Ninja Soccer Moms [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Jennifer Apodaca (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 2004

Samantha Shaw was thrilled to give up the soccer mom scene. With her cheating husband dead, a struggling dating service to run, and a brand-new relationship with ex-cop Gabe Pulizzi to figure out, her plate is pretty full. Trouble is, Sam's life has a way of serving up murder . . . and when the victim is the town hero and championship-winning soccer coach that she was about to expose as an embezzler, Sam becomes a prime suspect.

Available only in Mystery 4.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sports moms waiting for practice to end will enjoy the third bubbly entry in Apodaca's cozy series (after 2003's Dying to Meet You) starring Samantha Shaw, amateur sleuth and owner of Heart Mates, her "beloved and struggling dating service" in Lake Elsinore, Calif. When her old friend Janie Tuggle tells her that ex-husband Chad, the head coach of the Soccer Club of Lake Elsinore (SCOLE), has been embezzling funds, Sam is anxious to help. Janie should know, since she managed the club's accounts for years, until Chad left her for a younger woman. No sooner does Sam manage to copy the disk with SCOLE's accounts than Chad is murdered in his office, and Sam and Janie become prime suspects. A number of potential allies stonewall or even hinder Sam's investigation. Now why on earth would they do that? The tension grows as Sam zeroes in on the killer. Amusing characters and situations add to the frothy fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

"One can almost hear Miss Marple saying, 'You go, girl!'" --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 391 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press; 1 edition (September 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786268557
• ISBN-13: 978-0786268559
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,266,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mutton dressed as lamb, February 16, 2007

By 

Anonymous (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ninja Soccer Moms (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm having a hard time with this series. I like the author's style of writing, but I really can't stand Sam and Gabe. Sam is a shallow dingbat who, for some reason, finds dressing like a tacky hooker empowering. A woman can look and act sexy while still acting her age. Gabe is an arrogant jerk who uses sex as a substitute for dialogue. And SURELY he can call Sam something other than "Babe". The supporting cast of characters are far more likeable. It's an enjoyable, predictable, light murder mystery, if you can stomach the annoying main characters. Check these out from the library, and save your bookshelves for a series worth keeping.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stephanie Plum wannabe, February 10, 2007

By 

Lois Lain (San Francisco Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ninja Soccer Moms (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

While this book has, by far, one of the best titles I've seen in a long time, I can't say the same for the rest of the book. Rife with one-dimensional characters and rip-offs from the Stephanie Plum series, Ninja Soccer Moms should have been benched. And there should be a federal law against using "Omigod!" more than once in a book -- unless it's an Archie comic.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third Times a Charm..., September 2, 2004

By 

Virenda Mattson (Temecula,CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ninja Soccer Moms (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I read the first two books in the "Sam Shaw" mysteries and enjoyed them right away. They are light and funny and full of odd ball antics. In fact if you read the "Stephanie Plum" series you will love this one and you will recognize a few similiarties. I truly enjoy this series. Sam Shaw is a mom and super slueth..(almost)who truly loves her children. The book revolves around her life in Lake Elsinore (near my hometown of Temecula)where she lives with her grandfather and two boys. Now this book is the third in the series and for me the characters really took heart in this one. I definelty felt better connected and the antics were just as funny as the first two. I recommend reading the first two to truly understand all of the funny,odd and heart warming characters. The book comes off as funny and full of strange antics like her tendencies to damage clothing and fall over dead people. But Jennifer Apodaca created wonderfully complicated characters that jump off the page and make you feel like a part of there world. This is a definite "lite" read with some heart string tugs and tons of belly laughs. Ninja Soccer Mom will leave you mostly guessing until about 2/3 into and then you should know who did it but boy is it funny finding out the end. Sam shaw is mom,friend,daughter,business woman, and pretty much like all of us...('cept for all of the dead people she finds)On a minor note I love that she placed the book in Lake Elsinore I live bout 10-15 mins away and go there often to visit and to me it makes the story even more realistic when its set in your own backyard.