I still love the characters but this was slow to the point of inert. Any time action started to build, it would be nipped right out before anything could actually change. I waited a long time for the new installment and it was a big let-down. ( )

Even though I did not particularly like the first book I read in this series, which was A Bad Day for Pretty, I really like this book. I enjoyed the characters and I think the plot was a little lighter than the last book. I hope to read more in the series. This book was well written and I like that the main character is older, flawed, and encountering many of the everyday problems that a lot of people face. A good book. ( )

When I think of Stella Hardesty one word comes to mind: BADASS. Now, lest you think I am taking advantage of marketing my blog in the text of this review – let me prove to you why Stella is so gosh darned BADASS.

1. At the age of 50 she redefined her body from chubby to svelte, powerful and able to endure a lot of physical activity.

2. At the age of 49 she killed (in defense and out of anger) her long standing physically abusive husband. (Note: I am not endorsing murder, this is simply a factor in her badassedness).

3. Stella knows how to use a gun, a knife, and various implements of torture - -and not for 50 Shades of fun but for the defense and protection of herself and other women.

4. Stella protects women and children who are fleeing abusive situations.

5. Stella still has that something special – enough to turn the eye of the hot local sheriff in her direction.

6. Stella goes toe to toe and nose to nose with mobsters, drug dealers and local snobby women.

7. Stella can cook, sew and take care of kids in addition to wielding a gun and taking down villains.

A Bad Day for Scandal is the best in the series so far, which is saying a lot because this series is really really good. I listened to the audio (as I did for the first two), the narrator is different for this one and she is fabulous. What makes this one so good? The character and relationship development and the pushing of the overall story arc. Sophie Littlefield is skilled at including full conversations, rather than small snippets here and there. The full conversations might not be necessary for the overall plot line, but they are important to get a fuller picture of the characters and a richer context. We see Stella in the caretaker role in terms of her relationship with the neighbor boy and her relationship with her daughter. We see Stella in a blossoming and often times difficult romantic relationship. And we see Stella as a business partner with Chrissy. This series just offers so much to readers that I have not seen in other books/series. There is action, a decent mystery, really funny humor, a smidgen of romance and sexuality, interpersonal relationship drama and story/character progression. I think in the genre of crime fiction it is hard to find a story that has well rounded female characters and is decently funny. The setting of rural Missouri adds a lot to the storyline. There are so many books in crime fiction that take place in urban settings, but the rural atmosphere has so much flavor and potential.

Let me leave you with a Stellaisms from A Bad Day for Sorry:

He settled his big hands on her hips. He let them slide slowly down to cup her ass which she had jammed into a Spanx hide and seek high rise panty. Before slipping on the slinky purple faux wrap dress that her daughter had given her after surviving being held at gunpoint together gift the prior fall. Stella was fairly sure she would enjoy the sensation of Goat’s strong fingers kneading her flesh if it hadn’t gotten numb in its fierce polyester lycra prison hours ago.

How is a gun better than a man? If you admire a friend's pistol she'll probably let you try it out.

Oh, your mom is going to kill me. What was I think getting you practically murdered and on a school night too.

We are not spending company time trying to figure out how to do a dirty porno act! ( )

Another fun book from Sophie. The "only" thing I have to say is I sure hope she's not taking a page from Janet Evanovich and eeking out this relationship with Goat until we're all frustrated. Let's get it on! ( )

A good day for reading

A Bad Day for Scandal is Sophie Littlefield’s third mystery featuring Prosper, Missouri’s answer to… I want to say Clint Eastwood, but that’s not right. Stella Hardesty is one tough lady. Don’t let the sewing machine shop fool you; it’s a cover. Her real calling is meting out justice and vengeance, often in equal parts. Ever since she emancipated herself—permanently—from her abusive husband, she’s been helping out other ladies in the same boat.

Therefore, it really isn’t that unusual when Stella’s phone rings in the middle of a social gathering. Like so many professionals, she’s on call 24/7. Priss Porter’s timing couldn’t be much worse, though. Stella was entertaining, among others, the one man she should be keeping her distance from, Sheriff “Goat” Jones, and for once, things seem to be moving forward between the two of them. But Priss is over at her brother’s, in town from Kansas City, insisting that she needs to see Stella immediately.

It has been said that friends will help you move, and that really good friends will help you move bodies. Well, rest assured, Stella and Priss aren’t THAT close. Stella wants nothing to do with the little problem decomposing in Priss’s trunk. When Stella proves to be unbuyable, Priss moves on to blackmail to elicit her help. That doesn’t work either. Unfortunately, before Stella can get a feel for how to handle Priss, both she and her brother turn up missing. The Sheriff is looking at Stella askance. And Stella and her associates again find themselves following a convoluted path in search of answers.

What I described above are the opening scenes of an enjoyable enough mystery, but unusually for the genre, it’s not the plots that make this series. The mysteries are well-plotted, fast-paced, and complex enough that I’ve never come near to figuring out who done it on my own. Perhaps more impressively, Ms. Littlefield hasn’t fallen back on the same structure or type of story, though the series’ premise suggests she would or could. Nonetheless, each outing finds Stella in a different kettle of fish. Still, for me, these stories are all about character.

I’ve always been able to hear Stella’s distinctive voice in my head, but it was delightful to finally hear it in audiobook form, read by the talented Barbara Rosenblat. Ms. Littlefield strikes a perfect balance between the light elements and the dark ones in her novels, and Ms. Rosenblat gets this balance just right, too. There’s no denying that these books are exceedingly funny, but there’s nothing cute about them. Ms. Rosenblat mines all the humor while still bringing every character realistically to life. It’s worth noting that she does an unusually good job with the male characters. And while Stella is at the center of this universe, over the course of three novels, her world has been fully peopled with individuals that jump off the page. There’s her sidekick, Chrissy; Todd, the teenager across the street; and the Green Hat Ladies—to name but a few.

I guess you could jump into this series with any of the books, but when reading such delicious characters, personally, I think you’d get more pleasure starting at the beginning and watching the relationship and character arcs develop. Both Littlefield and Hardesty seem to be improving with each tale. So far, I’m three for three with Sophie and Stella. I’ve read them on paper, on my Kindle, and now on audio. As far as I can tell, there’s no wrong way to enjoy these novels. ( )