Remote Consequences: Working Stiff Mysteries #1 by Kerri Nelson

Working Stiff Mysteries #1

by Kerri Nelson

Med school drop-out Mandy Murrin has returned home to care for her mentally handicapped, teenage sister. But despite having multiple college degrees under her belt, Mandy finds jobs aren't easy to come by in small town Alabama. Now instead of a stethoscope, she's forced to sport a tool belt as a technician for the local cable company, Flicks Vision. But things go from bad to worse when, while on assignment at the Mayor's house, Mandy finds herself in the attic amongst cobwebs, Christmas decorations, and...a corpse? Suddenly Mandy's life is turned upside down with one missing body, a high school nemesis turned police detective, a mysterious stranger, and a town full of long buried secrets. If Mandy's not careful, this could be one dead end job where she may not make it out alive!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Romance, Fiction

Paperback

First published May 5, 2014

About the author

Kerri Nelson survived a fifteen year career in the legal field and then took her passion for crime solving to the page. But her journey to become a mystery author took a decade long detour into the world of romance where she penned twenty two novels and novellas in various sub-genres.

Born and raised a true southern belle, Kerri holds many useful secrets: how to bake a killer peach cobbler; how to charm suspects with proper batting of the eyelashes; and how to turn your parasol into a handy weapon.

Kerri is an active member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America which includes various volunteer positions such as Board Member at Large and Daphne Published Contest Category Coordinator of Kiss of Death RWA (Chapter for Romantic Suspense Authors).

Learn more about Kerri and her new Working Stiff Mystery Series, at her website: www.KerriNelson.com

Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kerribookwriter


Kerri is an active member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America as well as numerous chapters including Futuristic Fantasy & Paranormal Writers and the Kiss of Death Chapter for mystery/suspense authors.

Reviews

[Nathania Ma · Rating 1 out of 5]

We all know bitches exist in this world, but you certainly don't want them to be the heroine of a mystery because, guess what, readers tend to read from the perspective of the main character and if she sucks, wah-la, the whole book sucks. This is exactly the case in this book. In fact, Mandy is such a horrible character I really want to shake her.

Warning! Spoilers ahead!




Mandy is whining about her life, her career, and so forth when she doesn't give a damn about her sister, leaving the burden to her aunt when she goes away to study medicine. That's not the selfish part, even after her aunt's death, she returns to town to take care of her sister but guess what, she is whining all the time and leaving the caretaking to her neighbor and a high school boy (who I adore for being so nice and really loving Paget, way more than her real sister)!

Mandy may find herself disliked by the community in her whole hometown but who could blame them She wanted to stop the boy from pursuing his career and faked pregnancy. She revealed a horrible secret to her best friend whom she grew up with just to get at her because the brother would not give up his career for a selfish girl who slept with him because SHE WANTED TO. Worst, she didn't come back to pay tributes when her best friend's mom died, and that mom looked after and loved her. No wonder Penny's dad hated her, SO DO I!

Mandy is one semester from graduating and getting her medical degree. Why wouldn't she just go and finish it off? That way, she would be in a better position to take care of Paget (not that she had done anything anyway). People have offered to help but she didn't take up the offers because guess what? She wants others to pity her... erk, makes me wanna vomit.

To make matters worse, she is flirting with Colin and drinking cocktails when she's supposed to go undercover, distracting the guy along the way. At least the latter is professional enough not to drink with her.

As for the plot, it's one of the most ridiculous I have ever seen. For one, which cops in the world would ignore a case report of a crime (finding a dead body no less)? Even if the person has a medical record of mental disorders, I still think the cops would check it out. This is so unbelievable I am shocked when I learn the author works in the legal field. Fiction is not real but should be based on reality ... this is too much even for me.

This doesn't deserve a star but sadly, there is no 0 rating at Goodreads, they should include 0, just for this book! I don't recommend this to ANYONE and certainly I am not going to read the rest of the series (or from this author).

[Patrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well-written, mystery/detective story. I liked how each chapter quoted an Irish proverb that had something to do with that chapter. It is about a young woman, Mandy Murrin, forced to return to her home/hometown when the Aunt that has been her and her younger sister's guardian for the past 10 years or so, becomes ill. Mandy Murrin had left Millbrook, the quintessential small town, for the University of Alabama on an academic scholarship. She was in med school when she received the call that pulled her back home. Her Aunt Patty, was ill and dying. Mandy's younger sister, Paget (now 16), has Kenner syndrome, a form of autism.
The story begins innocuously enough and then begins to "snowball" when Mandy, while working for the local cable company as a tech, discovers a dead body. There was enough going on in the story to keep my interest and also a few twists to keep me from figuring it all out right away. Very well done.

[Sarah Ralston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story, certainly mysterious enough to keep me reading. I did feel like after we find out "who done it" the book ends rather abruptly. I have questions that didnt get answered.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so for a " this looks interesting " pick on Overdrive I have to say I really liked it. 🙂 Mandy had her whole life turned upside down 😵 and there is no chance to catch her breath before taking over the care of her special needs sister. To pay the bills she gets a job at the cable company and finds herself in the middle of a attic with a dead frozen body. 😲 The whole thing gets crazy from there and even though it wasn't funny at times it kinda was. 😏 Ex boyfriends, ex best friends and forever mean girls just made everything worse but the hottie mystery man🔥 need I say more. 😉 I am looking everywhere for the rest of the series but not finding it 😢 so if anyone knows where to get it please let me know.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dunno, but I thought it was a great cozy with some remarkable twists. Maybe it's because I'm a red, or maybe it's from the past of working in a teaching hospital. I did like the apt Irish proverbs at the beginning of each chapter even though that is not my ethnicity. But traveling through the tangles of small town long memories and grudges is familiar to all of us who grew up in one, even here in the north. Mandy already has an overload of serious problems with poor solutions when a disappearing body and a hot mysterious man enter her life. And things only get murkier from there. I really enjoyed this afternoon read!

[Sharie Breihan-Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read, lots of twists

Had a ball reading all the quirky things going on in this small southern town. Lots of suspects and lots of mystery to keep you entertained. A true " whodone it"

[Bonnie Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read that will have you pulling a tissue out because you we'll feel like coming to the rescue of this women who has to face strong situations that could turn out bad or good for herself and her family. With the help of friends she will survive.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm trying to think of something nice to say.
If there had been just one specific storyline, maybe two at the most, instead of the hundred or so that were flying around at any given moment... less characters, less detail about every random character, if I wasn't so confused about what was going on, and who was whom...
If this book wasn't like every plot, character, situation or scenario in every single cozy mystery written since the world's inception had flown into one jumbled up, unintelligible book... I might have liked it more.
It was hard to relate to any of the characters in the book. It's difficult to even see Mandy Murrin (even her name is a little annoying) as a personality, because she is portrayed to have so many facets to her personality, that it's confusing. One minute she's the feisty, independent, intelligent woman, the next she's coming off as a ditzy, naive girl. So much "poor little Mandy" in the book doesn't endear her to readers. Everything she thinks or does seems to be with only herself and how it pertains to her in mind. It's hard to relate to her/empathize. I think in an effort to to make her interesting, Ms. Nelson has used too many personality traits, so that none of them make her stick out. Likewise with the plotlines.
The story, and even the way the people talk to each other in this book, doesn't seem to flow well. It seems disconnected, like things were added in after the fact to flesh out the story.
It is rare for me to not want to finish a book. I made it through to the end, mostly because I just wanted to see if it would tie up...at all. It didn't, because there were only so many of the large number of plotlines that could be resolved in one book. I would have liked it more if all the extra content in this novel could have been introduced more gradually throughout the series, instead of throwing readers into a confused information overload.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked everything about this book except for the secondary storyline about the sister with autism. Given the cartoonish cover and the rest of the book blurb I was expecting a light-hearted mystery filled with quirky characters and events. And that's what I got EXCEPT for the sister. I found the severity of her condition to be at odds with the rest of the story and I found the sister's actions and Mandy's reactions depressing. **************Possible Spoilers***************Mandy's constant angst over the sister (Missing!....Again!, Hit by a car!, Kidnapped!, Unable to care for her!) pulled me out of the rest of the story.

Please don't think I'm anti-autism or anti-disability. One of my favorite books is a mystery series about a woman with autism spectrum and her daily struggle to cope with her illness while working to combat art crime (The Gauguin Connection by Estelle Ryan). The differences are that I was expecting a more serious book in that case and I found the story hopeful as Genevieve Lenard expands her world and finds a way to thrive in spite of the autism. With Remote Consequences, I was expecting a lighter story and resented the way the angst of the sister's situation pulled me away from the story.

I know many readers enjoy a more "substantial" story and if that is your style then I think you'll enjoy this book and the rest of the series. If you are looking for a lighter read, you might want to pass.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

WORKING FOR A LIVING--- JUST MIGHT KILL HER,

i enjoyed the first book of "working stiff mysteries" by kerri nelson-- Mandy is forced to leave med school just short of getting her degree when the aunt who has raised her and her autistic sister paget dies- going home she gets a dead end job at the local cable company to pay the bills and while at the mayors house fixing his cable she comes across a dead body in the attic----- and that is just the start of her day-- she has a run in with her ex- now a cop- her former best friend now a reporter and a mystery man who may be a really bad guy who says he needs her help solving the case--- she soon discovers her hometown is hiding many secrets and there apparently is a feud between the 2 founding familes...and then her sister wanders off ... so will mandy solve the mystery before she is added to the body count- will she get back with her ex or start a romance with the new guy- SO if you are looking for an enjoyable read with multiple suspects and subtle plot twists then i suggest you read this book- why 4 stars?? well it took to about 1/2 through the book before we found out how a med student becomes a tv tech- and i wondered why with her college degrees this was the best she could do? -- and school loans? she had not grad yet-- little things like that-- but i will get the next book- because i want to know if there is a better job and love interest in her future

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Remote Consequences' was the kind of book that left me uncertain as to how to rate it. The storyline was full of past mistakes, from high school no less, that were never reconciled, nor were they left in the past. Every character whom resided in Millbrook seemed to hold on to the past and not move on. The story played out like any small town mystery, every one knows everyone's secrets - mostly, and there are usually always rivalries between families. Mandy was not the typical lead. She was a liar, manipulator, whiny, didn't make the best choices when dealing with her sister and she also tended to rely on food for any and every crisis (she always seemed to be eating, which isn't necessarily a bad thing- it was just so habitual). Mandy also seemed to get into some crazy situations that were not always her fault. I did end up liking her character after she worked a few things out within herself. Ty seemed to come around towards the end. Colin was a complete mystery. He was like a ninja most of the time- quiet, sneaky, secretive and always in stealth mode. I do plan on reading more of this series, 'Working Stiff Mysteries'.

[Brooke Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review appears on Brooke Blogs.

I loved the characters in Remote Consequences by Kerri Nelson. This is a great start to a series, and one I will look forward to continuing. The mystery kept me guessing as there were a lot of potential suspects throughout the story. There were some parts of the story that I thought would have been explored more, but everything seemed to come together in a rush at the end. Overall, this was an enjoyable mystery and I will read the next one in the series. I’m looking forward to see how different characters develop and their relationships with one another. I definitely recommend to cozy mystery lovers. Right now, it’s just 99 cents, so well worth picking up! I stayed up late to finish it because I didn’t want to stop reading. :)

I received a complimentary ebook for review purposes.

