Just Add Water

Hetta Coffey Series, Book 1

By: Jinx Schwartz

Narrated by: Beth Richmond

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Hetta Coffey is a globe-trotting civil engineer with attitude who is working on coming of age, a little late. Pushing forty and still single, Hetta is the epitome of the "B" word: bold, bossy, brassy, breezy, and brash. After leaving a lifelong swath of failed multinational affairs in her jet stream, it is no wonder Hetta prefers living with her dog, R.J. But old habits die hard, and trolling for triceps is Hetta's hobby.

Plying the waterfront in search of Saturday brunch, Hetta's attention is snagged by a parade of passing yachts - especially their predominantly male skippers - and experiences a champagne-induced epiphany: If she had a boat, she could get a man. In hopes a floating Valhalla will overcome an all-time low-water mark in her life, Hetta buys her dream boat in spite of a spectacular ignorance of all things nautical. But a shadowy stalker, an inconvenient body, and Hetta's own self-destructive foibles imperil not only her new life, but a newly- found romance.

©2011 Jinx Schwartz (P)2008 Books in Motion

Mixed bag. The dog dies.

Hetta Coffey is an engineering consultant who, at the beginning of this book, is working for an American consulting company in Japan. Her fiancée, an American whom she met after arriving in Japan, is working at another company.

When he is found to be stealing from the company and using company shipments to smuggle stolen goods, he gets out ahead of being arrested, and along the way cleans out her bank account. The only thing he can't get is the key to a certain locker, that he left in her innocent keeping, which she wears on a chain around her neck.

Five years later, she's back in the US, owns a house in Oakland, and has her own consulting business. She still wears the key, as a reminder that men can't be trusted. The only male in her emotional life is a yellow Lab, adopted from a shelter, whom she calls RJ.

Then strange and interesting things start to happen.

She and her friend Jan meet the Jenkins brothers, Lars and Bob, a.k.a. "Jenks." She and Jenks initially really don't like each other, but you know immediately where that has to go. Especially since Jenks runs a security company, and Hetta is going to be needed security, very soon...

She starts getting hangup calls, and strange things seem to be happening around her house, including her dog getting out of his very secure enclosure to harass the mailman, and someone seemingly having gone through her jewelry box.

Hetta and Jan are from Texas, and they don't like "Yankees." Lars and Jenks are Yankees, and since Boston is mentioned at some point, that doesn't mean they're just fans of the New York Yankees baseball team. Hetta and Jan find repeated need to mention their dislike of Yankees. What fun.

Hetta repeatedly exercises quite impressively bad judgment, and, for a woman who prides herself on being strong and independent, and despite a willingness to be quite impressively rude sometimes, other times is depressingly polite when she needs to be assertive, because the plot requires her to agree to something a little normal rudeness would help her avoid.

She is also, for a woman who says men can't be trusted, amazingly trusting of men trying to put something over on her.

Honestly, I'm being a bit unfair. The plot would be fun if I didn't find Hetta so annoying. Also, the dog dies. Not by violence, or so Hetta can prove she's a responsible adult (good thing!), but still a cheap grab for emotion. Too many writers find it far too easy to kill the dog, and I don't like it. I would not have picked up this audiobook if I knew that there was a dog who would die in it.

But for people who don't find Hetta annoying, and who don't have my reaction to writers killing dogs for the easy emotion, this is probably a fun book.

I bought this audiobook.

Wonderful Outrageous snd Wickedly Funny

I never laughed so much reading a book nor cried so hard at the sad part all the time on the edge trying the guess where the story would take me next. I loved it and the narrator was perfect. Can't wait to read the next ones!!

I really enjoyed this book!

I really enjoyed this book , and will look for more from the series and author! The characters were well developed and believable, I wanted to hang out in their world :-)

Delightful!

A delightful little story with a few bad guys, a few good guys and a dog. While it was somewhat predictable, it was so well written that I didn’t mind. Now I understand the term “cozy” mystery. I rather like Hetta, and I am hoping that a few of the other characters will be continuing on, as well. 4.5 stars.

Not enought mystery

This was a funny story with a good plot. The characters are likable and believable. However the mystery doesn't come until the last quarter of the book. The rest of the book is more like a romance novel. But like I said the plot is good. If you want more mystery than romance this is not the book for you.

Meh....dragged out! Ok listen, many cliche's

Plot dragged out, unnecessary side ventures that had nothing to do with the story, like her going to her parents! Most was obvious and predictable and I rolled my eyes a lot at how the main character was portrayed at the beginning as this brilliant engineer but did the most predictable stupid things, like going out on the boat by herself! The author had an attempt at humor, most of it was cliché's or old quips revamped a bit. Not my cup of tea, as the cliche goes.

Characters with depth

The plot took a bit to unfold but the author writes very well so it was all fun to listen to. I'm disappointed the book is over and want to listen to the entire series. The heroine is nice but not perfect which I like, she's very human and interesting. All the characters have depth. I loved this novel. I'm a dog lover and thought she did a great job with her relationship with her dog. The heroine feels like a friend

light & amusing with a sprinkle of danger

l enjoyed Ms Richmond's narration and Hetta's love for her dog made her a much more relatable character than she would have been without him.

Easy listening

What made the experience of listening to Just Add Water the most enjoyable?

Very easy to listen to, very enjoyable story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hetta, she is a spunky character

Which scene was your favorite?

sinking his car

If you could take any character from Just Add Water out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Hetta, her take on life.

Not terrible, not great.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

A little juvenile. VERY light reading (listening), no little grey cells wasted on this one.

Would you recommend Just Add Water to your friends? Why or why not?

Probably not.