The Boyfriend Loophole

Detective Charlize Carson #1

by Danielle Stewart

Charlize has been called home as her mother begins to succumb to a long illness. Reluctantly taking a step back from her role in private security with the Kinross organization, Charlize resumes her role as a detective, armed with a badge and a determination to still make a difference in this world.

Amidst the challenges of settling into a small-town police precinct, she stumbles upon a mysterious case. A baffling disappearance that local authorities dismiss as attention-seeking antics. Charlize's instincts, however, tell her there's more to the story. Especially when digging she discovers multiple cases in the state with the same haunting details.

"The Boyfriend Loophole" is a gripping tale where chasing down evil might lead Charlize to her own reflection in the mirror. Every code she's lived by becomes irrelevant and she crosses a line she knows she won't be able to come back from."

Genres: Mystery, Ebooks, Thriller, Amazon, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Crime

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 29, 2023

About the author

Writing is a way to make a lot of different people do exactly what you want them to do. When I can’t get my toddler to listen to me, I turn to my characters. They always cooperate!

I currently live in Charlotte, North Carolina with my husband and seven year old son. I have perfected the ability to write in a noisy house and create story lines while folding laundry.

Ten Things to know about me:

1. I have a fear of whales. All whales. The noise they make. The sight of them (even on tv). I don't think this phobia has a name and I've never met anyone else who feels this way. I blame it on the 3D movie when I was 7 at the Boston Museum of Science. (Thanks Dad.)

2. When I get hungry it brings out the worst in me. My friends and family know to keep me well fed. They pack snacks now.

3. I can cook but not bake. Not even a little. Not even a box of brownies.

4. If there is a song I like it is normal to hear me listening to it a hundred times (give or take) in a row.

5. I do not, under any circumstances, read directions. Who has time for that? Making mac & cheese by the seat of my pants for the last 25 years.

6. Like a black-out drunk, I have lost hours of my life mysteriously to Pinterest. If you haven't tried it yet... don't. Save your self.

7. Before I became a mother, lots of things grossed me out. Now nothing does.

8. My favorite food is food... my least favorite food is no food. I love food. (apply the same rule to wine)

9. I do not have a green thumb. I have the kind of thumb that kills any type of plant ever given to me. Whatever kind of thumb that is... I have it.

10. Writing has changed my life. Not just the career it's created but the way I feel when I write. If you have something you love to do I hope you get the opportunity to do it.



Piper Anderson Series:
Book 1: Chasing Justice (FREE)
Book 2: Cutting Ties
Book 3: Changing Fate
Book 4: Finding Freedom
Book 5: Settling Scores
Book 6: Battling Destiny
Book 7: Chris & Sydney Collection (Choosing Christmas & Saving Love)

Betty's Journal - Bonus Material (suggested to be read after Book 4 to avoid spoilers)

The Edenville Series:
Book 1: Flowers in the Snow (FREE!)
Book 2: Kiss in the Wind
Book 3: Stars in a Bottle
Book 4: Fire in the Heart (pre-order)

The Clover Series:
(Book 1 & 2) Half My Heart & Change My Heart (FREE)
(Book 3) All My Heart
(Book 4) Facing Home

The Rough Waters Series:
Book 1: The Goodbye Storm(FREE)
Book 2: The Runaway Storm
Book 3: The Rising Storm

The Barrington Billionaire Series
Book 1: Fierce Love (Free)
Book 2: Wild Eyes
Book 3: Crazy nights
Book 4: Loyal Hearts

The Piper Anderson Legacy Mystery
Book 1: Three Seconds to Rush (Free)
Book 2: Just for a Heartbeat
Book 3: Not just an Echo

Stand Alones:
Yours for the Taking
Sweet Rendezvous
Running from Shadows

Reviews

[Graeme Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this story. The whole aspect of a "loop hole" in the American justice system was very interesting to me. The relationship between Charlize and her mother and the development thereof was good and touching! The revelation of who the Abductor was was a complete surprise to me. Well worth reading!

[tanisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was originally leaning toward a 3-star rating for this one. The premise? Genuinely intriguing, with a ton of potential—unfortunately, most of it left untapped. As I read, it felt like I was missing a whole backstory on the main character, but not in that she's-mysterious-and-it’ll-all-make-sense-later kind of way. More like I accidentally started book two in a series and no one told me. Another thing that took me out of the story: the grammar and spelling. They were distracting enough to really mess with the pacing and tone. That said, the one thing saving this from a one-star rating is the boyfriend loophole itself. That idea? Brilliant. I genuinely hope another author takes that concept and runs with it—because I'd read that version in a heartbeat.

[Trenna]

Interesting plot.

[Cidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is worth reading readers, this is a very good book, Charlize Carson has taken temporary leave from her job with the Kinross organisation which seems to ratchet up the ante with regards to injustices in any system and tries to put them right. She loves her job but her mother has cancer and the end is near, and is taking 6mths off to be with here, and also work. She used to be a cop so she goes back to her old job and immediately clashes with her old boss. However their relationship turns into a good one by the end.

