What do you think?
Rate this book
Desperate Measures
When you’re the frazzled mother of eight rambunctious children, there’s little in life that throws you for a loop. So thinks Mormon mom extraordinaire Annie Fisher . . . that is, until she finds herself embroiled in the baffling disappearance of family friend Angus Puddicombe. Following the delivery of a puzzling message and a few startling discoveries, all signs point to—confusion. What Annie knows for sure is that Angus is in over his head, and there is no time to lose. Unaware of the danger that awaits, Annie, her trusty husband, Newton, and a vanload of kids forge ahead to unravel the mystery. Can this group of amateur sleuths get to the bottom of what’s going on before something goes horribly wrong?
If you enjoyed this book, watch for The Song of Copper Creek, coming this July. Annie, Newton, and Angus make a cameo appearance!
If you enjoyed this book, watch for The Song of Copper Creek, coming this July. Annie, Newton, and Angus make a cameo appearance!
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Kristen McKendry
17 books80 followersKristen McKendry began writing in her teens and her work has been published in Canada and the U.S. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Linguistics from Brigham Young University and has always been a voracious reader.
Kristen has a strong interest in urban agriculture, sustainable living, environmental issues, and the local foods movement. She incorporates these themes in her writing, and she also lets her Mormon background flavour her work to make her culture more accessible to mainstream readers. She enjoys playing the bagpipes and banjo, learning obscure languages, growing wheat in the backyard, and making cheese. Raised in Utah, she now resides with her family in Canada.
Kristen won the 2012 Mississauga Arts Council MARTY Award for Established Literary Arts, and her book Garden Plot was nominated for the 2011 Whitney Award for excellence in LDS fiction.
Kristen has a strong interest in urban agriculture, sustainable living, environmental issues, and the local foods movement. She incorporates these themes in her writing, and she also lets her Mormon background flavour her work to make her culture more accessible to mainstream readers. She enjoys playing the bagpipes and banjo, learning obscure languages, growing wheat in the backyard, and making cheese. Raised in Utah, she now resides with her family in Canada.
Kristen won the 2012 Mississauga Arts Council MARTY Award for Established Literary Arts, and her book Garden Plot was nominated for the 2011 Whitney Award for excellence in LDS fiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 30, 2024
This was silly, light hearted and humorous, just what I needed. Another one you can't take too seriously but if you have it on in the background of other work then it is perfect. It was a nice break from older period books into modern time, though, the use of a landline phone did date it a little ;)
November 30, 2013
What a quirky and fun story! Newton, Annie, and their 8 kids find themselves smack in the middle of a mystery when a close family friend, Angus, disappears.
I loved that this was a "normal" LDS family. There were snippets where it was the travel log of a mother--get the kids off to school, play the reading game with the youngest, thaw out the chicken for dinner, clean the bathrooms, and work on some knitting, etc. I could really appreciate that because as a mother, life gets busy and it's sometimes a puzzle to fit everything in. Unlike me, Annie really seems to have a handle on life and has things under control and in good order.
Annie and Newton didn't seem like a likely match, from the descriptions given on how they met and married, yet they have a great relationship with one another and I enjoyed seeing their interactions with one another.
I especially loved how this couple involved their kids in solving the mystery and the family worked together so well.
Content: clean.
I loved that this was a "normal" LDS family. There were snippets where it was the travel log of a mother--get the kids off to school, play the reading game with the youngest, thaw out the chicken for dinner, clean the bathrooms, and work on some knitting, etc. I could really appreciate that because as a mother, life gets busy and it's sometimes a puzzle to fit everything in. Unlike me, Annie really seems to have a handle on life and has things under control and in good order.
Annie and Newton didn't seem like a likely match, from the descriptions given on how they met and married, yet they have a great relationship with one another and I enjoyed seeing their interactions with one another.
I especially loved how this couple involved their kids in solving the mystery and the family worked together so well.
Content: clean.
February 29, 2016
This was very awesome. My friend Amber Esplin and I talked somewhat wistfully several years ago about starting a publishing company that would publish books with LDS characters whose LDS lives were incidental or natural rather than the book being all about being LDS, and if we were accomplished publishers (ha!), we would definitely publish this book. We need more of these! But that is not the only thing I liked. It was very well written with character development, plot twists, and deep thinking. It was a mystery after all, and I do love me a good mystery, particularly when the answer isn't obvious and no one dies. Very well done, McKendry. I'm a new fan.
May 10, 2015
Annie, a mother of six boys and two girls gets involved in a mystery and brings her family, including her psychiatrist husband, along. I love how matter of fact she is about her motherly responsibilities and the hazards of raising talented, intelligent, active children. She has a fun, funny relationship with her husband and a very intuitive perspective about life. She doesn't take things at face value, but ponders them and uses them or discards them as she sees fit. She cares about people and tries to help anyone she can, but especially her friends and family. Annie is a character to admire.
August 6, 2016
A quick, cute novel to read. While others thought the Mormon stereotypes funny, I just thought them obnoxious. I found myself by turns resenting and being annoyed with "perfect" Annie and her "perfect" family.
I did like that the book was clean, and fairly well written. I was most fond of Newton but even he bothered me. I might look for another book by this author, but maybe not.
I did like that the book was clean, and fairly well written. I was most fond of Newton but even he bothered me. I might look for another book by this author, but maybe not.
April 25, 2014
I loved the sense of humor this author has.
Maybe I'm biased, b/c I grew up in a large family, but it was so nice to have humor about the funny things in life that always seem to show up with kids.
I also loved the fact that it was a CLEAN mystery.
They are so hard to find.
Well I found one and look forward to reading more of her work.
Maybe I'm biased, b/c I grew up in a large family, but it was so nice to have humor about the funny things in life that always seem to show up with kids.
I also loved the fact that it was a CLEAN mystery.
They are so hard to find.
Well I found one and look forward to reading more of her work.
June 11, 2014
My Dad suggested this book to me and it was so funny because it didn't seem like a book he would read. Since it was a recommendation, I decided to read it. It is LDS fiction, but had a good story line and was written fairly well. It does have some unbelievable parts and the mother is a bit too goody goody, but overall, I liked the book.
March 24, 2021
Fun LDS mystery, with an unconventional main character--mama of 8.
A few of my favorite quotes:
"There is an entire three-page article about how to find fulfillment through self-indulgence."
"Surely not."
" 'Give in to impulse. Your subconscious is sending you a message.' Which would be fine, except this writer's subconscious appears to be narcissistic."
" 'I decided not to deny myself anything. It was time to stop being a caregiver and start caring for myself.' " I read... "How did she give up being a caregiver without being swallowed by an avalanche of laundry?"
..."My subconscious is sending me a message," I announced. "It's saying there's just enough time to go get ice cream before we have to go home...Or would Baskin-Robbins be too self-indulgent?" (pg 3-4)
"It occurred to me that men in the Church were given a rare thing. They were taught how to be fathers, how to interact with small children. They were given not just lessons but the tools and opportunity to do it, working in Primary or Sunday School or Young Men. And most importantly, they were given permission to emote. Men in general in society were not, I thought, allowed to be squeaky and funny, or to act fondly, or be openly loving. They were taught from an early age to be tough, to be go-getters and hard-hitters, to move in the world of finance or business or labor with dignity and confidence. But where were men taught to be sweet and gentle? They could only learn it at home with their own parents, if there. Society didn't encourage it. But at church, they could play with children and laugh and sing and stand up in testimony meeting and cry with impunity. Where else could they get that opportunity?" (pg 29)
"Now that I thought about it, the one trait life usually demanded of a person was sheer doggedness. Wasn't endurance in the face of relentless routine and uncertain outcome a kind of courage? Or perhaps a better term would be faith." (pg 51)
"We parked the van at a picnic area on a side road and walked down to the water. I took note of the public washroom standing under a group of pine trees (it never hurts to know where the nearest one is--the habits of a mother of eight die hard)." (pg 143)
"That article writer hadn't known a fig about happiness or self-fulfillment, I thought. Caring for other people was self-fulfillment, pure and simple. Having someone to care for was happiness." (pg 69)
A few of my favorite quotes:
"There is an entire three-page article about how to find fulfillment through self-indulgence."
"Surely not."
" 'Give in to impulse. Your subconscious is sending you a message.' Which would be fine, except this writer's subconscious appears to be narcissistic."
" 'I decided not to deny myself anything. It was time to stop being a caregiver and start caring for myself.' " I read... "How did she give up being a caregiver without being swallowed by an avalanche of laundry?"
