The most engaging page-turner novels with female-centered humorous plots

Embrace this beloved comic novel with seventy-five-year-old showgirl twins, Dora and Nora Chance. Dora recalls their bawdy existence of struggle and romance hours before partying with the toff side of the family, Shakespearean actor dynasty, the Hazards. The Chances grab life and joy from the wrong side of the tracks. Possibly fathered by actor, Sir Melchior, or his twin brother, the Chance twins struggled to make a living in the illegitimate theater of song and dance. Despite male lovers, their lives are shaped by women, like Hollywood starlet Delia, and the Lady A, both unfortunate wives of their putative father. Disabled and thrown out by cruel daughters, Lady A pops up as Wheelchair when taken in by the warm-hearted Chances. The kindness of women is what matters here.

I love comic worlds that make unlikely families from the impoverished, slightly crazy, and the unlucky. Here is a study of friendship, affection, suspects, and oddballs washed up at the well-named Last Ditch Motel. Scottish therapist Lexy Campbell is stranded in small-town California by a faithless husband. She won’t desert her one client accused of murder by exploding toilet. Flummoxed America and California, this fish-out-of-water hooks up with Kathi, the allergic laundry operator, and her wife, Noleen, the Motel receptionist who hates people. Add perfectionist gay Todd trying to get Lexy into California grooming while too phobic to live with his beloved, stir in single mother Della, tiny Diego, and nerd Devin. Lexy’s car crash detecting needs them all. Last Ditch is a surefire series. I pre-order every one.

What I love about the mysteries with professional caterer, Gold Bear, is that she creates a warmhearted family despite the real tragedy of spousal abuse. First in this beautifully plotted humorous series, Goldy dodges the blows of her ex-husband while struggling to support herself and her son. She cannot escape her ex because she will not deprive her son of his father. Fortunately, Goldy has Marla, her best friend, and another former wife of the same violent man. With the two of them in a mutual support group, Goldy finds the energy to care about other struggling inhabitants of her Colorado town. Yet, when her unkind ex-father-in-law is poisoned while eating Goldy’s food, she knows that she must become the hero of her own life. This makes her my choice. 

This gloriously comic 1920s mystery series is a favorite because the endearing protagonist is in the ludicrous position of really poor little rich girl. Despite royal blood, Lady Georgiana Rannoch has no money. Being 34th in line to the throne means she is not allowed to get a job. With the only option of marrying a dreadful prince, she struggles in abject poverty in an unheated London mansion. A most unlikely person transforms her fate, the Queen of England. She engages Georgie to spy on her difficult son and heir. Meanwhile Georgie’s half-brother Binky might lose the family castle to a scam. Muddles multiply until the discovery of the family nemesis dead in the family bath. With Binky arrested only Georgie is rash and brave enough to save the day.

For sheer delight, I give you mysteries featuring not-very-competent bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, because they use comedy to portray as well as endure a world of endemic violence. Serious stuff like organized crime is made visible and bearable to the reader by foregrounding Stephanie’s chaos-strewn friendships with walking disasters like ex ‘ho Lula. The great comic creation, Grandma Mazur (aged 70, looks 90) also drags our beloved sleuth into peril that is hilarious as well as life-threatening. This time Grandma becomes a holy terror in online gaming, a change from geriatric sex-crazed boyfriends, falling into coffin caskets, or shooting the dinner chicken. Evanovich collides the crime caper with darker textures of urban suffering. Read for comedy as a survival skill with plenty of sex, death, and doughnuts.