New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones is back with the first novel in the brand-new snarky, sassy, wickedly fun Sunshine Vicram series—A Bad Day for Sunshine!“Laugh-out-loud funny, intensely suspenseful, page-turning fun.”—New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan”A Bad Day For Sunshine is a great day for the rest of us.”—New York Times bestselling author Lee Child Sheriff … rest of us.”—New York Times bestselling author Lee Child
Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.
Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, strong cups of coffee—and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff—thanks to her adorably meddlesome parents who nominated her—and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter’s new school, plus and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.
But even clouds have their silver linings. This one’s got Levi, Sunshine’s sexy, almost-old-flame, and a fiery-hot US Marshal. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol’s normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty—and find the kidnapper who’s terrorizing her beloved hometown—without falling head over high heels in love…or worse?
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A riveting yet totally hilarious story. Sunshine has had the absolute worst happen to her and now she is forced to return to the scene of the crime. Sh is the new tough as nails Sheriff with a daughter and a town to protect. His first day turns into a nightmare that wants to break. With the help of her best friend and the department they set out to solve an abduction. You will laugh at the silliness that occurs between the characters and never see the bad guy coming. The story is cleverly told from the perspective of Sunshine and her daughter as they both try to settle into their new life while solving the case.
This book has fun and chaos in equal measure. not having read this author before wasn’t sure what to expect. A plot line that keeps you wanting to read to the end. Holds your interest and keeps you guessing to the very end. Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very fun and easy read. I like the main character and the supporting characters. I will be looking out for more of this series.
DARYNDA JONES, A Bad Day for Sunshine, is book one of the Sunshine Vicram Series.
Sheriff Sunshine Vicram’s first day in office, she’s nearly run down by a car crashing into the police station, a teenage girl goes missing, an escaped prisoner is on the loose, and she meets up with her high school heartthrob, Levi Ravinder, owner of Dark River Shine distillery and a very sexy U.S. Marshall.
This book has it all. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, a hefty dose of action, not one but two mysteries to solve, an entire cast of entertaining characters, and plenty of heat between Sunshine and Levi that kept me turning pages late into the night.
Sunshine Vicram comes home to Del Sol, New Mexico as the new sheriff.
She ends up chasing a kidnapper and sparring with an old love. This is a great book.
I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Very entertaining and I can’t wait to read the next installment!
Loved this book. Loved the witty characters and the banter between them. Story was entertaining and I couldn’t put it down.
This was the first book by Darynda Jones I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were rich and vibrant. The dialogue was laugh out loud funny. The relationship between Sunshine and her daughter is endearing and special. The possible love interest with Sunshine and Levi has the potential for a serious relationship with lots of heat. The bread crumbs to the crimes in the past and the present keep you engaged. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to start the next in the series.
Popular author Darynda Jones has published the first volume in a new series. The series, titled Sunshine Vicram, is a rural police procedural set in the fictitious town of Del Sol. “A town full of sunshine, fresh air and friendly faces. (Barring three of four old grouches.)” Del Sol has a new sheriff in town, which is odd, as Sunshine Vicram, our hero, does not remember running for office. She and her daughter, Auri — short for Aurora live on property owned by Sunshine’s parents. It is the first day on the job for Sunshine, and the first day at the high school for Auri. The reader sits on the edge of their seat wondering if they will make it through.
Jones writes non stop action bolstered with snappy dialog that is often hilarious. The same is true for the inner monologues. In this book, we only know the inner monologue for Sunshine and Auri.
Jones is a master plot smith. Layers of characters, completing layers of actions all knit together. At times, a reader might have trouble keeping the large cast in mind. However as the series grows each person will become more well know.
Jones’ is best known for her paranormal grave series. She has moved her setting from the paranormal places to one where things are always just a bit “off”. Her love of describing really ‘hot’ men and women remains. In the uncertain times we are experiencing Jones new series offers a welcome diversion.
Very very worthwhile to read. You want to keep on reading and not put the book down
Very entertaining and keeps you guessing
A great read. There is hardly any action but being the first one, it was more about getting to know the characters, the area and everything else. A get to know you book. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next installment.
This is a really fun mystery with a lot of great happy, funny moments, a steamy almost romance, mystery, smart characters, and a lot of crazy. I have never, until now, read a mystery where I was more interested in the characters and their lives then the mystery itself. Not that that wasn’t a joy to read but the characters (all of them) are that rich and interesting. . I look forward to reading the next in the series.
I’m going to be honest I kind of hoped it would be bad because the second book is $15 and I’m cheap. But I should have known better. This book was so good. The characters are well thought out and the plot is entertaining. I love the main character and her relationship with her daughter. I don’t think this author knows how to write bad books she never lets the reader down. They are always good and they are always creative and unique. No one else writes books like her’s. I will be paying $15 for the second book and it will be worth it.
Once again, I am reading a series out of order. A few months ago, I had the honor of reviewing the second book in the Sunshine Vicram series, and fell immediately in love with that zany book. This time around, I’m trying out the audiobook. Normally, I am not a fan of audiobooks, but it was on sale and too good of a price to pass up.
