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.
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Synopsis:
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. (Goodreads)
Review:
The theme of this book was unique and I really enjoyed that. A discount detective agency at a mall, that grabbed my attention right away.
The characters are well written and well developed. The cast of characters are quirky and unusual and they all have their own special area of expertise. Combined as a whole, they make a great detective team. Cameron is smart and gutsy and she will do whatever it takes to provide for her kids. I enjoyed the fact that she was older and has a family, that was refreshing.
The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me in from the very beginning of the book. There was enough mystery and suspense and, even though I thought I had it figured out a couple of times, I was wrong, and that was okay.
I would recommend this book to anyone enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. This book contained a full price mystery at a discount price.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book and provided my honest review.
I loved the premise of this book — a discount detective agency located in a mall! The light-hearted, witty tone continues throughout the story as Cameron Chandler, out-of-work single mom, takes a job at Penny-wise Investigations because she really has no other choice (and her own mother, who lives with her, keeps leaving her passive-aggressive notes on the refrigerator). Lots of humorous banter and a large cast of quirky characters round out the story.
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.
When I read the description of this book I was intrigued. A single mother and widow reinventing herself as a private detective with no background in this field. I was entertained by this book and liked the quirky cast of characters that work with Cameron and are helping to train her to become a detective. I enjoyed the subtle humor, especially the articles that her mother leaves on the refrigerator for her. There were many surprises in this book especially since I had never really thought about a survivalist camp and what that would entail. I loved the action in the book and am looking forward to seeing Cameron again soon.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Charlotte Stuart through Escape with Dolly Cas. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Cameron Chandler needs a job, she will take anything but she didn’t expect to get a job with Penny-wise Investigations, a detective agency with no experience! She does the training gets her license then her first case – to locate a runaway girl that a fellow PI was working on before he disappeared.
The story was engaging and flowed easily, I was hooked from the get go and I loved the banter and camaraderie between Cameron and her PI partner Yuri, I hope there is a little bit of a love interest between then both in future books in the series. The case itself was quite interesting how a runaway ended up at a survivalist camp and how Cameron and Yuri pieced it all together.
Survival Can Be Deadly is the first in this new series and I honestly cant wait for the next instalment.
5 stars
Survival Can Be Deadly cracked me up! When I first started reading, I was like, eh, am I going to like this book? I mean, Cameron is looking for a job at the MALL! Who goes to the mall anymore? Okay, okay. I’m kidding. But, she is looking for a job at the mall, and it’s fitting that what she finds at the mall is a help wanted sign at a small detective agency! Even though she’s got no experience as a detective, getting a job there is much better than at a clothing store since they keep getting shut down….how I miss the old days when you could go hang out at the mall and not see a bunch of empty stores…but I digress.
Anyway, enough about the mall! When Cameron gets a job at Penny-wise Investigations, she’s thrilled. Her co-workers teach her the ins and outs of the job. And I love her co-workers. They are a bunch of quirky characters with distinct personalities. You will love Yuri. He is a lovable goof, but there’s more to him than meets the eye. I’ve got a feeling that Cameron’s son is going to be one of my favorites too. You’ll see why when you read this. He’s obsessed with something most 11 year old kids would find boring. I’m really looking forward to seeing all of these characters develop even more throughout the series.
The mystery in Survival Can Be Deadly is also crazy since it takes place at a survivalist camp on an island. There are some pretty crazy characters at the camp too. The whole book is filled with so much humor that you won’t be able to put this down. It’s a madcap mystery, and I highly recommend it! Hurry up and get book two done please!!
Survival Can Be Deadly by Charlotte Stuart is a fantastic start to a new series.
Will Cameron find Melissa before its too late, or will Cameron risk her life for nothing?
Cameron Chandler
Cameron is recently widowed, with a BA and no job prospects. Then she finds a job as a private investigator, and her whole life changed again. Cameron finds herself learning about things that she isn’t sure of, and she is learning about herself, which she isn’t sure that she likes. Either way, Cameron has been tasked with finding a runaway teenager. She is planning to do that.
