Malice in Miami (Jamie Quinn Mystery, Book Six)

 

BARBARA VENKATARAMAN

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, 2020.

How acquired: Gifted from the author.

First lines: “For God’s sake, Kip, just admit. You’re an adrenaline junkie!”.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: I’ve enjoyed all the Jamie Quinn mysteries, and this entry was as much fun as the others. Jamie is a self-deprecating narrator, who always manages to see some humor in the situations she finds herself in. Now that she has her new job running an art foundation, she’s trying to wrap up her last few active cases so she can close down her law practice. But despite herself, she gets dragged into a big paternity case, which, thanks to her process server, Duke, blows up in her face.

Duke has been one of my favorite supporting characters throughout the series, as he reminds me a bit of a private investigator/process server I’ve known and worked with for many years.

Jamie has misadventure after misadventure, with anything that can go wrong doing so, sometimes hilariously. And I learned some stuff, about art and how art foundations work, and in one of my favorite bits of the book, about snake wrangling. I’ll say this, Jamie is a braver woman than I. If my boyfriend took me out at night to hunt snakes, well, I probably would refuse to get out of the car and he might not be my boyfriend the next day!

I enjoyed the banter between Jamie and Kip, and Jamie and Duke. The plot was unpredictable, I never knew what to expect next. Jamie’s life sometimes resembles the old screwball comedies. If you’re new to the series, I recommend you start from the beginning. Each book is a fun and breezy read.

Goodreads synopsis: Reluctant family law attorney Jamie Quinn is loving life--and why wouldn't she? Her boyfriend Kip is back from Australia, her long-lost dad finally has his visa and she's about to start her dream job at an art foundation. But it all falls apart when Jamie is accused of stealing priceless art from a rare book collection. If she can't find out who framed her, she can kiss her dream job good-bye--and her law license too. Meanwhile, Kip has problems of his own. Now an environmental activist, he uncovers a deadly secret--one that just might get him killed. Jamie's in trouble, Kip's in danger, and Duke Broussard has gone AWOL. How could Jamie's favorite P.I. abandon her at a time like this?

Jeopardy in July (Jamie Quinn Mystery, Book 5)

BARBARA VENKATARAMAN

Synopsis from Goodreads: Old people were dying at an alarming rate at La Vida Boca, a posh assisted living facility in Boca Raton, Florida. With its sterling reputation, dedicated staff, and top-notch medical care, none of the deaths are considered suspicious, but when members of the poker club start to die under strange circumstances, attorney Jamie Quinn finds herself once again embroiled in a mystery. With help from her new friend, Jessie Sandler, and her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie uncovers a crime that took place forty years earlier. Can she stop the killer in time? Or is she in danger of becoming the next victim?

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, 2017.

How acquired: Link to free download provided by the author Goodreads.

First Line: With lights flashing, an ambulance pulled up to the front door of La Vida Boca before screeching to a stop.

My thoughts:  When Ms. Venkataraman posted on Goodreads that her newest Jamie Quinn mystery was live on Amazon, with a link to download a free copy, I jumped on it. I've enjoyed all the Jamie Quinn stories, and I think this fifth book in the series is my favorite.

Jamie's boyfriend, Kip, is still off in Australia playing with wombats, but there was plenty going on in Jamie's world to keep her occupied while missing him. Jamie is such a fun character, witty and self-deprecating, and drawn to helping others. We don't see as much of bestie Grace as in the previous book, but P.I. Duke gets lots of page time, and I love the banter between Jamie and Duke. Frenemie state attorney Nick finds himself having to grudgingly bring Jamie into an investigation he's assisting her FBI pal Jayashree with, and while Nick and Jamie aren't the best of friends they definitely have chemistry and their banter is even better than that between Jamie and Duke.

There's a lot going on plot wise – art forgery, poker buddies at a senior citizen living center dying one after another, Kip possibly keeping a secret from Jamie, her dad acting strange when she tells him she's coming to visit him – and Ms. Venkataraman weaves everything together seamlessly. I think I laughed out loud more at this book than the previous ones, and I got quite teary eyed at one point.

This series is fun to read, and while each entry involves a different mystery and could probably stand alone, I recommend reading them in order. I sure hope there will be more Jamie in the future!  

Engaged in Danger

BARBARA VENKATARAMAN

Synopsis from Goodreads: Finally, life is good for reluctant family law attorney, Jamie Quinn--her father may get his visa soon, her boyfriend is the bomb, and her law practice is growing like crazy--but when she agrees to take on a high-profile divorce case, everything falls apart. What looked like an opportunity to work with her friend Grace and make some serious bucks has turned into a deadly game, one that could destroy their friendship and tear their town apart. Why couldn't Jamie just leave well enough alone?

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, 2015.

How acquired: Given to me by the author.

First lines: “What do you mean you're going to Australia for three months? If this is a joke, Kip, I don't think it's funny.”

My thoughts: As this fourth book in the enjoyable Jamie Quinn series opens, Jamie is upset to learn that her Parks Director boyfriend is going to Australia for three months to play with wombats. But she shouldn't worry too much – her life is about to get super busy, with plenty of goings on to keep her occupied.

