A Girl and Her Dog Cozy Mystery (Charlie Parker Mystery Book 1)

Another author for me to follow. I liked the story lines and the characters. Charlie Parker is a very believable character and the story line was very good. If you like a good mystery that's an easy read, this is for you.

i love all Charlie Parker mysteries. They are generally set in New Mexico. I particularly enjoy when she writes about places I know and about the quaint made-up restaurants. Green Chile Chicken enchiladas. Yummmm..

i love all Charlie Parker mysteries. They are generally set in New Mexico. I particularly enjoy when she writes about places I know and about the quaint made-up restaurants. Green Chile Chicken enchiladas. Yummmm..

Great story, well written very descriptive. I enjoyed the story line, easy reading. The plot gave way to differing endings so you were not quite sure if you were picking the right suspect until the end.

I enjoyed reading this book. The writing style is fun and makes you want to read more.
I liked Charlie, the main character, even though her personal life is kind of dull. It would have been fun to introduce some romance into her life, or some friends other than her brother or her dog. But anyway, it was a good read and I will be happy to read more Charlie Parker books.

The story is so centered around the person of Charlie and not around the story and how Charlie accomplishes what she's doing. Like a S.P. she never attempts to improve her skills. She should stay away from discriptions of aircraft and other things. Also, her dog may be nice but do I need to know evey time he has to go? Or have her office explaned multiple times. There is an instant chemistry mentioned in all three books I've read but nothing said about how she comes to that place. Most people are much more reserved than this.

I would like to see a more knowledgeable detective, a more capable detective, and less of her feelings coming home from the day. If you work with people they will tire anyone out but it shouldn't come from reading.

I give it three stars because of it's originality an the hope that future stories will include a woman with more expertise.

Great story, well written very descriptive. I enjoyed the story line, easy reading. The plot gave way to differing endings so you were not quite sure if you were picking the right suspect until the end.

I enjoyed reading this book. The writing style is fun and makes you want to read more.
I liked Charlie, the main character, even though her personal life is kind of dull. It would have been fun to introduce some romance into her life, or some friends other than her brother or her dog. But anyway, it was a good read and I will be happy to read more Charlie Parker books.

The story is so centered around the person of Charlie and not around the story and how Charlie accomplishes what she's doing. Like a S.P. she never attempts to improve her skills. She should stay away from discriptions of aircraft and other things. Also, her dog may be nice but do I need to know evey time he has to go? Or have her office explaned multiple times. There is an instant chemistry mentioned in all three books I've read but nothing said about how she comes to that place. Most people are much more reserved than this.

I would like to see a more knowledgeable detective, a more capable detective, and less of her feelings coming home from the day. If you work with people they will tire anyone out but it shouldn't come from reading.

I give it three stars because of it's originality an the hope that future stories will include a woman with more expertise.

A little hard to follow, sometimes strung out then felt like it was jumping around, I liked the ending, even though I had figured out the killer long before, I love love the Samantha sweet books by same author, so this was kind of disappointment

Connie. Shelton's writing is addictive. I read this first Charlie Parker book on my Kindle and went right down to the library to get the rest of her books. Her writing is right on with her descriptions of people and surroundings

I rated low because the story line was slow to pique my interest. But it did, and I finished the book. As with any book, read the description and make your decision. I'm currently reading VACATIONS CAN BE MURDER by this author. This takes place on the Hawaiian Island, Kauai. My daughters were on that island as I read the DEADLY GAMBLE and it piqued my interest to read the second book.

A little hard to follow, sometimes strung out then felt like it was jumping around, I liked the ending, even though I had figured out the killer long before, I love love the Samantha sweet books by same author, so this was kind of disappointment

Connie. Shelton's writing is addictive. I read this first Charlie Parker book on my Kindle and went right down to the library to get the rest of her books. Her writing is right on with her descriptions of people and surroundings

I rated low because the story line was slow to pique my interest. But it did, and I finished the book. As with any book, read the description and make your decision. I'm currently reading VACATIONS CAN BE MURDER by this author. This takes place on the Hawaiian Island, Kauai. My daughters were on that island as I read the DEADLY GAMBLE and it piqued my interest to read the second book.

