Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Shay O'Hanlon is the co-owner of the hip, quirky Rabbit Hole, a popular coffee shop in Uptown Minneapolis. Police detective JT Bordeaux shows up at the Hole in search of Shay's best friend, Coop - a chain-smoking, vegetarian tree hugger - who's wanted for questioning in connection with the bludgeoning death of his less-than-respectable boss, Stanley "Kinky" Anderson. Coop's prints are all over the murder weapon - an over-sized, bronzed bingo marker - and the cops have themselves a prime suspect. Suddenly, Shay's quiet but highly caffeinated world spins out of control faster than a ride on a fairground Tilt-A-Whirl as she tries to save her friend.

Complicating matters are a couple of bumbling mobsters, a missing truckload of stolen nuts, an abused mutt named Dawg, a kidnapping or two, and a very persistent Detective Bordeaux.

Will Shay and her quirky friends succeed in their quest to clear Coop and nail the murderer or will their nutty caper wind up deadly?

 

Book Review

This is the first instalment in the ‘Shay O’Hanlon’ series (or capers, as Chandler appropriately refers to them). Shay owns a coffee shop with her friend Kate, but becomes embroiled in some amateur detective work when another friend, Coop, turns up on her doorstep claiming he’s about to be charged with murder. His boss, Stanley ‘Kinky’ Anderson, has been found dead, head smashed in with a heavy object that has Coop’s fingerprints all over it…

What ensues is a wonderful caper indeed. The story kicks off from the get-go – there’s not much preamble or introduction to the characters. Instead there is more about Shay, her life, and her personality as the tale unfolds. Helping Shay and Coop on their quest to not only prove Coop’s innocence, but also bag the real culprit(s) is Eddy, the woman who helped Shay get her life back together after her mother died when she was young. Eddy is a force of nature, and one of my favorite characters in the book. Shay’s father is still around and clearly loves his daughter, but he struggles with alcohol addiction. Their relationship is delicately explored, whilst Shay’s interactions with Eddy are more open and certainly more fiery.

The story moves on at a fast pace, but it’s easy to keep up. Suspects come and go, and a multitude of dangerous, and sometimes hilarious, situations keep Shay, Coop, and Eddy on their toes. At no point did I find any of it unbelievable, even when there were two sets of villains to be played off against each other.

Wrapped up in the action is the beginning of a romance. Detective JT Bordeaux, who is trying to solve the crime the legal way, is a blast from Shay’s past. Though they’ve never had a thing going, Shay would not say no if it was offered. And I say beginning, because although it doesn’t progress very far in this first book, there are hints that there is more to come from this duo in future books in the series. Which is all good news, because the chemistry between these two women sizzles off the pages, and definitely needs to be explored further.

Shay herself is a great character. She’s warm, funny, and smart, but also self-effacing. That she cares deeply for her closest friends is apparent from almost the first page, and I found myself thinking if I was in trouble, Shay would be someone I’d be more than happy to have fighting my corner. Eddy and Coop are great secondary characters, and although I didn’t get to see a huge amount of JT, the teasing glimpses we get certainly whet the appetite.

Chandler’s writing style is delightfully easy to read – the action scenes are described with just the right amount of detail, the dialogue between the characters is snappy, and the more emotional episodes are handled with sensitivity. It’s a fantastic mix, and I couldn’t put it down. Bring on episode two!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Bella Books for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 240 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	01-May-2014
Price	$7.99 ebook, $9.99 paperback
Buy Link	http://www.bellabooks.com/9871633048003e-prod.html