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The Trouble With Marty
MEET MARTY WHEELER
Say hello to the dashing and otherwise charming estate attorney named Marty Wheeler. Attorney Wheeler is a prominent member of the community of Brentwood, whose life is about to turn upside down when he takes on his most baffling client to date, the very rich, yet, quite mysterious and aloof Jameson Bradford.
MEET THE SIDEKICK
Helping Marty navigate through the murky waters of his law practice is his summer intern, the highly strung and very sarcastic young lady, Bailey Martin. The attractive and quirky strawberry blonde is a soon-to-be college Senior at Duquesne University studying pre-law. She also happens to be the daughter of Marty’s ex-girlfriend, Vanessa. As such, the young Miss Martin soon proves to be quite an equalizer for Marty, who manages to keep the otherwise cocksure attorney from getting too comfortable with himself.
SEX, COMEDY, AND SUSPENSE?
How about all three? In creating this novel, first-time author DC Chase creates a genre called Sexspense . As the merged name implies, this novel features both elements, along with many Fletch-like comical moments, to keep the reader laughing as the sexual tension and suspense build to a surprising climax. The Trouble with Marty is the first in the Hot to Trot series, one guaranteed to be a series you’ll keep high on your reading list long after turning the final page.
Say hello to the dashing and otherwise charming estate attorney named Marty Wheeler. Attorney Wheeler is a prominent member of the community of Brentwood, whose life is about to turn upside down when he takes on his most baffling client to date, the very rich, yet, quite mysterious and aloof Jameson Bradford.
MEET THE SIDEKICK
Helping Marty navigate through the murky waters of his law practice is his summer intern, the highly strung and very sarcastic young lady, Bailey Martin. The attractive and quirky strawberry blonde is a soon-to-be college Senior at Duquesne University studying pre-law. She also happens to be the daughter of Marty’s ex-girlfriend, Vanessa. As such, the young Miss Martin soon proves to be quite an equalizer for Marty, who manages to keep the otherwise cocksure attorney from getting too comfortable with himself.
SEX, COMEDY, AND SUSPENSE?
How about all three? In creating this novel, first-time author DC Chase creates a genre called Sexspense . As the merged name implies, this novel features both elements, along with many Fletch-like comical moments, to keep the reader laughing as the sexual tension and suspense build to a surprising climax. The Trouble with Marty is the first in the Hot to Trot series, one guaranteed to be a series you’ll keep high on your reading list long after turning the final page.
460 pages, Paperback
Published August 2, 2023
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 2, 2024
This is an entertaining book and fast read! Lots of humor, sex and suspense. The storyline had enough fun & intrigue which made me want to continue on!
This isn’t the type of story I generally read, but I wanted to check it out, and I’m glad I did.
This is book 2 in the Hot To Trot series.
Thank you DC Chase for an audio version of this book!
This isn’t the type of story I generally read, but I wanted to check it out, and I’m glad I did.
This is book 2 in the Hot To Trot series.
Thank you DC Chase for an audio version of this book!
November 23, 2023
3.75 stars
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I'll try to write a bullet review for this one, so here we are.
Things that I really really enjoyed (in no particular order):
1) short chapters (and I really mean short). I hugely prefer shorter chapter, and here we have all 3/4 pages long chapters. It was pure bliss.
2) It flew by! The writing is smooth (is nothing special per se, but it is smooth) and the short chapters help a lot here. (Also, the plot is interesting, and the characters are not bad, and these things help here too). And it was pretty hard to put it down. It was addictive. I was constantly mumbling to myself "one page more" and then "well, okay, let's finish the chapter, it's only 2 more pages" and then "well, one more chapter". It was hard to put it down.
3) The story. It was interesting. We have a nice mystery and even if I am left with some questions, they did not bugger me so much, because I was quite invested in the story and I really enjoyed see it deploy before my eyes.
4) Marty is a good MC. He is not the best out there, he is not really so special either, but I enjoyed spending time with him quite a lot.
5) The fact that there is a lot of sex going on, because Marty is quite the horny guy, but the sex is not on the page. Sure, it is talked about a lot. And Marty (but not only him) did a lot of sex, but we do not get submersed in sex scenes. And this was a thing that I appreciated a lot!
Things I did not like (in no particular order):
1) Veronica. She is a great character at the beginning of the book, but somewhere along the story, she suffers a complete personality transplant. It is incredible, and annoying as hell.
2) The word "sexpense". You can find it in the synopsis, and first thing first, the word itself is awful. And then, I would ignore most of the things that are written in that part of the synopsis because it is not a new genre, there are books that mix sex and mystery out there (quite a lot of them) and the sexual tension that is so proudly advertised is not really there. And mind me, I enjoyed this book exactly as it is, to me this is not a bad thing. I think that the book works splendidly and I am really happy with the way it is but... but it is not like it is advertised in the last part of the synopsis.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I'll try to write a bullet review for this one, so here we are.
Things that I really really enjoyed (in no particular order):
1) short chapters (and I really mean short). I hugely prefer shorter chapter, and here we have all 3/4 pages long chapters. It was pure bliss.
2) It flew by! The writing is smooth (is nothing special per se, but it is smooth) and the short chapters help a lot here. (Also, the plot is interesting, and the characters are not bad, and these things help here too). And it was pretty hard to put it down. It was addictive. I was constantly mumbling to myself "one page more" and then "well, okay, let's finish the chapter, it's only 2 more pages" and then "well, one more chapter". It was hard to put it down.
3) The story. It was interesting. We have a nice mystery and even if I am left with some questions, they did not bugger me so much, because I was quite invested in the story and I really enjoyed see it deploy before my eyes.
4) Marty is a good MC. He is not the best out there, he is not really so special either, but I enjoyed spending time with him quite a lot.
5) The fact that there is a lot of sex going on, because Marty is quite the horny guy, but the sex is not on the page. Sure, it is talked about a lot. And Marty (but not only him) did a lot of sex, but we do not get submersed in sex scenes. And this was a thing that I appreciated a lot!
Things I did not like (in no particular order):
1) Veronica. She is a great character at the beginning of the book, but somewhere along the story, she suffers a complete personality transplant. It is incredible, and annoying as hell.
2) The word "sexpense". You can find it in the synopsis, and first thing first, the word itself is awful. And then, I would ignore most of the things that are written in that part of the synopsis because it is not a new genre, there are books that mix sex and mystery out there (quite a lot of them) and the sexual tension that is so proudly advertised is not really there. And mind me, I enjoyed this book exactly as it is, to me this is not a bad thing. I think that the book works splendidly and I am really happy with the way it is but... but it is not like it is advertised in the last part of the synopsis.
November 16, 2023
I enjoyed this book A LOT! The author gave me a copy of this book for free sometime in September and the only regret I have is I didn't read this sooner. This book is way out of the genre I usually read and it didn't dissapoint. I loved the combination of humor and mystery in this story and the revelations were insane. Marty is a great storyteller I felt like I was listening to his stories in person while reading the book. I'd love to see this be turned into a movie or a sitcom. This is a gem. Such a great read! Solid 5 stars for this amazing author. I can't wait for book 2.
November 13, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! I have never read a book with attorneys in. The author gave me a copy of their book to read and review.
If you enjoy books with attorneys in it, then read The Trouble with Marty. I was already hooked by the first chapter.
If you enjoy books with attorneys in it, then read The Trouble with Marty. I was already hooked by the first chapter.
April 19, 2024
This book is a captivating blend of sleekness, allure, and suspense. Its unexpected twists and turns kept me hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the witty sense of humor throughout the book. Marty's adventures are an exhilarating ride!
August 26, 2024
Plot
What's the trouble with Marty Wheeler, the Brentwood attorney? Well, actually, the title is deceiving. He has many troubles. Where to begin? He's having sex with the wife of his client. He takes on a pesky new secretary who's in college, is intelligent, attractive, and the daughter of the woman he used to date. There's a bunch of letters being sent to people stirring up trouble, including a previous suspicious death and the subsequent inheritance.
Oh, the web strands are intricate and wind through the stories and side stories. There is a lot going on here. Keep up because this moves fast...well, sort of. The real mystery doesn't start to pick up speed until about a quarter of the way through. There's a lot of build-up and character introduction.
