The Temporary Detective (An Isobel Spice Novel) [Kindle Edition]

Joanne Sydney Lessner (Author)

Book Description

Don't miss the second Isobel Spice novel, Bad Publicity!

Phones, light typing...and murder.

Think breaking into show business is hard? Try landing a temp job without office skills. That's the challenge facing aspiring actress Isobel Spice when she arrives in New York City, fresh out of college and deficient in PowerPoint. After being rejected by seven temp agencies for her lack of experience, Isobel sweet-talks recruiter James Cooke into letting her cover a last-minute vacancy at a bank. New to his own job, and recently sober, James takes a chance on Isobel, despite his suspicion that she's a trouble-magnet. His misgivings are borne out by lunchtime, when she stumbles across a dead secretary in a bathroom stall. With her fingerprints on the murder weapon, Isobel sets out to prove her innocence by investigating the crime herself. While learning to juggle phone lines and auditions, she discovers an untapped talent for detective work--a qualification few other office temps, let alone actresses, can claim.

Please note: this is a cozy mystery with an edge; contains some adult language and situations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An Awesome Indies Mystery Pick
 
"Great dialogue, laugh-out-loud humor, and mystery with a side of romance." - BloodWrites Top Read 2012
 
"If you are looking for an enjoyable, light mystery, one that will keep you guessing, then The Temporary Detective is for you." - Kindle Mystery Authors
 

From the Author

Don't miss the second Isobel Spice novel, Bad Publicity!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 633 KB
• Print Length: 282 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615605818
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Dulcet Press; 1 edition (April 9, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007SZRFXK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,258 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Isobel Spice is a Heroine Worth Knowing! July 30, 2012

By Jen Blood

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Joanne Lessner's The Temporary Detective is one of those novels you just don't want to stop reading, with characters well drawn and sympathetic enough to easily carry a full series. In the series opener, the quirky, delightfully headstrong Isobel Spice has just landed a temp job for which she is seriously under-qualified. She doesn't let that stop her, though, basically steamrolling the hapless James Cooke -- her supervisor at the temp agency -- into letting her take on said job. Within hours, a very-disliked member of the staff turns up dead... And, of course, Isobel is the one to find her. What follows from there is a fun, clever whodunit with Isobel at the helm as she attempts to keep her new job, maintain her safety, and find the bad guy.

There are a number of things that make this novel a true gem, among them Lessner's deft writing hand, sharp wit, surprisingly complex characters, and a clear understanding of Isobel's world as a struggling actress new to the bright lights of Broadway. Add to that the kind of chemistry that just leaps off the page between Isobel and James, and you have a mystery well worth your time. Through all of that, I was also particularly impressed with the author's ability to move seamlessly from comedy to romance to amateur sleuthing while simultaneously handling deeper issues like James's very recent sobriety with a sensitivity uncommon to the genre. With that said, don't mistake this for a novel with a deeper message; Lessner is delightfully irreverent throughout. This is an easy read that I cruised through in a couple of days, and I recommend it highly for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries with a healthy dose of romance and a hint of New York edge.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars fun read for mystery fans May 12, 2012

By Carol J. Makovich

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a longtime mystery fan, so I ask for a lot in a mystery: good plot, interesting characters, authentic settings, and some humor. I found all these elements in the charming first installment of Isobel Spice's NYC adventures. Another test: Can I figure it out before it ends? In this case, I didn't, so more points for Joanne Lessner and Isobel! I look forward to the coming follow-ups ... it's always nice to discover a new series in the early stages ... Isobel is a winner!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What A Great Surprise May 3, 2012

By John R. Sheehan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Disclosure - I know the author. So I bought the book. It's what one does when a friend writes a book. I'd never read anything of hers, but I had a long trip coming, so why not.

What a delightful surprise! The book starts out like a ditzy comedy, perky central figure, out to conquer the world of theatre without really knowing anything about it. And before the reader can settle in, there's a murder, and interesting peripheral character, and suddenly you're in the middle of a fairly complicated plot, with good background on characters and a writing style that keeps things moving and interesting and fun to read.

I'm not perky myself, so I have some uncertainties about some of the reactions of the heroine - but that's a reader's problem I immediately went to check out her first book - but it's priced out of my budget for the moment. But this is a first-rate bargain (at least on the Kindle) and a GREAT way to spend some fun and relaxing time.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A slow start to a promising new series September 25, 2012

By The Baking Bookworm

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Synopsis: Isobel Spice is an aspiring actress who has recently moved to NYC. While Isobel has an excellent singing voice and acting ability, getting a gig in the city is proving to be harder than she originally thought. In an attempt to go after her dream while still making ends meet, Isobel scours the city for a job at various temp agencies. Unfortunately without any marketable office skills many temp agencies turn her down.

