Customer Reviews

Nothing but Trouble (PJ Sugar Novel)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A decade has passed since PJ Sugar crawled like crab legs out of her hometown of Kellogg, Minnesota filled with remorse and guilt. Over the next few years, PJ found no purpose in life drifting from job to job and from trouble to trouble. She is finally coming home for the first time in ten years to attend her sister the attorney Connie's wedding to tae kwon do coach Sergei as mom broke her ankle playing tennis. She is still wearing the mantle of shame. PJ will watch Connie's four year old son Davy while she is on her honeymoon.

PJ plans to be on her best behavior while keeping her stay short. However, her intentions implode when her former teacher, Hoffman, is murdered. Police Officer Boone Buckham arrests her best friend Trudi's husband Jack Wilkes because he assaulted the history teacher. PJ investigates though she knows that will put her at odds with the lead cop her former high school boyfriend (and rabble-rouser).

This is an interesting Christian amateur sleuth starring a sort of female Uncle Buck that for the most part avoids over preaching. PJ is a fascinating protagonist who comes home to watch a nephew she never met, care for a mom in a wheelchair due to the busted ankle, work closely with her non English speaking in-laws, and solve a murder mystery while eluding her attraction to Boone with her rep as nickname NBT (NOTHING BUT TROUBLE) to live down. Readers will enjoy the misadventures of PJ Sugar who knows for sure that the person who said you can't go home came from Kellogg, Minnesota.

Harriet Klausner

Oh! My! Goodness! I LOVED this book! I haven't read one that I enjoyed so much in a long time. This was my first experience with Susan May Warren and I will definitely be looking for more of her books.

I loved the humor. Loved the tension between Boone and PJ - and the complication added by Jeremy. Loved the way the author showed PJ's internal struggles and how she finally figured out that she didn't have to be someone else to be used of God.

This is a great story! I highly recommend it. Five stars all the way!

Ten years after leaving it in disgrace, PJ Sugar returns to her hometown to look after her nephew while her sister is on her honeymoon. PJ always had a knack for finding trouble and soon after arriving home, she finds herself knee deep in it again. Her former boyfriend is now a cop and when her best friend's husband is accused of murder, PJ decides that she's going to solve the mystery herself.

The first of the PJ Sugar series, it took me awhile to get into and I found it light on the mystery and suspense, light on the romance and light on the Christian.

Entertaining and easy to read, PJ needs to grow up and find out who she really is. I liked it, I didn't love it. Perfect for a light summer read.

I just found another series that is going to be a "must read" for me. PJ Sugar is delightful! She is flawed, which shows her humanity and also makes you want to be her cheerleader. She is also trying very hard to be the person that she can be in Christ, but because of all the trouble she has "found" in her life - it takes her awhile to realize that Christ sees beyond the troubles and the flaws.

PJ returns to Kellogg as a favor to her sister, Connie. Connie is getting married and their mother just broke her ankle - so she needs to find someone fast to watch her 4 year old son while she is on her honeymoon. PJ hasn't been back in Kellogg since she left town 10 years before, right after her high school graduation. She had been accused unjustly of arson at the country club - an accusation that her boyfriend, Boone, doesn't deny - even though he knows that it wasn't her. And where is her sister getting married? Said country club. Talk about walking out of the present right back into the past. She shows up at the club an hour before the wedding is to take place - and before the day is over has been in the midst of a struggle involving an old teacher and her best friend's husband - ran into Boone, who is now a police detective - tried to corral Davy, her 4 year old nephew - and wonders why the more things change the more they stay the same!

This book was a very quick read - but very entertaining. The host of characters ranges from PJ and Boone, to her sister's new Russian in-laws, Jeremy - a "pizza delivery guy" , and believe it or not, a goat! I am definitely watching for the next book in this series - as the ending of this one left us with an interesting scenario for PJ's personal life that I am hoping will be explored!

Susan May Warren has rapidly become one of my favorite Christian writters! Her newest being a PJ Sugar novel; Nothing but Trouble and it was a great read! This book had characters that I could relate to and situations that were realistic. What I also appreciated was that it had the twist and turns that didn't give the book the typical ending. I really am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Nothing But Trouble is the story of PJ Sugar and her return to the "scene of the crime" - her hometown. She left ten years earlier - as soon as she could toss off her graduation cap and gown - after taking the fall for a crime she didn't commit. So when she gets the call to come home she takes it to be a chance to clear her name. She gets that chance and more.

