Calamity Jayne (Tressa Jayne Turner Mysteries, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

K. C. Bacus (Author), Kathleen Bacus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2006

When ditzy Shop-O-Mart employee Jayne leaves work late one night and takes the wrong car, she finds a body in the trunk and herself in terrible danger. Whom she can trust except the young man she grew up with, a young man who has tormented her—and her him—ever since she first called him Ranger Rick?

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bacus's riotous romantic suspense debut offers plenty of smalltown charm and oddball characters, notably ditzy blonde Tressa Jayne Turner, who has earned the moniker Calamity Jayne for the disastrous events that follow wherever she goes. One night after working the late shift at Bargain City in Granville, Iowa, Tressa mistakes another car for her own, and ends up on a dark country road with a flat tire. Instead of a spare, Tressa finds the town's drug-smuggling attorney dead in the trunk and an envelope of greenbacks in the glove compartment. In a panic, Tressa goes for help, but when she returns with Ranger Rick, her hunky nemesis from high school who turns up at all the right moments, the car has disappeared, dead body, cash and all. Naturally, no one believes the incident happened, except for the murderer, who's determined to recover the money he believes Tressa has snatched. Filled with dumb-blonde jokes, nonstop action and rapid-fire banter, this is a perfect read for chick-lit fans who enjoy a dash of mystery. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

Everything Tressa Jayne Turner does quickly morphs into disaster. Having been fired from almost every job in Knoxville, Iowa, she is finally holding down two dead-end positions, but she still manages to get into trouble when she accidentally takes someone else's car from a dark store parking lot and discovers that the trunk holds a stash of money and the corpse of a sleazy local attorney. By the time the law shows up, body and cash are gone. With Tressa's reputation, no one believes her story, not even her love-hate interest, a ranger named Rick. But Rick's crafty grandfather knows something's up, and he eagerly signs on as Tressa's sleuthing buddy. Eventually, Tressa's tale gains credibility as the killer decides to come after her, too. Dumb blond jokes aimed at Tressa are peppered throughout the book, but in the end, the "dumb blond" gets the last laugh. Fans of Janet Evanovich will be glad to see that you don't always have to go to the burgh for mirthful murder and mayhem. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (January 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505526654
• ISBN-13: 978-0505526656
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,035,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Former state trooper; former state department of justice investigator; educator and now--author!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kept Me Laughing -- and Guessing, February 10, 2006

By 

Colleen Thompson (The Woodlands, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Calamity Jayne (Tressa Jayne Turner Mysteries, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

A small-town underachiever with two dead-end jobs, a lust-hate relationship with her brother's gorgeous best friend "Ranger Rick," and a reputation for living up to her hated nickname, Calamity Jayne stumbles into a murder mystery -- and a way to prove to everyone, especially herself, that she's more than just a walking, talking dumb blonde joke. Calamity's wise cracks kept me laughing and the story's mystery kept me guessing 'til the very last page.

Terrific, fun debut, Ms. Bacus! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Highly recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic New Writer, February 2, 2006

By 

Monkeyville Citizen (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Calamity Jayne (Tressa Jayne Turner Mysteries, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

What an enjoyable book! The writer's style makes for a very quick read and keeps you laughing all the way. I did not guess the ending and that is very unusual for me. Can't wait for Calamity Jane Rides Again!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful debut!, February 2, 2006

By 

T. Bittick (TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calamity Jayne (Tressa Jayne Turner Mysteries, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

This wonderful first novel by Kathleen Bacus is an amazingly funny, yet grippingly suspenseful, debut. Filled with laugh-out-loud moments and peppered with truly poignant observations from the underachieving "Calamity" on her average-Jayne life, it doesn't take long for readers to start rooting for this plucky heroine to receive her due. Determined to win the respect of the townspeople who have good-naturedly mocked her all of her life, our "dumb blonde" heroine Tessa Jayne finally comes to realize it isn't R-E-S-P-E-C-T that she needs, but SELF-respect. While watching her discover that fact, you root for her and cheer her on as she gets closer to solving the case no one in town believes is a case.

I loved this book, and I'm looking forward to Calamity Jayne's further adventures. What a fun, delightful read.