Sweet Jiminy (2011)

If you like your chick lit with a little mystery and a side of sweet, southern charm, then this is the book for you. In the deep south of Mississippi, Jiminy, a twenty-something law student has just dropped out of school and returns home to Fayeville, where she embarks on a search of self and contemplates her next step. She runs into old friends and makes a few new ones but spends most of her time with her grandma, Willa, and long-time family friend, Lyn Waters, and even develops a little crush on Lyn's nephew, Bo, much to the dismay of most of the people of Fayeville, who still don't approve of interracial mingling. What she didn't plan on stumbling upon is a 40-year-old unsolved crime but when she learns that she wasn't the first "Jiminy" to grace the town, she becomes determined to find out just what did happen to this sweet, little girl and her father, Lyn's only family, who were murdered. The more Jiminy keeps asking questions and fishing around, the more the old prejudices and secrets of Fayeville get stirred up and the old townspeople do not like it. Will the mystery of Fayeville's most infamous murder ever be solved or has Jiminy dug up more than she can handle? Gore is a very talented writer, who hooks readers in on page one. I did feel like the end wrapped up a little too quickly but it was still a satisfying conclusion. This book was a lot shorter than her Sammy series but I think its length was fitting for a mystery. (CH)

Sammy's House (2007)

In this sequel to Sammy's Hill, Samantha Joyce is now working in the White House as a health care advisor under vice-president Robert Gray. The previous administration staff are still playing practical jokes, there's an insider leaking damaging information to a blog and her relationship with Washington Post reporter Charlie is under threat. But there's worse to come when Sammy discovers a secret that could spell the end for president Max Wye.

Sammy's Hill (2004)

As the daughter of former US vice-president Al Gore, the author has used her insider's view of political life in Washington to create a book that the critics have likened to a blend of The West Wing meets Sex and the City. Samantha Joyce is making her mark in Washington as a health care advisor for an up-and-coming senator, Robert Gray of Ohio. But she still has time to be prepared for anything, like refining her defence tactics for wild animal attacks or practising dressing for work with only one arm, just in case. And when her BlackBerry isn't reminding her of significant events, like the 29th anniversary of The Partridge Family TV series finale, she's encouraging her favourite telemarketers to call more often or trying to stop her Japanese fighting fish from committing hara-kiri. Then Sammy falls for Aaron Driver, a hot-shot speechwriter for another not-so-nice senator John Bramen. She mistakenly sends a risqué email message for Aaron to 200 of Washington's power players and her humiliation is compounded when the story makes The Washington Post. But Sammy bounces back when Gray gets selected as the running mate of a presidential contender.

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