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A Kate Reilly Mystery #3
Avoidable Contact
Racecar driver Kate Reilly is suited up and ready for the start of the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona. But what lies ahead is not just a racing challenge but a harrowing test of her will and nerve off the course.
Even before the green flag waves over Daytona International Speedway, Kate receives word her boyfriend Stuart is hospitalized nearby in a coma, fighting for his life after a hit-and-run. Stunned by the news, Kate can do nothing better for Stuart than complete her scheduled laps driving her team’s car. But more shocks follow as Daytona’s clock starts ticking. An on-track accident ends tragically. Some of her complicated family is spotted with other teams—why? And an eyewitness claims Stuart was run down deliberately by someone from the race paddock.
Alternating stints behind the wheel of the team’s Corvette with stretches of quizzing colleagues and searching for clues, Kate circles the police and taps every possible source—friend, foe, and family—to find out who’s after Stuart and why. As the race clock counts down to zero hour, Kate must come to terms with her own fears rising from her past and decide who she’s willing to trust. Only then can she identify who’s willing to kill to keep a secret buried.
Even before the green flag waves over Daytona International Speedway, Kate receives word her boyfriend Stuart is hospitalized nearby in a coma, fighting for his life after a hit-and-run. Stunned by the news, Kate can do nothing better for Stuart than complete her scheduled laps driving her team’s car. But more shocks follow as Daytona’s clock starts ticking. An on-track accident ends tragically. Some of her complicated family is spotted with other teams—why? And an eyewitness claims Stuart was run down deliberately by someone from the race paddock.
Alternating stints behind the wheel of the team’s Corvette with stretches of quizzing colleagues and searching for clues, Kate circles the police and taps every possible source—friend, foe, and family—to find out who’s after Stuart and why. As the race clock counts down to zero hour, Kate must come to terms with her own fears rising from her past and decide who she’s willing to trust. Only then can she identify who’s willing to kill to keep a secret buried.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Tammy Kaehler
7 books47 followersWhen Tammy Kaehler discovered the racing world, she was hooked by the contrast between its top-dollar, high-drama competition, and friendly, family atmosphere. Mystery fans and racing insiders alike have praised her award-winning Kate Reilly Mystery Series (Dead Man’s Switch, Braking Points, Avoidable Contact, and Red Flags), and Tammy takes readers back behind the wheel in her fifth entry, Kiss The Bricks. She works as a freelance writer in Southern California, where she lives with her husband and many cars. Find out more at www.tammykaehler.com.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 18, 2014
Avoidable Contact by Tammy Kaeler is about the twenty four hour Daytona endurance race. Anyone that knows racing, knows that Daytona opens the racing season with a week long celebration. I love Nascar racing, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read for review the ARC of Avoidable Contact.
Kate Reilly had a bad feeling as the police officer approached her. He asked if she knew Stuart Telarday very well. He was her ex boyfriend and the Series Vice President of Operations. He had been in a hit and run car accident. Was it deliberate? Who, or better yet why, would anyone want him dead?
The Daytona endurance race consists of the car, drivers and pit crew running for twenty four hours straight. There are four drivers that alternate. The team stuck together and supported her, concentrating on the task at hand. Kate was third in the car, so it was important for her to say and help her team. Imagine how grueling this can be for all involved.
Avoidable Contact covers much of the sport in plain, easy to understand, language, even the uninitiated can understand. Tammy talks about the teams, cars, sponsors, parts, tires ( different tires for different situations), safety devices (safety barriers and the Hans device) and people (each has their specific function).
We ride around the track with Kate her as she races, brakes, dodges and weaves, even talking about the dip in the track that causes a wiggle.
THEN, the big wreck. Are we ghouls, sitting and waiting for it? Wanting it? Wishing for it?
Someone died. Is a penalty for ‘avoidable contact’ penalty enough? The penalty is called a ‘stop plus 75’ – the driver must stop in the penalty box plus they are held for 75 seconds, which equals a lap at the Daytona Race Track.
How about the women in a sport that has been traditionally know as a man’s sport? Are they treated differently? Of course, just look at the flak Danica Patrick gets for being too sexy. Who care? It’s all about the driving.
I love Nascar racing and have been in tracks from Michigan, Alabama, New York, New Hampshire and Maryland. I have even worked some events for the IHRA and my husband has worked for Dirt Motorsports. I love the noise, the smell, the sounds and the feeling of the roaring engines vibrating through my body. The action is nonstop.
Avoidable Contact by Tammy Kaehler is a cozy mystery for a sport that I have not read fiction novels for before. I was not on pins and needles as I read through the pages, waiting for the murderer to be discovered, but I did enjoy all the racing details and the mystery was a bonus. Tammy’s writing kept the story flowing smoothly and I think I was more interested in who would win the race, than who wanted Stuart dead. I would definitely consider reading more of Tammy’s work.
August 8, 2014
I started to read this book without knowing anything about the author’s background. I also did not know that this book was the third in the series. I found that you didn’t need to read the other books in the series before reading this one—this book stands all on its own.
It was clear from the beginning that Tammy Kaehler is an expert in racing and did plenty of research on the topic. As you can see in her bio, she works in the racing world. Her writing style makes you feel like you are right there, in the middle of the action, alongside of the characters. You can actually feel the fast pace and adrenaline rush of the race by her descriptions. She portrays the excitement, stress, worry, anxiety and confusion in such a way that you can’t help but feel what the main characters are feeling.
I will say that I thought there were a lot of characters—though most of them are “walk-ons” and not main characters, which confused me a little in my own forgetful mind, but without having all the characters, I don’t think you can get the feel that a major race is busy, with lots of action, and has lots of people—fans, mechanics, drivers, press, owners, sponsors and the like. So, I think the author accomplished what she set out to do—give you the feel of the excitement of that sort of setting. I learned a lot while reading this book!
The book is suspenseful and I had no clue who the bad guys were until the author’s reveal. I don’t like to give a recap of the book when I do a review because I don’t like to give away any of the good stuff, but I will say that I felt the ending was left open, it left me thinking I wanted to know more—more about Stuart, more about what happens next. Could this have been a cliffhanger for the next book in the series?
If you are interested in racing, or if you are just looking for a fast-paced mystery read, check this one out.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was clear from the beginning that Tammy Kaehler is an expert in racing and did plenty of research on the topic. As you can see in her bio, she works in the racing world. Her writing style makes you feel like you are right there, in the middle of the action, alongside of the characters. You can actually feel the fast pace and adrenaline rush of the race by her descriptions. She portrays the excitement, stress, worry, anxiety and confusion in such a way that you can’t help but feel what the main characters are feeling.
