"A" Is for Asshat by Rebecca Cantrell, Sean Black Narrator: Madeline Mrozek
Series: Malibu Mystery #1
Published by Mainly Murder Press on January 15, 2016
Genres: Mystery
Length: 6 hrs 38 mins
Format: Audiobook
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After a decade spent in the glare of the Hollywood spotlight as the star of kids' TV show Half Pint Detective, Sofia Salgado has had enough. Desperate to build a life outside showbiz, she quits acting to do something that everyone around her - including her family - thinks is plain nuts. Get a real job.
They think she's even crazier when she announces that she's going to become a real detective, instead of playing one on TV. She's convinced the technical consultant from her TV show, Brendan Maloney, to take her on in his detective agency, but can accident-prone Sofia hack it?
I have to admit this one surprised me. It was a blast – funny with great characters and a good mystery. It’s light, not a cozy, but not too violent. I think part of it is that even though they’re dealing with dangerous situations or shady folks, Sofia and Aiden, the owner’s son and her partner, keep their sense of humor. The banter is perfect and the chemistry is clear between them, even if they ten to get on each other’s nerves, it’s all part of the fun.
Sofia used to be an actor, but she decided she wanted a job that could make a difference, so she’s now working at a detective agency. In her new position, her fame can be both a hindrance and a help. The opening scene is hilarious, when the paparazzi catch a video of her in rather an awkward situation, which leads to some running jokes.
The story doesn’t solely rely on the characters though. The mystery’s actually good, enough clues and suspects to make it interesting. I could have done without Sofia’s moral issues – what if we’re working for the killer, what if our work helps put an innocent person in suspicion, but in the end they are of course on the right side.
Madeline Mrozek as the narrator did a great job, she brought the characters to life, especially Sofia, and kept the tone upbeat. She helped with the amusement value of the story. Rebecca Cantrell has a fun interview up with her on her blog. You can find it here, along with a couple audio clips.
I am definitely looking forward to the next in the book, hopefully on audio. I also enjoy an actually funny mystery.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
About Rebecca Cantrell
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Cantrell has published nine novels in over ten different languages. Her novels have won the ITW Thriller, the Macavity, and the Bruce Alexander awards. They have been nominated for the GoodReads Choice award, the Barry, the RT Reviewers Choice, and the APPY award. She and her husband and son live in Berlin.
About Sean Black
Sean Black grew up in Scotland, but also spent parts of his childhood in the United.
By the time he graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Sean had already published some short fiction and print journalism. Before he became a full-time novelist, e taught college and wrote television drama.
A funny mystery sounds good to me. I love the title!
I said asshat in a review, amazon did not publish it, and here it is in a title, hmmm
Fun! I love the title.
This one sounds like so much fun. I may have to check it out. Glad you enjoyed it!
This looks fun!