Review of Skydive

 

Skydive

A Nicki Valentine Mystery, Book #3

Susan O’Brien

5 Stars

Synopsis:

Life is finally settling down for private investigator Nicki Valentine, her kids, and her boyfriend Dean. But when a jailed mom seeks help for her endangered biological daughter, who just “aged out” of foster care, Nicki can’t say no.

With Dean by her side and her free-wheeling BFF eager to investigate too, Nicki braves back alleys, drug dens, and the strip-club scene, all while wondering if any risk is too great when it comes to finding a teen in trouble.

As if navigating the mean streets of King County, Virginia, isn’t enough, Nicki also faces the realities of dating as a single mom, including “sleepover” requests she never anticipated. Ultimately—in both relationships and work—Nicki must decide, “How much am I willing to risk for love?”

Related subjects include: women sleuths, private investigators, cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, humorous murder mysteries, book club recommendations, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit).

Books in the Nicki Valentine Humorous Mystery Series:

• FINDING SKY (#1)

• SKY HIGH (#2)

• SKYDIVE (#3)

Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you’ll probably like them all… (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional.  Nicki is a hardworking, dedicated, relentless private investigator.  She also has a softer side, as a mother, a friend, a girl friend and big hearted person.  She sometimes struggles with the fact that she is doing the dangerous work that she does instead of having a safer job.  She worries about leaving her children motherless (parentless, really, since her husband has passed away).  The fact that she is a mother adds another layer to this book that I really enjoyed.  Another thing that I enjoyed was the relationship between Nicki and her best friend, neighbor and employee, Kenna.   They make such a dynamic duo and I could read about them all day long.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick, easy read.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book, I felt like I was right there, watching all the action taking place and eavesdropping on conversations.

There is a lot of action and tension that takes place between the pages of this book and I found myself turning pages as fast as I could.  

One thing that stood out to me as I read this book is how much the author cares about young girls being preyed upon in society.  She took a very serious subject and wrote about it.  I learned some things I did not know about children aging out of the foster system and I credit her for that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted mystery with great characters (I wish I was friends with them), a great plot, humor and suspense.  The Nicki Valentine Mystery series is one of my favorites and this one did not disappoint.  If you are new to the series, grab the first book and enjoy.  If you love this series like me, you will be thrilled with this latest addition.