I will say that I thought there were a lot of characters—though most of them are “walk-ons” and not main characters, which confused me a little in my own forgetful mind, but without having all the characters, I don’t think you can get the feel that a major race is busy, with lots of action, and has lots of people—fans, mechanics, drivers, press, owners, sponsors and the like. So, I think the author accomplished what she set out to do—give you the feel of the excitement of that sort of setting. I learned a lot while reading this book!
The book is suspenseful and I had no clue who the bad guys were until the author’s reveal. I don’t like to give a recap of the book when I do a review because I don’t like to give away any of the good stuff, but I will say that I felt the ending was left open, it left me thinking I wanted to know more—more about Stuart, more about what happens next. Could this have been a cliffhanger for the next book in the series?
If you are interested in racing, or if you are just looking for a fast-paced mystery read, check this one out.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 3, 2015
I love the endurance events on the sports car racing schedule, so the backdrop of this book was very familiar. My focus was on Kate, the un-raveler of mystery as well as racer of cars. Instantly likable, Kate made this a book I could not put down. Finished in 24 hours, just like the race, and looking forward to reading the other two ASAP! I'm also hoping Ms Kaehler is busy writing the fourth... :)
September 9, 2014
Enjoy this series. My only concern is that Kate and Aidy Westlake will show up for the same race weekend and the bodies will start to pile up.
September 9, 2024
Avoidable Contact by Tammy Kaehler is the third book of the Kate Reilly contemporary mystery series, set at the Daytona 24 Hour sports-car endurance race.
There is a lot to like in this book! Early chapters begin with a countdown time to the green-flag (race start); once the race begins, chapters start with the remaining time (hours/minutes/seconds) left in the 24-hour race. When Kate is in her firesuit waiting in the pit for her sprint, or behind the wheel of the Corvette, I love her second-by-second narration of events and her internal visualization technique.
If you don't belong to the racing circuit (most mystery readers don't), and don't understand the terminology first time you hear it, it's easy (and fun) to figure out from context as the race continues. Kate gets full marks from me as she competes in a predominantly male career.
I smiled, feeling pleasure in Colby as a friend and a fellow warrior. She knew exactly what it was to be a woman in the male dominated racing world. To be tougher than many men, but still feminine. To bury emotion. To always have something to prove.
A short time before the Daytona 24 begins, Kate's boyfriend Stuart (a race official) is critically injured by a hit-and-run. But she resolves to do her job (run the race). Stuart would expect her to focus, to put her best driving skills into her laps, to fulfill her team effort.
The challenges keep on coming. A reporter texts, insisting the hit-and-run was no accident. He's writing a newspaper exposé of a competing race team. He wants her to text who comes and goes in that team area, photos if possible. Kate is no fool. If there's any truth to his story, the police need to know. She shares what he texts with the police, reports what she observes to police and reporter, in between running her Daytona sprints. And coping with a sudden tragedy on the racecourse.
As Kate says to her personal manager Holly: "It's hard to figure out exactly what game everyone's playing." It certainly is. Kate is surrounded by fans, pit crews, drivers, press, team owners, sponsors...and unexpectedly, members of her estranged family. Why are they at the race?
Kate somehow manages to keep a cool head and "do her job". An exciting, suspenseful story. I enjoyed the first 3 books of the series, look forward to reading the 4th & 5th, hope Tammy extends the series.
There is a lot to like in this book! Early chapters begin with a countdown time to the green-flag (race start); once the race begins, chapters start with the remaining time (hours/minutes/seconds) left in the 24-hour race. When Kate is in her firesuit waiting in the pit for her sprint, or behind the wheel of the Corvette, I love her second-by-second narration of events and her internal visualization technique.
If you don't belong to the racing circuit (most mystery readers don't), and don't understand the terminology first time you hear it, it's easy (and fun) to figure out from context as the race continues. Kate gets full marks from me as she competes in a predominantly male career.
I smiled, feeling pleasure in Colby as a friend and a fellow warrior. She knew exactly what it was to be a woman in the male dominated racing world. To be tougher than many men, but still feminine. To bury emotion. To always have something to prove.
A short time before the Daytona 24 begins, Kate's boyfriend Stuart (a race official) is critically injured by a hit-and-run. But she resolves to do her job (run the race). Stuart would expect her to focus, to put her best driving skills into her laps, to fulfill her team effort.
The challenges keep on coming. A reporter texts, insisting the hit-and-run was no accident. He's writing a newspaper exposé of a competing race team. He wants her to text who comes and goes in that team area, photos if possible. Kate is no fool. If there's any truth to his story, the police need to know. She shares what he texts with the police, reports what she observes to police and reporter, in between running her Daytona sprints. And coping with a sudden tragedy on the racecourse.
As Kate says to her personal manager Holly: "It's hard to figure out exactly what game everyone's playing." It certainly is. Kate is surrounded by fans, pit crews, drivers, press, team owners, sponsors...and unexpectedly, members of her estranged family. Why are they at the race?
Kate somehow manages to keep a cool head and "do her job". An exciting, suspenseful story. I enjoyed the first 3 books of the series, look forward to reading the 4th & 5th, hope Tammy extends the series.
March 19, 2017
Kate Reilly is ready to go racing as the clock clicks down over Daytona International Speedway where the legendary 24-hour auto race is about to begin. Kate is pumped up and ready to support her co-drivers of the 28 Corvette C7.R formerly of a member of the AMLS. Since the league merged with another to form the United Sports Car Championship series (USCC), Kate is pleased the Sandham Swift racing team continued in the new series. Victims of the merger clash with survivors as the green flag flies.
Amid the fans, drivers, pit crews, team owners, and media mingling on pit row, two uniformed policemen approach Kate. She must yank her mind away from the race as the men tell her that her boyfriend Stuart, USCC head of operations, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident an hour ago just outside the racetrack. His condition is critical. Kate reels with this news and begins to deliberate whether she will stay at the track or go to the hospital.
After deciding to stay, Kate starts to talk with drivers, pit crews, USCC officials, the media, car owners, team sponsors, her personal sponsor, and her personal manager. Kate’s father, whom she is getting to know following an estrangement since birth, is at the track since his bank sponsors the series. Not all drivers are professionals; some race as amateurs, privileged or rich enough to land a ride in the single race. Members of Kate’s new family are among them. Her maternal grandfather joins in via her cell phone with words of wisdom and advice. Each tugs Kate in a different direction.
