I’m usually not too keen on mysteries. They become predictable after a time. But the title of this one, "Are You Gonna Eat That Banana?" intrigued me. I chuckled through the first couple of pages. And then I fell off the couch for the rest of the book. Ok, so here’s a story of a single amnesiac woman renting part of her house to another woman who steals her potato salad. Garden gnomes appear and disappear, fires burn the neighbors’ newspapers, one of the main characters is an incontinent iguana, another is Tim the toe masseur and his mom, Mom, the aging hippie beach volleyball player. I shouldn’t forget Bruce, the Banana Cream Pie Guy.  All of the characters interact in a way so as to make sense, so as to become vivid in the readers’ minds. It’s a mystery, but just when you think you have it figured out, Laura Hinds throws a banana peel in front of you and teases you with the REAL mystery.

I’ve not laughed so much with a book in many years. The writing is so unique as to make it a genre in itself. Laura tells a story from the first person as if she were holding a conversation with the reader, as if she were commenting on the previous day’s events. She is familiar, humorous, and draws the reader into the story as a participant, not an observer. I can picture this whole book on the big screen. Even now as I recall the conversations and the descriptions, I start laughing. Laura Hinds, how clever you are. I cannot wait for the next. And for those readers who don’t care for mysteries, you will be surprised and absolutely delighted with this mystery.