Deconstructed: A Novel (A Cricket Crosby Caper) Paperback – February 1, 2022

Main Characters:--Cricket Crosby – full name Catherine Ann Crosby, 42 years old, married to Scott, mother to 13-year-old Julia Kate, owner of antique store Printemps that she inherited from her grandmother--Ruby Balthazar – 28-year-old assistant at Printemps, taking business classes at the local college, did a two-year stint at a women’s correctional facility--Juke Jefferson – Ruby’s cousin, former police officer, works as a private investigator--Griffin Moon – Ruby’s cousin, owns Blue Moon Towing CompanyThis book was so…much…fun!Cricket is a well-off Southern shop owner with a cheating husband, a judgmental mother, a teenage daughter, and an assistant with some seriously questionable family history and a talent for taking apart vintage clothing and creating something new. When we meet Cricket, she overhears two women talking in the shop about how her husband Scott must be cheating on her with their daughter’s tennis coach. Shocked, she decides she needs to do some snooping.Ruby has a checkered past but loves working with Cricket because it allows her to pilfer the clothing that they can’t sell in the shop and create things she’s passionate about. When Cricket goes home to snoop, Ruby knows something is wrong, but Cricket tells Ruby that the chicken salad didn’t agree with her. After Scott calls the shop looking for Cricket and Ruby hears a woman giggling in the background, she knows, as she says, that Scott is “doing [her] sweet boss ten kinds of wrong.”Five days later, the two of them are staked out near the mistress’s house, and chaos ensues. Cricket thinks she’s going to get the goods on Scott, but she definitely is not an investigator. One flat tire and an underhanded investigator later, and Rudy enlists the help of her family, Griff and Juke.The investigation isn’t all smooth sailing from here. The chaos continues, and I certainly enjoyed the ride. The story alternates chapters between Cricket and Ruby. The author does a great job giving each their own voice, and I love the way they began to embrace the personality traits of one another. Cricket starts to let loose and Ruby is the one to pull in the reins. And they develop such an amazing friendship through their antics.I also couldn’t get enough of the dialogue and the narration.--“…I would have had to contract three stomach viruses and live on a diet of lettuce for five months to fit into it, and no dress is worth a life without Girl Scout cookies.”--“I had driven my poor cousin Ronda nuts when we had stayed with Auntie Kay one summer, imagining every bottle cap to be a clue and seeing burglars dangling in trees (just Spanish moss and an active imagination). Ronda grew up to be a mental health counselor. I had no doubt driven her to it.”--“Dusting was such a belittling task. Because the next day dust would reappear like a bad blind date ignoring your polite rejection and doing what it wanted anyway.”The author mentions in the acknowledgements that Cricket and Ruby “were a hoot to write!” They were a hoot to read too, so I am thrilled there’s a second installment of the “Cricket Crosby Caper” series. I’ll be reviewing that one next.

Not bad. Reasonably entertaining light read. Enjoyed Ruby's character development as the story went on.

Loved this! Easily liked the characters and a fun storyline. No long boring parts or undeveloped characters around for no reason. Very enjoyable, like a southern sweet tea.

Cricket grew up a refined Southern lady. Ruby grew up on the wrong of town. Ruby has had some tough breaks, but is hired by Cricket at her antique shop. They, strangely, become fast friends who end up by design getting into some tough, yet funny situations.

Same story, different clothes (literally and figuratively). Decent character development, Louisiana style. Read as a First Read. Will check out the next on Unlimited.

“Deconstructed” is a cute and quick read, perfect for when you’re looking for something light and fun. The story flows smoothly, making it easy to breeze through while enjoying its charm and humor. Ideal for a brief escape!

This book came to me via a recommendation from a site I find new books on and often end up reviewing. I was looking for something light (I’d just finished a pretty intense book) and I thought this was a romance. And yes, there is some romance, but it’s not a romance, per se, it’s a whole lot more. Technically Women’s Fiction, it’s got friendship, marriage and divorce packed into its pages.Here’s Cricket Crosby, a very upstanding sort of southern gal who finds out her upstanding banker husband of many years is having a fling with their daughter’s tennis coach. So naturally, I figured this would be a book about how Cricket overcame the divorce and made a new life of her own. And it is…but it’s also about how Cricket made new friends with new skills to help her bring down her dirt-bag of a husband who’s up to a lot dirtier tricks than adultery!Luckily for Cricket, the new assistant at her antique store, Ruby, comes with a checkered past. As the two gradually reveal their secrets. It’s Ruby who keeps Cricket from melting down and focuses her on not only surviving but getting the sweetest ending of all—revenge.Meanwhile, Ruby is starting to hone her talent for couture design and Cricket realizes that, between Cricket’s business sense and Ruby’s blossoming talent, they might have a creative and successful future together.Sure, there are other characters to love in this book, including the array of Ruby’s ‘other-side-of the tracks’ relatives who form a fun and formidable sting operation. But it’s the growing friendship between Cricket and Ruby that anchors the story, told from alternating points of view between the two of them. (It’s tricky, but it works!)These two couldn’t be more different…and yet they find they are very similar. It makes for quite an adventure and a fun story that I totally recommend you read. Enjoy!

Every woman's dream, who has been cheated on.The dream of every woman who has been cheated on. Revenge is bestserved cold.🤗