How to Succeed in Murder

Charley Fairfax Mystery #2

by Margaret Dumas

Charley Fairfax -- heiress, theatrical producer, newlywed--is intent on living happily ever after with her tall, dark, and sarcastic husband Jack. The only mysteries before her are which play to choose for next season and how to decorate her dining room.
But when Jack is hired to investigate mysterious events at a local San Francisco software company where high-tech executives are brought low--actually, dead--Charley finds herself poised to do the unexpected. Charley has to get a job.


Okay, so maybe the job is a sham and Jack isn't exactly crazy about the plan that she and her band of irregulars from the repertory theater go undercover to find a killer, but Charley is determined to trade in her Prada for a laptop. She quickly finds herself wishing she'd had more than one crash course in corporate double-speak before her first day on the job. But faking it has always been Charley's strong suit.


Charley and Jack are starting to get the hang of this marriage thing. If only people would stop talking about babies, introducing them to decorators, and trying to kill them, they might even get to take a honeymoon.

Genres: Mystery

269 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not Charley Fairfax's fault that she never had a job--she inherited several zillion dollars when her parents left her an orphan. She runs a nonprofit rep theater in San Francisco, and is happy living in an empty house (as in, no furniture) with her new husband. But when his firm is hired to investigate problems in one of the world's largest tech firms, said problems involving what the CEO believes is the murder of his fiancée, Charley and her besties decide to go undercover by infiltrating the firm as "consultants." Only one of Charley's friends has ever worked in an office, so there's a steep learning curve, and someone seems to be gunning for Charley and her husband. Still, the bad guys are exposed, and what a lot of them there are!

[Kathy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm conflicted about how I feel about this book. All in all it was a light little mystery set in the California computer-industry that read quickly and was entertaining. However, the whole thirty-something characters with some sense of entitlement was off-putting. The main character has inherited LOTS of money and has never worked a day in her life. Her husband and some of her friends, who have, are more interesting in some ways. I do acknowledge that Charley does "work" with the community theater, but seems to be able to set her own hours, or not.

Recommended for those that like cozy mysteries and featuring younger protagonists. I admit I don't read very many cozy series and the ones I read have older characters. I do confuse myself, though, because I can read some chick lit novels without feeling the age difference as much.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tore right through this as it was very enjoyable.

I like the characters a lot, and the San Francisco setting is very authentic.

This involves a software company and the mix of young and old employees.

There is little to do with the community theater in this one as they are between seasons.

Hope that there will be more in this series.

I borrowed a copy from the public library.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sad to learn that this series (Charley Fairfax Mysteries) is limited to just two books. I enjoyed How to Succeed in Murder just as much as it's predecessor, Speak Now. Nice mystery with some comic relief, and I enjoyed getting to know Charley and her friends. Very well written! A+

[Janna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick-reading mystery.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to stay interested in characters who have everything handed to them and yet can't be bothered to purchase furniture for the new apartment. If you are age 30-40, this may interest you.

[HatGirl8]

6/3/2006 ; 5/22/2012 Reread 1/4/18

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun (new to me) series. Dumas has rich, quirky characters who get into some serious trouble. Love the juxtaposition of the theatre world and the techie one.

[Jessica Drury · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 The characters were not very dynamic. The story was somewhat intriguing, but I lost interest near the end.

[Sharon A · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun light read

Loved the playfulness of main characters. Nice book when you just want to read something that doesn’t make you think too much

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A library find. June2024.
Enjoyable.
Interesting plot and delightful characters.

[Jaime Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Succeed in Murder is the second book in an adult mystery series by Margret Dumas. I have not read the first one, but I don't think that put me at a disadvantage while reading this book, in terms of understanding the setting and the narrator, along with some if the prevalent side characters. Overall the book was witty, with fun characters and a decent plot line but there were a couple of things that bothered me. One, the excessive use of page breaks. Two, some unneeded conversations and backstory. Three, I personally didn't care when the murderers were reviled because it took so long for us the meet their characters and there wasn't enough conversation for us to know them, let alone enough personality to care about them. Other than that it wasn't bad, a solid 3 stars.

[Rainy Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Succeed in Murder is an entertaining read. The main character Charley is neurotic and witty. Charley’s acting cohorts are bizarre and add a humorous element to the story. Jack, her new husband, is too good to be true, but a mystery can always use a hunky, too perfect guy, to go with it. The plot is ok, but the characters keep me interested. The side issues involving the newlywed’s house and Charley’s uncle added a degree of oddness that I enjoyed. I recommend this book, if you want a light entertaining read.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this one was quite boring. The characters seemed more flat and stereotypical in this novel, and the mystery was solved by a lot of talking, not a lot of action. That would have been ok if the conversations were interesting, but I was bored to tears through most of it.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a disappointing follow up to the first book. That's partly because the mystery revolved around computers and going undercover in that world. I got bored.

[Staci McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-written mystery with a fun group of characters.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and easy to read...I read it in 2 days :-)

[Susan W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and Enjoyable. Did get tired of the brand name drops.