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Mary Cooper Mystery #1-3
Total Sarcasm
Boxed set includes DEATH BY SARCASM (Mary Cooper Mystery #1), MURDER WITH SARCASTIC INTENT (Mary Cooper Mystery #2) and GROSS SARCASTIC HOMICIDE (Mary Cooper Mystery #3).
515 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2014
184 people are currently reading
489 people want to read
About the author
Dan Ames
213 books486 followersDan Ames is an international bestselling author and winner of the Independent Book Award for Crime Fiction. He is the author of The JACK REACHER Cases. You can learn more about him at authordanames.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
April 14, 2015
Well, this was an easy read. All three books. I don't know that I would have bothered reading past the first one and I am not really going to search for others in the series.
Sarcasm. I love it. But this series? Not so much. Maybe it's because all the puns were terrible. Maybe it's because there was absolutely nothing to take seriously. I don't know.
Turns out I need more than just sarcastic remarks to enjoy a book.
Who knew? I didn't.
It could also be that all three books were set up pretty much the same. It felt like I was reading the same book with different names. I expected pretty much everyone who came in contact with Mary to be found dead within the next moment. Which is pretty much what happens.
Add to all this with limited character development for everyone, I found myself unable to attach myself to anyone.
So, all in all, all three of the books were "meh" books for me.
Didn't love them but didn't hate them either.
Sarcasm. I love it. But this series? Not so much. Maybe it's because all the puns were terrible. Maybe it's because there was absolutely nothing to take seriously. I don't know.
Turns out I need more than just sarcastic remarks to enjoy a book.
Who knew? I didn't.
It could also be that all three books were set up pretty much the same. It felt like I was reading the same book with different names. I expected pretty much everyone who came in contact with Mary to be found dead within the next moment. Which is pretty much what happens.
Add to all this with limited character development for everyone, I found myself unable to attach myself to anyone.
So, all in all, all three of the books were "meh" books for me.
Didn't love them but didn't hate them either.
June 12, 2015
I just read the first one, and I couldn’t even finish that. It was … just too much. I get that she is witty, she is smart, and she is capable. But did she have to make a comment about each and every little thing around her? It was exhausting and tiring for me as a reader. Read more at kryppticbooks.wordpress.com
April 25, 2015
I confess - I abandoned this book.... which is not an easy thing for me to do! But there are too many books to be read to waste time on something that I am obviously not enjoying. I'm sure that this kind of writing appeals to someone - it reminds me so much of the crass, juvenile movies that make so much money (and I can't force myself to watch those movies)
Thankfully, this was free, and I did not waste any money on it. Deleting from my Kindle and moving on.
Thankfully, this was free, and I did not waste any money on it. Deleting from my Kindle and moving on.
October 14, 2015
Wonderful & exquisite piece of literature with a lot of sarcasm I was laughing so much I had tears in my eye. Amazing triple book set this triple Mary Copper stories are worth more than 5 stars it is funny, sarcastic & wonderfully thought out. This book set of 3 I would be so delighted to recommend this amazing set of books to my friends so to all happy,happy reading from wee me. ♥☺
February 12, 2020
This trip of books started strong, the second not as good as the first, and the third was woeful.
The ending of the third, with her boyfriend showing up smacks of someone who wanted to be done of the story, quickly. Just left me disappointed for characters that showed such promise in book 1.
The ending of the third, with her boyfriend showing up smacks of someone who wanted to be done of the story, quickly. Just left me disappointed for characters that showed such promise in book 1.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2017
My kind of female PI!
She is smart and funny! The books weren't as long as I would have liked because I felt like they just stopped.
She is smart and funny! The books weren't as long as I would have liked because I felt like they just stopped.
January 1, 2018
Comedy and Sarcasm
This book was good a lot of sarcasm and a lot of vacation. This book was good and I enjoyed the family of comedians.
This book was good a lot of sarcasm and a lot of vacation. This book was good and I enjoyed the family of comedians.
February 16, 2018
I have to say... I liked Mary and her sarcasm was quite amusing. I laughed out loud multiple times in reading this set.
January 25, 2019
Fun, fast ,read.....3 books in one.
February 19, 2019
Some really funny sarcastic lines. Enjoyable, but no great stories. Every conversation was sarcastic - it was a little too much.
September 29, 2021
Easy & light reading.
Sarcasm sprinkled throughout
Sarcasm sprinkled throughout
January 12, 2018
fast paced. good characters. I forgot i was turning pages and could visualize the story.
December 30, 2015
Well, I didn't end 2015 on a literary high note. Admittedly crime fiction is not a genre I have much interest in but the "Total Sarcasm" title intrigued me so I thought I'd give it a whirl.
This is a compendium of three novels following Private Investigator Mary Cooper. Her schtick is her compulsion towards sarcastic comebacks, hence the title. It is quickly established that various members of her family have been involved in the comedy circuit, and this I guess explains her predilection for quips, a trait that often gets her into trouble. And yes, her lines are good, sharp and give Mary a hard edge that is apt for her line of work.
As a character, Mary is quite well drawn - she is resourceful, assertive, confident and intuitive. She is also outwardly very tough, but Dan Ames manages to imbue her with a hint of vulnerability that makes her more interesting. The main supporting roles are also enjoyable, in particular her oversexed Aunt Alice, long-suffering on/off boyfriend Jake and her nemesis, the Police Chief Arianna Davies.
Beyond that, the prose is, well, prosaic. The plotting is at times a little rushed, particularly in the last book, which is considerably shorter than the others and feels especially half-baked. The main niggle for me is the author's preoccupation with unnecessary detail. Mary drives a Honda Accord, but this tells me nothing about her character. Similarly, I have no desire to know that Mary's beer of choice is called Point, even less to be told three times that she gets it imported from Wisconsin. These read like clumsy attempts to root the story in reality by including all the minutiae, but every brand name dropped, every time we are told that she has paid a bill for a meal, they just jarred with me.
I have read some cracking books this year. Total Sarcasm isn't going to be remembered as one of them. Oh well, here's to a 2016 full of more wonderful reading.
This is a compendium of three novels following Private Investigator Mary Cooper. Her schtick is her compulsion towards sarcastic comebacks, hence the title. It is quickly established that various members of her family have been involved in the comedy circuit, and this I guess explains her predilection for quips, a trait that often gets her into trouble. And yes, her lines are good, sharp and give Mary a hard edge that is apt for her line of work.
As a character, Mary is quite well drawn - she is resourceful, assertive, confident and intuitive. She is also outwardly very tough, but Dan Ames manages to imbue her with a hint of vulnerability that makes her more interesting. The main supporting roles are also enjoyable, in particular her oversexed Aunt Alice, long-suffering on/off boyfriend Jake and her nemesis, the Police Chief Arianna Davies.
Beyond that, the prose is, well, prosaic. The plotting is at times a little rushed, particularly in the last book, which is considerably shorter than the others and feels especially half-baked. The main niggle for me is the author's preoccupation with unnecessary detail. Mary drives a Honda Accord, but this tells me nothing about her character. Similarly, I have no desire to know that Mary's beer of choice is called Point, even less to be told three times that she gets it imported from Wisconsin. These read like clumsy attempts to root the story in reality by including all the minutiae, but every brand name dropped, every time we are told that she has paid a bill for a meal, they just jarred with me.
I have read some cracking books this year. Total Sarcasm isn't going to be remembered as one of them. Oh well, here's to a 2016 full of more wonderful reading.
December 15, 2015
Honestly, I was looking forward to begin reading the series. Disappointingly, after a few chapters I couldn't bring myself to even finish the first book.
The main character was absolutely pathetic in all of her self pitying comments. The entire time she kept going back to her sad relationship that ended badly, which after the third mention, became old and boring.
As for the "sarcasm", it felt more like rudeness. There was nothing funny or witty about anything anyone in the book said.
The mystery was somewhat decent, but I could not continue with such a pathetic main character leading the story.
The main character was absolutely pathetic in all of her self pitying comments. The entire time she kept going back to her sad relationship that ended badly, which after the third mention, became old and boring.
As for the "sarcasm", it felt more like rudeness. There was nothing funny or witty about anything anyone in the book said.
The mystery was somewhat decent, but I could not continue with such a pathetic main character leading the story.
April 29, 2015
39 (40, 41?) of 75 for 2015. This is a combination packet of 3 novels by Dan Ames featuring sarcastic private eye Mary Cooper. I took my time reading the collection, spacing out each novel by reading something else. By the time I was done, I felt I knew all I cared to know about Ms. Cooper. In fact, the third novel is considerably shorter and much less sarcastic than the first two, even with a lot more people dying. These are fun books, not heavy, not great literature, but definitely pleasing to curl up with if sarcastic, mouthy single female private eyes are your thing.
September 26, 2016
Book # 2
Great continuation of the series with Mary Cooper, PI. Mary is a sarcastic, tough, independent woman that ends up solving crimes for the police. Her assignment was to find a missing girl which led her to the porn industry where her boyfriend was also undercover. Action, suspense, humor
Book # 3
Mary Cooper, the tough sarcastic PI is back on another case. This story involves a drug company and psychologists. While investigating another murder case she discovers the seedy side of corrupt drug companies. The story felt a little rushed, but still a good story.
Great continuation of the series with Mary Cooper, PI. Mary is a sarcastic, tough, independent woman that ends up solving crimes for the police. Her assignment was to find a missing girl which led her to the porn industry where her boyfriend was also undercover. Action, suspense, humor
Book # 3
Mary Cooper, the tough sarcastic PI is back on another case. This story involves a drug company and psychologists. While investigating another murder case she discovers the seedy side of corrupt drug companies. The story felt a little rushed, but still a good story.
April 13, 2015
Just missing something for me
I got this 3 box set for free from Amazon which is always a good price, but I have to say I wasn't hooked into needing to read any more of the series. The sarcasm was ok, but never made me laugh out loud and sometimes was just too much... and I'm sorry, but the main character discovers way too many newly dead bodies! At least 4-5 in the first and third books. Bit much...
I got this 3 box set for free from Amazon which is always a good price, but I have to say I wasn't hooked into needing to read any more of the series. The sarcasm was ok, but never made me laugh out loud and sometimes was just too much... and I'm sorry, but the main character discovers way too many newly dead bodies! At least 4-5 in the first and third books. Bit much...
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May 5, 2015In each book, the female protagonist is constantly come on to, and in the second and third books, threatened with rape. As in, in the 2nd book they've got her top undone, she's bound, and the men are lining up to rape her. In the 3rd book, same deal, only she's more securely bound and there are fewer men.
June 6, 2015
This was actually 3 separate stories, all with the same heroine. I really liked these, I think the second was my favorite. They are kind of a Alex Cross/Stephanie Plum mix. Way less serious than Alex Cross, not quite as silly as Stephanie Plum. (though I love both of those, don't get me wrong) If you are looking for a fairly light, quick read about Private investigators, give these a try.
May 14, 2015
Characters Inconsistent
These are entertaining tales but the character of Mary seems to change from volume to volume. Initially she is sarcastic to the point of being obnoxious. She appears to mellow in later episodes to become somewhat bland. Other regular characters are not well defined. Fun for a quick read though.
These are entertaining tales but the character of Mary seems to change from volume to volume. Initially she is sarcastic to the point of being obnoxious. She appears to mellow in later episodes to become somewhat bland. Other regular characters are not well defined. Fun for a quick read though.
June 23, 2015
Promoted as a comic mystery series (three books in one), but the first one is less than funny, and it seemed like the other totally gave up on humor after that! The first two were mildly interesting, and the third had potential, but it just sort of suddenly ended, as if the author really didn't know what to do, so we just tacked an ending on, out of the blue. Unsatisfying!
May 19, 2015
Too much sarcasm
Good story line which hooked me despite myself. If you like sarcasm on every single page, this book is for you. If you like lude sarcasm, then you'll love it even more. Lots of profanity. If I had known about the profanity I wouldn't have read this. Unfortunately I liked the overall story and tried to skip over the language.
Good story line which hooked me despite myself. If you like sarcasm on every single page, this book is for you. If you like lude sarcasm, then you'll love it even more. Lots of profanity. If I had known about the profanity I wouldn't have read this. Unfortunately I liked the overall story and tried to skip over the language.
July 25, 2015
Funny! Sarcastic fun!
Mary makes sarcasm into an art form! She truly has no filter and I love for it! It doesn't help her with her clients as she is trying build her business as a P.I. She tends to overshare! This series is funny, crude and quirky. It won't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
Mary makes sarcasm into an art form! She truly has no filter and I love for it! It doesn't help her with her clients as she is trying build her business as a P.I. She tends to overshare! This series is funny, crude and quirky. It won't be for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
June 10, 2015
Got this set for free on Kindle. Read the first 10 chapters and realized it wasn't worth my time. I have too many other books to read. The story seemed interesting, but the characters were not. The "sarcasm" was not witty or clever. It was dumb and corny.
April 21, 2015
I bought this boxed set so that I could get "Gross Sarcastic Homicide". I've already read and reviewed the other two. (Rated one of them 4.5 stars, the other 4.4) I like this series and am happy to have read these three. "Gross Sarcastic Homicide" I rated 4.4 stars.
April 9, 2015
Enjoyahle
If a book can't hold my interest, there is a problem. However, Mary Cooper kept me riveted for all three books. I really like her attitude...and her mouth. The stories are fast paced with really twisty plots.
If a book can't hold my interest, there is a problem. However, Mary Cooper kept me riveted for all three books. I really like her attitude...and her mouth. The stories are fast paced with really twisty plots.
April 11, 2015
Humor, Danger, and Private Investigator
Mary Cooper is an interesting protagonist with interesting cases and characters. Having police detective as a boyfriend is an aid to both of them in solving problems.
Mary Cooper is an interesting protagonist with interesting cases and characters. Having police detective as a boyfriend is an aid to both of them in solving problems.
April 23, 2015
Mary Cooper Rocks!
Very entertaining read with a few good laughs thrown in. Mary is witty, tough and smart and makes a great lead character in these novels. Sarcasm is alive and well in these ones, and I liked them a lot. Go Mary!!
Very entertaining read with a few good laughs thrown in. Mary is witty, tough and smart and makes a great lead character in these novels. Sarcasm is alive and well in these ones, and I liked them a lot. Go Mary!!
May 1, 2015
This was a free Nook book which was good because I'd be pretty upset if I paid for them!
I read the first book in this series and while I liked the ending the rest of the book was so-so. Didn't bother to read the other two books in this series. One was enough.
I read the first book in this series and while I liked the ending the rest of the book was so-so. Didn't bother to read the other two books in this series. One was enough.
June 24, 2015
Three of Mary's cases. Light hearted murder. Everywhere that Mary goes someone's sure to die. I don't know if it was intended as humor, but it got to be funny whenever Mary got where she was going, she'd find a body instead of a clue.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews