You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Routine Infidelity by Elizabeth Coleman is a delightfully entertaining crime solving caper mixed with an equally enjoyable family drama.
Edwina “Ted” Bristol is a private investigator in Melbourne where much of her work is catching cheating spouses and serving summons to the unsuspecting. Along with her miniature schnauzer sidekick, Miss Maple, she’s keen to get her teeth into some serious crime solving so when she stumbles upon an embezzling plot during routine surveillance and discovers her beloved sister, Bob, might be the target of a catfishing scam, she dives headfirst into both cases. Also, thrown into the mix are the family relationships of the Bristol clan (Ted & Bob have 7 brothers!), a long-held secret, a psychic neighbour, a spunky friend with benefits and epic Swordcraft battles – it all makes for some entertaining escapism!
In my opinion, what sets this book apart is the beautiful underlying narrative of the Bristol family and that really connected and added depth for me. Ted is a great main character, flawed and frustrating but as a reader, I was also rooting for her the whole time. My favourite characters were her sister with a heart of gold, Bob, and the clever miniature schnauzer Miss Marple was a winner!
I’ve been lucking enough to get my hands on an early copy of the next book in the series, A Dance with Murder, which is out in January. I can’t wait to revisit these characters but think I will wait to Christmas holiday to escape into the fun of Ted’s world again – it will make the perfect beach read!
Edwina “Ted” Bristol is a private investigator in Melbourne where much of her work is catching cheating spouses and serving summons to the unsuspecting. Along with her miniature schnauzer sidekick, Miss Maple, she’s keen to get her teeth into some serious crime solving so when she stumbles upon an embezzling plot during routine surveillance and discovers her beloved sister, Bob, might be the target of a catfishing scam, she dives headfirst into both cases. Also, thrown into the mix are the family relationships of the Bristol clan (Ted & Bob have 7 brothers!), a long-held secret, a psychic neighbour, a spunky friend with benefits and epic Swordcraft battles – it all makes for some entertaining escapism!
In my opinion, what sets this book apart is the beautiful underlying narrative of the Bristol family and that really connected and added depth for me. Ted is a great main character, flawed and frustrating but as a reader, I was also rooting for her the whole time. My favourite characters were her sister with a heart of gold, Bob, and the clever miniature schnauzer Miss Marple was a winner!
I’ve been lucking enough to get my hands on an early copy of the next book in the series, A Dance with Murder, which is out in January. I can’t wait to revisit these characters but think I will wait to Christmas holiday to escape into the fun of Ted’s world again – it will make the perfect beach read!
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Edwina Bristol is growing her private eye business, working mostly to catch cheating spouses and missing pets, but is craving a chance to sink her teeth in to a real crime. When she overhears one of her cheating spouses talking to his lover about embezzling millions of dollers she is sure this is her chance, and puts her all into tracking down the evidence. Has Ted bitten off more than she can chew though? With her life in danger Ted doesn't know where to turn for help.
I grabbed this from Audible as a daily deal because the blurb caught my eye, and I've been particularly enjoying cosy crime recently. This one was fun and a slightly different take, with our heroine being a private investigator. It was a nice change.
The storyline in this one is a lot of fun. As mentioned in the synopsis Ted's cases tend to focus on cheating spouses and similar things. Her methods sound a bit madcap (such as knowing all of the bin routes so that she can check her clients rubbish) but she gets results. There's plenty of humour and light heartedness to be found in these cases, and even when we get into the nitty gritty of the embezlement case the book still doesn't become too serious or dark.
Ted herself is a bit of an enigma. She's close to her sister, but distanced from her father despite having regular family catch ups. She doesn't want to settle down, keeping her friend with benefits at arms length. It's obvious there is something holding her back from developing these relationships, but it takes time to realise what is going on. This is the part of the book that is taken a little more seriously, but Coleman still manages to do this without getting things too dark and heavy.
All up I thought this was a great lighthearted and fun read. I'll be grabbing the second book, but probably keep it up my sleeve for a while until I need a pick me up listen.
I grabbed this from Audible as a daily deal because the blurb caught my eye, and I've been particularly enjoying cosy crime recently. This one was fun and a slightly different take, with our heroine being a private investigator. It was a nice change.
The storyline in this one is a lot of fun. As mentioned in the synopsis Ted's cases tend to focus on cheating spouses and similar things. Her methods sound a bit madcap (such as knowing all of the bin routes so that she can check her clients rubbish) but she gets results. There's plenty of humour and light heartedness to be found in these cases, and even when we get into the nitty gritty of the embezlement case the book still doesn't become too serious or dark.
Ted herself is a bit of an enigma. She's close to her sister, but distanced from her father despite having regular family catch ups. She doesn't want to settle down, keeping her friend with benefits at arms length. It's obvious there is something holding her back from developing these relationships, but it takes time to realise what is going on. This is the part of the book that is taken a little more seriously, but Coleman still manages to do this without getting things too dark and heavy.
All up I thought this was a great lighthearted and fun read. I'll be grabbing the second book, but probably keep it up my sleeve for a while until I need a pick me up listen.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This. Book. Went. On. Way. Longer. Than. It. Should. Have.
OMG. I remember looking down at one point as it seemed to be wrapping up and seeing I still had another 20% to go and thinking what in the hell is there left to say? Turns out, if you just keep adding on new twists to mostly resolved plot lines, you can go on indefinitely.
I want to talk about Bob. She deserves to be cat-fished into complete and utter financial ruin, I’m actually saddened that she wasn’t shot. I wish Ted had used that gun on Bob. I will never forgive this author for making sit through the absolute bullshit that was Bob negotiating with Ted to let that unhinged woman get off completely scot free.
Unredeemable fucking nonsense.
OMG. I remember looking down at one point as it seemed to be wrapping up and seeing I still had another 20% to go and thinking what in the hell is there left to say? Turns out, if you just keep adding on new twists to mostly resolved plot lines, you can go on indefinitely.
I want to talk about Bob. She deserves to be cat-fished into complete and utter financial ruin, I’m actually saddened that she wasn’t shot. I wish Ted had used that gun on Bob. I will never forgive this author for making sit through the absolute bullshit that was Bob negotiating with Ted to let that unhinged woman get off completely scot free.
Unredeemable fucking nonsense.
Private investigator Edwina ‘Ted’ Bristol was your go-to for cheating husbands and missing chihuahuas in Melbourne, but she was yearning for a real crime to solve. She might have gotten her wish as she came across a plot to embezzle millions. Not to mention, an internet catfishing scam which her sister, Bob, might have fallen prey to. She was set to investigate with her miniature schanuzer sidekick, Miss Marple.
I think this was my first 5-star cosy mystery in a long time! I immediately fell in love with Ted and Miss Marple from the first page.
I loved the characters, the plot, the pace and the storytelling. It even taught me a thing or two about prejudice as all the Bristol girls were given male names and vice versa. I chuckled out loud in places, and I just couldn’t stop turning the pages (figuratively, as I listened to the audiobook).
For a cosy, the plot of this was not easily predictable at all. It had all the right complexity I was after in books! Ted’s inner guilt about her mum was heartbreaking, and added an extra dimension to the story.
I should also mention that the audiobook narration was done superbly! Ella James, the narrator, was the perfect voice for Ted. Her inflections were perfect to deliver the subtle, sometimes dark, humours in the book. Long story short, I loved everything about it.