Sue Ann Jaffarian lives full-time in a camper van named Novella and is the author of three critically acclaimed mystery series: The Odelia Grey series, the Ghost of Granny Apples series, and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries.

She also writes two non-mystery series: The Zelda Bowen series, humorous novels featuring Zelda Bowen, a single woman searching for adventure and herself as she travels the country in an RV. The first book in this series is Finding Zelda. The most recent new series is the Dead Woman Driving serial novel, released in regularly launched episodes, featuring a woman on the run and living off the grid. Sue Ann also writes general fiction and short stories and is a regular contributor to Winnebago's WinnebaGoLife blog.

Too Big to Miss by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Too big to miss―that's Odelia Grey. A never-married, middle-aged, plus-sized woman who makes no excuses for her weight, she's not super woman just a mere mortal standing on the precipice of menopause, trying to cruise in an ill-fitting bra. She struggles with her relationships, her crazy family, and her crazier boss. And then there's her knack for being in close proximity to dead people...

When her close friend Sophie London commits suicide in front of an online web-cam by putting a gun in her mouth and pulling the trigger, Odelia's life is changed forever. Sophie, a plus-sized activist and inspiration to imperfect women, is the last person anyone would ever have expected to end her own life. Suspecting foul play, Odelia is determined to get to the bottom of her friend's death. Odelia's search for the truth takes her from southern California strip malls to the world of live web-cam porn to the ritzy enclave of Corona del Mar.

CURATOR'S NOTE

Sue Ann Jaffarian writes three critically acclaimed mystery series, as well as non-mystery series about people who live off the grid. Library Journal calls this series, featuring Odelia Gray, "one of the most believable amateur detectives in recent fiction." High praise indeed. (It might've been the influence of the cat.) – Kristine Kathryn Rusch

 

REVIEWS

  • "I'd like to spend more time with Sue Ann Jaffarian's Odelia, a plus-size fat-liberationist with a handsome wheelchair-bound lover. Odelia...does not hesitate to give justice a small, well-plotted forward shove at every opportunity."

    – The New York Times

  • "[Odelia] is an intriguing character, a true counter against stereotype, who demonstrates that life can be good, even in a world where thin is always in."

    – Booklist

  • "Balancing her professional skills as a paralegal with her self-doubt as a sleuth, Odelia is one of the most believable amateur detectives in recent fiction. Beautifully plotted and carefully crafted, this is a marvelous start to an exciting new series. Strongly recommended."

    – Library Journal

  • "With a cast of diverse characters, an intriguing plot, and a credible heroine, this is an enjoyable read."

    – Mystery Scene
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

My weekend was D.O.A. … dead on arrival.

Two o'clock on a bright Sunday afternoon, and I was already counting the hours until I could go back to work. Now that's sad.

Stopped at the corner of Newport Boulevard and Seventeenth Street in Costa Mesa, I waited to complete a right turn. It was a busy intersection, even on a Sunday. I tapped my fingers impatiently on the steering wheel and looked around.

SIZE DOES MATTER!

The giant advertisement caught my eye like a hook in a trout's lip.

Behind me, someone honked. I dragged my attention away from the billboard and saw that the traffic light was green. I hit the gas and turned the wheel of the car sharply, causing the vehicle to swerve as it rounded the corner.

"Careful, Odelia," I cautioned in a low tone, "no need to season your foul mood with a crunched fender."

There it was again. This time on a billboard overlooking the grocery store that was my destination.

SIZE DOES MATTER!

It was all the sign said. Just three words emblazoned across a gargantuan advertisement for a new model sports utility vehicle; as if the damn gas guzzlers couldn't get any bigger.

Without much trouble, I found a parking spot near the front door of the market. Turning off the engine, I smoothed the fabric of my sun dress across my ample lap, and sat quietly in the car to think. Not about the groceries waiting to be bought, but about the three words now burned forever into my brain.

SIZE DOES MATTER!

You bet your sweet ass size matters. It matters a lot. Though how and to what it is applied is ambiguous. Size seemed to matter in random chaos. No hard and fast rules, just whatever fits your needs at the moment. Jumbo burgers, super-sized fries, and biggie drinks were a good thing. Small paychecks were bad. Big houses were good. Small diamonds bad.

From the first time Adam noticed shrinkage and explained it to Eve, men have been trying to tell women that size didn't matter when it came to their manhood. Small penis. Big penis. Made no difference. Both were good. The same men have been telling women that size does matter when it comes to breasts, butts and hips. To add to the confusion, big and small could also be good and bad at the same time. Big smile good. Big ass bad. Small waist good. Small tits bad.

It was a puzzle. A girl needed a scorecard or, at the very least, a seminar with a syllabus to make any sense of it.

I was feeling sorry for myself. On top of licking wounds from a particularly confusing date the night before, I had just come from visiting my father. Poor sweet Dad, I thought, shaking my head. That recent memory alone was enough to entice me into restarting my engine, and driving my old but dependable car right through the plate glass window of the grocery store.

Giving a deep sigh, I took a minute to think about it. I wasn't the type to look at life through rose-colored glasses, but neither was I a doom and gloom sort. Yet, I'd been on edge all weekend. And it wasn't PMS. I'd ridden that roller coaster last week. No, it was something else. Disenchantment maybe, possibly disgruntlement. Rut was written all over my life. R-U-T in big bold letters, outlined in neon tube lighting. It competed for attention with the now important Size Does Matter. For better or for worse, I definitely needed a change. Standing still wasn't an option any longer.