Jamie misses Kip while he's gone, but I'll admit that I did not. With my favorite PI Marmaduke Broussard around, I'm happy and entertained. Of course Jamie's life wouldn't be complete without a little danger thrown in. And there's a lot of plot going on to keep things movin at a brisk pace - a woman who can't get any other attorney in the state to represent her in a divorce from her high-powered attorney husband, an investigation into who owned an airplane that crashed, leaving the little girl next door an orphan, a partnership and then a falling out between Jamie and Grace, and an ending that made me tear up. Plus an unexpected Nick Dimitropoulos moment – he's been one of my favorite characters since the first book, and I've resigned myself to the fact that he and Jamie will never be romantically involved, but I like where I think the author is taking him now!

This is my favorite entry in the series. The writing is smooth and flowing, the characters are realistic and a bit quirky, the story line has some twists and turns, and the dialogue is fun and often funny. I hope there will be more Jamie Quinn books in the future. 

Peril in the Park (Jamie Quinn Mystery, Book 3)

BARBARA VENKATARAMAN

Synopsis from Goodreads: There's big trouble in the park system. Someone is making life difficult for Jamie Quinn's boyfriend, Kip Simons, the new director of Broward County parks. Was it the angry supervisor passed over for promotion? The disgruntled employee Kip recently fired? Or someone with a bigger ax to grind? If Jamie can't figure it out soon, she may be looking for a new boyfriend because there’s a dead guy in the park and Kip has gone missing! With the help of her favorite P.I., Duke Broussard, Jamie must race the clock to find Kip before it’s too late.

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, 2014.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: “You know how Floridians always say, 'We don't care how you did it in New York?'” Kip asked me, exasperated.

My thoughts: Jamie Quinn is back, and once again trouble seems to be following her, with another mystery popping up in her life. She and Parks Director Kip are a steady item now, and shady things are going on in the Parks Department. Kip is under a lot of stress with his job, but won't talk about it much, and Jamie doesn't really know what all going on, other than a vandal being on the loose. Then she gets a mysterious email from someone going by the name I-C-U, with pictures of she and Kip at various locations, and warning her to tell her boyfriend to back off. From there things just get more and more mysterious as Jamie, and her PI friend Duke, are drawn into investigating the vandalism and the murder of another PI, with ties to the Parks dept.

Meanwhile, Jamie and her stepmother are still trying to get her father's visa application approved so he can come back to the US.

There's not much more I can say without giving away plot points that should be revealed to the reader along with Jamie. But I can say that it's an enjoyable read, with the mystery surrounding Kip's job having one unpredictable plot twist after another. Jamie is a fun narrator and character, the type of person I'd like to be friends with. A quick breezy read with a nice little mystery tidily wrapped up in the end. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Jamie finds next. 

And I LOVE the cover picture! 

 I do recommend reading this series in order, starting with DEATH BY DIDGERIDOO (click the title to see my review... 

And then THE CASE OF THE KILLER DIVORCE:

Like the first book in the Jamie Quinn series it was a quick, fun read. I'm enjoying the character of Jamie and her breezy humorous narration. The mystery, with the soon to be ex-husband of Jamie's client suddenly dying, didn't feel quite as well developed as the mystery plot in the first book, and was resolved just a little abruptly, but it was still enjoyable. I was glad to see Duke back, but was hoping for more of Nick “Mr. State Attorney” Dimitropoulos - Jamie runs into an old flame and starts dating him, but I was wanting to see Nick become a love interest. Still, this was a perfect light read while recovering from hurting my back during my recent move.  

Death by Didgeridoo (A Jamie Quinn Mystery, Book 1)

BARBARA VENKATARAMAN

Synopsis from Goodreads: Reluctant lawyer, Jamie Quinn, still reeling from the death of her mother, is pulled into a game of deception, jealousy, and vengeance when her cousin, Adam, is wrongfully accused of murder. It's up to Jamie to find the real murderer before it's too late. It doesn't help that the victim is a former rock star with more enemies than friends, or that Adam confessed to a murder he didn't commit.

Stats for my copy: Pdf received from the author for review.

First line: I don't know why I feel guilty, it's not like I killed the guy.

My thoughts: My attention was captured from that first line, which did well at setting the tone for the story. Jamie Quinn, an insomniac family law attorney, receives a frantic call from her aunt. Her cousin, Adam, who has Asperger Syndrome, has been accused of murdering his music teacher, a former rock star. Jamie begins investigating, looking for evidence that will point to the real murderer. Not being a criminal attorney, she's a little out of her depth, but having represented a womanizing PI in his divorce proceeding, she enlists his help, along with that of her friend, Grace, who used to work for the public defender's office.

This was a short, bouncy, fun read. Jamie is our narrator, and she often has a humorous and self-deprecating way of looking at, and describing, things and events. The PI, Duke, was an interesting, somewhat charming character, a little on the sleazy side without being skeevy. There's also the disdainful Nick “Mr. State Attorney” Dimitropoulos, who is determined to find enough evidence of his own to press charges. I thought he might end up being a potential love interest for Jamie, who described him as “a GQ cover model”, but the story never went there. Which is fine since this is a mystery, not a romance – I read way too much romance and expect to encounter it in everything else I read.

There's not a lot of character development, but considering how short the book is (87 pages in pdf format, not counting the excerpt at the back) the author still did a good job of making each character distinct from the others. The plot moved along at a brisk pace without being too rushed or confusing, and mystery was neatly wrapped up in the end. I look forward to continuing with this series.