~THE STORY~
It freaking rocked! Sun is a smart mouth, sassy character. She returns to Del Sol, New Mexico with her teenage daughter to start a new position. Somehow she got elected to be sheriff of the town she left behind. The town is filled with the most interesting characters including one hot Levi, who Sun has been lusting after ever since her teenage eyes stopped him. From a kidnapped prized rooster to a missing teen, Sun’s life is anything but quiet her first day on the job.
I laughed, I cried, then I laughed some more. All Sun wants to do is have a good first day at work and she gets anything but. The situations that get thrown at her range from the comical to dead serious. The characters and the storytelling had me wishing it was all real. Sass and sarcasm mixed in with intrigue and day to day life issues has this fast pace story hitting every one of my pleasure boxes.
~NARRATION~
Like I previously stated, I’m not a big fan of audiobooks. Having a book narrated to me, it gives a specific voice to the characters that don’t always agree with. Thankfully, Lorelei King did a outstanding job. Her presentation of the characters worked out very nicely for me. I liked how she flowed nicely between each character. I knew by the end of the first chapter she was going to be able to do proper justice to Sun.
So many questions answered here! I really enjoyed the second book and honestly didn’t think I was missing much since I wasn’t that deep into the series. A Bad Day for Sunshine proves me wrong because there is quite a few gaps that just got filled. Darynda Jones is an amazing author that gives her readers the most lovable characters you wish you could live next to. I will now, of course, need to re-read A Good Day for Chardonnay and wait not-so patiently to get lost in Del Sol, with Sun, Levi, Quincy, Auri and the rest of the crew. Make sure to clear you calendar of anything you have scheduled because once you start A Bad Day for Sunshine, you won’t want to stop.
Stars: 5
It took me a long time to buy this book, mostly because it wasn’t a part of her Charley Davidson series and I absolutely adore that series. I haven’t read a mystery in a very long time, and a mystery written by a UF/PNR writer seemed…dicey. But, a very good friend, and excellent ex-blogger/reviewer, told me (and she’s a huge Charley Davidson fan as well) that she loved it, so, I gave in and read it.
I’m so glad I did. There are reviews here that complain about her one liners and how the story sometimes gets lost in the character building, but what these people probably forget is this was probably something they complained about back when they first started reading Charley. It’s called a writing style. And I happen to love Darynda Jones’ style. Her little quips at the beginning of each chapter crack..me…up! I mean each and every one of them does. I repeat them to my husband all the time cause I find them so amusing.
And the storyline? Well, it’s not exceptionally unique. That’s why I stopped reading mysteries to begin with, because they got stale after awhile. So I was rather expecting that. It’s the underlying world building that kept my interest. The characters and watching their growth and interactions, their relationships and dysfunctional families, their secrets, and their loves. That is what grabbed me and kept me reading. I do love her style, and always will. Now I’m invested and I have to know certain things that are alluded to regarding Sunshine, and frankly, I want to watch the relationship between Auri and Cruz develop because I do like a good YA book as well. But this isn’t YA. It’s not really NA either. It’s simply hometown mystery with a dab of romance built in. A little over the top HEA, but hey, that’s kind of a given what with the genre, right?
And, to my immense surprise, I loved it. I just wish she had done this as a self publisher because frankly, I can’t afford $14.99 for a book I don’t own, that I can’t loan out, display on my bookshelf, or watch turn yellow every time I reread it. I’ll pay the prices excellent self publishing authors charge, but these outrageous Kindle prices for big publishing house books, those I just can’t do. So, when Good Day for Chardonnay goes on sale, which I’m sure it will some day in the future, I’ll be there to grab a copy. It’s what I did with Bad Day for Sunshine. It was worth the wait. As I’m sure book 2 will be.
To me, this was very well done, Darynda Jones, particularly for a genre outside your comfort zone, so keep up the excellent writing. Just, how about going to the other side and joining the ranks of the self publishing? I know I’ll preorder every time!
I love the Charley Davidson series, so I looked forward to this new series from Darynda Jones. Happily I found it to have the same great mix of quirky characters, interesting locale, engaging mystery, and perhaps best of all, more of Jones’ snarky humor. It doesn’t have the paranormal element that Charley has – at times I wondered if there might be hints of some of that to come, but that might be subconscious expectations coloring my reading. At any rate – this start to the series stands up quite nicely on its own. I like Sunshine a lot – a woman who’s a great single mom to her exceptionally bright daughter, Auri. She’s also a good cop who suddenly finds herself elected sheriff thanks (apparently) to some help from her parents. When a new friend of Auri’s turns up missing on Sunshine’s first day of work, it brings up memories of a terrifying and traumatic incident from Sunshine’s own childhood.
All in all, very enjoyable and I look forward to reading Sunshine’s next adventure. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
Great start to a new series. I can’t wait for more. Mystery and suspense with plenty of humor and snark to balance things out. Stellar narration. Definitely worth listening on audiobook!
“He was everything she’d ever craved. Every fantasy. Every lascivious thought. All wrapped up into one, powerful predator.”
-5 stars-
Darynda had done it again and I’m now hooked on another of her series!! I need more now! Sunshine and her daughter Auri are my favorites! I love all the sarcasm. The side characters are so great too. I will be continuing the series.
I can’t wait to follow more adventures of the citizens of Del Sol. This book struck me as being a hybrid of some of Carl Hiaasen’s zany books and the adventures of Stephanie Plum. A fun, exciting read.
Read 7.7.2021