PJ Santini Series Book One Approx 200 pgs“The heroine, PJ Santini, is the lovechild of Janet Evanovich and Elmore Leonard.” (Toronto Star)Quirky and witty, HELL ON HEELS is fast-moving recommended reading for those who crave danger and passion in life, but still want to be home by dinner. Welcome to blistering summertime in Buffalo, New York, scene of the crime. Thirty-three year old P.J. … New York, scene of the crime. Thirty-three year old P.J. Santini, television news reporter and marginally successful private eye, is on a wild ride between men, her certifiable Sicilian family and insufficient funds notices, ever since her husband died on her – literally. But good news, she’s inherited the juicy journalistic job of Gerald Sigmund (Siggy), a sleezy investigative reporter who has vanished into thin air. Her first assignment is to find him, dead or alive. She’s also inherited his disgusting office, which holds a secret that’s worth her life. But she has no idea what that secret is, or who would kill her to get to it. All she knows is that there’s a bloody finger in the desk drawer, and it lost most of its value as evidence when she threw up all over it.
Her only comforts are Chianti, four-inch heels, and chocolate. And two men. Fiercely protective Tango Daly is her mysterious, tanned, toned private detective boss, a martial artist with a para-legitimate past tucked lustily into seductive slacks and silk shirts. PJ and Daly play exhilarating mind games when her stilettos get caught in the thick carpet of his office. Upstairs, the place is equipped with more surveillance electronics than Cheyenne Mountain…and a bed with satin sheets.
Lanky Johnny Renza is darkly handsome in his trademark cream linen suit, and the first boy P.J. ever loved… over and over, all through high school. Now he’s a top-notch competitive crime reporter who gets away with plenty because he still knows how to hotwire her with fattening food. As her butt is about to get its own zip code, it’s getting harder and harder to concentrate on staying alive.
P.J. Santini lives in an uncharted corner of author Lynne Russell’s brain. When P.J. spends long, boring hours stuck in a car on a surveillance job, she amuses herself by counting all the places on her body where she can stash her gun – she’s up to twelve now – and she wishes to thank Lynne for the idea. It helps to make up for the indignity of having to pee into a one-pound coffee can.
Lynne Russell anchored CNN and CNN Headline News from 1983 to 2001, the first woman to solo anchor a daily prime time network newscast. Her long-standing dedication to the people’s right to know was recognized in The New York Times, which called her a “just-the-facts stalwart of CNN Headline News”. The Times also called her a news anchor with the personality of a professional wrestler, which she took as a compliment. In the Washington Journalism Review, she won a spot as “Best in the Business”. A private investigator and former Deputy Sheriff, Lynne now writes romantic crime novels and works out of Washington, D.C.
more
Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series: Book One 1)
By: Lynne Russell
5 out of 5 stars
The story Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series: Book One 1) by Lynne Russell is the kind of book that grabs your attention from the very beginning and doesn’t let you go until you have finished the final page. It is fast-paced and will have you turning pages to find out what happens next. I loved reading about the main character of PJ Santini. She is witty, intelligent, independent, and stubborn. She is both a TV news reporter and private eye. She is a woman that once on an assignment is determined to find out the answers and truth of what happened. This story finds her with the assignment to find the missing journalist Gerald “Siggy” Sigmund. Will PJ find out the reason that he has disappeared? Will she find “Siggy?” Read this book to find out. Two other characters that I enjoyed reading about are Johnny Renza and Tango Daly. Johnny is the first boy that PJ ever loved. Tango is her private detective boss. There is an attraction between her and Tango that is steamy and makes the temperature in the room rise. Other characters that you read about include her Sicilian family. There are times when I found myself on the edge of my seat and other times when I was laughing out loud. The story made me feel like I was with PJ on her assignment sorting everything out. This is a book that I would highly recommend reading. It is a wonderful first book in a series and I can’t wait to read more about PJ.
Lynne Russell wrote an amazing story Hell on Heels which is the first book in the PJ Santini Series. There is a creative way of writing a suspenseful and witty crime story. Her characters are fully developed and a blast to follow along in the story. PJ the main character is a sharp and down to earth. PJ has taken on a little more than being just a news reporter and found herself in over head in a mystery. You will be a on wild ride through the eyes of a reporter.
Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series Book One) by Lynne Russell
Four Stars
Janice is an interesting character. Her thoughts were chaotic. Sometimes during the read of would be so lost on what she was talking about. Inside her head is a place I never want to be. The wording was really different and made it a little hard to follow. There were some interesting parts throughout the story that did hold my attention. Her relationship with Daly for one was different and a little surprising. The author is new for me and I will have to give the next book a shot. Like it wasn’t my thing but it wasn’t bad. The plot was interesting because it’s a woman doing what we do best. Finding the answers to the craziest things. Janice was good at what she did even if done in a different way.
HELL ON HEELS is the first book of a new series starring a strong female protagonist who is one thing by day and another thing by night. It’s a fast paced story with mystery and suspense and while fully developed there is a brevity to the writing that allows the reader to read without any of the filler to make a word count deadline.
This reminded me of a few series I have read in the past and I can see how this can go on and on for many books to come. It is my opinion that it holds its own when held up to the high standard of a good female PI who brings me laughter and a well plotted story.
I enjoyed reading this story very much and it’s one I would recommend to a knitting circle, a wine-centric book club or anyone that loves to read a good story. I look forward to more to come.
Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series Book One) by Lynne Russell is a romantic mystery/suspense. Talk about a story that will blow your expectations away and set the bar!! Lynne Russell has created a masterful story in Hell On Heels. The suspense built into this story was steadily paced to the point you were begging for more. PJ Santini is a magnetic character that maintained your interest as the story proceeded. As the first book of the series, this was an outstanding story and I cannot wait to read what comes next for PJ Santini and Lynne Russell as this series continues. The writing was unbelievably amazing!!
Hell On Heels (P.J. Santini Series Book 1) by Lynne Russell
5-stars
Hell On Heels is funny, romantic, and full of mystery. This is one book I could not put down. We follow private investigator P.J. Santini as she attempts to solve the murder of Sigy, a former coworker. She balances her PI job with her new reporter role taking Sigy’s place. Her character was wonderful to follow with her crazy men and family. I found myself laughing every time I turned around. I found the storyline easy to follow and all the characters interesting. There is mention of severed parts, sex, and kidnapping in this novel, so if you are bothered by that this book is not for you. I felt that it really gave the story some oomph and made it seem more realistic. I highly recommend this book!
Hell on Heels by Lynne Russell is the first of the PJ Santini series and I hope to see many more to come. This is a fun read that had me laughing as well as some suspense and a mystery to untangle. I liked there was a good combination of the two. PJ is a great character. She is tough but also loves her shoes. I like that she makes fun of herself and can handle that she might be running in circles at times.
The two primary men in her life are Tango Daly and Johnny Renza. Tango is her steamy boss at the PI investigations office she does work at while Johnny is her lifelong temptation at the news studio. The two are a great contrast and add to PJ’s character and the story. I really enjoy a book where I get immersed and enjoy myself. This was a great read and I look forward to reading more from Lynne Russell in the future.
Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series Book 1) by Lynne Russell was a fun, entertaining, sparky rom-comm, that had me laughing while flipping the pages as fast as I could.
My first read from this author, I went in with an open mind, and right away I was hooked. This book pulls you in and with it’s snarky writing and laugh out loud moments, you can’t help but love the MC right out of the gate.
This book has this quirkiness to it that you just can’t help but fall into. The MC is a powerhouse, and she just has this spark that you can’t help but follow. The plot is fast moving, and the pace was smooth and steady, there were no dull moments, there was always something to keep your interest, and either spark some anger (for the MC) or laughter.
This book is a must read and I can’t rave enough about this it! So please take my super high recommendation and my stamp of approval, that you will get hooked on this hell fire of a book.
Happy Reading
-E.A. Walsh
This book would make a killer start to a TV series. I am a huge fan of shows like Bones and Castle. I was enticed by fantastic synopsis and slightly because I love the song Hell on Heels by the Pistol Annies.
One of my only problems is that PJ seems like she was originally written as a male character but then stereotypical male things were switched to female things, like beer to wine ect. But honestly it was pretty easy to ignore that bit of it because I was so engrossed in the story and where the plot was heading.
Very excited to read book 2!
What a book! I heard people saying what a great book this is, but I never expected it to be as brilliant as what it was. This is my first read from this author and defiantly will not be my last. Lynne Russell has created an incredibly written book that is suspenseful, has humour and is totally captivating until the very end. It was fast-paced, engaging, captivating and thrilling, it made me physically laugh out loud on quite a few occasions and made me not want to put the read down.
Can we also point out how incredible P.J is. She is the perfect leading lady that makes this book even better. This book keeps you guessing and you don’t want to put it down until you have it all worked out.
This was one book that I want to read over and over again, I enjoyed it that much! This is a book that shouldn’t be missed, its a series I can tell is going to be epic and brilliant all at the same time! Do not miss this read!
Hell on Heels by Lynne Russell is the first book in the Pj Santini series. It is the type of book that grabs your attention and does not let go from start to finish.
I loved, loved, loved the MC in this book. She is absolutely fantastic. I could picture her so clearly in my mind. It was like she was popping off the pages.
More than once I found myself laughing at what was happening in the book. It was so entertaining all the way through. You never quite knew what the character would get up to next which made it exciting to read.
This is also one of the only books I have read that it really felt like I was also getting to know the author at the same time. I got the impression that the author and this MC could have quite a bit in common and I have to say that idea made it even more fun to read.
I am definitely very excited to see what happens in book 2!!!
I give Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series: Book One 1) by Lynne Russell, 5 stars.
PJ used to be a news reporter. Now she’s a PI, but it doesn’t pay all the bills. In order to afford her wonderful living quarters and her obsession with shoes, she does the only thing feasible to her — she goes to ask for her job back at the tv station. She ends up replacing a missing reporter, but there’s one catch — she has to find the missing reporter. That’s fine with her, she can use her PI training to help her. Simple, right? Next thing she knows, she’s in deep over her head. People and forces are at play that she never imagined. But that won’t stop this fiery red-headed Italian. She is determined to get to the bottom of it. On top of everything else, there’s her crazy Sicilian family, a cop who doesn’t want her help, and two hot men she melts for. What can go wrong?
This is a wild and crazy ride! Everything is over the top — her love of good food and good shoes, her family, her men, even the mystery itself. But that’s what makes this book so great! PJ is fun and relatable. The other characters are great too, and I do mean characters in the literal sense. Each one is so different — no bland people in this book. Then there’s the story. Funny, entertaining, surprising, sexy — it has it all. This book is meant to be fun and it highly succeeds. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end and cannot wait to read the next one.
If you like your mysteries on the fun and crazy side, this book is for you.
Hell on heels is a different take (for me anyway) on the female P.I. story. It has a storyline that will keep you flipping the pages and it definitely kept me guessing. PJ is definitely a colorful character and I expect the rest of the series will be just as engrossing as this book. This has been compared to Evanovich which I haven’t read, but if this is an indicator then I think I found my new genre. I can’t wait to see what she gets up to next.
Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series Book 1) by Lynne Russell
4 out of 4 stars
Hell On Heels is the first book in the PJ Santini Series written by Lynne Russell and it’s the first book that I have read by this author. This is the kind of book that grabs your attention from the very beginning and doesn’t let you go until you have finished the last page. This is fast-paced and will have you turning pages to find out what going to happen next. There were times I laughed so much my kids wanted to know what I was reading…
PJ Santini is witty, intelligent, independent, and stubborn. She is also both a TV news reporter and private eye. PJ is the kind of woman that once she is assigned and assignment she is determined to find out the answers and truth of what happened.
Her first assignment is to find Gerald Sigmund (Siggy), a sleezy investigative reporter who has vanished into thin air dead or alive. She’s also inherited his disgusting office that holds secrets that could cost her, her life. But she has no idea what that secret is, or who would kill her to get to it. All she knows is that there’s a bloody finger in the desk drawer, and it lost most of its value as evidence when she threw up all over it.
I also loved her two men Johnny Renza and Tango Daly. Johnny Renza is darkly handsome and his the first boy P.J. ever loved. Now he’s a top-notch crime reporter who gets away with plenty because he still knows how to push her buttons. And Tango Daly her fiercely protective and mysterious, tanned, toned private detective boss, a martial artist with a para-legitimate past tucked lustily into seductive slacks and silk shirts.
I really loved this story… Does PJ find Siggy? Does she give Johnny another chance at love or do they stay completive co-workers? And what does she do with Tango with their mind games and sparks that ignite when their around each other?
I highly recommend this story and can’t wait to read book two in this series….
