What do you think?
Rate this book
Rita Farmer Mysteries #2
The Extra
Rita Farmer knows what it feels like to be flat broke. Even now, when studying to be a lawyer, Rita is so far in debt that she has to scrounge for acting jobs to keep herself and her son afloat. Decked out in police uniform as an extra on a low-budget movie shoot, she wanders into a rough part of town and is pulled into a vicious assault. Rita chases off the assailants but doesn't escape unscathed, and the boy they attacked isn't out of danger yet. His injuries could last the rest of his life. Rita's heart goes out to him and his grandmother, Amaryllis B. Cubitt, the director of an urban mission that Rita had turned to for help years ago. But the mission has changed from its unassuming past and is now flush with secret donations and gruff guards posted at the doors. Rita can't but wonder if now Amaryllis is too proud to ask for the help she needs. Smart and charming, Rita Farmer is back in the spotlight in The Extra, a second act that is as dazzling and delightful as the first.
343 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
74 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Sims
28 books112 followersElizabeth Sims is an American author and writing authority. Her novels include the Lambda Award-winning Lillian Byrd crime series and the Rita Farmer mystery series, and she writes frequently for Writer's Digest magazine, where she is a Contributing Editor.
Booklist calls her work "crime fiction as smart as it is compelling," and Crimespree magazine praises her "strong voice and wonderful characters."
Are you a writer too—or would you like to be one? If so, you might find inspiration in Elizabeth's book You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams, published by Writer's Digest Books.
Elizabeth earned degrees in English from Michigan State University and Wayne State University, where she won the Tompkins Award for graduate fiction. She has worked as a reporter, editor, photographer, technical writer, bookseller, street busker, ranch hand, corporate executive, and symphonic percussionist. Elizabeth belongs to several literary societies as well as American Mensa.
To learn more about her and to view a full list of her available works, including free excerpts and book discussion guides, visit www.elizabethsims.com
There you can get in touch and / or join her newsgroup.
Booklist calls her work "crime fiction as smart as it is compelling," and Crimespree magazine praises her "strong voice and wonderful characters."
Are you a writer too—or would you like to be one? If so, you might find inspiration in Elizabeth's book You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams, published by Writer's Digest Books.
Elizabeth earned degrees in English from Michigan State University and Wayne State University, where she won the Tompkins Award for graduate fiction. She has worked as a reporter, editor, photographer, technical writer, bookseller, street busker, ranch hand, corporate executive, and symphonic percussionist. Elizabeth belongs to several literary societies as well as American Mensa.
To learn more about her and to view a full list of her available works, including free excerpts and book discussion guides, visit www.elizabethsims.com
There you can get in touch and / or join her newsgroup.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 12, 2021
I am thoroughly enjoying The Rita Farmer series of mysteries. This story is told through the narration by Rita. She is a single parent and actress going through law school. George Rowe is a Private Investigator who is madly in love with Rita and has mad investigating skills.
The mysteries, and there are many in The Extra, all hold your interest thoroughly. The writing is smart, witty and engaging. Once you start reading it becomes very hard to put this book down.
Once again Elizabeth Sims has me enthralled by her vocabulary. Carapace and ziggurat being only two of so many more eccentric words which she uses so effortlessly.
This story is LGBTQ+ positive.
4.5⭐️
The mysteries, and there are many in The Extra, all hold your interest thoroughly. The writing is smart, witty and engaging. Once you start reading it becomes very hard to put this book down.
Once again Elizabeth Sims has me enthralled by her vocabulary. Carapace and ziggurat being only two of so many more eccentric words which she uses so effortlessly.
This story is LGBTQ+ positive.
4.5⭐️
February 16, 2025
3,75⭐️
July 4, 2009
This is the second in the Rita Farmer series, and I enjoyed this first one, so I was looking forward to reading this. And it didn't disappoint. The author only switched POVs for two characters, which made it less choppy. Also, about a year has passed since the last story. I like Rita, she's fun, smart, and a great actress.
My only criticism is the story dragged on a bit. . . at 380 pages I wanted the climax to come sooner.
My only criticism is the story dragged on a bit. . . at 380 pages I wanted the climax to come sooner.
July 2, 2012
I usually read cozy mysteries but I checked out this book on a whim and I'm glad I did. Rita Farmer is acting to keep the bills paid while finishing law school. On a search for edible food she interrupts the beating of a young man and saves his life. This leads her to homeless mission director Amaryliss Cutler and the mysteries surrounding her and the mission. This was a taunt thriller and I will read the others in the series.
October 10, 2021
Extra-extraordinary
Once again, Elizabeth Sims doesn’t disappoint. I’m a big fan of the Lillian Byrd books, but am becoming enamored of Rita Farmer as well. If you read the Lillian books first, you’ll catch and be charmed by a few inside jokes in the Rita stories. Ms. Sims has a wicked skill for weaving a tale.
Once again, Elizabeth Sims doesn’t disappoint. I’m a big fan of the Lillian Byrd books, but am becoming enamored of Rita Farmer as well. If you read the Lillian books first, you’ll catch and be charmed by a few inside jokes in the Rita stories. Ms. Sims has a wicked skill for weaving a tale.
February 3, 2020
Rita goes undercover
After witnessing a brutal beating, Rita goes undercover at a homeless shelter where something just doesn’t seem right. This actress-law student uses her skills to uncover the secret. Very entertaining read.
