Missionary kid Elliot Ransom is restless after moving from her beloved Amazon home to a wealthy DC suburb. Though Storm River, Virginia, is beautiful, it’s also a playground for haughty politicians and wealthy playboys. She’s never felt so out of place.
Becoming an assistant to a hotshot private investigator changes everything . . .
Expecting to help with filing and background checks, Elliot is … checks, Elliot is shocked when she’s catapulted into the frontlines of a murder investigation instead. While trying to prove their client innocent, she’s forced from the administrative role she usually plays. The change is surprisingly invigorating.
Learning the art of investigating shouldn’t be so dangerous . . . but this case just might be as dicey as the new town Elliot is living in. Could a little harmless eavesdropping lead to a big disaster?
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Very good story has an intelligent woman who helps support her younger sister and mother, has a new job investigating while finding out a family secret.
A fun book with an original premise. I loved Barritt’s writing style. Her characters are well-rounded and quirky, the plot was original, and the overall story intriguing. Seeds planted of a longer mystery to take place throughout the series and relationships between characters have me excited to read the next book in the series. Great book!
My librarian recommended this series to me and since this happens to be a favorite author I was totally on board. I was not disappointed! I laughed a ton and before I even finished the book I put the next 3 on reserve! I loved Elliot the most out of all the characters. She has a job to do but she’s doing it her way and I honestly think she kinda likes it. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and I am hoping there is a romance brewing soon.
It’s a light look at what can be a very serious and dangerous job, private investigating. The characters make it work.
Interesting character building for the first novel in a series. The premise was good, and there was a twist ending. However, to have the main character rattle off a detailed explanation at the end of the book was a cop out. I like to be able to go back in the story to see the hidden clues that make the twist plausible. There were very few. Hence the four star instead of five star rating.
I would classify this book as women’s fiction. The main character’s journey to discovering herself and helping family was relatable. My only concern was that the end left you hanging a little and I wasn’t sure if there would be another book about this character.
A fun cozy mystery
My rating is 4.5 stars
Full of quirky characters and mystery, The Art of Eavesdropping was a whole lot of fun!
Elliot, having grown up in the jungles of Yerba (don’t worry, you won’t have heard of it – it’s an imaginary country in the Amazon jungle), lacked context for Americanisms and was quite out of her element. This brainy woman had a propensity of creating rhymes when stressed. She had an uncanny ability to notice and catalog details many people would miss.
Velma, the receptionist at the detective agency, was a riot! She worked out at the local sporting goods store so she didn’t have to pay for a gym membership. And Elliot had been warned about accepting any food from Velma – ever. The reason behind that was … at least slightly disturbing. Yet despite her extreme frugality, she didn’t have a problem spending her boss’s money when tasked to…
I found myself snickering throughout the story at the situations Elliot was in and at her thoughts! I also laughed at the details of Yerba that author Christy Barritt created. The national Festival of the Chicken was so fun! And the way the Chicken Dance came back to haunt Elliot at the most inconvenient time!
Thrust into the world of undercover sleuthing and setting out to prove the innocence of a world-renowned golfer, Elliot found herself in peril of her life. Again and again!
There is a light faith element to the story, with Elliot praying for wisdom and help. It is her way of life and is simply a part of who she is.
This light-hearted mystery is the first in a new series which promises to be an enjoyable one. Despite murders and threats of danger, it is not overly suspenseful or gory. While the murder was solved, in the end, the stalker’s identity and purpose are still unknown, a serial killer remains at large, and she is still discovering the secrets her father left behind. To coin a genre, I would consider it MurCom. Or should that be MysCom? Hmmm
Read my review of The Art of Eavesdropping by Christy Barritt at AmongTheReads.net
Great first book in a new series. Christy Barritt never disappoints.
Count on Christy Barritt for Good Reading
A good new protagonist for this new series. Just didn’t engage me as much as her other books always have. But, still, a good read.
Christy Barritt never disappoints.
Love this new series and can’t wait for the next book. Funny, quirky, action-packed. I read it in one sitting!
I loved this first book in the new series!
