As director of the charitable Ballantyne Foundation on Sea Pine Island, South Carolina, Elliott (Elli) Lisbon must also handle discreet inquiries whenever needed for the foundation's zany assortment of board members. Elli is also working to obtain her official Private Investigator's license, which puts her in direct contact with Lt. Nick Ransom, her ex-boyfriend.

Not only is there a vacancy on the board after the murder of one of its members (in BOARD STIFF) with several people vying for the position, Elli is also dealing with preparations for a big annual event at the Foundation. When she's witness to a shooting, she's conned into helping the victim, who has even more problems than Elli could imagine. She promises to help the man, who's desperately trying to locate a Faberge egg he claims his estranged wife has taken from him. When said wife turns up murdered on the man's ransacked boat, of course, he's the prime suspect. Again Elli is trying to remain calm as she frantically juggles a myriad of problems in her life. But if anyone can handle it, our intrepid Elli can.

Kendel Lynn's WHACK JOB is a great second entry in this delightfully amusing cozy mystery series. Elli is smart and level-headed as she deals with some pretty wacky characters who would test anyone's sanity. The mystery is well-conceived and keeps readers' attention until Elli can solve the case.