Characters
Blondie - Blonde, smokes, blue eyes, married
Marty Wheeler - attorney, drives a Dodge Challenger, 40, graduated Duquesne University, has a heard, smokes and like cigars
Vanessa martin - Marty's ex girlfriend, has a daughter, green eyes, red hair
Douglas Hughes - Blondie's husband, played football at Pittsburgh U and the NFL
Ollie Yates - 19, attends Duquesne, wears glasses, uses allergy inhaler, Dad runs a gas station
Ballie Martin - Vanessa's daughter, 21, redhead
Edward Taggert - 63, police chief, a bit overweight
There are a few other characters thrown in. The clerks down at the courthouse, another attorney who was an old fling of Marty's. Stephanie Orr. Louie.
All very well presented. I did get a kick out of Bailey's sticking her nose into everything. She had a good role in this.
There is a bit of character development, but the ending really threw everything into the mixer. I would have liked to have seen a little more foreshadowing on the true nature of some of the characters. Some of the revelations at the end were a complete surprise.
Dialogue
Everyone had distinctive voices. I had no issues with identifying who spoke if there were no tag lines.
Writing
The book is divided into titled Parts. A bit of vulgarity in a few F-bombs dropped here and there but nothing major.
The POV is 1st person from Marty in many chapters and 3rd person POV from other characters in other chapters.
Short chapters...and here's where I have a little issue. A lot of the chapters ended in what I thought was the middle of a scene. The next chapter may pick up directly after the last line or thought, but many skipped ahead to later in the day, a day later, or another future time. Sometimes logical follow-up information is given.
The book is written as if Marty is telling the story directly to the reader. I don't have a problem with it other than there's a bit of tense mix-ups even within the same sentence sometimes. It's a bit disconcerting.
We don't learn Marty's name until the third part of the introductory section.
A misspelling - droll should be drool. an instance of a missing quotation mark.
There are a few repeated phrases such as descriptions of people and the "glass houses" phrase.
There were side stories to this book that, while interesting, I wanted more information and/or relevance. For instance, there's a big scene with Ollie being attracted to Bailey at the beginning. Throughout, the two get together, date, maybe kiss, maybe but probably don't have sex. While I like the developing relationship, I didn't get enough of it. There's one scene where Ollie and Bailey are talking to each other and it's mentioned that Bailey slapped Ollie on the last date. What? What happened? That's never explained. Both come to Marty for advice, but it's never shown what he says.
Another side story deals with Russell Finch, who's a well-known author with a new book published. Everyone 's raving about him, but he has no relevance to the story other than being the fascination of Bailey and Stephanie. Recently, I heard the phrase Chekov's Gun. The concept is, if you put a gun in the story, it better be fired later. If it doesn't have importance, people will be disappointed. Why bring it in to do nothing with it? That's what I felt about this Finch person. You don't ever see him, and he and his book play no importance to the overall plot.
Let's talk about these mysterious letters that stir up problems and become the main thrust for the story. The first one is sent to a a retired woman and contains something that accuses the husband of cheating. We never discover what it says...and it doesn't seem to have any relevance to the other letters which do have importance.
These letters deal with the Bradford family. Wife dies in an accident that may be suspicious. There's confusion among the characters about the wills and the inheritance, and the whole thing gets intricate and intriguing.
One issue I have is that Marty gets pretty uptight about these letters at the start even though he's not directly involved, yet. He really overreacts and I didn't see why.
At the end, Taggert, like a stereotypical P.I., brings all of the players together in one room—in a library for some unknown reason—to lay out the case. I'm not going to play spoiler, but, as mentioned before, there are a lot of revelations and major surprises and family connections previously unknown. I like surprises, but these came like a shotgun blast. I think there might have been some clues, hints, or foreshadowing thrown in earlier.
And, Chase played unfair with the reader by not answering one major question. I don't mind finding out who killed who and what shenanigans get thrown into the spotlight, but I'm waiting for the BIG reveal...and Chase doesn't come through.
There's a lot of humor here, light-hearted action and chapters, and I sort of ended up liking Marty despite his faults. I'm torn between two ranks because I have to play fair with some of the issues here. I did enjoy the book, for the most part.
In some martial arts belt systems, there is a Low and a High rank for each color. There might be different names for these such as Recommended and Decided, and there are reasons for two "ranks" within a rank.
I didn't want to work with that type of system here in ranking the books because I thought it might be too complicated for me. But the trouble is, if I give the book a definite rank, it may not be completely justified because of some of the issues, like I've mentioned. So, while I'll give this a Purple Belt, think of it as the lower part of that rank. This book is good and it's part of a series. I wouldn't refuse another story, but there are some issues to work through.
What's the trouble with Marty Wheeler, the Brentwood attorney? Well, actually, the title is deceiving. He has many troubles. Where to begin? He's having sex with the wife of his client. He takes on a pesky new secretary who's in college, is intelligent, attractive, and the daughter of the woman he used to date. There's a bunch of letters being sent to people stirring up trouble, including a previous suspicious death and the subsequent inheritance.
Oh, the web strands are intricate and wind through the stories and side stories. There is a lot going on here. Keep up because this moves fast...well, sort of. The real mystery doesn't start to pick up speed until about a quarter of the way through. There's a lot of build-up and character introduction.
Characters
Blondie - Blonde, smokes, blue eyes, married
Marty Wheeler - attorney, drives a Dodge Challenger, 40, graduated Duquesne University, has a heard, smokes and like cigars
Vanessa martin - Marty's ex girlfriend, has a daughter, green eyes, red hair
Douglas Hughes - Blondie's husband, played football at Pittsburgh U and the NFL
Ollie Yates - 19, attends Duquesne, wears glasses, uses allergy inhaler, Dad runs a gas station
Ballie Martin - Vanessa's daughter, 21, redhead
Edward Taggert - 63, police chief, a bit overweight
There are a few other characters thrown in. The clerks down at the courthouse, another attorney who was an old fling of Marty's. Stephanie Orr. Louie.
All very well presented. I did get a kick out of Bailey's sticking her nose into everything. She had a good role in this.
There is a bit of character development, but the ending really threw everything into the mixer. I would have liked to have seen a little more foreshadowing on the true nature of some of the characters. Some of the revelations at the end were a complete surprise.
Dialogue
Everyone had distinctive voices. I had no issues with identifying who spoke if there were no tag lines.
Writing
The book is divided into titled Parts. A bit of vulgarity in a few F-bombs dropped here and there but nothing major.
The POV is 1st person from Marty in many chapters and 3rd person POV from other characters in other chapters.
Short chapters...and here's where I have a little issue. A lot of the chapters ended in what I thought was the middle of a scene. The next chapter may pick up directly after the last line or thought, but many skipped ahead to later in the day, a day later, or another future time. Sometimes logical follow-up information is given.
The book is written as if Marty is telling the story directly to the reader. I don't have a problem with it other than there's a bit of tense mix-ups even within the same sentence sometimes. It's a bit disconcerting.
We don't learn Marty's name until the third part of the introductory section.
A misspelling - droll should be drool. an instance of a missing quotation mark.
There are a few repeated phrases such as descriptions of people and the "glass houses" phrase.
There were side stories to this book that, while interesting, I wanted more information and/or relevance. For instance, there's a big scene with Ollie being attracted to Bailey at the beginning. Throughout, the two get together, date, maybe kiss, maybe but probably don't have sex. While I like the developing relationship, I didn't get enough of it. There's one scene where Ollie and Bailey are talking to each other and it's mentioned that Bailey slapped Ollie on the last date. What? What happened? That's never explained. Both come to Marty for advice, but it's never shown what he says.
Another side story deals with Russell Finch, who's a well-known author with a new book published. Everyone 's raving about him, but he has no relevance to the story other than being the fascination of Bailey and Stephanie. Recently, I heard the phrase Chekov's Gun. The concept is, if you put a gun in the story, it better be fired later. If it doesn't have importance, people will be disappointed. Why bring it in to do nothing with it? That's what I felt about this Finch person. You don't ever see him, and he and his book play no importance to the overall plot.
Let's talk about these mysterious letters that stir up problems and become the main thrust for the story. The first one is sent to a a retired woman and contains something that accuses the husband of cheating. We never discover what it says...and it doesn't seem to have any relevance to the other letters which do have importance.