This book is the best I've found so far on Kindle. It is well-written, has good pacing, is interesting, and I like the protagonist. The Albuquerque references match my memories of ABQ. I'm glad I found this author and will check out more of her work.

I had read another series by this author that was quite good and I decided to try some of her earlier work. This book really was earlier work, I could tell by a lot of things that didn't make a lot of sense when I was finished. Her later works don't have these issues. I will keep reading the series because the main character was somewhat interesting. My review of the book has some minor spoilers...

SPOILER ALERT!

Characters - I really didn't get some of these characters, there seemed to be a lot missing from them. Why did we introduce a brother and his family into this story? They come over for a weekend and that is all. They didn't do anything for the story and I didn't feel they added any value. What was up with Stacy during this story? She does a lot of weird things with no explanation and we never did get a reason for her acting so crazy. I felt like this was an untied end to the story. The character development seemed weak in the book.

Plot - the story flowed along very well and kept my interest until just before the end. I had to say "Huh?" with the ending as it happened. How did she get into there when she had only met the character a couple of times? Then going in and cleaning and packing for this person? It seemed like there was supposed to be some action to the ending but the way she ended up in that situation made absolutely no sense to me. It felt very contrived and I felt like I had to suspend reality to finish the story. It wasn't very cohesive.

I liked the story but it is not one I will read again. It also seemed like this is one of the author's first efforts so I will not let it keep me from reading other books in this series to watch her writing style grow and change. I am going to reserve judgement on this book until I have read a few of the others in the series. I love the Samantha Sweet books and I am hoping that this series will have as much energy as it goes on.

A little to much muddling about, otherwise an interesting story line. Stacy was an unlikely suspect. With a history of parental abuse Josh should have been high on the suspect list. How did Josh get the gun? A few too many loose ends.

This is a very interesting book with lots of strange twists and turns. Charlie is quite the character and so is her brother Ron. Her brother Paul, his wife and kids....I'd donate them to someone else.

This was a lukewarm story, at best...characters behaving illogically, the couch potato "sleuth" stopping every hour on the hour for more greasy junk food. I have never read book in my life where the main character, or any character, for that matter, ate food so incessantly and it became a total turnoff for me, about halfway through the book. If a real person ate the type of diet the main character did, they'd be dead within a month. The writing was almost juvenile and the plot sort of meandered along until coming to an anticlimactic fizzle at the end. All I all, a wasted effort. There are apparently people out there who like this type of junk, and that is a shame. On the whole, simply not a believable tale. Big Mac,anyone?

Oh my this book was so ridiculous, and not 'ha ha' ridiculous. This main character just was so unbelievable. An accountant, taking on an investigator role for her ex-fiancee's wife. Wow. Them the way she 'helps' out all the other random characters in the book. Oh my. I just couldn't get through it. Oh my.

Charlie is a woman who reluctantly accepts an assignment at the detective agency co-owns with her brother. She is the business manager not the detective. However she does what any spunky woman does and ignores good advice, puts herself in jeopardy, repeats stupid moves and continues to make dumb choices until she solves the crime. Bleh. Give me a break. It is so cliche that I cannot believe anyone who had read good detective fiction would bother with this.
Try JA Jance's books for a good, well written Southwest heroine.

I really liked the characters, setting, and the writing. However, it is impossible for me to believe the ALB police would not have searched the victim(s) home for evidence and would leave it there for the protagonist to find so easily. I have to give this a one star.

I liked this book. Connie Shelton's style in this first Charlie Parker book is terse, bordering on the hard boiled. She doesn't waste words, just describes the scenes, and gives enough clues to point the reader in the right direction. The tension created feels real. I like Charlie, too, because she is a real departure from the popular Stephanie Plum types who never grow up, never learn from a situation and dumbly stumble time and again into danger, always forgetting to charge their cell phones or to tell anyone where they're going. Charlie is smart and a bit of a loner but not as emotionally isolated as Kinsey Millhone. So she's interesting and likable.
I liked the book enough to order the next one on my Kindle.

I've eventually read them all. They're entertaining, but after the third one, Shelton lost her quasi-hard boiled edge, and the series became solidly "cozy." Still fun, still engaging, but I liked Shelton's edgier style better.

