Thrilled To Death (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Jennifer Apodaca (Author)

Book Description

Series: Samantha Shaw Mysteries | Publication Date: February 1, 2006

On the surface, Samantha Shaw's life looks pretty good - she has a hot boyfriend, private investigator Gabe Pulizzi, and her own business, Heart Mates Dating Service. But, raising two boys and keeping track of her ornery magician grandfather is tricky business...especially when you add murder to the mix...She hasn't even begun to figure it out when her grandfather, Barney Webb, winds up in trouble of his own - he's been accused by arrogant magician Shane Masters of hiring a hit man to kill him. Sam knows it can't be true, despite Shane's practice of exposing other illusionists' secrets in a series of popular "spoiler" shows. Proving Grandpa's innocence is priority number one, even though the old man is strangely resistant to her offers to get to the bottom of Shane's accusation. But, when Shane Masters' murdered body suddenly appears, Sam must use every trick in the book to save her own life, again! And, find a killer who's just pulled the greatest disappearing act of all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Magic and murder bedevil Samantha Shaw, the spunky owner of Heart Mates Dating Service, in the fifth installment of Apodaca's delightful light mystery series (Batteries Required, etc.) set in Lake Elsinore, Calif. Performer Shane Masters is revealing the secrets behind magic tricks in his "spoiler shows," which are upsetting many magicians, including Barney Webb, Samantha's grandfather. This is a tense moment in Samantha's life as well, as she and her boyfriend, ex-cop and PI Gabe Pulizzi, are moving their two businesses into the same office. But the conflicts caused by the office construction, Gabe's irritating brother and her own anxiety about getting her PI license take a back seat when Samantha's grandfather is accused of hiring a hit man to kill Shane Masters. The discovery of the Shane's body pulls Samantha into a life-threatening investigation that calls her PI aspirations into question. But her devotion to her grandfather outweighs all risks, and slowly she's able to put the puzzle pieces together. This hard-to-put-down cozy will please committed fans and attract new ones.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758209886
• ISBN-13: 978-0758209887
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,437,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barney is in trouble and Puluzzi has family problems, February 1, 2006

By 

4fabfelines "Lesa" (Shelbyville , TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Thrilled To Death (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Barney, sams grandfather is in trouble. He is being blamed for a "hit" on a magician spoiler. the only problem is, he knows the spoiler and had at one time took him under his wing.
Puluzzi and his brother are on the outs! Cal, his brother is in town to hlep with the renovations of the Heartmates/Pulizzi investigations. He is on leave from firefighting after being blamed for jumping on a man and beating him up.
The investigation turns sour when barney realizes it could be a person in his Triple M magic club that had the hit man hired and worse yet it could be a good friend.
Sam of course gets into all kinds of trouble, and she a Gabe have a huge fight. To make matters worse, her assistant, Blaine, has a long lost wife show up and he's not happy.
The ending is very surprizing and very good with a nifty twist.. Promise in the future of Sam's long lost father whom she knows nothing about is a good teazer for another book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic NINJA SOCCER MOM entry, January 28, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Thrilled To Death (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Samantha Shaw, owner of Heart Mates dating service, and her boyfriend former cop turned private investigator Gabe Pulizzi tear down the walls that separate their businesses as he mentors her so that she can legally work his cases. However, her next investigation does not come from her teacher, but from her grandfather, Barney Webb, accused by acclaimed magician Shane Masters of hiring someone to kill him.

Shane was once a magician's apprentice learning the trade under Barney before becoming a traitor to his profession, exposing the master tricks of other magicians. He comes to Lake Elsinore to perform his latest "debunking," that of his former lover Nikki Eden. Attending his performance is many who loath him and that includes Nikki and other students of Barney. All share in the belief that the world would be a better place if Shane was dead. One takes the wishes to heart killing Shane. While family troubles explode for Sam and Gabe, Detective Logan Vance follows up on Shane's accusation that Barney arranged the homicide; Sam figures she better prove her grandfather did not commit the homicide; someone else she probably knows rather well possibly did the deed.

Sam has come a long way from NINJA SOCCER MOMS and it shows in this tale as she still errs, but moves on with confidence in her self; she knows what she wants and she goes out to get it. Solving the case of the dead magician proves difficult because the prime suspects besides being friends are expert sleight of the hand illusionists so red herrings abound. This is a fantastic entry as Sam hopes to soon practice under her license not that of her lover.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilled To Death, November 9, 2010

By 

Lisa K. Cooper - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thrilled To Death (Samantha Shaw Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Thrilled To Death is number 5 in the Samantha Shaw Mysteries. Sam and Gabe are in the process of joining businesses - his P. I. business and Sam's dating service Heart Mates. Sam's Grandpa is right smack in the middle of a magical mess involving magicians he has known or taught, including the murder of one of his former students gone rogue. Gabe has his own issues with family. His brother Cal is in town and looking beat up and is taking a time out from the fire dept. He's keeping secrets. Gabe's not up to sharing his feeling with Sam and she's feeling left out, and worried about Gabe and her relationship and about Grandpa and the other magicians she's known all her life. What will happen? Will everything work out? Read on and find out.