After witnessing a brutal beating, Rita goes undercover at a homeless shelter where something just doesn’t seem right. This actress-law student uses her skills to uncover the secret. Very entertaining read.
July 29, 2020
I quite enjoyed this book. Rota really grows on you as the character develops. She is both quite funny and dramatic all at the same time. The characters are well developed. I am looking forward to the third installment!
December 1, 2022
I am very disappointed in this book. I was looking forward to it with the reviews but this is horribly written. I think half of it is that I listened to the audio version and the narrator should not be a narrator. But beyond that the story is ridiculous. I am sorry I wasted 12 hrs on this book
December 18, 2020
Elizabeth Sims, "The Extra," is a keen, gritty urban mystery thriller meticulously plotted with lots of surprises. The ever buoyant heroine, Rita Farmer, gets caught up in a sequence of dangerous events in Central and South Central Los Angeles while working as an extra.
There is such a great contrast between Rita's life and life among the impoverished in the rougher parts of inner city LA. Much of the below the poverty line subculture is brought to life amid the crackling action sequences that remind this reader of inner city crime films of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
She uses the heat of summer in the city to great effect almost as subtle preconditioner or catalyst of criminal activity. Readers find out a lot about Hollywood, acting, abortion and the world of show dogs. Her use of detail throughout is so expert that you don't know what is true and what is made up. Usually I could google whatever she was talking about and find out whatever I don't know. But some of what she uses seems true but can't be verified. Such as the actual name of a long time Hollywood Reporter writer who supposedly had copies of the studio contracts of most of the Hollywood actors and actresses with most of the major studios from a particular period of time. But I was unable to locate the guy on the internet. Yet she refers to West Coast jazz legend Art Pepper, whose actual background fits in with that of certain characters even if they are in the background of her novel.
Her main characters might be based on camouflaged real people maybe partly to avoid a lawsuit, but also to create a somewhat alternative identity, that won't conflict in the reader's mind with the actual bio data or actual detail of the real person's life. The careful weaving of the factual and the fictitious better plants and fixes the tale in the reader's mind.
There is the use of an Edvard Grieg piano piece that if you listen to it on YouTube, figuratively describes one of the women in Sims' novel to perfection; wistful longing beneath much unspeakable heartbreak.
Another aspect of the narrative is the atmosphere of the not as much discussed difficulties of living in a harsh urban environment, of who one can trust or not and the strain of remaining legal in one's behavior when circumstances can almost justify or at least explain any slight or complete lapse into wrong from right.
"The Extra" has a great heroine, great characters, sterling action sequences, grit, a great plot and a lot of heart.
There is such a great contrast between Rita's life and life among the impoverished in the rougher parts of inner city LA. Much of the below the poverty line subculture is brought to life amid the crackling action sequences that remind this reader of inner city crime films of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
She uses the heat of summer in the city to great effect almost as subtle preconditioner or catalyst of criminal activity. Readers find out a lot about Hollywood, acting, abortion and the world of show dogs. Her use of detail throughout is so expert that you don't know what is true and what is made up. Usually I could google whatever she was talking about and find out whatever I don't know. But some of what she uses seems true but can't be verified. Such as the actual name of a long time Hollywood Reporter writer who supposedly had copies of the studio contracts of most of the Hollywood actors and actresses with most of the major studios from a particular period of time. But I was unable to locate the guy on the internet. Yet she refers to West Coast jazz legend Art Pepper, whose actual background fits in with that of certain characters even if they are in the background of her novel.
Her main characters might be based on camouflaged real people maybe partly to avoid a lawsuit, but also to create a somewhat alternative identity, that won't conflict in the reader's mind with the actual bio data or actual detail of the real person's life. The careful weaving of the factual and the fictitious better plants and fixes the tale in the reader's mind.
There is the use of an Edvard Grieg piano piece that if you listen to it on YouTube, figuratively describes one of the women in Sims' novel to perfection; wistful longing beneath much unspeakable heartbreak.
Another aspect of the narrative is the atmosphere of the not as much discussed difficulties of living in a harsh urban environment, of who one can trust or not and the strain of remaining legal in one's behavior when circumstances can almost justify or at least explain any slight or complete lapse into wrong from right.
"The Extra" has a great heroine, great characters, sterling action sequences, grit, a great plot and a lot of heart.
November 20, 2013
I enjoyed this book a lot. After checking out elizabethsims.com, I liked it even more! The author is refreshing and down to earth. Anyway, good story, things move along well. I'm not feeling the vibe between the two leads and I'm not sure I liked moving between perspectives in the chapters. Not just perspectives, but first person to third person between the two love leads. Overall, I'm going to keep reading--I think she'll get better and better.
August 4, 2009
I really liked The Actress, but this one wasn't as good. Rita and George were as great as ever, as were the minor characters like Petey, Gina, and Daniel. However, I felt there was a bit too much plot going on. Still not too bad of a read though.
March 18, 2016
Pretty good
Rita is one tough cookie except when it comes to people in trouble. It was slow reading at first but the end made up for it.
Rita is one tough cookie except when it comes to people in trouble. It was slow reading at first but the end made up for it.
June 21, 2010
I just wasn't getting into it like I had wanted to.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews