Ruby Herring Mysteries: Her Last Breath

This is the second entry in the Ruby Herring Mystery series that is supposed to be set in Seattle but is so painfully not. Natalie of Natalie's Naturals goes missing and then turns up dead, putting Ruby and detective Jake back together again. Tommy gives Ruby and Jake a pre-autopsy report and Ruby meets to hash out ideas with her retired crime beat father.

"Nancy Drew Strikes again."-Jake

"He's cute."-Jenny "Yeah if you like know it all detective types."-Ruby

This mystery is filled with yoga, smoothies and a struggling artist, but who poisoned our Natalie?

"My very own Hardy Boy"-Ruby to Jake

Ruby and Jake dance around each other solving clues, while her best friend, Jenny, looks for a house and ends up getting to meet Jake Killian's mom, who just happens to be a real estate agent...which is how they discover that Jake can bake.

"A baker with a badge."-Ruby

I'd like to say this hallmark mystery series is growing on me but it isn't. I like the cast, particularly the two leads...but there is just something lacking in the Chemistry. The writing is decent and has fun references to older detective series...like Cagney and Lacey, etc. I would like to like this more than I do, but so far the first two in the series have left me kind of flat, especially with Aurora Teagarden and the mystery 101 series to compete with.