Chip and Die

Harley Spring #1

by Arlene Sachitano

Harley Spring is a supervisor with a problem. She has to get her group through a certification inspection or Sil-Trac; the large computer chip manufacturer she works for will lose millions of dollars in contracts. When Mike, the worker in charge of figuring out why the numbers don't add up disappears, Harley receives an unusual ransom demand. Before she can respond, Mike's girlfriend finds him--dead. The race to solve the numbers problem is on and each time Harley gets close, another worker dies. Meanwhile, Mike's Uncle Andrush has his own agenda. Andrush believes Mike brought a priceless family icon to America when he immigrated, and Andrush has nothing but debts to lose. Harley finds herself in possession of the icon and the target of whomever wants the production counts to stay scrambled. If she doesn't solve the count problem, she'll lose her job. If she does it could mean her life.

Genres: Mystery

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2003

About the author

Arlene also teaches a group of creative women in the coastal town of Tillamook, Oregon how to make interesting things by wrapping string around two sticks. Supporting Arlene in her writing endeavors are her husband, children and her feline companion Lydia.

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harley Spring is a supervisor in a microchip factory outside Portland, OR, busy trying to make her department's numbers balance before an important quality control inspection and certification. A staff member, whose job is figuring out why the numbers don't work, is found murdered. Next thing you know, Harley not only finds herself struggling to solve the numbers issue, but a target for a murderer.

I have owned this book in ebook forever. In fact it is one of the very first ebooks I ever bought when I first got an ereader before there were downloadable ebook reading apps. It's sat there ever since just waiting for me to give it a whirl. I so enjoyed it, particularly the interesting secondary characters, plus a couple of cats and a dog who loves cat food more than anything or anyone. The plot moves along and at a certain point, the the solution seems pretty straightforward should you want to solve it. I was just happy to let it unroll as I read.

[Judy Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This is a surprisingly good story about murder in the tech industry. It starts with the mundane daily activity of supervisors trying to get employees to follow the specified guidelines of the work process. But this ends up in a killing frenzy before the heroine figures out the true theft and who is behind it. It's a truly exciting story.

[Marcie Mathis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book

I enjoyed the book, just not as much as the quilting mysteries. The author explained the technical aspects of the story well. I will likely read book two,

[Wenwe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edgy sarcasm was not necessary for the book, but an easy read and likable main character.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get into this one.