The story was interesting in spite of a few weak places in the plot and ending. What annoyed me was the use of foul language which was totally unnecessary. The story could have been written without those words and it would have been much better.

This is the first book in this Connie Shelton series that I've read and I really enjoyed it.

Her writing style, themes etc...remind me of Sue Grafton's Kinsey books, one of my all time fav mystery series.

I thought the characters were well developed, and loved having Rusty the dog included in scenes throughout the book. SPOILER: but lay off that McDonald's junk Rusty, it's not good for you!!! >^^< I also like the New Mexico setting.

I will probably read more books in this series at a later time. I don't usually "splurge" on ebooks over 2.99 or without Kindle Unlimited, but I might make an exception with this series for one or two more.

I'm taking off one star as I thought some of the author's time frames were a bit rushed. A day of activity seemed quite short at times. That happened a few times in the book. Seemed to be wrapping up the days quite quickly. A bit hard to explain but I noticed this.

Overall though, I'm glad I read this book!

Geraldine Helen Hartman, award winning cookbook author

This one took a bit of time to get going. As the Sam Sweet story I read recently came from the successful Charlie Parker series, I thought I'd start at the beginning. It takes time for a writer to 'find their feet' and the difference between the two books is marked. Nevertheless, the strong characterisation and good story line shine through. If I had found Connie Shelton twenty years ago, I would have suggested she was going to be an author to watch. Hindsight's a wonderful thing; but I would have been proved right, wouldn't I?

This was my first adventure into a Connie Shelton work and I was pleasantly suprised to find that the central character has the same name as that of one, a male, in an FBI thriller. Here however the "Charlie Parker" is a female who is working with her brother at a PI firm and she is asked by an old girlfirend to get a missing watch back for her. Now Charlie is not the PI of the firm she is only the accountant, but none-the-less she tries to do a favor for an old girlfriend. She gets the watch back, but then finds herself in the middle of a murder for which her girlfriend is charged as the suspect.

The action picks up from here and there are some touch and go moments where Charlie can be in real trouble not only with the law, but also physical danger. The story is excellently written and well rounded with intrigue and a bit of old romance. The ending is almost predictable, but you have to read it to really understand how the ending comes about. It's an enjoyable novella and I would suggest you get a copy and enjoy the read yourself.

This book is written with so many disregards to factual reality that it doesn't even make a halfway decent read. Artistic license only stretches so far. This book supersedes this point too far to measure. It is, at best, a clumsy attempt to recreate Nancy Drew.

The author would benefit from a good writing class, as her technical grasp of the English grammar is abysmal, along with a much needed course in remedial punctuation. Just too many writing errors along with an extremely weak storyline.

For the first title in a series this one grabs your attention and holds it till book is read.
Charlie Parker is an accountant in a Private Investigations business with her brother. In this mystery an old friend shows up in need of help. Charlie agrees to help Stacy North find her missing Rolex watch, but ends up wishing she hadn't because of her past history with this woman. Stacy and Charlie were best friends until Stacy ran off with Charlie's finance. In a few hours Charlie finds the watch and boy is she relieved thinking she is done with Stacy, but guess again the man who stole the watch is found dead three days later. Now Stacy needs Charlie's help even more. Charlie's brother handles the investigation part of their business and she handles the paper work. But with her brother out of town for two weeks Charlie felt that she could at least get things started for her brother. Gary Detwiller was the dead mans name -- a con man with a lot of enemies. Finding the murder will not be easy. Stacy is arrested for the murder and Charlie has to prove her innocence's, but finding the real murder will hard work because of all the enemies that Gary had. Look out for a surprise ending.
This mystery was a very good read I can hardly wait to read the others in the series.

Charlie Parker is an accountant and partner with her brother in their own small private investigations firm.
Although she is not an investigator, as her brother is out of town, she decides to help out an old school friend Stacy, to find her missing Rolex. After a bit of amateur sleuthing she turns up the watch at a pawn brokers.
A few days later, after the man who took the watch is found murdered, Stacy is back, asking for help to keep her clear of the investigation. So once again Charlie indulges in some amateur sleuthing.
This is the first in a series of Charlie Parker mysteries, a bit long on description perhaps, but an easy and comfortable read, with enough twists to keep it interesting. It’s certainly worth while checking out another one.

