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The Con Artist of Catalina Island: A McAfee Twins Christmas Novel

Jennifer Colt
Tessera Books (2007)
ISBN 9781604612677
Reviewed by Lynn Bee for RebeccasReads (3/08)

This installment of the McAfee Twins series is chock full of hilarious Christmas miracles.

Cousin Robert has had yet another near-death experience, being struck by lightning while sitting on the toilet. As he lingers in a coma, Aunt Reba drops a bombshell about his parentage. Robert recovers and sets out to find the dad he never knew.

Aunt Reba carts Robert and the girls to Catalina Island for the holidays. They immediately become involved in a murder investigation.

Kerry tells the tale in the first person. She finds twin Terry, an impulse-control- challenged motorcycle lesbian who has done jail time, both endearing and exasperating. So does the reader.

A missing bride and a dead scuba instructor are at the core of the mystery. I don’t think the girls will get paid for solving this one, and the guys from Homeland Security aren’t going to let them get good press, either.

A middle-aged female psycho, a dangerous diamond mine, Robert’s wacky stint playing Santa... there’s a wealth of silly detail and great fun.

Though Kerry has a couple of ‘sort of’ boyfriends, she is attracted to David Solomon, a police sketch artist, Jesus look- alike. He’s a real hunk, but he just might be an international terrorist. And Terry’s crush ends up dead.

The action is hectic and hilarious. Christmas ‘miracles’ abound.  I found the pseudo political analysis at the conclusion somewhat out of place, but I loved the history of Catalina Island. The locale is both well-described and fascinating. The book is hardly a travelogue, but I found myself wanting to schedule a visit.

And I loved the different personalities of the identical sisters. The girls were well-defined and likable. Colt writes well and leads the reader on a remarkable romp. “The Con Artist of Catalina Island” is a fun and fluffy bit of chick lit, and I do hope there will be many future additions to the series.


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