[Mehrunisa Salim · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a certain amount of mysteries, like any other genre, you start looking for the similarities and the things that set each series apart from the others. I think Remote Consequences was a great way to start a series and set the tone for what is to come. I enjoy how Mandy doesn't have a career, but instead is trying to make ends meet with whatever job she can get her hands on. I want to get to know the other characters as well in the next book, because while we got to know and understand quite a bit, the other characters weren't as flushed out, but of course through out the series I hope to get a better idea of them. I enjoyed how Kerrie Nelson didn't keep us in the dark the whole time with the mystery, and I really liked how it unfolded in the end.

[JoAnn Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remote Consequences

For a cozy book this wasn't bad. It did seem a bit by the numbers. I didn't feel the need to pick it up ever time I had a spare minute but did keep reading just to find out who did what to whom. I wasn't invested in any of the characters, they just didn't catch my interest enough and maybe it was because any back story on them was short and seemed to be an afterthought. For example, what exactly was wrong with Paget, it never really explained much about her condition. There were many such things in the book that I felt needed better explanation but for a quick light read it did the trick.

[Lester Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intrigue in a small town. Very cute story about life and tough choices

I was surprised by the way the story developed. I was not sure I was in tune with Mandy but the more I read the more I enjoyed her choices and liked her. The mystery is a tough one and the support she receives is interesting. I think you will be glad you picked this book to read. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous character details. I have read several books by Gemma Halliday, but she was the editor. I stuck with this one thinking it would get better. It didn't. I half expected to have a chapter where the main character was put on suicide watch because she kept getting dumped on and her life situation was so bad I was depressed even when I put the book down.. I cried once for her. Bad story. Don't bother wasting your time.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable little mystery story. Mandy discovers a dead body while on the job. It turns out to be a missing person from 10 years ago. There are a surprising number of obnoxious characters in the book. Almost everyone Mandy meets seems to be rude and mean. But she does have two potential live interests in Ty and Colin. The ending was satisfying, although I don't like that Mandy is so willing to give up on her dream of being a doctor.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, light read!

Great, light read!

Sometimes you just need a good light read, but more times than not, these type of books are lacking in substance. This is certainly not the case with Remote Consequences. The story was engaging and the characters extremely likeable. I will certainly pick up any future books in this series.

[Jill B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I imagine Mandy thought her life would be dull, coming back to her small hometown when circumstances caused her to take a leave from medical school. Boy was she mistaken. Suddenly everyone puts the blame on her when she discovers a dead body. Enjoyed how the author wrapped up the ending. Can't wait for the next book.

[Neena Christianson Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Mystery

This was such a good book, I can't wait till the next one comes out. I loved Mandy and her old crush Ty, her new crush Colin, and all the other unique characters I met in this book. It was a true whodunit, with enough twists and turns, to keep you guessing.

[Wende · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really tried to like it. It was well written, edited. The storyline was good and original. The problem was there was just too much going on. Mandy's life sucked. By the end it still was. The author has talent and will read another book by Kerri Nelson

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice, quick read. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages. I hope Mandy finds a way to finish her medical training and am eager to read about more of Mandy's adventures. It felt like there was much more to this story.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad swimming pool book, I got it in a book bundle at the library and it was an easy way to spend an hour a day relaxing outside. I did have an issue with the autistic sister that just didn't fit into this cast of characters.

[Vykki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a interesting mystery I enjoy it from beginning to end. It had awesome characters and a story plot. I recommend this anyone who likes a good mystery.

[Linda Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

easy to follow until the end then too many guilty people but in all a good read if you like happy endings

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a bit of a slow build, but it finished pretty good

[Linda Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 simple quick uncomplicated fun. Plot and character development was a little weak

[Rob Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this mystery

Wonder where life will lead her next? Will she somehow find a way to continue and use her medical training?

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, just wasn't all there for me

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just could not believe any of the story. Well written, great characters, but not believable