Kate must push them all away as she dons the last pieces of her racing gear and climbs into the car for her driver stints. Again we are treated to pure racing inside Kate’s head as she goes through the steps of piloting the car. We sit with her as she peeks at an accident she drives by, dismayed to see it involves the Sandham Swift 29 Corvette.
Kate deals with the myriad of feelings cascading inside her trying to discover a motive for Stuart’s accident which may be related to the track accident which may involve family and others too numerous to name. Over the course of the 24 hour race, Kate’s trusted friends help her piece together the mysteries they face.
Suspenseful events on the track are interspersed with Kate’s fact-finding missions. The race countdown throughout the narrative ratchets up excitement. I felt Kate’s constant dialogues between her stints as driver somewhat tedious. I tired of constant “what ifs,” speculation, and Kate’s paranoia over trust issues . In the end, Kate’s searching does provide answers, but by book and race’s end, I wondered how much difference the answer would make. It is up to Kate’s father to determine who comes first – Kate or the members of the family who crashed and raced the Daytona 24-hour endurance race. Kate is left unsure of new family relationships but solid in her continuing racing career.
Reviewed by Sandie Herron
Amid the fans, drivers, pit crews, team owners, and media mingling on pit row, two uniformed policemen approach Kate. She must yank her mind away from the race as the men tell her that her boyfriend Stuart, USCC head of operations, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident an hour ago just outside the racetrack. His condition is critical. Kate reels with this news and begins to deliberate whether she will stay at the track or go to the hospital.
After deciding to stay, Kate starts to talk with drivers, pit crews, USCC officials, the media, car owners, team sponsors, her personal sponsor, and her personal manager. Kate’s father, whom she is getting to know following an estrangement since birth, is at the track since his bank sponsors the series. Not all drivers are professionals; some race as amateurs, privileged or rich enough to land a ride in the single race. Members of Kate’s new family are among them. Her maternal grandfather joins in via her cell phone with words of wisdom and advice. Each tugs Kate in a different direction.
Kate must push them all away as she dons the last pieces of her racing gear and climbs into the car for her driver stints. Again we are treated to pure racing inside Kate’s head as she goes through the steps of piloting the car. We sit with her as she peeks at an accident she drives by, dismayed to see it involves the Sandham Swift 29 Corvette.
Kate deals with the myriad of feelings cascading inside her trying to discover a motive for Stuart’s accident which may be related to the track accident which may involve family and others too numerous to name. Over the course of the 24 hour race, Kate’s trusted friends help her piece together the mysteries they face.
Suspenseful events on the track are interspersed with Kate’s fact-finding missions. The race countdown throughout the narrative ratchets up excitement. I felt Kate’s constant dialogues between her stints as driver somewhat tedious. I tired of constant “what ifs,” speculation, and Kate’s paranoia over trust issues . In the end, Kate’s searching does provide answers, but by book and race’s end, I wondered how much difference the answer would make. It is up to Kate’s father to determine who comes first – Kate or the members of the family who crashed and raced the Daytona 24-hour endurance race. Kate is left unsure of new family relationships but solid in her continuing racing career.
Reviewed by Sandie Herron
October 28, 2021
Want To Be A Racecar Driver?
Through the author's words, you feel like you are the driver in the car.
Kate Reilly is dealing with a lot. Her boyfriend is critically injured in a hit-a-run. She's got more family then shes ever had nearby wanting pieces of her. And she is driving in a 24-hour marathon race. Add in Holly, her BFF/manager/assistant. Plus the media coverage and the murder of a reporter. Leaving you with a fast pased mystery, you won't want to put down until the last page.
Through the author's words, you feel like you are the driver in the car.
Kate Reilly is dealing with a lot. Her boyfriend is critically injured in a hit-a-run. She's got more family then shes ever had nearby wanting pieces of her. And she is driving in a 24-hour marathon race. Add in Holly, her BFF/manager/assistant. Plus the media coverage and the murder of a reporter. Leaving you with a fast pased mystery, you won't want to put down until the last page.
September 11, 2017
I enjoyed this episode in the racing life of Kate Reilly.
This time she is on a team at the 24 hours of Daytona.
Very interesting race details, and well plotted.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
This time she is on a team at the 24 hours of Daytona.
Very interesting race details, and well plotted.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
August 5, 2014
Race car driver Kate Reilly is back in author Tammy Kaehler's 3rd book in the Kate Reilly mystery series Avoidable Contact. I can't tell you how excited I was to get my hands on Avoidable Contact. I've read Kaehler's first two books of the series (Deadman's Switch and Braking Points) and I thoroughly enjoyed them both so I knew I was in for quite the ride. I was definitely not disappointed.
"All the crap going on in the outside world can't stop me from doing what I do best: kicking butt on the racetrack." pg 238, Avoidable Contact by Tammy Kaehler
In Avoidable Contact, our protagonist Kate is driving one of the Sandham Swift team Corvettes in the famed 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race. The book opens with Kate Reilly standing on a very crowded pit road amid the chaos and crowds that is pre-race. With less than an hour until the green flag, Kate spots two police detectives "with their serious faces on" heading her way flanked by the second in charge of operations fro the newly formed United SportsCar Championship series (USCC). It immediately concerns her and well it should. They are there to tell her that her boyfriend Stuart was involved in a hit-and-run accident outside the speedway that morning and is in serious condition at a nearby hospital fighting for his life. Stuart is in charge of operations for the USCC and it doesn't make sense to Kate that he would even be outside the track an hour before the start of the race. Pushing that aside, Kate decides that Stuart wouldn't want her to not drive in the race when the only thing she could do in the hospital for him is sit in the waiting room. Kate is determined to press on in spite of what is going on at the hospital blocks away and decides to concentrate on the race and her car and in between her driving stints she can watch for updates on Stuart and help in the search for who ran Stuart down and why. She pushes Stuart and the rumors floating around the track as far out of her mind as she can and concentrates on driving- except during her first stint on the track Kate witnesses a terrifying on track incident that heaves her and the entire USCC racing community shaken to the core. Kate can only wonder if the on track incident is related to Stuart's pre-race accident and if that was the case who was their next target?
The thing that I adore most about the Kate Reilly Mysteries is Kate herself. She is a very real character- and while she is spunky she still has those human moments and flaws that we all have and that makes her very real to me. She is not a crime fighting machine in the guise of a race car driver- she just happens to usually be in the wrong place at the right time and the drive to see things though. While Kate is a female driver in a male dominated sport (although not really- as Kate isn't the only female driver) readers aren't continually hit over the head with the fact that she is a female. Kate doesn't see her self as a female race car driver- but as a racer and that's it. Kate Reilly is a multifaceted character that I can identify with on a personal level. She is the reason that I love these books. I also love that Kaehler actually incorporates a real racing series right down to the recent creation of the United SportsCar Championship Series created when the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series merged back in 2013.
What unfolds over the course of the race is a gripping tale with more turns than the road course at Daytona. I am not going to go any further into plot of Avoidable Contact because I want you to enjoy it as untainted by spoilers as possible. But I will say that of the three Kate Reilly Mysteries- Avoidable Contact has moved into first place as my favorite! Readers get to see parts of Kate's life we haven't seen before. And I will say this: expect to be left craving book 4 and to be saying things out loud like "Urg! But what happens next?!" after you turn that last page.
"All the crap going on in the outside world can't stop me from doing what I do best: kicking butt on the racetrack." pg 238, Avoidable Contact by Tammy Kaehler
In Avoidable Contact, our protagonist Kate is driving one of the Sandham Swift team Corvettes in the famed 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race. The book opens with Kate Reilly standing on a very crowded pit road amid the chaos and crowds that is pre-race. With less than an hour until the green flag, Kate spots two police detectives "with their serious faces on" heading her way flanked by the second in charge of operations fro the newly formed United SportsCar Championship series (USCC). It immediately concerns her and well it should. They are there to tell her that her boyfriend Stuart was involved in a hit-and-run accident outside the speedway that morning and is in serious condition at a nearby hospital fighting for his life. Stuart is in charge of operations for the USCC and it doesn't make sense to Kate that he would even be outside the track an hour before the start of the race. Pushing that aside, Kate decides that Stuart wouldn't want her to not drive in the race when the only thing she could do in the hospital for him is sit in the waiting room. Kate is determined to press on in spite of what is going on at the hospital blocks away and decides to concentrate on the race and her car and in between her driving stints she can watch for updates on Stuart and help in the search for who ran Stuart down and why. She pushes Stuart and the rumors floating around the track as far out of her mind as she can and concentrates on driving- except during her first stint on the track Kate witnesses a terrifying on track incident that heaves her and the entire USCC racing community shaken to the core. Kate can only wonder if the on track incident is related to Stuart's pre-race accident and if that was the case who was their next target?
The thing that I adore most about the Kate Reilly Mysteries is Kate herself. She is a very real character- and while she is spunky she still has those human moments and flaws that we all have and that makes her very real to me. She is not a crime fighting machine in the guise of a race car driver- she just happens to usually be in the wrong place at the right time and the drive to see things though. While Kate is a female driver in a male dominated sport (although not really- as Kate isn't the only female driver) readers aren't continually hit over the head with the fact that she is a female. Kate doesn't see her self as a female race car driver- but as a racer and that's it. Kate Reilly is a multifaceted character that I can identify with on a personal level. She is the reason that I love these books. I also love that Kaehler actually incorporates a real racing series right down to the recent creation of the United SportsCar Championship Series created when the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series merged back in 2013.
What unfolds over the course of the race is a gripping tale with more turns than the road course at Daytona. I am not going to go any further into plot of Avoidable Contact because I want you to enjoy it as untainted by spoilers as possible. But I will say that of the three Kate Reilly Mysteries- Avoidable Contact has moved into first place as my favorite! Readers get to see parts of Kate's life we haven't seen before. And I will say this: expect to be left craving book 4 and to be saying things out loud like "Urg! But what happens next?!" after you turn that last page.
July 19, 2023
Auto racing in an inherently dangerous sport. Through the years, countless racers, crewmen, and spectators have lost their life in its pursuit, but how can it get more perilous? By unleashing assorted sociopaths and desperate men into the garages and pit roads.
Enter Tammy Kaehler, the keeper of the leash.
Kaehler has built a world for female racer Kate Reilly who debuted in a 2011 novel named Dead Man’s Switch. Searching for a ride in an American Le Mans Series car, she stumbles upon a body instead, and her life has never been the same. Now in her third tale, Reilly has matured both as a character and a racecar driver.
Since 2011, the ALMS and Grand Am series combined into the Tudor United Sports Car series and Reilly came along for the journey. Her success in previous novels elevated her to the major leagues and she is about to run the biggest race of her career. Avoidable Contact begins were all good racing stories should: On Pit Row—specifically Daytona International Speedway’s pits immediately before the 24 Hours of Daytona. But life is not simple for Kaehler’s character and while soaking in the sights, sounds, and excitement of pre-race ceremonies, Reilly learns that her boyfriend Stuart Telarday has been critically injured outside of the track.
The attack on Reilly’s boyfriend becomes part of a deeper conspiracy that strikes at the heart of the sport. A killer stalks the pits and garages armed with a tire iron and a deadly secret.
Reilly is personally invested in solving the crime not only because of her relationship with the first victim, but subsequently when tragedy strikes her race team. Formerly estranged family members provide a source of information, occasional support, and most importantly a pool of suspect to investigate. Reilly remains center stage with the reader peeking over her shoulder.
For 300 pages, Reilly and Kaehler navigate the demands of racing with solving the murder introduced in the opening paragraphs. As the reader progresses, casualties begin to pile up when Kaehler tiptoes through a precise balancing act of keeping the suspense alive while creating the authentic world of someone who has been around the industry as a fan and professional for quite some time.
In Avoidable Contact, Kaehler has built some heavy constraints that might be difficult to creatively combat. The story must not only take place in a small geographic area—inside the Daytona track—but also needs to be resolved in slightly more than 24 hours before the series packs up and takes the suspects and clues along with them.
Reilly climbs into her GT Le Mans class (GTLM) Corvette Stingray C7.R and puzzles through the clues while under caution. There is enough race action to keep diehard fans interested, but the real strength of the book lies in the mystery, which Kaehler executes with precision much like Reilly navigates the turns of Daytona’s road course. The cast of characters include regulars from earlier novels and some new faces, so while this story stands alone perfectly well, readers will want to go back and pick up the first two books in the series to fully appreciate some of the development.
With the off-season looming, fans need an outlet for bench racing. Avoidable Contact will not only entertain, but it will give race fans a fresh perspective before 2015’s Speedweeks. Watch the background closely in next year’s 24 Hours and you just might see someone suspicious lurking about.
From On Pit Row Magazine
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/on-pi...
Enter Tammy Kaehler, the keeper of the leash.
Kaehler has built a world for female racer Kate Reilly who debuted in a 2011 novel named Dead Man’s Switch. Searching for a ride in an American Le Mans Series car, she stumbles upon a body instead, and her life has never been the same. Now in her third tale, Reilly has matured both as a character and a racecar driver.
Since 2011, the ALMS and Grand Am series combined into the Tudor United Sports Car series and Reilly came along for the journey. Her success in previous novels elevated her to the major leagues and she is about to run the biggest race of her career. Avoidable Contact begins were all good racing stories should: On Pit Row—specifically Daytona International Speedway’s pits immediately before the 24 Hours of Daytona. But life is not simple for Kaehler’s character and while soaking in the sights, sounds, and excitement of pre-race ceremonies, Reilly learns that her boyfriend Stuart Telarday has been critically injured outside of the track.
The attack on Reilly’s boyfriend becomes part of a deeper conspiracy that strikes at the heart of the sport. A killer stalks the pits and garages armed with a tire iron and a deadly secret.
Reilly is personally invested in solving the crime not only because of her relationship with the first victim, but subsequently when tragedy strikes her race team. Formerly estranged family members provide a source of information, occasional support, and most importantly a pool of suspect to investigate. Reilly remains center stage with the reader peeking over her shoulder.
For 300 pages, Reilly and Kaehler navigate the demands of racing with solving the murder introduced in the opening paragraphs. As the reader progresses, casualties begin to pile up when Kaehler tiptoes through a precise balancing act of keeping the suspense alive while creating the authentic world of someone who has been around the industry as a fan and professional for quite some time.
In Avoidable Contact, Kaehler has built some heavy constraints that might be difficult to creatively combat. The story must not only take place in a small geographic area—inside the Daytona track—but also needs to be resolved in slightly more than 24 hours before the series packs up and takes the suspects and clues along with them.
Reilly climbs into her GT Le Mans class (GTLM) Corvette Stingray C7.R and puzzles through the clues while under caution. There is enough race action to keep diehard fans interested, but the real strength of the book lies in the mystery, which Kaehler executes with precision much like Reilly navigates the turns of Daytona’s road course. The cast of characters include regulars from earlier novels and some new faces, so while this story stands alone perfectly well, readers will want to go back and pick up the first two books in the series to fully appreciate some of the development.
With the off-season looming, fans need an outlet for bench racing. Avoidable Contact will not only entertain, but it will give race fans a fresh perspective before 2015’s Speedweeks. Watch the background closely in next year’s 24 Hours and you just might see someone suspicious lurking about.
From On Pit Row Magazine
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July 25, 2014
Kate Reilly, racecar driver and coincidental sleuth, is back in Tammy Kaehler’s third book in the series. Avoidable Contact is set in Florida, during the “24 Hours of Daytona” race that combines drivers from NASCAR and American Le Mans Series (ALMS). They are driving prototypes and custom cars like the Corvettes that Kate’s team drives. The race also allows drivers that are not exactly professional drivers, but have qualified and won enough other races to participate in this one.
Before Kate hits the track, her boyfriend Stuart is critically injured by a hit and run driver. He is in surgery, with a small chance of survival so his role of the Series Vice President of Operations has to be covered by a couple of shady characters so the race can go on. Kate decides she will do her stints in the race because she cannot do anything other than win for Stuart.
To add to her distress, her estranged birth father, whom she just met at the end of the second book of the series, has his racing team there to compete also. Her obnoxious cousins as well as half-sister are also there, which add another layer of distraction for Kate. She is not comfortable around her family in any situation, and is worried they might be part of the illegal activities that are going on.
As the race gets going, Kate learns that Stuart’s hit and run might not have been an accident, and it could be someone from the Series that attempted to kill him. Stuart's condition, as well as rumors of bribes, send Kate into a race with time to find the guilty person before the enod of the car race. She may have to team up with an unlikely ally to get the job done.
Like the 24-hour race, this book is paced a bit slower than the last in the series. The drivers, drive competitively throughout the race, but do not kick it into overdrive until the last few hours because the drivers and cars have to last for the entire race. Because the book was only set at the racetrack, it did not have the change of setting or the lapse of time to add interest. I suspect someone more into racing than I am would have enjoyed the details of the race more.
What I loved was the way Kaehler added text messages instead of dialog or phone calls in places that were appropriate. This mixed it up a bit to add interest and it really worked for me. The last few chapters, like the race it was about, were fast paced and nail biting. The action on and off the track is roars to a conclusion as the checkered flag is waved.
I liked Avoidable Contact; there are plenty of suspects in cars and around the pits to keep the mystery lover in me guessing until the last chapters.
Copyright © 2014 Laura Hartman
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
Before Kate hits the track, her boyfriend Stuart is critically injured by a hit and run driver. He is in surgery, with a small chance of survival so his role of the Series Vice President of Operations has to be covered by a couple of shady characters so the race can go on. Kate decides she will do her stints in the race because she cannot do anything other than win for Stuart.
To add to her distress, her estranged birth father, whom she just met at the end of the second book of the series, has his racing team there to compete also. Her obnoxious cousins as well as half-sister are also there, which add another layer of distraction for Kate. She is not comfortable around her family in any situation, and is worried they might be part of the illegal activities that are going on.
As the race gets going, Kate learns that Stuart’s hit and run might not have been an accident, and it could be someone from the Series that attempted to kill him. Stuart's condition, as well as rumors of bribes, send Kate into a race with time to find the guilty person before the enod of the car race. She may have to team up with an unlikely ally to get the job done.
Like the 24-hour race, this book is paced a bit slower than the last in the series. The drivers, drive competitively throughout the race, but do not kick it into overdrive until the last few hours because the drivers and cars have to last for the entire race. Because the book was only set at the racetrack, it did not have the change of setting or the lapse of time to add interest. I suspect someone more into racing than I am would have enjoyed the details of the race more.
What I loved was the way Kaehler added text messages instead of dialog or phone calls in places that were appropriate. This mixed it up a bit to add interest and it really worked for me. The last few chapters, like the race it was about, were fast paced and nail biting. The action on and off the track is roars to a conclusion as the checkered flag is waved.
I liked Avoidable Contact; there are plenty of suspects in cars and around the pits to keep the mystery lover in me guessing until the last chapters.
Copyright © 2014 Laura Hartman
DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.
May 1, 2015
I didn't finish this book.
Rather early in the book there's a fatal racing accident and I just...can't. I was at the race this was supposed to take place at, I go to the race every year, its the one race that I refuse to miss. I have numerous friends that were racing in that race that year. So...reading a death on track just...I can't. I can't do it.
Here's the thing...racing fatalities still happen. But they're not common at all. Whatsoever. They're even less common in sports car racing. I'm not saying they should never be put into a story, its just...always feels like some dramatic thing that doesn't need to happen. Write bad accidents in, scary ones that look like the driver shouldn't walk away, those happen all the time but...fatal? It's not needed.
Especially with how bad this one was and where it happened. I watch from the bus stop, that year was actually the first year I did. There's a tire wall lining the SAFER barrier there, and turning off the oval and onto the bus stop cars are forced to slow down so I'm not sure how they were flying so fast to cause that kind of damage. I watched incidents there and nothing like that happened. A crash violent enough to wreck the SAFER barrier (pretending the tires weren't there) and then burst one of the cars into flames...that's not something I could even imagine happening. Not to mention, I don't WANT to imagine it.
I don't mind that they kept racing, I don't mind that there was no red flag but that got to me and I just couldn't keep reading. I don't like crashes being thrown in, not fatal ones, not when I know what it feels like when a friend does get badly hurt in a crash.
Not to mention, the constant complaining about "amateurs" in the race. They're not amateurs that just jump into the car for the one race. The vast majority of them are pro-ams (NOT AMATEURS) which simply means they have a job besides racing that brings them most of their money (actors, doctors, business men, bankers...). It doesn't mean they're horrible drivers, plenty of them are just as competitive as pros. This book insulted them over and over and over again and that bothered me to no end. Especially when the team openly blamed the "amateur" for the fatal crash and suggested he get charged with homicide. I know emotions run high, but that wasn't okay.
Maybe one day I will try this book again as I was interested in the rest of the plot, I'll just...skip over this bit or something.
Rather early in the book there's a fatal racing accident and I just...can't. I was at the race this was supposed to take place at, I go to the race every year, its the one race that I refuse to miss. I have numerous friends that were racing in that race that year. So...reading a death on track just...I can't. I can't do it.
Here's the thing...racing fatalities still happen. But they're not common at all. Whatsoever. They're even less common in sports car racing. I'm not saying they should never be put into a story, its just...always feels like some dramatic thing that doesn't need to happen. Write bad accidents in, scary ones that look like the driver shouldn't walk away, those happen all the time but...fatal? It's not needed.
Especially with how bad this one was and where it happened. I watch from the bus stop, that year was actually the first year I did. There's a tire wall lining the SAFER barrier there, and turning off the oval and onto the bus stop cars are forced to slow down so I'm not sure how they were flying so fast to cause that kind of damage. I watched incidents there and nothing like that happened. A crash violent enough to wreck the SAFER barrier (pretending the tires weren't there) and then burst one of the cars into flames...that's not something I could even imagine happening. Not to mention, I don't WANT to imagine it.
I don't mind that they kept racing, I don't mind that there was no red flag but that got to me and I just couldn't keep reading. I don't like crashes being thrown in, not fatal ones, not when I know what it feels like when a friend does get badly hurt in a crash.
Not to mention, the constant complaining about "amateurs" in the race. They're not amateurs that just jump into the car for the one race. The vast majority of them are pro-ams (NOT AMATEURS) which simply means they have a job besides racing that brings them most of their money (actors, doctors, business men, bankers...). It doesn't mean they're horrible drivers, plenty of them are just as competitive as pros. This book insulted them over and over and over again and that bothered me to no end. Especially when the team openly blamed the "amateur" for the fatal crash and suggested he get charged with homicide. I know emotions run high, but that wasn't okay.
Maybe one day I will try this book again as I was interested in the rest of the plot, I'll just...skip over this bit or something.
August 13, 2014
I appreciate the author's inclusion of a 'map' of the Daytona racetrack to help visualize the shape of the track and follow along with Ms. Kaehler's detailed descriptions of the layout. The only bone I have to pick about the book concerns all the racing jargon in the first chapters, where the book read a little more like a guide for racing fans, than a novel. But at least half of that is on me, because racing is not a sport we follow closely in my family.
Once the story started, that issue was laid to rest. I appreciated the descriptions of how the drivers visualized the driver changes, much like I used to do on the stage, or you hear about other professional athletes "seeing" their shots. And can you imagine racing for 24 hours straight??? Talk about endurance!
Kate was an extremely personable character. She wasn't an angel, but then who of us is? Kate's father is at the track, and to start, she wants little to do with him. And other members of her extended family -a half-sister, two cousins and an uncle are working for other teams in the race. The uncle and cousins are of the sort that you would probably want to give them a piece of your mind if you ever came across them - and nasty with it. But, maybe in response to some of the things that go on (her boyfriend being critically injured in an off-track hit-and-run the morning of the race, and the 'avoidable contact' accident caused by an amateur driver with disastrous consequences) she begins to warm to her step-sister and father. Her father even winds up knocking his brother to the ground over threats and vicious names he calls Kate.
It wasn't my usual cozy mystery with a craft shop or restaurant of some sort. But the situations - family atmosphere of some of the teams, rivalries, jealousies, greed, etc. - can be found in many books I have enjoyed. The racing atmosphere was definitely a new one for me, but I liked it. And I have a whole new respect for people involved in the sport. The concentration needed, the accuracy involved and the split-second decisions all make for a very exciting book!
Once the story started, that issue was laid to rest. I appreciated the descriptions of how the drivers visualized the driver changes, much like I used to do on the stage, or you hear about other professional athletes "seeing" their shots. And can you imagine racing for 24 hours straight??? Talk about endurance!
Kate was an extremely personable character. She wasn't an angel, but then who of us is? Kate's father is at the track, and to start, she wants little to do with him. And other members of her extended family -a half-sister, two cousins and an uncle are working for other teams in the race. The uncle and cousins are of the sort that you would probably want to give them a piece of your mind if you ever came across them - and nasty with it. But, maybe in response to some of the things that go on (her boyfriend being critically injured in an off-track hit-and-run the morning of the race, and the 'avoidable contact' accident caused by an amateur driver with disastrous consequences) she begins to warm to her step-sister and father. Her father even winds up knocking his brother to the ground over threats and vicious names he calls Kate.
It wasn't my usual cozy mystery with a craft shop or restaurant of some sort. But the situations - family atmosphere of some of the teams, rivalries, jealousies, greed, etc. - can be found in many books I have enjoyed. The racing atmosphere was definitely a new one for me, but I liked it. And I have a whole new respect for people involved in the sport. The concentration needed, the accuracy involved and the split-second decisions all make for a very exciting book!
August 14, 2014
4 STARS
This is the third book in the series. I have not read the first two. I have never watched a car race so I was new to the world of racing too. But I liked this cozy mystery. It was full of cars, characters, drama and action. It is also a fast paced book it all takes place with a little over 24 hours.
Kate Reilly is a driver on Daytona 500. Kate is having a bad start to a important day. It gets worse too. Kate had a fight with her boyfriend Stuart and someone run him down in a hit and run accident. He is in bad shape. Kate has a bunch of relatives that she had met 3 months ago. Some of them hate her.
Kate got a phone text from Stuart while he was in a coma. Saying it was not a accident. Someone had tried to kill him. They tried to kill the texter the night before. Stuart was going to meet him this morning. He wants her help proving who hit Stuart.
Kate showed the police the texts and was planning to keep showing them to the police.
Now I did not realize that for Daytona they had multiple drivers for the same car and goes for 24 hours. Plus their are different classes of cars in the race at same time. So there is lot of race talking and racing. While Kate is not driving she is trying to find out more information about different teams around her.
It would be hard to close off emotions and driving in such a important crowded race. Plus other events happen to add to the emotional toil.
You do know of the teams that have had something to do with the accident. But not all of it. Makes me want to watch a race or two to see if as much drama as this race was.
The setting is Daytona race track in Florida.
I was given this ebook to read so I could give my honest opinion and be part of its blog tour.
This is the third book in the series. I have not read the first two. I have never watched a car race so I was new to the world of racing too. But I liked this cozy mystery. It was full of cars, characters, drama and action. It is also a fast paced book it all takes place with a little over 24 hours.
Kate Reilly is a driver on Daytona 500. Kate is having a bad start to a important day. It gets worse too. Kate had a fight with her boyfriend Stuart and someone run him down in a hit and run accident. He is in bad shape. Kate has a bunch of relatives that she had met 3 months ago. Some of them hate her.
Kate got a phone text from Stuart while he was in a coma. Saying it was not a accident. Someone had tried to kill him. They tried to kill the texter the night before. Stuart was going to meet him this morning. He wants her help proving who hit Stuart.
Kate showed the police the texts and was planning to keep showing them to the police.
Now I did not realize that for Daytona they had multiple drivers for the same car and goes for 24 hours. Plus their are different classes of cars in the race at same time. So there is lot of race talking and racing. While Kate is not driving she is trying to find out more information about different teams around her.
It would be hard to close off emotions and driving in such a important crowded race. Plus other events happen to add to the emotional toil.
You do know of the teams that have had something to do with the accident. But not all of it. Makes me want to watch a race or two to see if as much drama as this race was.
The setting is Daytona race track in Florida.
I was given this ebook to read so I could give my honest opinion and be part of its blog tour.
January 4, 2016
Kate and Holly are up to their old shenanigans, though this time on a bigger—and longer—stage. Kate’s boyfriend Stuart is in the hospital after being run over right before the 24 Hours of Daytona starts. Then one of her fellow racers is killed, followed by a journalist. Even her newly-found half-sister is in danger. . . all during the 24-hour race.
The fact that this time she’s not the one who found the body—and therefore isn’t as much of a suspect—doesn’t change her willingness to solve the mystery, even while having to deal with bad guys on the track and in the pits when she’s not in the car. As always it’s the racing scenes that are worth the price of admission, with Colby—another female racer—joining the team, as well as the NASCAR star Kate crashed into in the last book.
I’m a little ambivalent about Kate’s character development here. While it’s great that she’s becoming a better person, her emotions still get the best of her at the worst times. But frankly it’s the storyline with her new family that is grating on my nerves; enough about them already. I know that’s not realistic, but it would probably boost my rating another star if this storyline was done.
Having said that, I still enjoyed this book tremendously, even when she wasn’t racing. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff of interest to the casual racing fan, as well as some new interesting characters that don’t get a lot of time here but are ripe for more in upcoming stories. The fact that Kate can go so gaga over a handsome guy coming on to her shows her to be more human than she sometimes gives herself credit, as well as being utterly hilarious.
Now that I’ve finished all the books I’m sad I have to wait so long for more!
The fact that this time she’s not the one who found the body—and therefore isn’t as much of a suspect—doesn’t change her willingness to solve the mystery, even while having to deal with bad guys on the track and in the pits when she’s not in the car. As always it’s the racing scenes that are worth the price of admission, with Colby—another female racer—joining the team, as well as the NASCAR star Kate crashed into in the last book.
I’m a little ambivalent about Kate’s character development here. While it’s great that she’s becoming a better person, her emotions still get the best of her at the worst times. But frankly it’s the storyline with her new family that is grating on my nerves; enough about them already. I know that’s not realistic, but it would probably boost my rating another star if this storyline was done.
Having said that, I still enjoyed this book tremendously, even when she wasn’t racing. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff of interest to the casual racing fan, as well as some new interesting characters that don’t get a lot of time here but are ripe for more in upcoming stories. The fact that Kate can go so gaga over a handsome guy coming on to her shows her to be more human than she sometimes gives herself credit, as well as being utterly hilarious.
Now that I’ve finished all the books I’m sad I have to wait so long for more!
October 30, 2014
My first thought upon finishing "Avoidable Contact" is that I should have avoided contact with it. This author manages to make the exciting sport of endurance auto racing (24 Hours at Daytona) dull, such that completing the story was an endurance test for this reader. I was excited when the final minutes ticked off the 24-hour race clock and I could close the book on this messy tale.
This is the third book in a series and admittedly I have not read the previous two, so perhaps some of the characters are developed better in the earlier books, but this one did little to hold the interest of this avid racing fan, including the fact that the author introduces dozens of mostly minor characters in the first several chapters. There is a mystery surrounding the attempted murder of the main character's ex boyfriend, whom we never get to meet in this story, but who is referenced in literally every chapter as the main character -- racecar driver Kate Reilly -- constantly frets over his life-or-death struggle in the hospital. I didn't care about whether he lived or died, nor did the mystery of who tried to kill him hold much fascination.
The author does a decent job of putting the reader in the driver's seat and taking them behind the scenes in the racing garage, but there was so much repetitive description that the story didn't hold my interest long enough, and that wasn't helped by a lot of confusing family ties that didn't benefit the story. Sorry, but someone should have thrown the black flag on this novel before letting it pass into print.
This is the third book in a series and admittedly I have not read the previous two, so perhaps some of the characters are developed better in the earlier books, but this one did little to hold the interest of this avid racing fan, including the fact that the author introduces dozens of mostly minor characters in the first several chapters. There is a mystery surrounding the attempted murder of the main character's ex boyfriend, whom we never get to meet in this story, but who is referenced in literally every chapter as the main character -- racecar driver Kate Reilly -- constantly frets over his life-or-death struggle in the hospital. I didn't care about whether he lived or died, nor did the mystery of who tried to kill him hold much fascination.
The author does a decent job of putting the reader in the driver's seat and taking them behind the scenes in the racing garage, but there was so much repetitive description that the story didn't hold my interest long enough, and that wasn't helped by a lot of confusing family ties that didn't benefit the story. Sorry, but someone should have thrown the black flag on this novel before letting it pass into print.
April 4, 2021
Almost the entire present time of the novel is set during the Daytona 24, a 24 hour race. Kate Reilly is one of the three drivers for her team. However, shortly before the race starts Kate learns that her boyfriend, Stuart was hit by a hit and run driver and is unconscious, seriously injured and going the the hospital. She and the team know he would want them to race and she isn't family. As she and Holly begin to work on learning who hit Stuart, things heat up. She also starts getting texts from a reporter who found Stuart's phone and he said he is sure it was no accident, but doesn't know who the driver was. Not only is there a bevvy of suspects, but there is a fatal car accident during the race that Kate isn't convinced was an accident.
In the meantime, Kate's half sister (she only met her father 3 years earlier) is there and really wants to meet her. Plus she has some nasty cousins and their father who really have it out for her.
I like Kate. She is smart and resourceful plus has some good friends and colleagues helping her. This isn't to say she takes no risks (she is a professional auto racer, which requires one be somewhat of a risk taker), but she isn't doing obviously stupid things and ignoring sage advice.
In the meantime, Kate's half sister (she only met her father 3 years earlier) is there and really wants to meet her. Plus she has some nasty cousins and their father who really have it out for her.
I like Kate. She is smart and resourceful plus has some good friends and colleagues helping her. This isn't to say she takes no risks (she is a professional auto racer, which requires one be somewhat of a risk taker), but she isn't doing obviously stupid things and ignoring sage advice.
July 25, 2014
In this book we meet Kate Reilly a race car driver whose is performing at the 24 hours of Daytona. Early in this book Kate gets word that her boyfriend has been in a horrible accident and is in the hospital under going various surgeries to repair the damage. Kate unable to leave the race, stays even though her mind and spirit are with Stuart her boyfriend.
Not long into the race a team mate winds up dead and with the team mourning a mysterious texter begins texting Kate from Stuart's cell phone, with Kate's help hopefully they can figure out who tried to kill Stuart and why?
Kate uses allies from her team and her manager along with her father and grandfather to figure out who the bad guy is and what they are trying to gain from all of this?
This book had everything you could expect when you combine NASCAR racing and mysteries, it pulled you in and wanted you to find the answers so that you were along with Kate looking for answers as to who did what. This book was fabulous and such a difference from many cozy mysteries now adays.
Not long into the race a team mate winds up dead and with the team mourning a mysterious texter begins texting Kate from Stuart's cell phone, with Kate's help hopefully they can figure out who tried to kill Stuart and why?
Kate uses allies from her team and her manager along with her father and grandfather to figure out who the bad guy is and what they are trying to gain from all of this?
This book had everything you could expect when you combine NASCAR racing and mysteries, it pulled you in and wanted you to find the answers so that you were along with Kate looking for answers as to who did what. This book was fabulous and such a difference from many cozy mysteries now adays.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2014
I'm not really a car racing fan but I have been enjoying this mystery series by Tammy Kaehler. Her real life experiences in the racing world have prepared her to write this suspenseful and enjoyable series featuring driver Kate Reilly.
I really like the setting. I've been to Daytona so I could picture the setting of the story. Race car driver Kate Reilly is participating in the 24 Hours of Daytona which is a 24 hour endurance race. Kate's boyfriend Stuart is injured in a hit-and-run just before the race. He is fighting for his life and Kate learns that Stuart may have been run over deliberately. Who wanted to harm Stuart? Kate is puzzling over this while competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Add family stress and the stress of the race and Kate has a tense situation on her hands.
Good story. Kate is likeable. Tammy Kaehler brings the racing world to life. A great book for NASCAR fans and mystery fans alike.
I really like the setting. I've been to Daytona so I could picture the setting of the story. Race car driver Kate Reilly is participating in the 24 Hours of Daytona which is a 24 hour endurance race. Kate's boyfriend Stuart is injured in a hit-and-run just before the race. He is fighting for his life and Kate learns that Stuart may have been run over deliberately. Who wanted to harm Stuart? Kate is puzzling over this while competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona. Add family stress and the stress of the race and Kate has a tense situation on her hands.
Good story. Kate is likeable. Tammy Kaehler brings the racing world to life. A great book for NASCAR fans and mystery fans alike.
October 29, 2014
While I am not a car-racing fan, I found Avoidable Contact very exciting and gripping. I expect it would be even more so for racing fans!
Although not someone who has ever watched a car race, I do love to read novels, especially mysteries, set in worlds previously unknown to me. This was a very satisfying example.
Both the characters and the plot were well-drawn and plausible, and the racing atmosphere was very compelling. Also, if i ever do watch a car race, I will know a lot more of what's going on. Author Tammy Kaehler is informative, without bogging the story down in too much background information -- and that's tricky.
I'd mostly recommend this to car race fans, but it's a solid mystery for everyone, with a lot of nuance.
I received this book in exchange for an objective review from Rambles.net.
Although not someone who has ever watched a car race, I do love to read novels, especially mysteries, set in worlds previously unknown to me. This was a very satisfying example.
Both the characters and the plot were well-drawn and plausible, and the racing atmosphere was very compelling. Also, if i ever do watch a car race, I will know a lot more of what's going on. Author Tammy Kaehler is informative, without bogging the story down in too much background information -- and that's tricky.
I'd mostly recommend this to car race fans, but it's a solid mystery for everyone, with a lot of nuance.
I received this book in exchange for an objective review from Rambles.net.
April 26, 2016
Reading and racing...what more could I want. Full review to come....
October 29, 2014
Volume 3 of action and excitement at the racetrack. See my review at NY Journal of Books: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-...
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