Girl PI in Training

Reviewed by Phee Paradise

Double Trouble

By Susan May Warren

A good mystery always draws me in. It doesn’t matter if I don’t like the characters, setting or the writer’s style, I have to see how it turns out. It was the mystery in Double Trouble that kept me reading, and I’m glad I did, because I grew to like PJ Sugar. At first PJ and the men who fought over her seemed so “high school,” even though those days were ten years behind them. PJ is impulsive, persistent, and badly wants to be a PI. Her boss and her boyfriend want to protect her from herself. She weakly lets them tell her what to do, but she refuses to give up her PI dreams.

At the beginning, her dreams get her into trouble with her family and boyfriend, and when she’s given an assignment to house sit for a client, her problems escalate. Jeremy, her boss, doesn’t seem to be there for her and Boone, her boyfriend, just wants her to leave it all and be a nice little girl. But she meets some new - and quirky - friends who stand behind her and she begins to discover who she really is and what she really wants. The real mystery is how PJ is going to find herself.

PJ’s faith was a bit of a surprise to me because it appeared fairly deep into the book. Several times she wrestled with God over her problems and called on Him for help, but the rest of the time she seemed to be managing on her own. Even when she finally discovered herself, her awareness of God’s role in it felt like an add on.

One reason for you to read this book is that it has one of the best closing lines I’ve read in a long time. But don’t skip to the end or you’ll spoil the best part of the book.

Pros: Lighthearted mystery with a creative plot and distinctive characters. The action keeps the story moving and there are lots of surprises.

Cons: The characters act younger than their ages.

About the book:

With one solved case under her belt, PJ Sugar is ready to dive into her career as a private investigator. Or at least a PI's assistant until she can prove herself to Jeremy Kane, her new boss. Suddenly PJ's seeing crime everywhere. But is it just in her head, or can she trust her instincts? When she takes on her first official case-house-sitting for a witness in protective custody-Jeremy assures her there's no danger involved. But it soon becomes clear that there is someone after the witness . . . and now they're after PJ, too.

About the author:

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she's also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. Her larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women's events and retreats speaker, she's a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer's workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you! She is also the founder of http://www.mybooktherapy.com/, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/

CONTEST

Be sure to enter the Double Trouble Prize Package Giveaway by clicking on the ‘Double the Sass” button !

Susan’s giving away an iPod prize package that is anything but troubling! Check it out!

Prize Details

Double Trouble, the brand new PJ Sugar novel by Susan May Warren, is in stores now! To celebrate the release, we’re running a HUMDINGER of a contest!!

One Grand Prize winner will receive a $150 SUPER SLEUTH prize package that includes:

* A $10 iTunes gift card (we recommend the ALIAS soundtrack)

* A brand new iPod Shuffle (perfect for those all-night stakeouts)

* A $10 Amazon gift card (why yes, they do sell spy pens)

* A $10 Starbucks gift card (for fuel, obviously)

* A pair of designer sunglasses (be stealthy AND super chic)

* A gorgeous scarf from World Market (can also be used as a blindfold, and/or for tying up bad guys)

* AND signed copies of both Nothing But Trouble & Double Trouble. (romance! danger! intrigue! sooo much better than Surveillance for Dummies!)

We’ll announce our super sleuth winner on March 1st.