Charlotte Stuart

Another fun romp through the adventures of the Pennywise discount detective agency. This time, investigator Cameron Chandler is pairing with Yuri Webster to investigate what they think is a simple case of identifying political sign thieves. The election is tight between candidates Mann and Knight and the signs might help swing the vote that little bit to the win.
They start out preparing to be bored, but end up with much more on their hands. Over time the body count rises, the delectable Detective Connolly gets involved, and even the detective’s boss PWGriffin takes an interest.
The tension mounts along with the danger, the election squeaks to a finish, and gradually the clues circle in.
It’s a fun story, with lots of buddy fun, and the plot is woven convincingly and competently throughout. As in all well-written books, the reader gets involved with the characters and the pages flow by. And at the end, an enticing cliff hanger for book 3!
An altogether enjoyable read for an enclosed afternoon. Looking forward to the next one!… (altro)

The term ‘private investigator’ evokes images of trench coats, smoky bars, and a dingy office in a low rent building with a caricature for a receptionist. That is not quite what Cameron Chandler encounters when she decides to apply for a job opening at her local mall in “Survival Can Be Deadly” the debut book in Charlotte Stuart’s Discount Detective series. Stuck in the all too common area of ‘having a degree but being either too qualified or too inexperienced for any given job, Cameron takes a chance and follows a help wanted sign into Penny Wise Discount Investigations. She finds the job fun and challenging and she is soon working her first solo case, a missing teen. The information she hunts down leads her undercover at a survivalist camp.

I love a great ensemble piece. Cameron is our heroine but she is backed by a wonderful group of sleuths working for Penny Wise. Led by the enigmatic P.W. Griffith, each investigator brings something fun and important to the mix. They arm Cameron with tips of the trade and necessary gadgets to get her job done. They also add more than a fair share of humor to the story, while providing a great contrast to Cameron’s homelife dominated by her busy body mother and her kids. Cameron comes across as truly genuine and relatable. She is torn between needing to be there for her children as they deal with all the new circumstances in their lives and forging a solid place for herself.

I really enjoyed the gumshoe aspect of the story. Cameron has a talent for chasing down information and pulling together clues. She keeps a cool head in a crisis and she is learning to be a bit sneaky. If she survives her partner’s driving, I surmise that she is going to be great at this job.

I received a complimentary evaluation copy of this book. All opinions and insights are my own.… (altro)

island-life, law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, nature-preservation, animal-welfare*****

I think I used to work with an incarnation of Lavender (Lew) Lewis who was raised in a commune, is an Afghanistan vet, HR investigator, Parkour enthusiast and very logical/resourceful. Which is by way of saying that the choice of Harley Jane Kozak to be narrator is spot on!
The mystery is and expanded locked room because it takes place on an island which is a glorified small town and requires ferry, boat, or air transport to access. Internal politics makes the suspect pool somewhat manageable and there are no in-between cops (only dumb, self-important, or competent but unimaginative). Great characters and a really good whodunit.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway. Yay me!… (altro)