By
Tracy
@tracym
This is the first book I have read from this author and she blew me away. I love a good suspense romance but this talented author exceeded all my expectations. This is the first book of the PJ Santini series and what a great start to this series. I was hooked to these characters right from the start. I could not put this book down and I read it in only a day.
PJ Santini is a news reporter that is also a private eye. She loves her job but when one of her colleges go missing she is the one that has to solve the case. Pj finds herself working with a police detective trying to solve this mystery. She finds Daly very attractive but an overprotective friend of hers tries to keep her away from him. Pj and Daly start working the case together and they find out that things are not adding up right. She starts to feel another connection to Daly she has not had in years. They quickly realize that they have feelings for another. When Pj and Daly start to unravel some secrets it starts to get dangerous. Will Pj and Daly solve this mystery or will they find themselves in danger?
I absolutely loved this book. The storyline has it all romance, suspense, and mystery. You can’t help but to fall in love with these characters. Pj is a beautiful woman that loves her job and fashion. She is so intelligent but also stubborn. There are times that she made me laugh out loud. Daly is very handsome with a good head on his shoulders. He knows what he is doing. The way he treats Pj will melt your heart. This talented author will keep you at the edge of your seat until the end. I can’t wait to see what will happen to these unforgettable characters next.
Hell on Heels is the first book in the PJ Santini series.
It took me about the first quarter of the book to get into it. The writing style was challenging for me as it seems like there is an over abundance of detail to get through. Once I got into the groove of it though, it turned out to be entertaining. There are a lot of colorful characters and variety of personalities to keep things interesting. My personal favorite is Daly. I will also say that I wasn’t really connecting to the main character right away but she grew on me over time. Hell on Heels keeps up a good pace so there is no chance of getting bored with it.
All-in-all I’d say, despite my bumpy start with it, Hell on Heels turned out to be a good read.
Hell On Heels (PJ Santini Series Book 1)
By Lynne Russell
Rated 5 stars
This is a great story! Funny as well as serious. Full of crazy characters and outrageous stories! Very entertaining! I enjoyed how fast paced this was. It made it much more enjoyable. This is my first book by this author. Her writing style is so easy to follow and get engrossed in. Her characters are loud and full of crazy antics that make me laugh. Plus that triangle of lust between her and those two men! Who to root for? I eagerly look forward to her next in the series and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
5 Star
Hell On Heels ( PJ Santini Series Book One 1) By Lynne Russell is the first Book in the PJ Santini series.i had a hard time putting it down once I started reading. It’s a fast paced suspense read about PJ who is a News reporter and PI.She’s independent but can be stubborn and when she has an assignment she will find the answers. Find out what happens next is this on the edge of your seat funny crime story.i highly recommend reading this book .I can’t wait to read more from this Author.
Hell on Heels is the first book in the PJ Santini Series, and the first book I have read by Lynne Russell. The book follows PJ, who is a Private Investigator as well as a TV news reporter. She is also very much Italian, with relatives and friends connected to the mob. Her dad is a retired cop, so she has connections all over the city, which she leans on to work her stories and investigations. At first I had a hard time keeping up with all the men in her life. She is hired to investigate and report on the disappearance of Siggy, a journalist she was, ironically, hired to replace. She moved into his office, and quickly began picking apart his life, notes, friends and lovers. The story is original and I loved it, cant wait to read book 2. My only complaint is the story didn’t always seamlessly segway into the next topic. The transitions from scene to scene were choppy and rushed. That being said, I still give the book a 5 star and recommend it to others. It has a good balance of mystery, with a hint of romance and humor.
Hell On Heels is the opening chapter of Lynne Russell’ PJ Santini series. We meet PJ Santini, her crazy Sicilian!!! family, best friend Vicky and two hot guys of her life! Man … how does she find them?! Daly and Renza … I could not choose either … how does one choose between ice cream and cake? Can one have them at the same time???
PJ is a TV news reporter and a PI; she is witty, independent and stubborn like heck! She is like a dog with a bone, once she has an assignment, she will find an answer, even if it might be a bit dangerous for her health (get my drift??). You will find yourself on the edge of your seat and biting your nails and other times you are cracking up so loud that if you are in the public, you get those stares (know what I am talking about, right?).
If you are looking for a mix of hilarious and crime then this series is for you! I have the next book in the series already waiting for me on my e-reader!