PJ is a likable character and I hope to learn more about her in future books (this is the first of a series). She's trying to become a better person and considers herself a work in progress. She became a Christian a few years before coming home. I suppose this is considered Christian lit, which surprised me when I received the book. I had not expected that. There is scripture worked into the story in small ways that seemed entirely appropriate to the plot. I didn't find it heavy-handed at all.

There's definitely still some chemistry between PJ and her former love, Boone. He now works for the Kellogg Police Department and it seems he'd like to pick up where things left off ten years ago. But, as tempted as she is, PJ just can't jump back into a relationship that was the main reason she had to leave town. There's also something brewing between PJ and Jeremy Kane, the investigator working on a murder case. What will their relationship be in future novels? I'm interested enough to keep reading the series.

I don't read many mysteries but I think this would be categorized as a cozy. Susan May Warren wrote an entertaining novel - I'm looking forward to the next in the PJ Sugar series.

In Nothing But Trouble, PJ can never seem to live up to her family's status and expectations and always seems to be in trouble. She left town right after graduation and kept running from her past for ten years until her sister needed her help and asked her to come back for a couple of weeks. Has ten years been enough time to soften her "trouble" reputation or will it keep haunting her? When her small town experiences it's first murder in years, PJ is determined to redeem herself by finding out who did it.

Nothing But Trouble is a perfect summer read! Even though it covers past haunts, murder, and never seeming to be able to do things right, it is still light and entertaining. I think many of us can relate to feeling like we keep messing things up and Susan does a wonderful job of revealing the truth behind that lie. She also shows us how worthwhile it is to confront the past because you never know when a fresh look can shine the light on misconceptions. I always enjoy Susan's books because no matter the topic she always makes me laugh through characters' witty dialog and their hidden thoughts. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Susan May Warren is one of my favorite authors--and she didn't disappoint me in her newest series, PJ Sugar: Nothing But Trouble. You've got to love a girl who throws her shoe at her fiance after he breaks up with her because she's not pastor's wife material.
PJ is gutsy and funny and a loyal friend--well, after she stops avoiding her past mistakes. The story speaks to anyone who has run from their past--and is tired of running and wants to see if it's possible to go home again.
PJ's also torn between a past love and a possible future one--and there's no telling which way it's going to go when you finish book #1. Many a girl has been in the same predicament, and will be eager to read the next installment of PJ Sugar to find out what happens.

This book is right up my alley, with a fun, sassy female lead who still has her moments of introspection. Combine that with a summer vacation locale, a murder mystery, and a dash of romance and you have all the ingredients for a great read.

What I loved in particular about this book was that in addition to the chick-lit attitude and the suspense, PJ Sugar has real issues to deal with. She has to come to terms with her past, her family, her reputation, and her inability to stick with anything. In other words, she's human and she's trying. Warren's writing is a perfect balance between fast-paced adventure and PJ's attempts to overcome her personal issues.

I'm looking forward to seeing what trouble PJ gets into next. Not to mention the two men who have an interest in her.

PJ Sugar returns to her small town in Minnesota after wandering the United States for 10 years. Is she still the impulsive, passionate teen who loved the wild child Boone and helped set the country club afire on prom night, or has she grown up now? That is the question she keeps asking herself. She cringes under the weight of her mother's disapproval. But her mother is saying some very loving and positive things. Does she really disapprove?

Soon a mystery takes center stage. PJ feels that she had abandoned her best friend Trudi, pregnant and unwed. Now Trudi's in hot water again-her husband is accused of murder, and PJ is sure he didn't do it. Not abandoning your friend-what does that look like? In this case PJ turns sleuth and does some minor breaking and entering to try to piece together the whodunit. But is she just going to get into big trouble again?

And of course Boone is still in the picture. Does she still love him? How can she, now that she is a committed Christian and he isn't? What about another fellow she's finding mighty attractive, Jeremy, who's investigating the same crime, shows up at her church, and talks the talk?

I found this book to be very hard to put down. Susan May Warren is a master of the craft. I'm looking forward to reading more of her books. This one is the first of a series based on PJ Sugar, and I'll be happy to read more of them.