Customer Reviews

Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels (The Million Dollar Mysteries, Book 2)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Callie Webber has come back to her Chesapeake Bay home to relax after working hard for the J.O.S.H.U.A. foundation. However , she ends up investigating another charity, one that helps out troubled women with clothes and accessories to start a new job. Callie is drawn to one of the young women, Shayna and is eager to get her started with her new career. But then Shayna's boyfriend goes missing. Eddie Ray then ends up dead in the trunk of her car. Not believing the rumors that Shayna is a murderer Callie goes to investigate who it really is. The clues she discovers all lead up to finding out that Eddie Ray might have stumbled onto something that he shouldn't have.

This is another wonderful work from Mindy Starns Clark. Callie continues to be a likable heroine, who shows that she can remain calm and cool in heated situations. I also liked that the detective working with Callie was female as well showing that women can domen's jobs. The suspense in this book is excellent, you are kept guessing the whole way through. The reader is introduced to many clues throughout the book, but it is only at the end that you see how they all fit together. This book really makes you guess Tom's identity. At first I was annoyed that he kept ditching Callie and wouldn't offer her any answers to her questions. It was totally understandable why she would be frustrated, angry and why she would resort to snooping. It all came down to a trust issue but I can see why Callie would question Tom when he won't tell her anything. I even thought for a while that the other guy could possibly be Tom, he was a good guy for Callie though at the very least. I liked the references to geocaching, it was really cool to learn more about that activity. Once again this is an superb addition to the series, highly recommended for mystery fans.

It's not often the 2nd book in a series is as good as the first, but I have to say that I absoulutely loved this one better than the first, and the first book was great too!
Not only does Mindy Clark do a great job with her character profiles/backgroud but it makes you feel like you know them and are with them while the story unfolds. I found myself at times talking to them ( the characters).
In this book, Callie not only works on another murder mystery, but she also is going through some personal feelings and changes.
Her boss, Tom, is and enigma to me and there are a few nuggets of info on him that keep you guessing just what is up with him. I am so hoping in the next book that Mindy will give us some more details on him.
Mindy's books both the first in this series ( A Penny For Your Thoughts) and Don't Take any Wooden Nickels are really, really hard to put down.
Enjoy them. I know I sure did.

It is rare that an author writes a 2nd book in a series that is just as good or better than the first. I found this book to be page turning and enjoyable. And the ending was a real surprise too!

"Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels" was the first book I've read by author Mindy Starns Clark, and this book turned out to be a dandy thriller. This is the second book in Ms. Starn's Million Dollar Mystery series. The first few chapters were a bit slow to get into the story, but by Chapter Five I was hooked on Callie Webber, the fresh, witty heroine of this series and the other wonderful characters inhabiting her Chesapeake Bay world.

Callie is a thirty-something widowed private investigator who has moved to the tranquil Chesapeake Bay area to start a new life after the tragic death of her husband in a boating accident. Callie has a new job as an investigator for a philantropic organization called J.O.S.H.U.A., where her responsibility is to investigate charitable groups who have applied for grant money. During a brief hiatus between assignment for J.O.S.H.U.A., Callie is doing a bit of volunteer work on her own with a local charity that helps collect career-type clothing for impoverished women. In the course of this work, Callie befriends a recovering drug addict named Shayna Greer, who suddenly finds herself accused of the murder of her boyfriend Eddie Ray. Shayna turns to Callie for help in proving her innocence, and Callie finds herself driven to find the real murderer. There are many plot turns in the story, and my the second half of the book, the suspense level is very high! Author Clark is known for her inspirational Christian writing, and while at first I was surprised with the Christian references, I found myself liking this strong, god-fearing protagonist very much.

Callie also finds herself flirting with her good-looking neighbor Kirby Collins, while also being attracted to her mysterious boss at the J.O.S.H.U.A. foundation, Tom.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading the other offerings in this great series!

Widow Callie Webber investigates not for profit organizations to determine whether the J.O.S.H.U.A. foundation should grant money to the group. At her church in the Chesapeake Bay area near DC, she also helps battered women.

Callie, after providing a grant to include a vehicle to a veterans group, is excited that she will finally meet her enigmatic boss Tom in person at Reagan National Airport. However, Shayna Greer, who Callie has helped with work related issues, calls her hysterically that her abusive boyfriend Eddie Ray walked out on her. Meanwhile Janine MacDowell tells Callie that her Tom had to change plans and is on a plane flying to New Orleans. Disappointed not to meet her boss and to learn he apparently has a history with his assistant, Callie meets with Shayna at Advancing Attire. Soon afterward, Eddie's corpse is found in the trunk of Shayna's car; the police consider her as the only suspect. Callie investigates the homicide as she believes Shayna did not kill her boyfriend. She soon believes the murder revolves around Eddie who had gotten into something that proved his life was not worth a wooden nickel to his killer.

The Ray murder amateur sleuth is a terrific prime story line while the Tom subplot is deftly handled as he seems to avoid his employee, which frustrates Callie the trooper. Readers will enjoy this entertaining Christian thriller as Callie's faith helps her when confronted with personal loneliness and with peril as she knows "It's a Wonderful World" for those who trust the Lord.

Harriet Klausner

Enjoyed good clean mystery. Well written as I have found all Mindy Starns Clark's books to be. Looking forward to the next one.

A Penny for Your Thoughts introduced us to Callie Webber and her unique relationship with her boss- as well as her knack for getting into trouble

In "Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels", the story continues as Callie finds herself trying to help a young girl who is being unjustly held for murder. Mindy Starns Clark keeps you guessing as the story takes a series of twists and turns, holding you in suspense - not only about the murder, but also about her relationship with her boss, Tom.

This is a really good series. Great main characters, with action and mystery. Love the way faith is intertwined in story and characters.

I enjoy reading books by Mindy Starns Clark, because she makes you feel I am part of the story. I feel I am right there experiencing what the people in the book are doing.

For several years, I had two books, collecting dust in my bookcase, from the Million Dollar Mystery series by Mindy Starns Clark. However, I needed the other three to complete my set. I did not want to begin reading them until I had all five. So, I ordered the other three from Amazon.com; just finished the first and currently into "Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels." It's a great bed-time read as it's a mystery (my favorite genre) though, being it's a Christian novel, it's lighter and leaves you with a feeling of relief and joy, instead of gloom and doom. Mindy does a wonderful job with her characters and helps you "see" the area in which she writes. Since I am originally from Baltimore, and spent many summers in the Chesapeake Bay, her own home setting, on Maryland's east coast, brings back fond memories. All-in-all, I've enjoyed the first two books and will finish the series before moving on to another book, eagerly awaiting my promise to read.

BTW, the books I ordered from Amazon.com came in amazing time and in great condition. I have no complaints about my (2) orders. I could not have asked for better service and I will buy more, in the near future, from Amazon.com