Elise Bryant: It’s Elementary
Series debut
If the mystery part of this novel hadn’t meandered a bit as it headed in for the finish it would have been the absolutely perfect summer read. The rest of the book, though, is so utterly charming, that’s really a nitpick. This is the first adult novel for author Bryant, who up until now has written YA romance, and she seems to be embracing adulting in her first outing. Her heroine, Mavis Miller, is a single mom who lives with her Dad and is late getting her adorable daughter Pearl to school just about every day in the rush of getting ready for work, making Pearl’s lunch, letting the dog out, etc.