Review: Tapped Out by Natalie M. Roberts

Why would you do that? Why would you throw it in the garbage? I asked, irritation and anger scoring my voice.

Uh, because it was a garbage bag, he said.

Tapped Out is the second book in Natalie M. Roberts’s cozy dance mystery series starting hapless dance teacher Jenny T. Partridge. While for most, dance studios tend to conjure up a sort of elegant mystique, this couldn’t be further from the truth for poor Jenny, whose days are more likely to be filled with crazed dance mothers (think soccer mothers, only far more rabidly attempting to live their lives through their children), mad colleagues, and the odd bit of murder and mayhem.

Tapped Out begins hot on the heels of the cutely named Tutu Deadly, with Jenny trying to put certain deadly events behind her as she prepares for an annual dance competition. But, of course, things never go as planned for poor Jenny, and soon she finds herself embroiled amongst a series of disappearances, and, far worse, stalked by someone who very much wants her out of the picture.

The plot of Tapped Out is a little hackneyed, and I found myself having to reread a few sections where certain apparently key events appeared out of nowhere and were hardly signposted—the rushed narrative is definitely one of the weak points of this book. In addition, the dialogue is often stilted, faltering at times much like an overweight couch potato attempting a pirouette.

However, the bizarre situations and characters that populate Tapped Out are what make it a delightful read, and are what kept me up reading well past my bedtime. If your love your books filled with flamboyant and hilariously self-centred best friends, former Mormon missionaries who Just Want to Dance, and snarky characters whose behavior will make you raise your eyebrow and perhaps even wag your finger , then Tapped Out might be something you enjoy.

Rating: (okay)