Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection: Box Set Books 1-3 by Barbara Venkataraman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Cozy Murder Mystery
“My name is Jamie Quinn and after ten years of practicing law, I’ve seen it all. You wouldn’t think a sleepy town like Hollywood, Florida would have much drama, but it does. The judge who swore me in had warned me, saying, ‘You’ll never believe what goes on between four walls,’ and he was right; it’s unbelievable.”
Book 1 – DEATH BY DIDGERIDOO
“You can’t make stuff like that up. I mean, who would’ve imagined a didgeridoo could be a deadly weapon?”
Jamie Quinn is a divorce lawyer taking some time off after the death of her mother to cancer. Her aunt calls her in a panic one day stating the cops have arrested Jamie’s autistic cousin for murder and they need her help. She knows that her cousin did not murder anyone, he couldn’t hurt a fly but the evidence is not looking good. To help her find the real killer, because clearly the police are not looking, she enlists the help of PI and ladies man, Duke Broussard.
“Okay, but before I tell you my long story that involves a heavy metal band, a murder, and a state attorney with political ambitions, I need to make one thing clear…” Duke’s green eyes were watching me closely, he loved a good story. “What’s that, Darlin?” “This is not a date.”
Book 2 – THE CASE OF THE KILLER DIVORCE
“One thing’s true though, when it comes to sex or money, all bets are off.”
“I was amazed to find myself, once again, embroiled in a criminal case. How does this keep happening to me? My business card says ‘Family Law Attorney’ on it, plain as day.”
Jamie is representing a woman in a nasty divorce when her client’s soon to be ex-husband tuns up dead. When the murder weapon turns out to be her client’s sleeping pills, the DA starts to turn up the heat. Jaime is going to need some help clearing her client as a suspect and she knows just the person to call. Duke Broussard.
“I have a divorce case that’s turned into a murder investigation and I need the services of a good PI. You in?”
Duke has also been doing some digging into Jamie’s background. With her mother gone, she is curious about her father, the only things he knows of him is his name, and turns out that’s not even his real name.
Book 3 – PERIL IN THE PARK
“Duke looked over at me, amused. “You know, there’s never a dull moment hanging around you. How do you get mixed up in so much murder and mayhem all the time? Your cousin, your client, your boyfriend–you sure know how to pick ’em, girl!” He laughed.”
Jamie’s boyfriend is the new Parks Director and since his arrival it has been anything but a walk the park. Someone keeps vandalizing the parks.
“Hey, guess what the park vandal did this time?” “Mowed the words “Bite Me” into the grass at Markham Park.”
Jamie also receives a threatening email from someone calling themselves I-C-U, that has been stocking her and Kip. The message wants Kip to back off or bad things are going to happen. She knows that there is one person who can help find out who I-C-U is and maybe the park vandal while he is at it, her friend and favorite PI, Duke. Shortly into the investigation, a body is discovered at one of the parks. Kip becomes increasingly secretive and then goes missing. Jamie needs to get to the bottom of this, and fast.
With all the going’s-on happening with Kip and parks department, Jamie is also trying to find out what she can do to help get her dad back to the U.S. A Cuban citizen, exiled to Nicaragua, he has been waiting 2 years for his Visa to be approved.
Who doesn’t love a great cozy murder mystery? If you are like me and you do, then you will love these! Witty, who-done-it’s that occasionally make you laugh out.
“Everyone you meet has emotional baggage–even me. Honestly, if I had any more baggage, I could start my own airline.”
This is a set of 3 short, fast reads that you just breeze right through with little twists that keep you hooked and wanting more. Rated PG, suitable for all ages but children, it has some violence (it is a murder mystery after all) and some foul language is all. The characters are great and I just love Duke, but I’m a sucker for a P.I. that has a blurred moral compass. Jamie reminds me a little of Stephanie Plum, the kick-ass bounty hunter from the Janet Evanovich series.
This is a series I will definitely be reading more of!
“You know, I read somewhere that holding a grudge is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
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