Mace, who is very familiar with police procedures because she watches Cops! for a glimpse of old boyfriends (not) is suspicious of Detective Carlos Martinez and is afraid Mama won’t get a fair shake.  She learns that the body is that of Jimmy Albert, who happens to be the fiancé of police department receptionist Emma Jean. He also has ties to the mob back north, and possibly to Mama’s boyfriend, whom Mace suspects is also mobbed up. 

When Mace, a wildlife expert and rescuer at the local park, confronts Martinez with other viable suspects, he lets Mama go. But something about the case will not let Mace go and she continues her investigation until it leads her into her own swamp, face to face with Ollie the alligator whom she has so lovingly cared for, but she may well be his next meal.

Mama Does Time is a fun romp through a non-Disney-fied part of Florida where the residents have mostly lived their entire life (except Martinez who’s from Miami, offering another interesting subplot for another time).  Mace and her sisters make a formidable trio, though they each are different, their personalities are more often explained in ways they are not like their other sisters rather than the way they actually are.  A charismatic minister with roving hands, Pastor Bob, and his dutiful wife Delilah add more local color to the mix. 

The mystery is well plotted and with a little help from a deputy whose diapers Mace used to change, she handily solves the mystery and manages to pique Martinez’s interest, at the same time trying to fight off the man who broke her heart as a young adult.  A fast-paced start to a new series with fun characters, Mama Does Time will hope the time before the next installment is short.                                                              

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry