Deadly Gamble: The First Charlie Parker Mystery - Softcover

Connie Shelton is a lifelong mystery fan who wanted to be Nancy Drew when she grew up. Now she relives her mystery fantasies through her Charlie Parker series. In addition to writing the series, she has served as president of her local writers group, is active in Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, and serves on the board of directors of Small Publishers Association of North America. She is also a frequent speaker at writing and publishing conferences. She lives in northern New Mexico with her husband, author and helicopter pilot Dan Shelton.

Albuquerque CPA Charlie Parker (female, despite the name) handles the business side of RJP Investigations while her brother, Ron, does the detecting. When Ron is out of town, however, Stacy North, who eloped with Charlie's fianc{‚}e, Brad, 10 years earlier, comes calling, hoping to hire someone to find her missing Rolex watch. Charlie reluctantly takes the case and soon finds the watch in a pawn shop, where the thief, a man with whom Stacy had been having an affair, sold it. Soon the lover is dead, and Stacy is an obvious suspect. Charlie sticks with the case and finds herself involved with still more murder. This is a well-plotted debut mystery with a nice surprise ending and some excellent characterizations. Charlie, in particular, is slick, appealing, and nobody's fool--just what readers want in an amateur sleuth. Look forward to the next installment in what shapes up to be a promising series. Stuart Miller