Such a fun book! Clean book, no bad language! Great first person narrative.
Thank you Christy fo writing clean mysteries!
Not her best work
Have you ever stepped outside your comfort zone so far that you do things you’d NEVER EVER do; things that make you question your moral ethics? Well, Elliot Ransom is placed in this predicament and she doesn’t know what she should do. Unfortunately, along the way she also has way too many close calls with suspicious events.
This new series by Christy Barritt is going to be fun and eventful! It has started out with a bang. I really can’t wait to see what new things Elliot will get into, will she find the answers she needs regarding her dad? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.
I LOVE “who done it” stories and Christy Barritt is the kind of author who weaves her stories with so much action and suspense that your heart pounds and you find yourself suspicious of everyone around you. She has a way of capturing you from the very first page to the very last. She is tremendously skilled at keeping us guessing who the bad guy is, in this story!
If you LOVE mystery, suspense, action, and some fun quirky parts too, you will love this book!
I was given this book by the author which did not influence my review in any way, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this first book, The Art of Eavesdropping, in the series, The Sidekick’s Survival Guide. The main character, Elliot, has an amazing personality and I enjoyed how the author immediately gets the reader into her head. The manner in which Elliot develops into a “sidekick” investigator throughout the book, kept me wanting to continue reading. There’s also a lot of intriguing situations that Elliot gets herself into during her investigating.
The Art of Eavesdropping is the first book in Christy Barritt’s fun new series, The Sidekick’s Survival Guide. I absolutely loved it.
Elliot’s a great character who kinda stumbles her way into sleuthing. She took a job with a private investigator thinking she’d be doing desk work, but she’s immediately thrust into the field her very first day. It was fun watching her learn how to be a PI, seeing her improvise and take control of situations that were totally foreign to her, and really shine in this new venture of hers.
The mystery was really good. There were lots of possible suspects with strong motives and I didn’t figure it out before the reveal. I highly recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries. I can’t wait to spend more time with these characters in the next one.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, The Art of Eavesdropping, in the new series, The Sidekick’s Survival Guide. In it we meet Elliott Ransom, a missionary kid turned P.I. She’s moved to the United States after twenty-plus years abroad and a stranger to her mother’s home country. She stumbles on an a job as a private investigator’s assistant and finds the work is right up her alley in more ways than one. In her first assignment, she has to find out the truth behind the murder of a famous pro-golf celeb’s date.
The book series is very promising as Barritt reveals just enough of the mystery surrounding Elliott’s life as she works to solve mysteries at the P.I. firm. I look forward to learning more about this unusual family situation and see more of the stories of her co-workers, Michael, Oscar, and Velma as well as her detective frenemy at the police station.
Though some of her quirks, OCD need for order and her nervous rhyming, can get a little trite at times, I think they help develop the character and make her different from Barritt’s other female leads. Overall, it’s a sold series start and a great novel!
Christy Barritt’s latest book The Art of Eavesdropping is the first of her promising new series. Of course who could disagree with the fact that all her books are good? Once again this author offers her readers a cozy mystery with a somewhat quirky yet relatable heroine and more than one interesting male character who might or might not become a romantic interest in a future installment.
In this case the heroine is Elliot Ransom who grew up on the mission field in the Amazon jungle. Political unrest sent her family back to the states where life changed dramatically for them all. When Elliot takes a job as assistant to a private investigator she finds that the job description might include more than the expected desk job. Her first assignment involves trying to find evidence to prove a murder suspect’s innocence and she quickly experiences more than one close call with death. I loved Elliot. She is one sharp cookie whose unique observational skills and spatial intelligence are exactly what it takes to solve the mystery.
Its fast-paced plot, fun dialogue, and sometimes awkward situations make this book one that can easily be read in one sitting. A mystery in Elliot’s own life promises to add extra dimension to her future adventures. The Art of Eavesdropping has definitely hooked me and I must read the entire series because I have to know what happens next.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the author. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
I had an ARC copy of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. I enjoyed reading this first book of Christy Barritt’s new series. I liked the characters and the way Christy developed them. The plot is interesting and easy to follow. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.