No Such Thing As A Secret: A Brandy Alexander Mystery [Paperback]

Shelly Fredman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2005

Meet Brandy Alexander, a young woman from South Philadelphia, with a big mouth, an even bigger heart and a little problem with impulse control. It?s not her fault trouble seems to follow her around. Okay, it is her fault, but why quibble over details? When Brandy (a puff piece reporter for a local Los Angeles TV news station) returns to her hometown, after a four year absence, she is thrilled to be reunited with friends and family. But her joy is short-lived when her best friend, John, becomes the victim of a tragic accident. Brandy is alone in thinking that the death is no ?accident,? and as she sets out to prove her theory, she stumbles upon a political scandal of major proportions. Things begin to heat up when it appears that her former boyfriend, police detective Robert Anthony DiCarlo, is involved in sabotaging the investigation. The one thing Brandy knows for sure is that people keep turning up dead, and if she doesn?t get some answers, fast, she could end up on the short list. As Brandy searches out the truth, she gains some unexpected allies, including sexy, dangerous, street-savvy Nicholas Santiago, and the now-married Bobby, who still holds a torch for his former girlfriend. With humor, guts and determination Brandy tackles each challenge, be it dodging a bullet or resisting that box of Tastykakes in the cupboard. Murder, mayhem and romance abound in Shelly Fredman?s novel, proving there really is No Such Thing as a Secret.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Former Philadelphian Shelly Fredman firmly believes in what she once read on a bumper sticker: ?Reality is for people who lack imagination.? She splits her time between writing, teaching elementary school, consuming mass quantities of chocolate and enjoying the many characters that manifest themselves in her head (in the non-clinical sense). Author of the young-adult novel Creeps, she is currently working on a sequel to No Such Thing as a Secret. Shelly resides in Santa Monica, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (May 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420843818
• ISBN-13: 978-1420843811
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #346,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shelly Fredman is a native Philadelphian who long dreamed to be Mrs. Illya Kuryakin from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Having failed to reach that lofty goal, she switched her affections to fictional characters and situations that she could control with the stroke of her keyboard. This quest for power resulted in The No Such Thing As...Brandy Alexander Mysteries.

Shelly and Brandy share feeling of pride in their hometown, and even though Shelly has moved to the west coast, she has always been, and forever will be, a Philly girl at heart.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brandy takes stock of her life, July 27, 2008

By 

Linda Bulger (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: No Such Thing As A Secret: A Brandy Alexander Mystery (Paperback)

I've got great news: there's a new amateur sleuth on the block and she's funny, literate, impulsive and wry. This native Philly girl stampeding into your life is named Brandy Alexander but blame her odd parents for that, not the girl herself. Author Shelly Fredman scored a hit with this new series.

Brandy has a big-city job in L.A. presenting human interest stories on a local TV show. That kept her away from Philadelphia for four years; that and the urge to be far away from the sexy cop ex-boyfriend who dumped her. Now she's back for her best friend's wedding, but life conspires to throw Brandy into a dangerous stew of corrupt politics, threats, murder, and romance.

The mystery plot is creative and full of false trails, but the real stars here are the impetuous Brandy and her beautifully-drawn South Philly family and friends. Swear to God, you'll think you're there with the gang. Johnny Marchiano, up to his ears in danger for reasons yet to be discovered. Franny Di Angelo, the bride-to-be, and her twin sister Janine. Brother Paulie, Uncle Frankie and his girlfriend Carla ... I've never been to South Philly but I'd know this crowd anywhere; each and every one has Brandy's back, no matter how they roll their eyes at her sarcasm.

In no time Brandy puts herself in harm's way with her amateur investigating. There's plenty of hatchet-and-gun danger but her heart's at risk too. There's the ex-boyfriend, still hot but with a wife and child (currently MIA). Oh, and the heart-stoppingly sexy Nick Santiago, riding shotgun on her forays to the underbelly of the city. Sleep-deprived and on a permanent sugar rush from her chocolate habit, Brandy somehow manages to keep her head and get to the bottom of the trouble. (You all understand the genre, so I trust that won't be a spoiler.)

This book works in so many ways: terrific first-person narrative from a crazy-girl-next-door heroine, a stellar supporting cast, the back-story threaded through nicely rather than served up in a dry lump, teasers for the next book in the series. My favorite thing about NO SUCH THING AS A SECRET: A Brandy Alexander Mystery is the underlying subtlety and intelligence that kicks it up a notch from beach reading to something just a bit more.

And the best news of all is that there are already two more Brandy Alexander books in print, which are on their way to my mailbox right now. Author Shelly Fredman had better be planning a long writing career because her fans are going to demand it of her.

Linda Bulger, 2008

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend this book, September 4, 2005

By 

M. Coleman "book lover" (Saugus, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: No Such Thing As A Secret: A Brandy Alexander Mystery (Paperback)

Shelly Fredman is right up there with Evanovich. The characters had charisma, and the relationships were rich and fun to watch unfold. Great story and I really enjoyed reading this book. Look forward to her next book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Milhone, Plum, Schultz and now Alexander, June 8, 2005

By 

OCDLADY - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Such Thing As A Secret: A Brandy Alexander Mystery (Paperback)

There's a new wise-cracking, romanically inept, crime-solver in town and her name is Brandy Alexander. She joins the ranks of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and Dianne Mott Davidson's Goldy Schultz as the newest would-be detective and all around cool girl. Brandy's first-person narrative gives light to her hilarious and usually embarassing inner-thoughts, making the book fun, original and personable. No Such Thing as a Secret is GREAT.