..."My subconscious is sending me a message," I announced. "It's saying there's just enough time to go get ice cream before we have to go home...Or would Baskin-Robbins be too self-indulgent?" (pg 3-4)
"It occurred to me that men in the Church were given a rare thing. They were taught how to be fathers, how to interact with small children. They were given not just lessons but the tools and opportunity to do it, working in Primary or Sunday School or Young Men. And most importantly, they were given permission to emote. Men in general in society were not, I thought, allowed to be squeaky and funny, or to act fondly, or be openly loving. They were taught from an early age to be tough, to be go-getters and hard-hitters, to move in the world of finance or business or labor with dignity and confidence. But where were men taught to be sweet and gentle? They could only learn it at home with their own parents, if there. Society didn't encourage it. But at church, they could play with children and laugh and sing and stand up in testimony meeting and cry with impunity. Where else could they get that opportunity?" (pg 29)
"Now that I thought about it, the one trait life usually demanded of a person was sheer doggedness. Wasn't endurance in the face of relentless routine and uncertain outcome a kind of courage? Or perhaps a better term would be faith." (pg 51)
"We parked the van at a picnic area on a side road and walked down to the water. I took note of the public washroom standing under a group of pine trees (it never hurts to know where the nearest one is--the habits of a mother of eight die hard)." (pg 143)
"That article writer hadn't known a fig about happiness or self-fulfillment, I thought. Caring for other people was self-fulfillment, pure and simple. Having someone to care for was happiness." (pg 69)
July 29, 2024
I came to this book after having read its sequel (of sorts) The Song of Copper Creek and this was not exactly what I was expecting. The tone of this book, despite dealing with some serious matters, is light and humorous; a cozy caper, whereas Copper Creek, while not without humor, has a far more serious, down to earth tone. However, this was a really fun read. I like Annie and her crazy family tremendously, and it is a fun little mystery.
September 19, 2020
This is the first book of Kristen's that I've read! Short, fun, entertaining, and enjoyable from start to finish. Can a stay at home mom (is that an oxymoron or what???) help solve a kidnapping while raising 8 children and a husband? Well of course she can!! And that's exactly what she does, with the help of said children and husband. If you want to read a delightful tale that gives some amazing insight into a happy working marriage of 23 years and eight children, plus a little bit more, this is the tale for you!
July 20, 2017
Entertaining, if a little cliche/stereotypical (really, who has time to pack lunches for 8 kids, bake bread, write an academic article for publication, play a board game with the 2 yr old -who is also learning to read - clean house, plan a relief society lesson, and solve a mystery in the same day?!).
All in all, a fun, light read. Perfect for the airplane.
All in all, a fun, light read. Perfect for the airplane.
July 23, 2019
A mom of eight is juggling kids, home, church, and everything else when a good family friend goes missing and she and her husband try to figure out what happened, especially after a phone call full of static comes to her from the missing person giving her instructions on how to help.
Full of excitement and some suspenseful, who-dun-it twists.
Full of excitement and some suspenseful, who-dun-it twists.
June 28, 2020
Mystery combined with a peek into life in a large family. I loved the way the narrator let us in to her musings on being a mom, a friend, a wife to an excellent father—and a bagpiper! Even better was the way the author wove all these elements into the solution to the mystery, and kept me guessing all the way to the end.
April 30, 2018
This is a cute story told from the perspective of a mother of 8. I related to her, but also felt like much of what she did was unrealistic--and that's not talking about the main point of the book, the mystery. But I laughed my way through, and that's what counts.
January 24, 2020
I love the narrator of this book! I feel like she really captured the personality & voice of each character in the book. I love the main characters (mostly a family) in this book. They are smart, but quirky & fun.
May 19, 2017
I enjoyed reading this cozy mystery about a mother of eight trying to find a good friend who has been kidnapped. Has some funny moments, and is a clean, light read. I'd probably give it a 3.5.
June 3, 2017
Such a fun book! Just enjoyed it again by listening to the CDs on a driving trip. It made the trip go faster.
June 14, 2017
The author had a very clever beginning but the story was side tracked with all the mother chaos.
September 3, 2017
How fun to read a story where the protagonist is a mother of 8!
Kristen McKendry has a quick whit and fun vocabulary.
Kristen McKendry has a quick whit and fun vocabulary.
October 13, 2017
The entire Fisher family rallies when family friend Angus Puddicombe goes missing. It's a really heart-warming story to read.
December 9, 2017
12.2017 book from Deseret Book. Ok good. Mystery kindof.
December 20, 2017
My favorite part of the book was actually the beginning when the mom Annie describes being a young LDS mom. Took me back to my own days with half as many children!
March 13, 2018
A pretty unbelievable situation, but such a fun writer!
June 22, 2018
I found it funny
July 22, 2018
I liked it. The writing was humorous and witty. I read it on a camping trip.
September 11, 2018
A quick fun read.
September 10, 2019
3.5 stars. A good cozy mystery
February 28, 2021
Super cute book in many ways. Was frustrating a couple times. Overall a fun read
October 2, 2024
Really really really enjoyed the characters and their voices. The plot left a little to be desired, but that's okay.
February 5, 2025
Definitely laced with her religious culture but enjoyed the mystery and the involvement of her kids in the solution. It was a quick read in the car on a trip and engaged even my husband
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews