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The Leah Ryan Mysteries #1
Repo Chick Blues
Reformed car thief Leah Ryan is trouble. But she is keeping her head down when her Jeep is repossessed. Unfortunately, most of her money is going toward past due attorney fees for her younger brother Jesse; a mischievous hacker serving his last few weeks in prison. Without a way to get to her construction job, she is fired. Leah needs a job fast. She’s a natural at stealing cars, and decides to ask Callahan Parker, the man who repossessed her Jeep, to hire her. This decision marks the beginning of a nightmare for Leah Ryan.
During her first night of work, Leah makes an enemy of a twisted drug lord, Brent Woodard, who targets her for revenge. Things go from bad to worse when Leah discovers that Woodard is smuggling Asian women into the United States and forcing them into prostitution. She is determined to stop him, by any means necessary. But Woodard has friends. Among these is a crooked, sadistic cop who makes her plan more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Soon it’s not only her life at stake, but that of her brother Jesse, who disappears within a day of his release from prison. Leah enlists the help of Callahan and a few friends from her shady past; a past she promised herself she’d never return to, to enter into a dark underworld of sex, drugs and death.
During her first night of work, Leah makes an enemy of a twisted drug lord, Brent Woodard, who targets her for revenge. Things go from bad to worse when Leah discovers that Woodard is smuggling Asian women into the United States and forcing them into prostitution. She is determined to stop him, by any means necessary. But Woodard has friends. Among these is a crooked, sadistic cop who makes her plan more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Soon it’s not only her life at stake, but that of her brother Jesse, who disappears within a day of his release from prison. Leah enlists the help of Callahan and a few friends from her shady past; a past she promised herself she’d never return to, to enter into a dark underworld of sex, drugs and death.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
64 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Sharp
38 books50 followersTracy Sharp grew up in a small mining town in Northern Ontario, Canada, where there wasn't much for her to do except dress warmly and write spooky stories to scare herself silly.
Tracy now lives in Upstate NY with her family.
Tracy now lives in Upstate NY with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 17, 2011
REPO CHICK BLUES introduces us to Leah Ryan, a tough young woman, a reformed car thief, working in construction to pay past due lawyer fees for her brother, Jesse, a computer hacker about to get out of prison in a couple of weeks.
Her car gets repossessed and no way to get to work gets her fired.
Without a job, she asks the man who repossessed her jeep, Callahan Parker, for a job(which takes a lot of balls, in a metaphorical sense). She's able to put those rusty car thief skills to good use.
However, on her first day, she makes a bitter enemy of one repossession. Brent Woodard, a drug dealer, and, she learns later, a man who smuggles young oriental girls into the country for a life of prostitution.
Leah is determined to stop him, which puts her, and everyone around her, in danger.
Jesse disappears within a day of release and Leah knows who has him. She calls on some other old friends from her juvie days, and Callahan, to go after Woodard.
A fine mystery in, I guess you would call it, the genre of erotric thriller. There's sex here and lots of action.
I liked it and already have the other two books in the series.
Her car gets repossessed and no way to get to work gets her fired.
Without a job, she asks the man who repossessed her jeep, Callahan Parker, for a job(which takes a lot of balls, in a metaphorical sense). She's able to put those rusty car thief skills to good use.
However, on her first day, she makes a bitter enemy of one repossession. Brent Woodard, a drug dealer, and, she learns later, a man who smuggles young oriental girls into the country for a life of prostitution.
Leah is determined to stop him, which puts her, and everyone around her, in danger.
Jesse disappears within a day of release and Leah knows who has him. She calls on some other old friends from her juvie days, and Callahan, to go after Woodard.
A fine mystery in, I guess you would call it, the genre of erotric thriller. There's sex here and lots of action.
I liked it and already have the other two books in the series.
November 30, 2025
Leah Ryan finds herself getting her car taking by the repo man. No matter how good looking he is, she still is pissed and gets fired due to being late for work. Deciding her working in the as a repossession agent is the job for her and the hot repo man training her is an added bonus. It is not all easy going though when a drug dealer sets his sights on her and danger ramps up.
Had potential but had a hard time believing that she would go on a repo job with short cut offs and tees, sans bra in some instances. Just became unbelievable.
Had potential but had a hard time believing that she would go on a repo job with short cut offs and tees, sans bra in some instances. Just became unbelievable.
July 28, 2013
Please Note: I read this book in September 2011 from a copy I won in a giveaway. All opinions are my own.
About the Book: Book 1 in the Leah Ryan mysteries introduces us to hard-as-nails Leah Ryan; former juvenile car thief, now a construction worker. When her car is repossessed, she decides to try to get a job there; the owner, Callahan, gives her a chance and she quickly shows she knows what she is doing. On one of the first jobs, she rescues a mistreated Rottweiler, who is called Buddy, and takes him in. On another of the earliest jobs, she repossesses the car of the local drug lord and pimp, Brent Woodard, who then sets out to make her life miserable – she, of course, sets out to return the favor. By the end, she has contacted a bunch of her old friends and even her brother, recently released from jail after hacking into a government database, is involved.
My Thoughts: Fast-moving and high tension, this is a book to keep you reading through to the end. I really enjoyed it. There were a couple plot mishaps – most obviously when she first says her brother was three years old one year after her mother left them, and then later says he was four prior to her mother leaving – but they were minor enough to not reduce my enjoyment of the story. I already had book 2, “Finding Chloe,” and also picked up book 3, “Dirty Business.” I highly recommend these books to those who enjoy a kick-butt heroine. Great stuff!
About the Book: Book 1 in the Leah Ryan mysteries introduces us to hard-as-nails Leah Ryan; former juvenile car thief, now a construction worker. When her car is repossessed, she decides to try to get a job there; the owner, Callahan, gives her a chance and she quickly shows she knows what she is doing. On one of the first jobs, she rescues a mistreated Rottweiler, who is called Buddy, and takes him in. On another of the earliest jobs, she repossesses the car of the local drug lord and pimp, Brent Woodard, who then sets out to make her life miserable – she, of course, sets out to return the favor. By the end, she has contacted a bunch of her old friends and even her brother, recently released from jail after hacking into a government database, is involved.
My Thoughts: Fast-moving and high tension, this is a book to keep you reading through to the end. I really enjoyed it. There were a couple plot mishaps – most obviously when she first says her brother was three years old one year after her mother left them, and then later says he was four prior to her mother leaving – but they were minor enough to not reduce my enjoyment of the story. I already had book 2, “Finding Chloe,” and also picked up book 3, “Dirty Business.” I highly recommend these books to those who enjoy a kick-butt heroine. Great stuff!
September 26, 2016
I'm on a constant lookout for books with action heroines set in the modern era. Tracy Sharp's Repo Chick Blues fills the bill quite nicely. Main character Leah Ryan is fully fleshed out. She is believable, likeable, funny, tough, feminine and imperfect. We care about her character and also the people around her. She has some skeletons in her closet but they are realistic and add to the story. Overall I was quite impressed with Sharp's writing. This in not your average indie author. Grammar, spelling and editing are all way above average; if it weren't for a few missing quotation marks and double words that slipped past spell-check you wouldn't know it wasn't published by a big time book publisher. These are minor technical gaffes and easily overlooked.
Leah is a former juvenile delinquent and has lived a checkered past. Her libido is fully functioning and there are some sexy moments through the book but they are all tastefully written and germane to the story. Some mild profanity and humorous dancing around of the 'F' word may not appeal to everyone but mainstream adult readers won't find anything offensive here. The story is mostly believable though the reader may have to suspend reality a bit here and there. Despite the author having studied up on auto repossessing and car theft a few technical errors occur that probably will only bother the car geeks (of which I am one). Lastly, this is the second book written by a female author that gets motorcycles wrong (you accelerate by twisting the throttle, not pushing a pedal). These are mostly minor quibbles and a reader will most likely just shrug and keep turning the pages. You WILL want to turn the pages to find out what ultimately happens to dear Leah, and that is the point of a thriller. Good writing, character driven story, a gun battle or two...what more could you ask for?
Leah is a former juvenile delinquent and has lived a checkered past. Her libido is fully functioning and there are some sexy moments through the book but they are all tastefully written and germane to the story. Some mild profanity and humorous dancing around of the 'F' word may not appeal to everyone but mainstream adult readers won't find anything offensive here. The story is mostly believable though the reader may have to suspend reality a bit here and there. Despite the author having studied up on auto repossessing and car theft a few technical errors occur that probably will only bother the car geeks (of which I am one). Lastly, this is the second book written by a female author that gets motorcycles wrong (you accelerate by twisting the throttle, not pushing a pedal). These are mostly minor quibbles and a reader will most likely just shrug and keep turning the pages. You WILL want to turn the pages to find out what ultimately happens to dear Leah, and that is the point of a thriller. Good writing, character driven story, a gun battle or two...what more could you ask for?
January 8, 2014
This is the first book by Tracy Sharp I believe I have read... I got turned on to her Repo Chick series because she did a combo book with Jack Kilborn (Jacked Up!). I am a huge fan of Jack Daniels and her series (Kilborn). When I read Jacked Up I wanted to get to know more about Leah Ryan and her Repo blues.
I was NOT disappointed!!! This book was well written. The characters where interesting and had depth. The book was very entertaining, and held my interest throughout, was difficult to put down. I love when a book makes me laugh, cringe, get angry with the characters, and maybe a little tear of sadness (not a lot a single tear)...
This book had it all- including some good sex.
I was NOT disappointed!!! This book was well written. The characters where interesting and had depth. The book was very entertaining, and held my interest throughout, was difficult to put down. I love when a book makes me laugh, cringe, get angry with the characters, and maybe a little tear of sadness (not a lot a single tear)...
This book had it all- including some good sex.
September 13, 2011
If you like a tough heroine who can kick butt then this book is for you. It's packed with raw action, steamy love scenes and a look at life on the seedy end of town. Surprisingly there's an emotional attachment to friends and family that make you see there's more to Leah Ryan than what you first expect. Can't wait to read the sequel for more action!
March 21, 2018
Repo Chick Blues, The Leah Ryan Series #1
by Tracy Sharp
This was a very well-written novel. The author writes very much in the style of J.A. Konrath, so I wasn't surprised to see that she has written not only this series, but a couple of books in the Amazon Jack Daniels Kindle World, and co-authored a short story featuring Leah Ryan and some characters from Konrath's Jack Daniels series, as well as her other works on her own and in other J.A. Konrath Kindle Worlds. Like Konrath, some of her thriller work is gritty and sometimes hard to read, gory and/or horrific. But if you have the stomach for it, this novel is well-plotted and paced. The characterizations are fully fleshed out and consistent, and most importantly, they are believable. There is plenty of danger and a boat-load of action. Good editing and proofing, the only error I found being one of digital formatting, which is not the author's problem, but the digitizer. Leah Ryan's world may not be glamorous or conservative, but it is never boring.
The storyline, in short, is that Leah is a former car thief who did time as a juvenile. She works hard -- the past few years in construction -- but is still in debt as she is paying the legal fees of her younger brother, who is about to be released from prison. When her car is repossessed and she loses her job because she had no way to get there without the car, she decides she'll try to put those long-ago car thief skills to work and gets a job with the company that repossessed her car. As one might imagine, repossessing vehicles doesn't make one many friends. But one particular repossession puts her in the sights of someone she knew when she did time in juvie -- and he was an enemy then, too. His threats extend not only to Leah, but to her brother, her friends, and her boss and co-workers. Enough is enough.
This series is definitely on my "to-read" list.
by Tracy Sharp
This was a very well-written novel. The author writes very much in the style of J.A. Konrath, so I wasn't surprised to see that she has written not only this series, but a couple of books in the Amazon Jack Daniels Kindle World, and co-authored a short story featuring Leah Ryan and some characters from Konrath's Jack Daniels series, as well as her other works on her own and in other J.A. Konrath Kindle Worlds. Like Konrath, some of her thriller work is gritty and sometimes hard to read, gory and/or horrific. But if you have the stomach for it, this novel is well-plotted and paced. The characterizations are fully fleshed out and consistent, and most importantly, they are believable. There is plenty of danger and a boat-load of action. Good editing and proofing, the only error I found being one of digital formatting, which is not the author's problem, but the digitizer. Leah Ryan's world may not be glamorous or conservative, but it is never boring.
The storyline, in short, is that Leah is a former car thief who did time as a juvenile. She works hard -- the past few years in construction -- but is still in debt as she is paying the legal fees of her younger brother, who is about to be released from prison. When her car is repossessed and she loses her job because she had no way to get there without the car, she decides she'll try to put those long-ago car thief skills to work and gets a job with the company that repossessed her car. As one might imagine, repossessing vehicles doesn't make one many friends. But one particular repossession puts her in the sights of someone she knew when she did time in juvie -- and he was an enemy then, too. His threats extend not only to Leah, but to her brother, her friends, and her boss and co-workers. Enough is enough.
This series is definitely on my "to-read" list.
September 28, 2025
2.5 but rounding to 3.
I wanted to like this book. There was potential but the main characters were annoying. The FMC had a tramadic background but the storyline was flat. So was the MMC. Dropped plot points, secondary characters that had better potential to be main characters and stereotypes for bad guys. Some good ideas that just fell flat for me.
I wanted to like this book. There was potential but the main characters were annoying. The FMC had a tramadic background but the storyline was flat. So was the MMC. Dropped plot points, secondary characters that had better potential to be main characters and stereotypes for bad guys. Some good ideas that just fell flat for me.
May 20, 2017
One of the best books I have read in a long time.
I love the fact that karma comes back to bite the bad guys in the ass. I can't wait to read book 2.
I love the fact that karma comes back to bite the bad guys in the ass. I can't wait to read book 2.
September 9, 2017
Awesome
Funny, action, suspense and romance what more could a girl ask for in a book that keeps wondering what Leah will do next
Funny, action, suspense and romance what more could a girl ask for in a book that keeps wondering what Leah will do next
March 18, 2018
Great read!
Loved the characters. Keeps you on edge but in a fun way. Can't wait to read the next one in the series.
Loved the characters. Keeps you on edge but in a fun way. Can't wait to read the next one in the series.
February 28, 2018
OK book.
Interesting story line.
Juvie kids after a few years, when they have separate lives that violently collide.
Interesting story line.
Juvie kids after a few years, when they have separate lives that violently collide.
June 22, 2018
Action Action Action!!!! Great read!
April 25, 2014
This was basically a thriller that tried to be a mystery, but it wasn't an "edge of your seat" type thriller, and the word is really too strong, but I can't think of anything better. I read this because I'm a fan of JA Korthrath's Jack Daniel's series and read Jacked Up. I really like the premise here, Leah Ryan is a great character. I liked this book fine, but it was at times hard to stick with it and see it to resolution.
I prefer to talk about what I liked rather than what I didn't because I'm a writer myself and am sensitive to that. I'm a voracious reader and I love being taken along for a ride. I don't mind if reality gets bent along the way and can suspend belief very well. So I'm going to start with what I liked.
I really like Leah Ryan as a character. I think she's quirky and fun, she has hang-ups, she does things for stupid reasons and not everything goes her way. Jack was the same way; a quirky and good character. Callahan too. Jesse was almost too lightly brushed, but there's potential.
The story was fine, but it was often hard to follow the logic that allowed the characters to go from point A to point B. For instance, why would Callahan, a sole-proprietor of his own business who theoretically has his own bills and rent to pay, suddenly start spending all his time with this new girl he just met and actually even repossessed her car? I rolled with it, but in the back of my mind I was thinking this has got to be out of character for him. And on the same token why would Leah, who says many times how much she needs to work, risk her new-found job for something that, in the beginning, has only a peripheral effect on her.
Like I said, I rolled with it and it didn't break the story for me. They were concerns I thought of as I went along. What was harder was that the internal dialog was clipped, sometimes only voicing a half-thought, and much time was spent telling me the reader why things were how they were. Followed by a passage showing me with a fun series of paragraphs in which said action/thought/reaction was presented. This was much harder for me to continue though. There were so many opportunities for the author to flesh out Leah and Jack, especially, that I felt sad I only got to know their surface characters.
Also, Leah talks about being in Juvenille Hall, stealing cars, and such. She talks about what a bad kid she was. The flashback sections were great and some of the best written parts of the book. I loved revisiting that part of her past. Bringing it forward though, it was all talk again.
And - this is where my sense of disbelief overrode by ability to go with the flow - if we're to believe Leah and Jack's background is in petty crime and car theft, how in the world is Leah: 1. Able to shoot someone in the head with nary a sad thought, and 2. Such a great marksman that she can shoot up so many people in the park. And 3: How did they walk away from any kind of implication in the murders and dead bodies in the shack? Was it never found, never reported? Did no one ever wonder what became of Trooper Finn? Cops usually go crazy investigating when one of their own is thought to be hurt or missing.
I liked this book fine. It wasn't bad, and I will read the next one too no doubt. I think I might have enjoyed Repo Chick Blues more if I had read it first. It's clear that Leah's character development is farther along in Jacked Up.
But if there is anything I can ask of Ms. Sharp for future expeditions with Leah: please please please let us see her clearer. Don't be afraid to paint her in and show us her past. She's fascinating and would make her closer to our hearts. Thanks for the stories!
I prefer to talk about what I liked rather than what I didn't because I'm a writer myself and am sensitive to that. I'm a voracious reader and I love being taken along for a ride. I don't mind if reality gets bent along the way and can suspend belief very well. So I'm going to start with what I liked.
I really like Leah Ryan as a character. I think she's quirky and fun, she has hang-ups, she does things for stupid reasons and not everything goes her way. Jack was the same way; a quirky and good character. Callahan too. Jesse was almost too lightly brushed, but there's potential.
The story was fine, but it was often hard to follow the logic that allowed the characters to go from point A to point B. For instance, why would Callahan, a sole-proprietor of his own business who theoretically has his own bills and rent to pay, suddenly start spending all his time with this new girl he just met and actually even repossessed her car? I rolled with it, but in the back of my mind I was thinking this has got to be out of character for him. And on the same token why would Leah, who says many times how much she needs to work, risk her new-found job for something that, in the beginning, has only a peripheral effect on her.
Like I said, I rolled with it and it didn't break the story for me. They were concerns I thought of as I went along. What was harder was that the internal dialog was clipped, sometimes only voicing a half-thought, and much time was spent telling me the reader why things were how they were. Followed by a passage showing me with a fun series of paragraphs in which said action/thought/reaction was presented. This was much harder for me to continue though. There were so many opportunities for the author to flesh out Leah and Jack, especially, that I felt sad I only got to know their surface characters.
Also, Leah talks about being in Juvenille Hall, stealing cars, and such. She talks about what a bad kid she was. The flashback sections were great and some of the best written parts of the book. I loved revisiting that part of her past. Bringing it forward though, it was all talk again.
And - this is where my sense of disbelief overrode by ability to go with the flow - if we're to believe Leah and Jack's background is in petty crime and car theft, how in the world is Leah: 1. Able to shoot someone in the head with nary a sad thought, and 2. Such a great marksman that she can shoot up so many people in the park. And 3: How did they walk away from any kind of implication in the murders and dead bodies in the shack? Was it never found, never reported? Did no one ever wonder what became of Trooper Finn? Cops usually go crazy investigating when one of their own is thought to be hurt or missing.
I liked this book fine. It wasn't bad, and I will read the next one too no doubt. I think I might have enjoyed Repo Chick Blues more if I had read it first. It's clear that Leah's character development is farther along in Jacked Up.
But if there is anything I can ask of Ms. Sharp for future expeditions with Leah: please please please let us see her clearer. Don't be afraid to paint her in and show us her past. She's fascinating and would make her closer to our hearts. Thanks for the stories!
October 17, 2012
Leah Ryan is determined to leave her past behind. A reformed car thief she is the independent and strong willed character that I usually adore. Although, that was just not the case with this character. I am having one of those moments when I just can not pin point what it is that doesn't really again with me about this story. It has all of the makings of a enjoyable read, but I just do not feel it for the storyline or the characters. I hate giving bad reviews, and I absolutely hate it when it is my first experience with an author. This is just definitely not the book for me, and best if I move forward. If you like the tough girl, action packed, thrill ride check this one out it just might work for you.
~BookWhisperer Reviewer JO~
~BookWhisperer Reviewer JO~
October 3, 2016
My fault
Life is difficult when you blame everything bad on yourself. Somehow you find a way to carry on, trying harder, but never managing to forgive yourself. It isn't any easier when when the neighborhood conspires against you.
Well written, fast paced without too many gory details.
Life is difficult when you blame everything bad on yourself. Somehow you find a way to carry on, trying harder, but never managing to forgive yourself. It isn't any easier when when the neighborhood conspires against you.
Well written, fast paced without too many gory details.
February 8, 2016
Excellent
I love a woman who can bench press a man and still get supper on the table on time. Great story and a very strong female lead. All the characters were amazing and fun to read. Looking forward to the next book.
I love a woman who can bench press a man and still get supper on the table on time. Great story and a very strong female lead. All the characters were amazing and fun to read. Looking forward to the next book.
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Want to read
August 12, 2012Free on Amazon 08/12/2012.
August 29, 2012
For a free book I really liked it. I think that this series has some potential and I can't wait to see what happens.
April 20, 2015
This book was good...sometimes a little too graphic, but it kept me in suspense and had a decent ending! I would read more of this series if I could get it for free!
December 22, 2015
Powerful suspense novel
I loved the pace of this novel. The suspense put me on the edge of my seat and kept me up until I finished the book. You won't be disappointed.
I loved the pace of this novel. The suspense put me on the edge of my seat and kept me up until I finished the book. You won't be disappointed.
November 2, 2016
good book
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