Survival Can Be Deadly

A Discount Detective Mystery

By: Charlotte Stuart

Narrated by: Nikki Zakocs

When single mom and recent widow Cameron Chandler takes a much-needed job at Penny-wise Investigations, a detective agency conveniently located in a suburban shopping mall, she grabs the chance to reinvent herself.

Her first case is to locate a runaway girl, something her predecessor had been pursuing before he disappeared. Following in his footsteps, the trail leads to a survivalist camp on a remote island in northern Puget Sound. Armed with only a Swiss Army Knife and her quirky on-the-job training as a suburban sleuth, Cameron uncovers more than she bargained for. She soon finds herself in a fight for her own survival in this lighthearted mystery set in Seattle and the San Juan Islands to the north.

©2019 Charlotte Stuart (P)2020 Charlotte Stuart

Funny

New author to me and the first book in this new series. I found this book very funny and a great read. It left me wanting to read the next book in the series. Widowed mother of two, Cameron finds herself needing a job. So why not become a P I. Didn't I see a Private Investigation office in the strip mall. I loved all the characters in the series and can really see them developing into a great series. Nikki Zakocs is the narrator for this book and she is wonderful. Her voice is perfect for the image I had of Cameron. I was given this book with the understanding that I would leave an honest review.

Survival Can Be Deadly - contains spoilers

I enjoyed the audiobook. The mystery is solid and the characters likable, but there are a few things in the story that bugged me and kind kept pulling my thoughts while listening.

Spoilers:
The main character is a widowed mother of two who is entering the work force with few skills. The only job she can find a PI (?!). She is a novice but they seem to have a lot of faith in her abilities since she goes undercover on her first case. She has help, but he is an afterthought.

She has sex with a virtual stranger. It just seems out of character, and not likely in the situation. Also, they made the bed afterwards (it wasn't their house). Um....ew! No mention of changing the sheets.

Her relationship with her family (mom and children) was just strange to me.

I know I sound critical but i don't mean to be. If you skip the family interactions, the weird sex side-trip, and the fact she is a novice, it is a really good mystery. I am looking forward to more. The cast of supporting characters are interesting and funny. and narration was great. I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately and have had to change the listening speed to make it more palatable. I didn't have to do that here. She did a great job!

Pretty Good

Survival Deadly is a pretty good mystery. The characters and plot are interesting and well developed. It took me a while to get into the book, but once I did I found it very entertaining. I like how Cameron applies her skills to the investigation. The witty dialogue and humorous moments in the story kept me engaged. I would recommend this book to others who like light cozy mysteries.

I received this book for free in exchange for a honest review.

Great private detective mystery!

Great private detective cozy! Good characters and interesting story line. Will def read more in this series!

I received a free copy and left my honest review

A character-driven mystery

This is primarily a character-driven mystery featuring some rather quirky investigators. The romance, especially the kissing scenes, seem out of place and gratuitous, but the story is suspenseful enough to keep the listener engaged. I would have liked to see even more development and involvement of Chandler's family, especially her children.

Nikki Zakocs performs satisfactorily. She makes an effort to give distinctive voices to the characters and I only caught a couple of minor mispronunciations.

NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.