A Bad Day for Sorry

A Crime Novel

By: Sophie Littlefield

Narrated by: Kym Dakin

Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel!

Stella Hardesty dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench shortly before her fiftieth birthday. A few years later, she's so busy delivering home-style justice on her days off, helping other women deal with their own abusive husbands and boyfriends, that she barely has time to run her sewing shop in her rural Missouri hometown. Some men need more convincing than others, but it's usually nothing a little light bondage or old-fashioned whuppin' can't fix. Since Stella works outside of the law, she's free to do whatever it takes to get the job done—as long as she keeps her distance from the handsome devil of a local sheriff, Goat Jones.

When young mother Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help with her no-good husband, Roy Dean, it looks like an easy case. Until Roy Dean disappears with Chrissy's two-year-old son, Tucker. Stella quickly learns that Roy Dean was involved with some very scary men, as she tries to sort out who's hiding information and who's merely trying to kill her. It's going to take a hell of a fight to get the little boy back home to his mama, but if anyone can do it, it's Stella Hardesty.

Sophie Littlefield's A Bad Day for Sorry won an Anthony Award for Best First Novel and an RT Book Award for Best First Mystery. It was also shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, and Macavity Awards, and it was named to lists of the year's best mystery debuts by the Chicago Sun-Times and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

©2009 Sophie Littlefield (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“A Bad Day for Sorry is another of the year's best debuts, a standout mystery distinguished by its charming protagonist and her compelling voice. We don't get many characters like Stella in mystery fiction, but we should. She's fresh and sassy and an awful lot of fun to read about.” —David J. Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times

“In her debut novel, Sophie Littlefield shows considerable skills for delving into the depths of her characters and complex plotting as she disarms the reader.….Littlefield keeps the plot churning with realistic action that doesn't let up. She also allows the moral ambiguity of vigilante justice to enhance this story….Littlefield's exciting debut should be the start of an even more exciting series.” —South Florida Sun Sentinel

“Expect the unexpected with Stella Hardesty, who's quite the intriguing character....From Stella's opening remark...the reader can't help but be drawn into her world and wonder where it all will lead.” —Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 Stars)

This book was fun.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would recommend this book - but not to all my friends. It was a "fun" listen because of the humor and the southern / down home characters.

Would you ever listen to anything by Sophie Littlefield again?

I have listened to two other books, but this was the best one. I am not a true Sophie Littlefield fan. Some her her plots are just too simple.

What about Kym Dakin’s performance did you like?

All around easy listen with the humor presented just right.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - but it was fun.

Good story...

The main character had a lot of self reflecting. This is okay except during action sequences. Get on with it. tell me what happened then self reflect.

2 ½ stars. I don’t recommend it.

She gets in trouble when she does stupid things.

I loved the concept. Stella goes after men who abuse their wives. She beats them and tortures them so they will stop hurting women (spouses and ex-spouses). Stella runs a sewing/quilting shop. She goes after these guys as a side job for low or no pay. She started this after she killed her husband, hitting him in the head with a wrench. He had abused her for years. After that she began exercising and learned to use guns. She has no other training. She doesn’t want the police to know what she’s doing, so she keeps lots of secrets.

This is the first book in a series.

Plot: Chrissy’s baby is stolen. Chrissy thinks her ex-husband did it. The cops are looking for the baby and so is Stella. But everything Stella does is on the quiet. She doesn’t let the cops know what she learns. I had problems with that. Someone tells Stella that X has the baby and where X is living. Stella should tell the cops who would go there with guns and get the baby. But Stella does not do that because she thinks the baby might get hurt if the cops attack. She thinks she can do a better job of it. But she does NOT do a better job of it. What happens makes Stella look stupid. Three times Stella went somewhere with a gun. And each time the bad guys got the gun away from her and worse. She did not do smart things. But with some unexpected luck there is a happy ending.

At times I was impatient with Stella’s internal ponderings. Is that good because I wanted to story to get going so I could see what would happen? Or is it bad because I didn’t want to listen to the pondering? Probably bad. In a good book I don’t even raise that question.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
The narrator Kym Dakin was good.

Genre: mystery suspense crime fiction

A Fun Read

What did you love best about A Bad Day for Sorry?

I really loved the brash and total disregard of the feelings of the men who beat or belittle the women in their lives. Stella's

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Bad Day for Sorry?

The use of quilting tools in a unique way

What about Kym Dakin???s performance did you like?

I really LOVE the style of character Kym Dakin brings forth for Stella. She vocalizes the other characters well too. If you close your eyes you can picture them perfectly!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Wife beaters beware... It's a Baaaaad day for Sorry!

Any additional comments?

Sophie Littlefield brings humor and empathy to a subject many either ignore or avoid. She also points out to us that life DOES go on after 50. We forget that sometimes

Great Fun

Great story to kick-off Stella Hardesty series about a self-designated avenger on men who have beaten and abused women in thier lives.

A BAD DAY!!

Where does A Bad Day for Sorry rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

GOOD LISTEN

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Bad Day for Sorry?

WHEN THEY SET THE BOSS'S HOUSE ON FIRE WAS A MEMORABLE MOMENT

Which scene was your favorite?

AFTER THE FIRE WAS MY FAVORITE SCENE!!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

THIS BOOK WAS FUNNY AS WELL AS EXCITING!!

This is oneTough middle age mama!!!

I wasn't sure about this one when I picked it out and I have to admit that the narrator's voice irked me a little at first but I gradually not only grew used to it but began to like it. Now I can't imagine Stella Hardesty sounding any other way!!! The storyline is intriguing and kept me interested the whole time. I wish things had moved a little faster with Sheriff Goat Jones but it gives you something to look forward to in the next book. Can't wait to listen to book 2 - I just purchased it!!!

Could've been, should've been

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Add some humor that I was expecting, and especially leave off all the illusions to hurting animals that wrecks the book.

What do you think your next listen will be?

An author like Jennifer Crusie who shows respect for animals

Would you listen to another book narrated by Kym Dakin?

Yes, good reader just a lousy story and lousy allusions to hurting animals

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

Any additional comments?

Authors need to be a aware that readers like me,and there are a lot of us out there,are going to be offended and put down a book where they talk about drowning puppies and kicking dogs. It is extremely offensive, really not okay to put that kind of stuff in the book. It isn't even necessary to the story, I just want to say I would never look at another book by this author. Total waste of the credit.

A bad day for crime novel fans

From the description, I thought this would be another female detective novel, maybe even humorous. The first twenty minutes were basically about the memories and actions of a female sadist. I don't know how it turns out, because I quit listening and deleted this from my player and my library. Definitely not my cup of tea.