Customer Reviews

A Dose of Murder (Pauline Sokol Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Pauline Sokol decides she is burned out from being a nurse for so many years. So, she quits her job. Then she realizes she has no job and thus no money to pay her many bills. Her best friend and roommate, Miles, sets her up with an interview with his uncle. Thinking she'd be doing office work, she soon finds out she will be an insurance fraud investigator. Something she knows nothing about. Since she doesn't get paid unless she completes an investigation, she sets out to quickly learns how.

After almost being caught, Goldie begins to give her some instruction. She also gets some direction when she ties up with Jagger in a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" type of situation. This takes her undercover in a local clinic, one her boyfriend just joined.

Can she do her surveillance work as well as help Jagger out with his case, through her undercover work, without wearing herself out, getting caught, or getting herself killed. As she stumbles on a body and tries to keep a level head when around hot Jagger, she finds herself in many hilarious situations.

I found myself laughing out loud so many times while reading this book. It is a quick, easy cozy to read. The characters are so much fun, the situations believable, and the plot well-written. I especially like the interaction of Pauline and Jagger, but Goldie is also a hoot. Her parents and uncle really add to the story as well. Her lack of experience does not detract from her ability to help solve this crime. I found it to be believable.

I look forward to reading many more Pauline Sokol books. I highly recommend this book.

The similarities between Pauline Sokol and Stephanie Plum have already been discussed by other reviewers. The book on the whole wasn't bad although I did get tired of the constant stupidity of Pauline -- she was a nurse for years, she can't be that dumb. What eventually annoyed me the most though was the constant (and I mean CONSTANT) inner monologue about Jagger (Ranger) and how she could neither function or utter an intelligent sentence in his presence.

Lori Avocato brings us a funny, charming story of a burnt-out nurse turned Insurance Fraud Investigator turned Under-Cover Detective. Pauline Sokol hates her job as a nurse and feels that she needs a career change. When her roommate lands her a job as an Insurance Fraud Investigator, she wonders if she's bitten off more than she can chew. One thing leads to another and she actually starts to get the hang of spying on people, getting caught in rain storms, then staking out houses in sub-zero temps, while dressed in high heels and her parka. When Jagger (we never do learn his last name) shows up all-mysterious and asks her to go undercover to help his investigation, Pauline is convinced that he's with the FBI. Working with Jagger is a little unsettling on Pauline's nerves. Not only is he drop-dead gorgeous, he's also over-bearing, bossy and stubborn; just the kind of guy she tries to stay away from. But the bad thing is, she can't seem to stop fantasizing about Jagger.

If you're looking for a fun, easy read then this is the story for you. The characters are fresh, believable and full bodied. Throw in a cast of hilarious secondary characters and you have the perfect story of murder, intrigue and humor. Ms. Avocato is definitely an author to watch-out for!

Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed with this title. I muddled my way through chapter five but was unable to finish. Although the premise of the book was a good one (burnt out nurse becomes a P.I.), something about the character of Pauline Sokol just irritated me. Others might find it a lot more enjoyable than I did, though!

Too many similarities to a Stephanie Plum book for me to get past and enjoy this book. Maybe,if I had never read the Stephanie Plum series...maybe, if Pauline didn't say "Ack" so much...maybe, if Pauline wasn't so dumb...then maybe, just maybe I would have given it 3 stars. The story is ok. It's just too close to something that is much better to deserve much interest from me.

Nurse Pauline Sokol knew she was burned out. Needing something new, her gay roomie, Miles, gets her a job at a company that investigates insurance fraud. Being somewhat accident prone and knowing less than nothing about how to be a private investigator, Pauline is in over her head and she knows it.

Then Jagger steps in to teach her the ropes. In exchange for Jagger showing her how to be a decent P.I. and crack her first case, Pauline agrees to go undercover at a local health clinic to find evidence of medical insurance fraud for Jagger's case. Sounds easy until co-workers start turning up dead.

***** This mystery will have you chuckling aloud as you try to figure out "who-did-it". This is the author's first debut in the mystery genre and I believe she has found her little niche! As the first book in a series, this colorful cast of characters looks to be on their way to the top of the best sellers list! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

If 1/2 stars were possible my rating would go up.This was my first book with this author and it won't be my last. I disagree with another reviewer as I thought Pauline's bumbling around as an apprentice sleuth made for some interesting situations. She reminds me of a beginning Stephanie Plum and her cast of supporting characters.
However, the author needs to get rid of "ACK". It was used way too much and took away from the flow of the story. Beyond that I think with some seasoning Ms Sokol's adventures will become even more entertaining.

As many others have said, this is a poor clone of the Stephanie Plum series. Almost every Plum character has a match in this book, and it was disappointing. The book itself had a good story line. I enjoy laugh out loud books; this one didn't provide much, but did have some amusing scenes. I had to mentally stop myself from reading "Ranger" when the character was "Jagger".

Overall, I was very disappointed. I will read the reviews from her future books to see if she has managed to get over her Plum fixation, and has expanded the storylines to include other characters.

This was my first Lori Avocato book and I will definitely read more. Unlike a lot of other reviewers, I didn't think this was a Stephanie Plum knock-off at all. I really enjoyed it and though it was a great start to a new series. Unlike Plum, the main character isn't quite as cartoonish or as accident prone, but obviously inept to her new career choice. Goldie, the secondary character, was by far my favorite and I cracked up every time she would tone-out everything around her to a point people were asking if she was on drugs. A fun read.

An interesting, amusing book with well-developed, likable characters. Pauline is looking for a new career and switches from nursing to medical insurance fraud investigation. In the process, she encounters some interesting personalities, among them her roommate Miles and his friend Goldie, as well as two attractive men. Pauline begins to learn her new trade but not without mishap - there are several humorous incidents. I liked this book well enough to start right in on the second when I finished it. If you like the Janet Evanovitch Plum series, you will enjoy this book as well. It is well-written, quick-paced and fun and gives you enough insight into the characters to make them seem real.