Charlie Parker is the character in this story and is a female
accountant. Her brother is the private eye, but out of town. Naturally Charlie can't turn down her ex-best friend who also stole her

fiance away 10 years ago. She unexpectantly shows up begging
for Charlie's help. Charlie really doesn't want to do this, but all those tears
and her own curiosity about her former fiance, how can she resist?

Maybe she did Charlie a favor, the beau wasn't all that great after
all, now she has lost a valuable piece of jewelry to a "new boyfriend" who
ends up dead. Who is the prime suspect? There are several suprises in this story. Written in the style of
Sue Grafton, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Acutally to be a first
book, I should have rated it a 9 or 10.

This being the first entry in the series, I am inclined to grant the author more slack. Nevertheless, it would have been nice to see the heroine's dog granted more page time. This is a pleasant enough read, albeit somewhat routine.

Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery (Charlie Parker Mystery Series)
Just finished the audiobook by Connie Shelton. It was good, an easy listen. However, after listening to over 300 books on my ipod, this is the first one where I could hear the narrator turning the pages. It was kinda distracting. Still enjoyed the book. Maybe the narrator was new and will get better with experience . . . fingers crossed:)

I don't think an acconntant could get away with doing the work of a PI and not get arrested for messing up thecrime scene. Unbelievable and waste of time. I knew almost from the start who the murderer really was. sorry about the mispelled words inhere. to correct them I have to erase everything to grt back to them. I am sure you still get what I am saying. Hope the author gets better in her next books.

Charlie Parker, an accountant who dabbles in solving mysteries, is given an unusual assignment. Her ex-husband's new wife, Stacy, has asked her to locate her Rolex watch before her husband discovers that it was stolen by a man with whom she had an affair. Charlie succeeds in doing this, but meanwhile the man who stole the watch is killed. Then, Charlie really has to use her investigative skills because she feels that Stacy is being unjustly accused of the murder. This well-written book is the beginning of the Charlie Parker series, which is set in Albuquerque. It is recommended reading for mystery fans.

I enjoyed the murder mystery and the character and her dog as she works to solve the murder for a childhood friend. Really happy that nothing bad happens to the dog. The story has some good twists and overall was a fun read.

In the description above it states that this book is: "The first book in this nearly-cozy mystery series".. It's as far away from Cozy as light is to darkness. The first pages have swearing, an affair and lying. It a worldly book that would not appeal to those who are seeking true Cozy mysterys if that's what your looking for don't waist your time.

I absoloutely loved this books simplicity and gripping level of suspence and entertainment. I have no doubt I will be reading the rest of this series and the Sweet series in the near future. I recommend you do too.

I really enjoyed this first installment in Connie Shelton's series. It has good characters, a good plot and is very well written. Charlie Parker is very likable and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

For Kindle readers-- formatting is very good.

Weak and far fetched. Verbose and she succeeds because the police are inept and leave all the clues for her? Why do I need to know what She eats all the time? Flipped through last few chapters to confirm who the killer was..... no clues till she finds a gun. What a disappointment.

Charlie Parker Mystery #1 is a good read. It is a little light perhaps (no really evil villains, no all-or-nothing desperate situations, just a good mystery to untangle), but light is good fare too sometimes. I like Charlie Parker and will read more of the series.

Charlie Parker is a female accountant who winds up doing a job as a private eye for her ex-best friend. Charlie's brother is the real PI, but she can't resist helping because she begins to feel sorry for the old friend who once stole her boyfriend.

There are a lot of twists and turns to this tale and it is well-written. The characters are strong, the plot is solid. What else can I say? It is an excellent read.

Well Done!
Amanda

I'll read the next book in this series. I'll be watching for it.

After reading the first book in the series I have ordered the rest. I notced that no.3 partners can kill is not available on Kindle. Hopefully that will be remedied in the very near future. I realy enjoyed the firstbook. A fast read. Can not wait to see what kind of trouble Charlie finds herself in next time.