Last month I wrote a blog post about the Christie Capers, our library's mystery book club, for the Wicked Cozy Authors, a group of talented New England mystery writers. The most exciting result of that post (other than being somewhat famous for a day) was that Susan O'Brien sent us a couple of copies of her novel, Finding Sky. I admit that I have a hard time getting around to reading books that I actually own (they are stockpiled in anticipation of the day that I become housebound or all of the libraries close due to lack of funding), but I felt that Susan's gesture deserved to be rewarded with my endangering our circulation statistics by reading a non-library book. I'm glad that I did! By the way, this novel will be in the Windsor Locks collection and available for checkout very soon as will the next in the Nicki Valentine series, Sky High.
Nicki Valentine, the single mother of two young children, Sophie and Jack, was widowed when her cheating scoundrel of a husband was killed while out boating with his secret mistress. Nicki is an aspiring private investigator and has enrolled in a PI training course with an instructor named Dean, whom she finds to be very hot in addition to being very helpful and an expert in his field.
When Beth, the birth mother of her next-door-neighbor and best friend Kenna's adoptive baby-to-be, disappears, Kenna and her husband Andy are in despair. Has Beth changed her mind? Does her disappearance have anything to do with the gang-related activities of the baby's father? Do her grandparents in West Virginia know anything? With a little help from Dean and a lot of babysitting from her mother, Nicki sets out to use her developing investigative skills to try and find Beth. She brazenly follows the baby-daddy, Marcus, witnesses a gang-style shooting, and worms her way into the lives of nearly anyone who might know something about Beth's whereabouts.
Nicki is not your typical amateur, zany housewife investigating a crime or solving a murder. She is special, and very likable. O'Brien does an exquisite job of blending humor, friendship, single parenthood, and some exciting action into a very appealing series. I'm looking forward to reading the next one!
I am so honored that you read and enjoyed Finding Sky. Thank you! I was moved by your blog post and how the Christie Capers support one another. Best wishes to all of you!
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