On looking through cold cases she realises that there is a pattern in which women who have been victims of abusive partners were abducted, blindfolded and tied up and put in car boots, then left by the side of the road unharmed. The one other thing they had in common was the smell of pine. She journeys to other police forces in the area and joins forces with them to look for the perpetrator, and I confess to not seeing that one coming, the ending was a total surprise.

The other thing touched on in the storyline was something called "the boyfriend loophole" which I didn't really understand, but it was something to do with non-married partners and not being shot by them but abused? Other readers here will be able to fill you in with more details, there isn't anything like that over here. At the end of the book her mom finally dies and Charlize spends time in the empty house she grew up in and cried at the lost relationship she could have had with her mom. It is worth reading readers. No gungho antics but steady calm working through the cases and solving it by being intelligent!

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an easy read; not necessarily a great read. Charlize comes home to care for her terminal mother. It’s a sad state but it’s not riveting. Somewhere along the line she gets hired with the local PD. From there it’s just a mishmash of events. In general, the story line is meh. Yes, there is a gigantic loophole regarding domestic abuse and boyfriends. Unfortunately, that part of the story doesn’t really come fully together until half way through the book. When it does finally happen it’s kind of what you’ve been waiting for all along but it came so late it’s hard to actually stay tuned.
I didn’t connect with the main character. I felt there was a lot of repetition in the first half of the book regarding her feelings and her dying mother. In between there was an occasional mention about an abduction then right back to home and mom and dad”am I enough” feelings.
It’s not terrible but it’s less about crime and more emotional. You can also skim pages and have a pulse on what’s going on. I thought about quitting this book several times. I stayed with it because it’s short and easy.

[Robin Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlize comes home from her fast-paced job in protection services to take care of her dying mother. She is getting burnt out in her job and is ready for a slower pace, taking a job with the local police department. Her mother’s caregiver brings a mysterious case (out of her jurisdiction) where a young woman was chloroformed and left out on a road. She wasn’t robbed or assaulted. When Charlize begins to investigate, she finds five similar cases within the state. Each of the victims had been assaulted in the past, yet nothing was done for them. Charlize is intrigued and gets permission to investigate the case. I really enjoyed this book and the attention it gives to the loophole laws. The complicated relationship of Charlize and her dying mother is also a good story. It’s almost like two stories blended seamlessly into one book. I enjoyed reading this book very much and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[LINDA MCCAULEY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regret is something we either deal with or let it eat us up!

Regret is something we either deal with or let it eat us up! As Charlize comes home to be with her dying mother, she is filled with sadness and regret that she didn’t come sooner. She had never felt close to her mother, feeling that she was a disappointment, not the daughter her mother deserved. Taking a job with local law enforcement will keep her busy as her mother’s days wind down. She’s a person who needs to keep busy. She takes on an odd case that has been put “on the back burner “ because it’s unbelievable. As she works the case, her mother’s insight and input to the situation helps them communicate better and have some real heartwarming conversations. As the case winds down, decisions have to be made.

[Bruce Retallack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Technically, this is a police procedural with an interesting mystery but not, until quite late in the game, a murder. More than anything, though, it is a book about, and for, women - mothers and daughters, women in the workplace, caregiving and crusading, and domestic violence. It is an angry book based on real circumstances, and ultimately a polemic against systemic injustice. As a non-female person, I could clearly understand but not always relate in the visceral way I suspect women readers would.
That being said, the plot and premise were interesting enough to keep reading, and there were a number of lovely characters involved.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Charlize's life is full of turmoil. Her mother is dying, and she has quit a job she loved to be with her. But they really are not close. Now she is back in the small town she grew up in, and a member of the police department there. Her mother's caregiver has asked her to look into the abduction of a family member. This is where things start to form in Charlize's mind. There are more of these strange abductions that the police won't even look into. I felt the emotions that was throughout this book. Nice job Danielle!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could have easily finished this in two days had I had the time! This was such a thrilling read, that also educated me on a huge flaw in our system. I had never heard of the Boyfriend Loophole before I read this book. I was on the edge of my seat throughout and as an avid crime junkie that usually can figure out the “bad guy” quickly, I was stumped. I loved the balance of a good suspenseful crime story and the juxtaposition of her healing her mother wound. Loved this book- will recommend it to all of my friends and can’t wait to read the next two in the series!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Charlize returns to her home town to be with her terminally ill mother, she has to deal with the challenges of their relationship. Hired as a detective, she looks into a strange abduction - a woman is chloroformed, and is left in an isolated place but nothing has been done to her. As she finds 5 cases in the state, she works to determine the commonality. As she progresses on the case as well as her relationship with her mother, she begins to learn more about herself. Good story with an interesting twist.

[Charlene Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few storylines running through this book kept it very interesting. Ms. Stewart does a great job with character development and descriptions. I liked seeing how the mother/daughter relationship was enhanced by their time together during a very difficult period in their lives.

The twist in the story regarding the abductor and the outcome after that discovery really took me by surprise.

I am eagerly looking forward to the second book, when Charlize tackles another cold case.

[Diana Kamada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love female cops solving mysteries and learning about major gaps in our nations legislation! However ~1/3 of the book focuses on the main character’s mom and her terminal illness (not a spoiler this is established in the first couple pages), and their relationship, and her struggles with grief and regret. This is not what I came for. Just trying to read a nice mystery and suddenly “let’s think about our mom dying slowly over the course of the entire book”

[Gail White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent thriller. Follows detective Charlize as she returns home to help care for her dying mother and to work in the local police department. Charlize manages to link a series of mysterious abductions and links up with fellow detective Harris to try and find the perpetrator. What elevates this is that it doesn't rely on the usual tired tropes about violence against women but instead introduces a different angle from a story and legislative perspective.

[Robyn Balmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t finish “The Boyfriend Loophole” by Danielle Stewart. The author waffled on, and I was so bored. Talk about slow-paced, and the plot didn’t grab me at all.
The story starts with a girl who was kidnapped, dosed with chloroform and left on the side of the road with no injuries. The main character, Detective Charlize Carson, had a mother who was so ill she was dying. I’m afraid I couldn’t get into the story, so I finished the book. No more books from Ms. Stewart in the future.

[diannscollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abuse and Relationships

Great writing style. Kept this reader interested until the end. Wanting to be with her mother, who has a terminal health condition, causes Charlize to take a job at a local police department. The relationship with her mother is complicated. To make things even harder she has to contend with a bizarre abduction case.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising

I was interested when I realized the title referred to an actual legal loophole. Charlize returned home to be with her dying mother and decided to work on cold cases. She learned about an unusual abduction of a young woman and events changed quickly. It was an easy read.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy mystery read but had much more soul searching than mystery. Charlize has come home to spend time with her estranged dying mother. I started this book for the mystery aspect but was taken over by the human interaction. Having lost my mother quite a while ago already, this had me crying like a baby, and the mystery almost took a back seat.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The boyfriend loophole is a dangerous caveat in American legislation whereby domestic abusers don't lose their access to guns unless they are married or living with / have a child with the person (woman) they are abusing. I was intrigued to learn about this. the story kept my attention but was fairly surface level. the "who dunnit" aspect was a little predictable. characters had no depth.

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Notes: It took quite awhile in a rather stodgy first part of the book to figure out what the (real-life) loophole was, so at least that was educational. However, the entire novel was more an essay on that topic than a mystery per se, although it was mildly entertaining, if not particularly thrilling. We would not probably pursue the set if it appeared such a pattern would be repeated. {2.5}

[Karen Sheldon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start to a series

The author draws your attention into the story of a detective going home to be with her dying mother and to solve a case of abduction of women. The last few chapters are especially well written with respect to the events in Charlize’s life and career.

[Elizabeth Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 1 from "Detective Charlize Carson" series. came out Dec 29, 2023. vigilante justice. suspense. women sleuths. i will read more from this series. i always am pulled back to the genre over and over. i try others and i do read a plenty ...but i am always pulled back. lol.

[Kirsten Kaiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story! I found it jumped ideas a little too much between the case they were trying to solve and Charlize’s home life but it wrapped up quite nicely and definitely makes you want to read the next story in the series!

[Helinfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, had me guessing.

A detective with a past. This was much more than a detective book. Enjoyed getting yo know the main character and her friction/experience with her mother resonated with me.

[Carissa Lambariello · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was really terrible. the “abductions” were boring to read about. the characters were boring, no personalities whatsoever. the “investigation” was all over the place and the leads the detectives chased made no sense.

this was just all around under developed and rushed.

[Tonya Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This book was great. I give it an 8 out of 10 only cause the other books are not available in ku lol. But seriously, when you know your mother is dying and at the very end, something clicks wow!!

[Claire Fraser · Rating 1 out of 5]

far far too messagy

It would have been a good story if not for all the messages - domestic violence, relationships etc. I stuck with it but felt a boil battered around the head by all the messages by the end.

[Barbara Birchall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept

Domestic violence is only between spouses or people who share a child. Be violent to your spouse and the take away your gun. Violent to your girlfriend different story. Hence the Boyfriend loophole. You get to keep your gun.

[Sheryl Vandenbussche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down.

Wow! Not only did I read a great book but, I learned a lot about the boyfriend loophole. Unfortunately, not enough has been done but I am glad that there are some good legislation and hopefully even more in the future.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read. It had sufficient intrigue to keep me interested but without keeping me up reading for hours at night. The plot was good. I don't know if this was tackling a genuine issue but nevertheless the story delivered quite a powerful message