, silver and documents relating to her husband, Bo's real estate deal.  As Callahan starts digging, she discovers the real estate deal may not be as legal as it should be, Kristee may not be the innocent nanny everyone thought she was and anyone, including Lilah, Bo, Bo's business associates and even Kristee's lover, could be involved in Kristee's disappearance.

The writing style and storyline were just okay.  The editing could have been tighter as there were typos.  It is written in first person perspective in Callahan's voice.  I found there were a lot of characters to keep track of.  The end was came together quickly and was a bit unbelievable.  I don't know why the author had Callahan have a breast cancer scare ... there was enough going on in the book so it wasn't needed.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

This is the first in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series, originally written in 1992.  While I thought it was just okay, I liked it enough to want to read the next one in the series.