Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery (Charlie Parker Mysteries) [Paperback]

Connie Shelton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Charlie Parker Mysteries | Publication Date: August 1997

Charlie Parker really doesn't want to track down killers. She's an accountant and a partner with her brother in a private investigation business. But when her old friend Stacy North comes looking for help, Charlie gives in and agrees to help. Stacy's Rolex watch is missing and she's afraid her husband Brad will find out. The truth is that she was seeing another man, and she's terrified of Brad's legendary temper. Charlie finds the missing watch--no problem--but when the "other man" suddenly turns up dead, Stacy is desperate. Could Charlie find out who the real killer is before the police connect Stacy to the victim? Solving the puzzle turns out to be the challenge of Charlie's life. "Charlie is just what readers want." -Booklist "An impressive debut mystery!" -- Albuquerque Journal "Charlie is slick, appealing, and nobody's fool" -- Booklist

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Albuquerque CPA Charlie Parker (female, despite the name) handles the business side of RJP Investigations while her brother, Ron, does the detecting. When Ron is out of town, however, Stacy North, who eloped with Charlie's fianc{‚}e, Brad, 10 years earlier, comes calling, hoping to hire someone to find her missing Rolex watch. Charlie reluctantly takes the case and soon finds the watch in a pawn shop, where the thief, a man with whom Stacy had been having an affair, sold it. Soon the lover is dead, and Stacy is an obvious suspect. Charlie sticks with the case and finds herself involved with still more murder. This is a well-plotted debut mystery with a nice surprise ending and some excellent characterizations. Charlie, in particular, is slick, appealing, and nobody's fool--just what readers want in an amateur sleuth. Look forward to the next installment in what shapes up to be a promising series. Stuart Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

An accountant for a private investigation firm is unwittingly drawn into the drama surrounding an old friend's life when a search for a missing watch evolves into a murder mystery. Charlie finds the case increasingly complicated and beyond his control as events involve him in a dangerous ploy. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Intrigue Press (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890768006
• ISBN-13: 978-1890768003
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

...Every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, somewhere in the world, someone downloads a Connie Shelton mystery...

A personal Thank You to all my readers who make this little statistic possible. Having fun with my writing, and connecting with readers--that's what being a mystery writer means to me. And I LOVE what I do!

It began in 1985 when I started writing my first novel, without much clue how to go about it. Two years and 500 pages later, when I finally typed 'The End,' I felt a huge rush of excitement. That book took third place in the Southwest Writers competition and began making the rounds of publishers. I simply started writing my second, and then my third books.

After publishing ten of my Charlie Parker mysteries, I decided to branch out with a second series and I created the character of Samantha Sweet. One of the ways in which I earned a little extra pocket money during my high school years was to bake and decorate cakes--hence, a career for Samantha based on my own experiences.

In 2009 I switched publishers and was off on a new adventure, seeing all of my books made available for Kindle and the other ebook devices that were just beginning to take off in the book world. It's been an exciting time in publishing and I'm loving the new formats and the ability to personally connect with readers all over the world via my newsletter and my website at connieshelton.com.


* * *

Besides writing the Charlie Parker and Samantha Sweet mysteries, Connie is an award-winning essayist. Her work has been published in both small and major anthologies, like Chicken Soup For the Writer's Soul, and her short stories have won several prizes. She has also been a commercial hot air balloon pilot and holds the women's world altitude record for size AX-4 balloons. She has been featured in Who's Who and The World Who's Who of Women. She and her husband live in northern New Mexico.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, can't wait to read the next one., September 20, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery (Hardcover)

Charlie Parker is the character in this story and is a female accountant. Her brother is the private eye, but out of town. Naturally Charlie can't turn down her ex-best friend who also stole her fiance away 10 years ago. She unexpectantly shows up begging for Charlie's help. Charlie really doesn't want to do this, but all those tears and her own curiosity about her former fiance, how can she resist? Maybe she did Charlie a favor, the beau wasn't all that great after all, now she has lost a valuable piece of jewelry to a "new boyfriend" who ends up dead. Who is the prime suspect? There are several suprises in this story. Written in the style of Sue Grafton, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Acutally to be a first book, I should have rated it a 9 or 10.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost Hard Boiled, May 29, 2010

By 

Marilynn Bachorik (Detroit) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery (Charlie Parker Mysteries) (Paperback)

I liked this book. Connie Shelton's style in this first Charlie Parker book is terse, bordering on the hard boiled. She doesn't waste words, just describes the scenes, and gives enough clues to point the reader in the right direction. The tension created feels real. I like Charlie, too, because she is a real departure from the popular Stephanie Plum types who never grow up, never learn from a situation and dumbly stumble time and again into danger, always forgetting to charge their cell phones or to tell anyone where they're going. Charlie is smart and a bit of a loner but not as emotionally isolated as Kinsey Millhone. So she's interesting and likable.
I liked the book enough to order the next one on my Kindle.

I've eventually read them all. They're entertaining, but after the third one, Shelton lost her quasi-hard boiled edge, and the series became solidly "cozy." Still fun, still engaging, but I liked Shelton's edgier style better.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read, July 28, 2000

By 

Pamela Stone - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery (Charlie Parker Mysteries) (Paperback)

For the first title in a series this one grabs your attention and holds it till book is read.

Charlie Parker is an accountant in a Private Investigations business with her brother. In this mystery an old friend shows up in need of help. Charlie agrees to help Stacy North find her missing Rolex watch, but ends up wishing she hadn't because of her past history with this woman. Stacy and Charlie were best friends until Stacy ran off with Charlie's finance. In a few hours Charlie finds the watch and boy is she relieved thinking she is done with Stacy, but guess again the man who stole the watch is found dead three days later. Now Stacy needs Charlie's help even more. Charlie's brother handles the investigation part of their business and she handles the paper work. But with her brother out of town for two weeks Charlie felt that she could at least get things started for her brother. Gary Detwiller was the dead mans name -- a con man with a lot of enemies. Finding the murder will not be easy. Stacy is arrested for the murder and Charlie has to prove her innocence's, but finding the real murder will hard work because of all the enemies that Gary had. Look out for a surprise ending.

This mystery was a very good read I can hardly wait to read the others in the series.