Marji Laine here.
You know, when I told Nancy Mehl what I was reviewing this week, her reaction was that she loved the series title. I have to confess, the series title was the reason I picked up the first book of this series.
What a delight. With a title like THE WORST DETECTIVE EVER, I knew the main character couldn't take herself too seriously. And Joey Darling (yes, that's the characters name) delivers! Straight out of Hollywood as the star of the hit detective series, "Relentless," Joey struggles with people constantly believing that she's that main character, Raven Remington, the perfect (always right, always catching the bad guys) detective.
But between the last filming of "Relentless" and chapter one of the first book, Joey has been almost killed, divorced by her husband, and left penniless after paying off all the man's debts. She moves across the country to where her dad was last seen, getting a job as a hair stylist from an old family friend, and attempting to put the meager pieces of her life back together. And, in hopes that somehow, she'll be able to find her now-missing father.
She immediately gets off on the wrong foot with the police detective in town, Jackson Sullivan, and finds a friend in her next-door neighbor, surfer/realtor/masseuse Zane Oakley.
I LOVE the names of these characters! Where did Christy Barritt come up with them???
I also love the way she weaves the stories together. Each book contains a stand-alone mystery, but there are over-arching stories that go for three and four books at a time. And of course, there is the romance and a plethora of characters from her past who come in and out of the stories.
Then there is the fan group that keeps setting her up to "solve" mysteries as the actress who had played Raven Remington should be doing. The person or people behind her "biggest fans" are twisted and downright dangerous. And they also come in and out of the different books.
Something else that I love about these is the character's sense of humor. She is often comparing something she witnesses to the plot of an old movie or television show. Or she compares the people she sees to high profile actors or characters. Hubby and I love listening to the books on road trips and often have to pause the playback to belly-laugh over a one-liner or the crazy situations in which she finds herself.
But don't think these aren't serious mysteries with plenty of danger involved. I haven't been able to figure out all of them, but the clues are there. The mysteries are tight. The murders are real, and the villains are desperate. And despite Joey's excellent acting skills, she's not the detective that Raven Remington is. Let's just leave it at that!
If you like a little serving of light-heartedness with your mystery, you're going to love these books! And there are thirteen of them to love! The first was released almost 10 years ago, but book thirteen was just released last year. Apparently, I'm not the only one who loves these books!
Here's the list of the books (along with some side books) in order:
READY TO FUMBLE, REIGN OF ERROR, SAFETY IN BLUNDERS (Book bundle 1)
JOIN THE FLUB, BLOOPER FREAK, FLAW ABIDING CITIZEN (Book bundle 2)
GAFFE OUT LOUD, JOKE AND DAGGER, WRECK THE HALLS, GLITCH AND FAMOUS (Book Bundle 3)
NOT ON MY BOTCH, ONE HIT BLUNDER, and THE FAUX MUST GO ON.
In addition, there is RELENTLESS: A RAVEN REMINGTON NOVEL that is set up after BLOOPER FREAK. There is also a crossover books involving Joey, the police chief Cassidy Chambers from Barritt's Lantern Beach series, and Gabby St. Claire Thomas from the Squeaky Clean Series. This one, THE CRIME OF OUR LIVES, isn't really connected to any of the timelines from the actual series they cross, but it is suggested to come after NOT ON MY BOTCH before the last two and most recent Joey Darling books were released.
Here's a little more about book 1, READY TO FUMBLE:
I'm not really a private detective. I just play one on TV.
Joey Darling, better known to the world as Raven Remington, detective extraordinaire, is trying to separate herself from her invincible alter ego. She played the spunky character for five years on the hit TV show Relentless, which catapulted her to fame and into the role of Hollywood’s sweetheart.
When her marriage falls apart, her finances dwindle to nothing, and her father disappears, Joey finds herself on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, trying to piece her life back together away from the limelight. A woman finds Raven—er, Joey—and insists on hiring her fictional counterpart to find a missing boyfriend. When someone begins staging crime scenes to match an episode of Relentless, Joey has no choice but to get involved.
Joey’s bumbling sleuthing abilities have her butting heads with Detective Jackson Sullivan and kindling sparks with thrill-seeking neighbor Zane Oakley. Can Joey channel her inner Raven and unearth whodunit before she ends up totally done in? And where is her father anyway? Can she handle fame or is disappearing into obscurity the wiser option?
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Oftentimes, I am wary of reading mystery and suspense mysteries late into the night because they'll keep me up. That warning HOLDS TRUE for this series... but not for the reason you might think. This is no thriller, but not only will the unexpected humor keep you laughing, it might very well keep your household awake as well.
Am I gushing? I'm probably gushing. But this series is stellar! Excellent mysteries. Excellent characters. Excellent engagement, dialogue, action, personalities.
This series is pure excellence!
When was the last time you read a series that was truly excellent? One book? Maybe, But to keep up that high standard book after book is nothing short of amazing. I'd like to hear about your experiences! Comment below with an excellent book or series and don't forget to leave your email address. One of you just might win an e-copy of READY TO FUMBLE!
I hope you LOVE it!
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