I like Cameron’s spunk and her ability to live in the moment. Her character is growing with each chapter. It is fun to see Cameron dealing with the trials of everyday life at home and then life-or-death at work. I did find her mother funny. Cameron’s Mom leaves articles on the refrigerator door for Cameron. Things about midlife crisis and single parents, like scaring her daughter into marriage is a good thing.
The Mystery
There are two mysteries. One is the runaway girl, Melissa, who has fallen for the wrong boy and ended up trapped with his buddies. Then we have the investigator Wilson, who went missing and whose job Cameron took. Cameron, with the assistance of Yuri (another investigator), Gary, and Bandit are able to find Melissa, but can they get her to safety and right some wrongs. But what happened to Wilson?
Four Stars
I am giving Survival Can Be Deadly four stars. I enjoyed Cameron’s transformation and her first case.
You can bet that I am looking forward to her next adventure. If you like private investigator mysteries, then I recommend this one.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Survival Can Be Deadly by Charlotte Stuart.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove.
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
This review is for the audio book.
I enjoyed this book. This is the first book by this author that I have read or listened to but I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series, I enjoyed it that much that I was checking if there was a book two before I had finished the first. I liked the whole idea of having a private investigation agency in the shopping mall and using the shops around them to help solve there cases and the cast of characters that made up the agency were so much fun and a real treat, not sure Cameron would have gotten the job just for turning up but glad she did. The mystery was interesting and I think it is the first cozy mystery I have listened to on the subject of survivalist, so that was interesting too. So hats off to the author for coming up with something original and weaving it into a entertaining and sometimes humorous adventure.
Cameron is a newly widowed mother of two and is under pressure from her mother to get back out in the world and make something of herself but not to forget to be there for her children’s even needs. Which is way she steps through the door when she spots a help wanted sign in a detective agency’s window, she can make her own hours, it’s different everyday and In no way dangerous just running background checks. She gets the job and begins her training from the wide and diverse detectives in the agency, from finger print takings to questioning cheating spouse’s. Soon she is ready for her first case. The reason the job was available was because one of the detectives in the agency had disappeared and Cameron is given one of his unsolved cases. To track down a missing teenager, she was in trouble with the law for stealing from her job. Could she just be a runaway or has something happened to her? The clues lead to a survivalist camp on an island and joined by a fellow detective they go under cover to find out if the trail of the missing girl has gone cold and with fingers crossed they might even pick up a clue on what happened to there colleague. The survivalist teach how to live of the land and things like technology (and even proper food) is a dirty work to them so Cameron will have to go back to basics to solve this mystery. Can she reunite a grandmother with her granddaughter?
I liked the narrator as she used her voice well to express the story and bring the characters to life.
Take one widowed mother and a discount detective service located in a mall and you have this series that is bound to charm the reader.
There was so much to like about this series so I will start with some of my favorite characters. Cameron is a widow with a PhD yet no job to go with it trying to manage two children and a busybody mother who thinks that Cameron just needs to find a new husband. All Cameron knows is that she needs to find a job. You have P.W., the head of the discount detective business that is a bit of a mystery herself. Many of the people working for her have tried to unearth who she really is but to no avail. Yuri is Cameron’s main teacher at the PI agency, showing her the ropes and assisting with her first case. Yuri is a crazy driver and I was very glad that I wasn’t physically in a car with him. Will is like Q in the Bond movies – all sorts of gadgets that might help out on any case. He can be something of a trickster.
I have to credit Cameron for taking on a career field that requires observation and deductive reasoning. Sure I’ve read mysteries for years but that doesn’t mean I should be a PI. I chucked on her first day on the job and her choice to wear heels. Everyone forewarns her that P.W. isn’t going to like the shoe choice. Thankfully it is only her first day so she won’t have to chase after suspects quite yet.
Cameron’s first case is a missing person’s case but it evolves into so much more including some radical Survivalists on one of the San Juan Islands in Washington. This is where the action really heats up and some interesting twists and turns occur. I was spellbound throughout the book and stayed up a little too late the first night because I had to know what happened next.
If you like witty, quirky, and a little crazy then this might be a mystery you will want to read.