Dying To Meet You: A Samantha Shaw Mystery (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Jennifer Apodaca (Author)

Book Description

Series: Samantha Shaw Mysteries | Publication Date: May 1, 2003

Samantha Shaw doesn't think much of marriage. And she's wary of men, including her own bad-boy amour, ex-cop Gabe Pulizzi. But she hasn't completely given up on romance. Good thing, considering she has a dating service to run, even though she does have a murder to solve too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Apodaca's first mystery to feature Samantha Shaw, Dating Can Be Murder (2002), rejoice. The owner of Heart Mates dating service and single mother of two is back for more amateur sleuthing in the small town of Lake Elsinore, Calif. To promote her business, Sam hires former Heart Mates client and graphic artist Faye Miller to design a brochure. But when Sam stops by the motel where Faye is temporarily residing (after leaving her husband), Sam finds Faye dead at her computer table, the "glossy brochure stuck up like a flag in her loose fingers." The victim's meek and mild estranged husband emerges as the main suspect, but the more Sam delves into Faye's dating history the more complicated the murder investigation becomes. A newspaper campaign against her dating service doesn't help matters, nor does she entirely welcome the assistance of gorgeous hunk and ex-cop Gabe Pulizzi. Sam bumbles along good-humoredly and determinedly, until the plot reaches its knock-down, smashing climax.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 295 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; First Edition edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758200749
• ISBN-13: 978-0758200747
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,734,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific cozy, May 11, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dying To Meet You: A Samantha Shaw Mystery (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Hardcover)

After her husband's death, Samantha Shaw learns her deceased spouse was a two timing drug-dealing louse, who was planning to leave her and their two sons. Now Samantha is determined to make Heart Mates, her dating service, a success and never depend on a man for anything. She is involved in a relationship with private detective Gabe Pulizzi, but she is trying to do things her own way and though he doesn't like it he understands her insecurities.

Murder is the last thing on Samantha's mind when she goes to consult with her friend Faye Miller about some advertising brochures she is creating for Heart Mates. After being let into Faye's hotel room, she finds her friend's body holding a brochure advertising Heart Mate in her hand. The police think Faye's estranged husband is the killer but after talking to him Samantha's positive he's innocent. He hires her to find the real killer and Samantha starts investigating, attracting the attention of the real killer who is determined to stop her any way he can.

DYING TO MEET YOU is a terrific cozy starring a heroine who is smart, sassy, and sexy. The romance scenes between the protagonist and her boyfriend are hot and steamy, making this romantic mystery a novel that will appeal to both genres. Jennifer Apodoca has her heroine jumping from one dangerous action scene into another while she is taking care of her business, her children, coping with her cantankerous mother and worrying about the antics of her grandfather. Readers who like a light mystery without any gore will want to read this exciting who-done-it.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much Improved, June 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Dying To Meet You (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Paperback)

This second installment of the series is much improved from the first one.

Sam is still no Stephanie Plum, but she's not nearly as annoying and unlikeable as the first book. Sure she still does stupid things that put herself and those around her in danger, but there seems to be a little more believability to the things she does. And her transformation from soccer mom to slut isn't beat over your head like it was in the last book.

The supporting cast really should be fleshed out a bit more. I'm not wild about Gabe and think that Vance has much more potential as a suitor. Barney has the promise to be a terrific character, a more toned-down version of the over-the-top Grandma Mazur. And even Sam's mother has the potential to be fun.

There were still some little things that bugged me in the book, but they were mostly from an editing standpoint. Early in the book, Sam tells us that she keeps pepper spray on her keyring. About three pages later, she gets herself into trouble and reaches for her keyring, "where I keep a canister of pepper spray." You just told us that...I can figure out why you're reaching for your keyring. I also found it highly annoying and lazy that throughout the book, the author misspelled "Acura" as "Accura."

Looking forward to the next book in the series.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good new series potential..., June 7, 2003

By 

E. Griffin (Wilton, CT, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dying To Meet You: A Samantha Shaw Mystery (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Samantha Shaw stumbles into a murder investigation when she discovers Faye, a friend and client of Heart Mates, Samantha's dating agency, strangled in a hotel room. This is the second time Samantha has been involved in a murder investigation-the first was the murder of her husband, during which Samantha discovered some unwelcome truths about her marriage. Thrust into creating a new life for herself and her two sons, she runs a dating agency, reviews romance writers, and dabbles in private investigations. As part of this earlier investigation, Samantha developed an acrimonious relationship with the local police department, and gained a new boyfriend-a younger, handsome stud named Gabe.

The plot of Dying to Meet You focuses on finding Faye's killer among the citizens of their small town. Suspects include Faye's estranged husband, the married man Faye had an affair with, his wife, and the partner of someone Faye met through the dating agency. Samantha becomes involved to clear Faye's husband of suspicion, and relies on Gabe's private investigation business to attempt to legalize her work. The romance between Gabe and Samantha is complicated by Samantha's growing attraction to a new police officer in town-one who writes romance novels in his spare time!

Well written for the cozy genre, Dying to Meet You is a quick and easy read. Some unfortunate plot elements and awkward handling disturb the flow and are inconsistent with the characters personalities and intelligence. The Samantha Shaw character has great potential to develop into an intelligent, madcap heroine series.