Hoping to calm herself after her daughter’s revelation, Bel’s out for a leisurely evening stroll with her live-in love, Sol, when they come across a dead man who’s a dead ringer for a young Frank Sinatra. Once the police arrive, the body is quickly identified as Louis Palumbo, a Hoboken, New Jersey man who made his living as a Sinatra impersonator.

Bel soon learns that the dead man was involved with one of her students, Toni Demaio. When Toni falls under suspicion, she practically pleads Bel for help. Knowing that Toni is a good kid, and getting the OK from Sol, Bel decides to give her sleuthing abilities a work out. With the help of her best friends, Illuminada and Betty, Bel soon learns that several people had good reason to want Louis dead, and will she be unable to uncover this mystery before a spooked killer tries to silence her?

What this third book in the Bel Barrett series has in spades is unique and colorful atmosphere. Hoboken, New Jersey is depicted as a city with small town charm and residence to a plethora of interesting characters. The hometown of “Old Blue Eyes” really sparkles under Isenberg’s watchful eye.

Bel is an interesting amateur sleuth, and a character that many may find themselves relating to. Her outlook, the way she views herself and others, hits all the right notes, and I found her insightful and humorous. A big plus was the inclusion of Betty and Illuminada as co-sleuths, allowing Bel to have partners in crime. I really enjoyed this aspect of the mystery, harking back to the days when I read about Nancy, Bess and George.

While a very quick read, with an imaginative setting and premise, I did find myself occasionally bristling from character dialogue. The sarcasm is often thick, and there were times I just wanted to tell the characters to give it a rest and be nice to each other for a change. I’ve employed sarcasm as much as the next person, but not on a continual basis, which some of the characters seem to do.

Aside from that, I genuinely enjoyed Isenberg’s stroll through Hoboken. Even readers who aren’t diehard fans of “The Chairman of the Board” will find a lot of charm in Bel’s latest adventure.

--Wendy Crutcher