Getting more than a little nervous about her financial situation, Isobel holds nothing back while trying to sweet talk temp agent James Cooke into giving her a chance at a last minute fill-in job at a local bank. James knows that he shouldn't be taking any risks with new recruits. He has a lot on his own plate with being new at his own job, being a recovering alcoholic and then there's that niggling feeling he has that Isobel has a penchant for trouble. Even with his inital misgivings about Isobel's skill he decides to give Isobel a shot at the job.

Unfortunately, James initial bad feelings about Isobel's innate ability to find trouble are realized when she finds the body of an unlikeable secretary in a bathroom stall during a routine fire drill. Now with the police pointing fingers in her direction, a new job to fulfill as well as getting to auditions on time Isobel has more than she can handle.

My Thoughts: When I ordered this mystery for my Kindle I was in the mood for a cozy mystery. Nothing too heavy and the fact that this was the first book in a new series sealed the deal.

Here's what I liked about this book -- It was a light mystery that had an interesting premise and setting. I loved the NYC setting and the behind-the-scenes look at auditions and call-backs etc....

I realize that to read a cozy mystery series usually one has to suspend reality a wee bit because the protagonist keeps finding dead bodies and, honestly how often does that happen? I'm hoping not a lot. I think that setting Isobel up as a temp worker gives the author many opportunities to put Isobel in many varied situations for the future books where she can stumble upon corpses and keep the reader interested.

That said I think that the overall feel I got from this book was just 'meh'. It was just an OK mystery with OK characters but nothing over the top. There were a lot of characters with a twist or two thrown in but none of the secondary characters really stood out and there were a few times when I got confused as to which character the author was referring.

The character with the most depth had to have been James, Isobel's temp agent, who was a recovering alcoholic. It was nice to see, amongst all of the rather blaw characters, a person who stood out from the rest. Yes, his addiction made the storyline a little heavy at times but I think it brought a more authentic feel to James. I also appreciated that the reader gets to have an inside view of the inner feelings of a recovering alcoholic and what they endure on a daily basis.

In contrast, I felt like I never really got to know Isobel. Yes, she's an aspiring actress with a great voice but what else? She really fell flat for me and with this being the beginning of a series I was hoping to really click with the main character right off the bat. Unfortunately that just didn't happen this time around.

I think the author was trying to start some romantic tension between James and Isobel but I just didn't feel it. Nor did I really want to. Why do we always have to have sexual tension between main characters? In this book I would have rather more time spent on ramping up the suspense of the book than wondering will they/won't they?

Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you're in the mood for a very light mystery. I'm hoping that things pick up their pace in the future books because with the setting and Isobel's job prospects being so interesting this book series 'could' be a great little cozy mystery series.

My Rating: 2.5/5 stars

This review is also posted on my blog [...] Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Temporary Detective April 23, 2012

By Pen name

Format:Kindle Edition

This is a very fun read, sort of a grown-up Nancy Drew for today's twenty-something crowd. A variety of sexual situations and orientations drive the plot, but none of this is taken too seriously, and the big climax where the mystery is unraveled is staged like the closing scene of a farce, mixing suspense and punch lines. A subplot involving AA lends a little gravitas without disrupting the tone. Theater people will especially enjoy all the material about auditions, showcases, and acting classes, although few (if any) aspiring actors behave quite as self-confidently as the novel's heroine. Lessner makes sure all the clues are in full view, yet there is enough comic relief and other threads being woven together that you're never sure which way the plot will go. I'm looking forward to the next Isobel Spice novel.

More About the Author

Joanne Sydney Lessner is the author of BloodWrites Award-Winner and Awesome Indies Mystery Pick THE TEMPORARY DETECTIVE, which introduces Isobel Spice, aspiring actress and resourceful office temp turned amateur sleuth. Isobel's adventures continue in the newly released BAD PUBLICITY. Inspired by the true story of the world's most expensive bottle of wine, Joanne's debut novel PANDORA'S BOTTLE (Flint Mine Press) was named one of the top five books of 2010 by Paperback Dolls. No stranger to the theatrical world, Joanne enjoys an active performing career, and with her husband, composer/conductor Joshua Rosenblum, has co-authored several musicals, including the cult hit FERMAT'S LAST TANGO and EINSTEIN'S DREAMS, based on the celebrated novel by Alan Lightman. Her play, CRITICAL MASS, received its Off Broadway premiere in October 2010 as the winner of the 2009 Heiress Productions Playwriting Competition. For more information, please visit http://joannelessner.com