From Publishers Weekly
Kate Jasper and her crew of Marin County's most lovable loonies are back (after 1999's Murder on the Astral Plane), which is good news for the many fans of this sort of shrewd, zany mystery romp. Kate, who runs a business called Jest Gifts when she's not solving crimes, has just married her live-in lover, restaurant and art gallery owner Wayne Caruso, at the Marin county clerk's office, but she hasn't yet told anyone--especially not her obnoxious family. Imagine Kate's chagrin when Felix Byrne, an equally unpleasant reporter friend, shows up at a meeting of the Deerly Abused, a group of local residents keen to control the deer that munch their gardens. Felix has learned about the secret wedding, but he stumbles (literally) into a bigger story when one member of this group--who advocates blasting the doe-eyed predators with Claymore mines--is discovered dead from a crushed skull. Suspects abound: a former actress who wraps herself in layers of clothes to ward off attention; a plastic surgeon with a roving eye; an heiress with a support-group fetish; an eccentric black British postmistress; a slick Asian chef and television star--the whole Agatha Christie crew, as it were, transplanted to Girdner's fictional town of Abierto. When the local police chief turns out to be an addled elder who sings "I Feel Pretty" during interrogations, it's up to Kate to dig out everybody's hidden connections to the dead man. If this is your kind of thing, Girdner does it as deftly as anyone. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Series sleuth Kate Jasper (Death Hits the Fan) and her new husband get in trouble when they attend a support group for people dealing with deer in the garden. Someone murders a vocal deer opponent, and then deer proponents target the support group. Humorous and diverting. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Kate Jasper, Girdner's "karmically impaired" sleuth, could not exist outside of Marin County, California. Her latest adventure begins at the first meeting of the Deer Abused Support Group. Among the members of this group, formed out of frustration over having their gardens ruined by hungry deer, are Dr. Searle Sandstrom, who would like to end the problem with a bit of napalm and an assault weapon, and Dr. Reed Killian, who prefers a more moderate approach. When both doctors turn up dead, Kate investigates. She must deal with an aggressive reporter, a talk-show host, and a school principal who wants to get his manuscript published. As if this weren't enough, the members of Deer Count, a group that protects deer, are threatening the harried sleuth. All Kate really wants is some time alone with her new husband, but the honeymoon will have to wait. This humorous tale will appeal to those who like a healthy dose of satire with their mayhem. Barbara Bibel


From Kirkus Reviews
California sleuth Kate Jasper's 11th (Murder on the Astral Plane, 1999, etc.) bestows her sweetie Wayne Caruso on her in a secret (albeit terribly romantic) marriage, but their homecoming is marred first by marauding deer in their garden, then by squabbling among the deer-afflicted locals, and finally by the death of an anti-deer activist who wasn't nearly as murderous as his opposition. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The newly married Kate Jasper has to put her honeymoon on hold when she gets stuck in the middle of a murderous muddle.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Kate Jasper and her crew of Marin County's most lovable loonies are back (after 1999's Murder on the Astral Plane), which is good news for the many fans of this sort of shrewd, zany mystery romp. Kate, who runs a business called Jest Gifts when she's not solving crimes, has just married her live-in lover, restaurant and art gallery owner Wayne Caruso, at the Marin county clerk's office, but she hasn't yet told anyone--especially not her obnoxious family. Imagine Kate's chagrin when Felix Byrne, an equally unpleasant reporter friend, shows up at a meeting of the Deerly Abused, a group of local residents keen to control the deer that munch their gardens. Felix has learned about the secret wedding, but he stumbles (literally) into a bigger story when one member of this group--who advocates blasting the doe-eyed predators with Claymore mines--is discovered dead from a crushed skull. Suspects abound: a former actress who wraps herself in layers of clothes to ward off attention; a plastic surgeon with a roving eye; an heiress with a support-group fetish; an eccentric black British postmistress; a slick Asian chef and television star--the whole Agatha Christie crew, as it were, transplanted to Girdner's fictional town of Abierto. When the local police chief turns out to be an addled elder who sings "I Feel Pretty" during interrogations, it's up to Kate to dig out everybody's hidden connections to the dead man. If this is your kind of thing, Girdner does it as deftly as anyone. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal