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An abducted sex worker. A murdered stranger. Can a private investigator connect the dots and bring down a brutal gang?Vancouver, British Columbia. Charity Deacon knows her headstrong ways sometimes land her in trouble. But when the inexperienced PI witnesses a horrific car accident, she can’t help rushing in to make sure justice is served. Stunned when the police brush aside her insistence that the driver’s head sported a bullet hole, Charity vows to take matters into her own hands.Frantically hunting down clues, she’s barely started when a teen prostitute comes banging on her door desperate to find her missing sister. With a trail leading through a tangled maze of ganglands, contract killers, and human trafficking, she uncovers shocking connections between her two cases. But she could be too far into the web to turn back now…Can Charity expose the menacing conspiracy and rescue the girl before she’s the next victim?Hubris is the first book in the thrilling Charity Deacon Investigations mystery series. If you like exhilarating non-stop action, gritty female detectives, and life-changing twists and turns, then you’ll love P A Wilson’s well-crafted whodunit.Buy Hubris to follow a twisted path to justice today!
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2011
191 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
P.A. Wilson
63 books40 followersBefore you read about me, how about a link for some free ebooks? Click on my website and pick your genre, there's a free book for each. http://www.pawilson.ca/
Perry Wilson is a Canadian author based in Vancouver, BC who has big ideas and an itch to tell stories. Having spent some time on university, a career, and life in general, she returned to writing three years ago and hasn't looked back since (well, maybe a little, but only while parallel parking).
She is a member of the Vancouver Independent Writers Group, and has self-published several novels. The second book of the Charity Deacon series, Greed, is due out in the fall 2012. (A French vacation pulls Charity and her best friend into the shady world of gun smugglers and missing people.)
She also writes the Quinn Larson Quests, which follows the adventures of a wizard named Quinn who must contend with volatile fae in the heart of Vancouver, and the Madeline Journeys, a fantasy series about a high-powered lawyer who finds herself trapped in a magical world. Her previous stand-alone novels are Breaking the Bonds and Closing the Circle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 19, 2022
I had never read anything by Perry Wilson, and I was given a free copy for an objective review. This is the introduction to Private Investigator Charity Deacon. She is one-part Kinsey Milhone, one-part Lucy Kendall, and one-part Spenser-for-hire. Charity is tough, but also sensitive. A really good story, not-so-much murder mystery as it was a missing person's case, but Wilson is great at building tension and suspense despite not being a traditional murder mystery introduction. I have to say that I was happy that I said yes to reviewing this book, because I thoroughly enjoyed this story for its fresh way of introducing the main character / investigator, and I would totally read more P. A. Wilson.
January 22, 2017
Fantastic! A straight up edge of the seat read. Taken to Vancouver we discover the underbelly of society as we ride along with Charity Deacon. Charity doesn't stop until she gets all the answers...no matter what it takes.
July 4, 2016
Charity Deacon is a private investigator and occasional free-lance journalist in present-day Vancouver. One night, she witnesses a motor vehicle accident downtown (with a fatality). Amid all the hubbub of police, ambulance personnel, and gawkers wanting to record it all on their smartphones, Charity sees two Asian men standing off to the side. It's almost as if they are making sure that the accident went off without a hitch.
Charity asks her friends about them, and learns that they are part of the Chinese mafia. They are the sort of people who have no problem with killing anyone who gets too close. Even Hell's Angels are nervous and apprehensive around them.
Meantime, Charity is approached by Val, a teenage prostitute who hires her to help find Val's sister, Emma, another prostitute, who has been missing for the past couple of days. Inquiries among the local prostitutes yield nothing. From one minute to the next, Val shows herself as a scared teenage girl whose parents are dead (murdered by the same Chinese mafia), or as a tough, streetwise veteran with enough attitude for ten people.
Charity's inquiries about the two Asian men get her a trip to the hospital, beaten up by one of them. It also gets her houseboat ransacked. Released from the hospital, but hardly recovered from the beating, Charity gets word of a shipment of trafficked Chinese women coming to a local warehouse. With Val outside as lookout, Charity hides herself inside the warehouse, looking for enough evidence to put the Asian men away for a long time. Does Charity succeed? Is Emma found?
This would make a really good movie. It has plenty of dirt, grime and action. This story is also very well done and easy to read.
Charity asks her friends about them, and learns that they are part of the Chinese mafia. They are the sort of people who have no problem with killing anyone who gets too close. Even Hell's Angels are nervous and apprehensive around them.
Meantime, Charity is approached by Val, a teenage prostitute who hires her to help find Val's sister, Emma, another prostitute, who has been missing for the past couple of days. Inquiries among the local prostitutes yield nothing. From one minute to the next, Val shows herself as a scared teenage girl whose parents are dead (murdered by the same Chinese mafia), or as a tough, streetwise veteran with enough attitude for ten people.
Charity's inquiries about the two Asian men get her a trip to the hospital, beaten up by one of them. It also gets her houseboat ransacked. Released from the hospital, but hardly recovered from the beating, Charity gets word of a shipment of trafficked Chinese women coming to a local warehouse. With Val outside as lookout, Charity hides herself inside the warehouse, looking for enough evidence to put the Asian men away for a long time. Does Charity succeed? Is Emma found?
This would make a really good movie. It has plenty of dirt, grime and action. This story is also very well done and easy to read.
February 8, 2018
This was a surprisingly great read that dealt with some very distasteful topics - underage prostitution and human trafficking - in a tasteful way.
This was the first book I've read in the Charity Deacon series and certainly won't be the last. Charity is a complex character; a little bit aimless, she seems to do a bit of everything for a job but settles into the role of private investigator in this story. She takes on the case of an underage street prostitute trying to find her sister in the hidden underworld of China Town in Vancouver.
I found Charity's observation of her clients tough outer shell hiding an inner vulnerability particularly interesting as she seems to be the same and has built walls around herself. I'd love to know what has gone on in her past.
The story is enticing in a psychological mystery genre sort of way rather than a grip your chair rollercoaster ride thriller. Without giving any spoilers away, I will say the ending totally threw me and I didn't see it coming - I love that in a book!
Can't wait to read more of the author's other works.
This was the first book I've read in the Charity Deacon series and certainly won't be the last. Charity is a complex character; a little bit aimless, she seems to do a bit of everything for a job but settles into the role of private investigator in this story. She takes on the case of an underage street prostitute trying to find her sister in the hidden underworld of China Town in Vancouver.
I found Charity's observation of her clients tough outer shell hiding an inner vulnerability particularly interesting as she seems to be the same and has built walls around herself. I'd love to know what has gone on in her past.
The story is enticing in a psychological mystery genre sort of way rather than a grip your chair rollercoaster ride thriller. Without giving any spoilers away, I will say the ending totally threw me and I didn't see it coming - I love that in a book!
Can't wait to read more of the author's other works.
June 26, 2017
I enjoyed reading the story and getting to know Charity. Charity is a private investigator that takes on more than she can handle. Somehow Charity gets involved in a people trafficking case and then takes on a missing person case. It turns out that both cases are related together. Charity is funny and smart. She has great friends and does her job well. Unfortunately she gets hurt this time and her friends hater around to help her out. Charity must decide if she is willing to continue with the case because her friends band family could get killed. Val is her client for the missing person case. She is a prostitute looking to find her sister, Emma. Although? They are looking for Emma, it turns out the people trafficking case is taking over. Val and Charity become close. Val has taken it upon herself to take care of Charity. In the end, Charity may have won her cases but she loses Val.
May 13, 2018
Upon witnessing a bus crash, Charity Deacon photographs the crowd that saw the accident or where drawn to it thus setting up an investigation that the police seem to drop almost immediately. This piques her interest and she refuses to stop investigating. A homeless teenage named Val forces her way into Charity's life to enlist her aid in finding her missing sister, Emma. This draws Charity into the world of Chinese gangs, human trafficking, and murder. The story has a far amount of action as Charity attempts to find Emma and the story behind the bus crash. There is plenty of violence to go with the red herrings in the story. This is a very good read as the mystery are well developed and the characters are fairly well-developed. Not everything is revealed, but the conclusion is satisfying.
June 21, 2018
Charity Deacon is a private investigator that dabbles in journalism. She is hired by Val, a sixteen year old prostitute to find her sister, Emma. Charity also is a witness to an 'accident' of a man who was really shot in the head and ran into the back of a bus. She takes a video of the scene and notices two Asian men who seem to be smiling at the accident. Then things start to get weird and strange with Emma missing and the Asian guys. Turns out that they are running a human trafficking ring and all kinds of things happen to Charity. I liked the story, but things just weren't too believe able in it.
July 11, 2018
Charity lives on a houseboat in Vancouver, is a freelance journalist and private investigator, gets into trouble a lot, and has a few very good quirky friends. Val is a teenaged orphan needing to find her missing sister, and both of them are in the trade. Then there is the murdered guy, the Chinese dealers who work the trade, and a whole lot more. A very good read!
I got the Whispersync on the cheap courtesy of Book Gorilla.
Susan Marlowe is really great as she narrates this one.
I got the Whispersync on the cheap courtesy of Book Gorilla.
Susan Marlowe is really great as she narrates this one.
May 8, 2017
Really good read.....
From beginning to end I liked the story and the characters. Although it deals with a speedier side of reality, the character diligently keeps her promise to assist a wayward girl. Hope, pain, fear and excitement are felt through the characters, throughout the entire story. Very good read.
From beginning to end I liked the story and the characters. Although it deals with a speedier side of reality, the character diligently keeps her promise to assist a wayward girl. Hope, pain, fear and excitement are felt through the characters, throughout the entire story. Very good read.
May 30, 2018
To speak positively, the protagonists are believably written, the author generally avoiding clichés and avoiding the more annoying tropes also- for the major characters. On the other hand... good syntax, articulation, unambiguous spelling, other evidence that language is at the author’s command and not vice versa- too often lacking.
September 25, 2023
What can I say? Charity’s personality and wit (read: that rebellious teenage/young adult sarcasm) won me over, and I’m super curious about her other investigations. I can definitely see this being an awesome series, and I’m already ready for the next book!
P.S. Shout out to White Spot - haven’t been to that restaurant in a long time!
P.S. Shout out to White Spot - haven’t been to that restaurant in a long time!
May 5, 2017
Brilliant
Absolutely brilliant book by P. A. Wilson. Fantastic storyline and characters. Haven't been able to put it down since beginning the first page. I would happily highly recommend!
Absolutely brilliant book by P. A. Wilson. Fantastic storyline and characters. Haven't been able to put it down since beginning the first page. I would happily highly recommend!
October 2, 2018
Charity is a determined P.I. who doesn't shy away from dangerous situations. Val, the sixteen year old prostitute who hires her to find her missing sister, is a character I won't forget in a hurry. I look forward to reading the remaining books in this series..........Greed and Ambition.
February 3, 2019
Average for indie ebooks
Story didn't have holes and the timing wasn't off. Names were correct.
Not much backstory to build up the characters.
Mostly the lack of editing was irritating.
Story didn't have holes and the timing wasn't off. Names were correct.
Not much backstory to build up the characters.
Mostly the lack of editing was irritating.
May 14, 2023
The light, snarky tone of the writing juxtaposed against the darkness of the subject matter (human trafficking and underage prostitution). The balance deftly kept the story from overwhelming me with despair.
December 1, 2016
Great book
Really enjoyed it wish it was longer
Would recommend it to fans of crime thrillers
Congratulations to the author for bringing the charectors and Vancouver to ligfe
Really enjoyed it wish it was longer
Would recommend it to fans of crime thrillers
Congratulations to the author for bringing the charectors and Vancouver to ligfe
May 12, 2017
Enjoyable book. Entertaining, gripping with lots going on. Charity Deacon makes a good heroine.
Lots of twists and turns. A good read
Lots of twists and turns. A good read
January 29, 2018
Charity witnesses a car crash, but it doesn’t explain why the victim has a bullet hole. Perhaps the cops will cooperate with her in exchange for evidence. Loved the suspense, and fast paced book.
February 4, 2018
Unputdownable
Brilliant from start to finish, I am definitely hooked can't wait to start book two. Thank you P A Wilson
Brilliant from start to finish, I am definitely hooked can't wait to start book two. Thank you P A Wilson
October 17, 2020
Interesting stories it open us to different world of crime
January 1, 2023
A woman who can't take no for an answer
Charity is an investigator who helps a young teen find her sister. A very involved ,fast paced story that is hard to put down. A must read!
Charity is an investigator who helps a young teen find her sister. A very involved ,fast paced story that is hard to put down. A must read!
March 24, 2017
A very good mystery , I enjoyed how the story grew and everything came together. Sorry when it ended, but I see many more stories comeing.
March 19, 2017
My first read from author P.A. Wilson and it was great! Exciting story line, characters that you can get into. I'll be reading more from this author.
July 27, 2015
Hubris by PA Wilson is a superb book. The characters are well developed. I particularly loved private investigator Charity Deacon and Val, the teenage prostitute determined to find her sister. This story of thee women/girls standing up to gangs who are engaged in human trafficking is fast paced and engaging. It would be a tremendously good TV movie. An added bonus was the book took place in one of my favourite cities. Bottom line: I highly recommend this book. I personally will be reading more by PA Wilson.
October 16, 2016
Gripping but fun
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the crazy adventures of private eye, Charity Deacon. It was just the right mixture of light-hearted fun and gripping detective story. There was tension as one worried how she was going to get herself out of each mess, romance and even a hint of sadness. I will certainly be reading more about Charity and will also try out some of P A Wilson's other novels.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the crazy adventures of private eye, Charity Deacon. It was just the right mixture of light-hearted fun and gripping detective story. There was tension as one worried how she was going to get herself out of each mess, romance and even a hint of sadness. I will certainly be reading more about Charity and will also try out some of P A Wilson's other novels.
January 19, 2017
Dont judge a book by the cover
The saying goes don't judge a book by the cover, or title for that matter as both are very dull.
However in this case that certainly applies, this is a very entertaining read, gripping from first to last page, with an engaging heroine in Charity Deacon, whose smart funny and sassy.
OK the conclusion to the case maybe contrived and appears rushed but I still really enjoyed this book.
The saying goes don't judge a book by the cover, or title for that matter as both are very dull.
However in this case that certainly applies, this is a very entertaining read, gripping from first to last page, with an engaging heroine in Charity Deacon, whose smart funny and sassy.
OK the conclusion to the case maybe contrived and appears rushed but I still really enjoyed this book.
May 2, 2016
"A tough life on the streets"
This is a tale of human-trafficking, prostitution and sticking your nose in where it's not wanted. As such it could be a run of the mill story, but it rattles along at a decent pace and is an easy read. Not convinced that the character and her 'set-up' is strong enough to make a great series, but this book will fill a few hours of your leisure time.
This is a tale of human-trafficking, prostitution and sticking your nose in where it's not wanted. As such it could be a run of the mill story, but it rattles along at a decent pace and is an easy read. Not convinced that the character and her 'set-up' is strong enough to make a great series, but this book will fill a few hours of your leisure time.
May 31, 2012
Fast-paced and endearing. Charity Deacon is a lovable and believable heroine.
My full review can be found here http://threesistersreviews.blogspot.c...
My full review can be found here http://threesistersreviews.blogspot.c...
March 29, 2013
A fun read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews