Customer Reviews

Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery (Charlie Parker Mystery Series)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Charlie is a woman who reluctantly accepts an assignment at the detective agency co-owns with her brother. She is the business manager not the detective. However she does what any spunky woman does and ignores good advice, puts herself in jeopardy, repeats stupid moves and continues to make dumb choices until she solves the crime. Bleh. Give me a break. It is so cliche that I cannot believe anyone who had read good detective fiction would bother with this.

Try JA Jance's books for a good, well written Southwest heroine.

Charlie Parker, an accountant who dabbles in solving mysteries, is given an unusual assignment. Her ex-husband's new wife, Stacy, has asked her to locate her Rolex watch before her husband discovers that it was stolen by a man with whom she had an affair. Charlie succeeds in doing this, but meanwhile the man who stole the watch is killed. Then, Charlie really has to use her investigative skills because she feels that Stacy is being unjustly accused of the murder. This well-written book is the beginning of the Charlie Parker series, which is set in Albuquerque. It is recommended reading for mystery fans.

Shelton is excellent on dog behavior and does a wonderful job of describing unpleasant men. I love her family and her brother's obnoxious children. The food description is good and the New Mexico urban atmosphere is thick and convincing. It starts off with a gripping premise that sucks you into turning the pages. The missing star is about plot. I came to this after starting with "Partnerships Can Kill." Charlie Parker is going to have to stop finding vital clues in desk drawers and coat pockets where nobody else thought of looking. I haven't got to "Vacations Can be Murder" yet. Is there another one out yet or on the way?

I just read Deadly Gamble, the first Charlie Parker mystery novel, last night and couldn't wait to get back on Amazon to review it. I found the book to be thoroughly entertaining. The mystery was compelling, contained several twists, and ended with a surprise. Along the way I grew to care about both Charlie, a simple CPA who takes on sleuthing for a friend, and her dog Rusty.

The mystery plays out against the backdrop of Albuquerque, New Mexico, which the author brings to life with descriptions of local haunts and the odd weather (the last time I was there, it snowed on me in May). Food is also discussed which made me have to eat huevos rancheros this morning.

Looking for a simple, comfortable mystery without the lurid details, this may be the book for you.

I really enjoyed this first installment in Connie Shelton's series. It has good characters, a good plot and is very well written. Charlie Parker is very likable and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

For Kindle readers-- formatting is very good.

Others have summed up the book, so I'll just add my thoughts.

I enjoyed the book overall, but found that it lacked "rhythm". I can't explain it, but it just didn't come together smoothly. Passages describing everyday scenes seemed to be padded and those with action seemed rushed.

Better editing would have been helpful, too. Catchy descriptors would used for two different things in the same scene. That was kind of jarring.

Work needs to be done on metaphors, too. As Charlie enters a neighborhood bar, she describes the music's "vivaciousness" as making the ice in the drinks jiggle. Huh?

I enjoyed the first one enough, though, that I've downloaded a sample of the second to my Kindle and will probably buy it.

Guess it might have been worth $1.59 but not anymore. I think this author has promise

but needs a lot more work. The main character is likeable enough but is no "character".

Same for the others, mostly very ordinary and predictable. I do like it that she had

a dog and surragate grandmother.

There was a lot of "fluff" that added absolutely nothing and drives me crazy. Used my

speed reading skills with this one a lot.

Plot had twist but nothing a mystery reader might not have already seriously considered.

At least it wasn't too long.