These letters deal with the Bradford family. Wife dies in an accident that may be suspicious. There's confusion among the characters about the wills and the inheritance, and the whole thing gets intricate and intriguing.
One issue I have is that Marty gets pretty uptight about these letters at the start even though he's not directly involved, yet. He really overreacts and I didn't see why.
At the end, Taggert, like a stereotypical P.I., brings all of the players together in one room—in a library for some unknown reason—to lay out the case. I'm not going to play spoiler, but, as mentioned before, there are a lot of revelations and major surprises and family connections previously unknown. I like surprises, but these came like a shotgun blast. I think there might have been some clues, hints, or foreshadowing thrown in earlier.
And, Chase played unfair with the reader by not answering one major question. I don't mind finding out who killed who and what shenanigans get thrown into the spotlight, but I'm waiting for the BIG reveal...and Chase doesn't come through.
There's a lot of humor here, light-hearted action and chapters, and I sort of ended up liking Marty despite his faults. I'm torn between two ranks because I have to play fair with some of the issues here. I did enjoy the book, for the most part.
In some martial arts belt systems, there is a Low and a High rank for each color. There might be different names for these such as Recommended and Decided, and there are reasons for two "ranks" within a rank.
I didn't want to work with that type of system here in ranking the books because I thought it might be too complicated for me. But the trouble is, if I give the book a definite rank, it may not be completely justified because of some of the issues, like I've mentioned. So, while I'll give this a Purple Belt, think of it as the lower part of that rank. This book is good and it's part of a series. I wouldn't refuse another story, but there are some issues to work through.
December 16, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! I loved our main character Marty - considering he has an 'important' job he doesn't seem the most organised of people! I thought it was very unique in that the book was written as though Marty was talking directly to us for a lot of the time, and I really enjoyed reading the book and felt like I was just flying through the pages due to the style of it.
Marty had me laughing out loud at times but his 'assistant' / sidekick, Bailey also had me laughing as she just says things as she sees them! She also has an old head on her shoulders and was at times the sensible one of the duo!
The storyline kept me guessing along the way and I thought that the twists and turns along the way were great, and I was NOT expecting some of them!! The way everything came together at the end was just brilliant but also revealed some things that I would NEVER have guessed no matter how hard I tried!
I am really looking forward to reading the second instalment from Marty to see what he has been up to and what chaos seems to be following him around next time!
Marty had me laughing out loud at times but his 'assistant' / sidekick, Bailey also had me laughing as she just says things as she sees them! She also has an old head on her shoulders and was at times the sensible one of the duo!
The storyline kept me guessing along the way and I thought that the twists and turns along the way were great, and I was NOT expecting some of them!! The way everything came together at the end was just brilliant but also revealed some things that I would NEVER have guessed no matter how hard I tried!
I am really looking forward to reading the second instalment from Marty to see what he has been up to and what chaos seems to be following him around next time!
November 10, 2023
I was given this book by the Author for an Honest Review.
This book was a fun read. I felt like the story was being told only to me.
This book is about Marty Wheeler probate attorney and the crazy small town of Brentwood PA.
The cast of characters in this small town are a little on the crazy side!
We start off with anonymous letters going out to individuals that then starts a series of events.
I found myself laughing out loud several times. There are a few deaths in this small town and because of the crazy things going on in Brentwood I couldn’t help but laugh at the last 2 deaths due to the events to lead to them. Bailey is Marty’s ex-girlfriend’s daughter who is his secretary for the summer.
Bailey brings so good comedy to this story. There are several revelations at the end of this story, but we do have a few unanswered questions. Who sent the letters and why did Marty quit his big-time law gig in the city right before he made a partner to become a probate lawyer in the small town of Brentwood.
This book is a good start for a relatively new author. I enjoyed the story and definitely had to keep reading to find out how the crazy in this town ends!
This book was a fun read. I felt like the story was being told only to me.
This book is about Marty Wheeler probate attorney and the crazy small town of Brentwood PA.
The cast of characters in this small town are a little on the crazy side!
We start off with anonymous letters going out to individuals that then starts a series of events.
I found myself laughing out loud several times. There are a few deaths in this small town and because of the crazy things going on in Brentwood I couldn’t help but laugh at the last 2 deaths due to the events to lead to them. Bailey is Marty’s ex-girlfriend’s daughter who is his secretary for the summer.
Bailey brings so good comedy to this story. There are several revelations at the end of this story, but we do have a few unanswered questions. Who sent the letters and why did Marty quit his big-time law gig in the city right before he made a partner to become a probate lawyer in the small town of Brentwood.
This book is a good start for a relatively new author. I enjoyed the story and definitely had to keep reading to find out how the crazy in this town ends!
August 8, 2025
A funny attorney, hot women, murder and wills.
Marty is such a main character, I really enjoyed his thoughts and lifestyle. He kind of remind me of the playboy from the show two and a half men, but make him a smart attorney.
The other characters were likeable, I could easily imagine them (even tho there was a lot!). I really like Bailey, i must say, shes an icon. And the other women? We had a lot of interesting personalities for sure.
One of my favorite part about this book is the narration. It's funny, sarcastic and often breaks the forth wall.
My main issue was the pacing. It was really slow, like it wasn't written nowadays. Now, if you pair it with it being over 400 pages, then you can see the problem. I wish we either spent less time getting to know characters or seeing Martys everyday life this much. Because for a long time, we don't even know hear abour the first crime, and I was honestly getting a bit bored.
Overall, The story is enjoyable, the plot is good, there's twists, hot women and a funny, charismatic man. What else could you ask for?
Marty is such a main character, I really enjoyed his thoughts and lifestyle. He kind of remind me of the playboy from the show two and a half men, but make him a smart attorney.
The other characters were likeable, I could easily imagine them (even tho there was a lot!). I really like Bailey, i must say, shes an icon. And the other women? We had a lot of interesting personalities for sure.
One of my favorite part about this book is the narration. It's funny, sarcastic and often breaks the forth wall.
My main issue was the pacing. It was really slow, like it wasn't written nowadays. Now, if you pair it with it being over 400 pages, then you can see the problem. I wish we either spent less time getting to know characters or seeing Martys everyday life this much. Because for a long time, we don't even know hear abour the first crime, and I was honestly getting a bit bored.
Overall, The story is enjoyable, the plot is good, there's twists, hot women and a funny, charismatic man. What else could you ask for?
May 10, 2024
I binged this audiobook within a few days. It’s a genre I never really heard of, called “Sexpense” that has suspense, sexual tension, and comedy all in one. It’s done in a clever way with fun banter between the characters.
Marty is the main character, a Real Estate Attorney caught in the middle of a baffling case with a rich mysterious aloof guy Jameson Bradford.
While trying to resolve the case, it has slight murder mystery vibes too, as something bad happens along the way. Marty is also partnered with a sidekick named Bailey who is a law intern who is the daughter of a woman he used to date.
Marty seems to have luck with the ladies and it’s implied throughout with a few women, but with this being in 1st person and him talking to the audience, it’s entertaining to see what goes on in his head .
I’ll definitely be listening to the 2nd one. Also the narrator was great!
Marty is the main character, a Real Estate Attorney caught in the middle of a baffling case with a rich mysterious aloof guy Jameson Bradford.
While trying to resolve the case, it has slight murder mystery vibes too, as something bad happens along the way. Marty is also partnered with a sidekick named Bailey who is a law intern who is the daughter of a woman he used to date.
Marty seems to have luck with the ladies and it’s implied throughout with a few women, but with this being in 1st person and him talking to the audience, it’s entertaining to see what goes on in his head .
I’ll definitely be listening to the 2nd one. Also the narrator was great!
October 19, 2023
This book was totally out of the genre of books that I normally read. However, with that being said this book was awesome. The story line and the characters were so well written. It was a nice relaxing read for me. I can not lie and say i wont read book two, because i need to know what happens to them hahahah
May 11, 2024
Just finished "The Trouble with Marty" by DC Chase - a thrilling blend of sex, comedy, and suspense that kept me hooked until the very end! From the charming Marty Wheeler to the sassy sidekick Bailey Martin, every character had me on the edge of my seat. Huge thanks to DC Chase for this captivating read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2024
Really enjoyable book! I like how its written and its humorous and suspenseful! Very entertaining story! I read through audible and the narrator was great!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews