"A" is for Actress

Malibu Mystery #1

by Rebecca Cantrell, Sean Black

The first novel in a fast-paced, funny new series that's perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton.

After a decade spent in the glare of the Hollywood spotlight as the star of kids’ TV show Half Pint Detective, Sofia Salgado has had enough. Desperate to build a life outside showbiz, she quits acting to do something that everyone around her– including her family – thinks is plain nuts. Get a real job.

They think she’s even crazier when she announces that she’s going to become a real detective, instead of playing one on TV. She’s convinced the technical consultant from her TV show, Brendan Maloney, to take her on in his detective agency, but can accident-prone Sofia hack it?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Humor, Amazon, Crime, Ebooks

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2015

About the author

A few years ago Rebecca Cantrell quit her job, sold her house, and moved to Hawaii to write a novel because, at seven, she decided that she would be a writer. Now she writes the award-winning Hannah Vogel mystery series set in Berlin in the 1930s. “A Trace of Smoke,” "A Night of Long Knives," "A Game of Lies," and "A City of Broken Glass." She also co-writes the Order of Sanguines series with James Rollins, starting with the upcoming book 1: "The Blood Gospel." And she writes the iMonster series as Bekka Black, including "iDrakula" and "iFrankenstein."

A faded pink triangle pasted on the wall of Dachau Concentration Camp and time in Berlin, Germany in the 1980s inspired “A Trace of Smoke.” Fluent in German, she received her high school diploma from the John F. Kennedy Schule in Berlin and studied at the Freie Universität in Berlin and the Georg August Universität in Göttingen.

When she visited Berlin in the summer of 2006, she was astounded to discover that many locations in her novel have been rebuilt and reopened in the last few years, including the gay bar El Dorado and the Mosse House publishing house.

Her short story “Coffee” will appear in the “Missing” anthology in February 2009.

Her screenplay “The Humanitarian” was a finalist at Shriekfest 2008: The Los Angeles Horror/Sci-fi Film Festival. Her screenplay “A Taste For Blood” was a finalist at the Shriekfest 2007: The Los Angeles Horror/Sci-fi Film Festival.

As of this writing, she lives in Berlin with her Ironman husband and son.

Reviews

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A is for Actress by Rebecca Cantrell and Sean Black is the first book in A Malibu Mystery series. Former actress Sophie Salgado makes a career change and joins a detective agency. After a producer is murdered, the agency is hired when his widow is charged with his murder. A fun and entertaining book. Sofia is a strong and capable character who deals well with everything thrown at her. Lots of funny moments and interesting characters. A light, fast-paced book which I enjoyed very much.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

brief synopsis:
right after her stint with hollywood playing a fictitious detective, sofia quits acting to play real life detective and looks into a possible homicide.

setting:
los angeles, california
santa monica, california
malibu, california
brentwood, california

named personalities:
sofia 'little sparrow', 'half pint' salgado - a former actress turned investigator
miss kanouse - sofia's third grade teacher back in indiana
aidan 'nighthawk' maloney - sofia's boss at maloney investigations
jason bourne - a fictitious spy
raul - a photographer
brendan maloney - aidan's father; the owner of maloney investigations
michelle - a fan
brian - michelle's companion
justin bieber - a little punk headed for a hard landing
selena gomez - justin's ex-girlfriend
tex - one of sofia's neighbors
fred segal - sofia's surrogate pet seagull
steve kazalian - a fox talent agent
phil - a doctor
jeffrey weiner - sofia's former talent agent
joaquin phoenix - an actor
rick moranis - another actor
jennifer 'j-law' lawrence - an actress
ronnie wilson - a well-known drug dealer to the stars
charlie - brendan's partner in uniform years before
nigel fairbroad - an english reality tv producer
melissa fairbroad - nigel's wife
jose - the barman at frank's grotto
bruce brunt - an australian movie star
'shiela' - a female la county sheriff's department patrol officer
jack - a retiree
luis cordabre - a former hispanic[sic] prize fighter turned boxing trainer
mrs wong - a client of maloney investigations with a missing pekinese
sabrina ross - a young co-ed at pepperdine university who had gone missing over fifteen years ago
gladys hildebrand - the lady who thought she'd seen sabrina at a bus stop on the night sabrina went missing
john stark - melissa's attorney
jerry gonzales - nigel's partner
tucker 'tt' trimble - a hillbilly survivalist
perla - melissa's housekeeper
marie - perla's college daughter
jennifer - perla's high school daughter
bobby 'moonbow' rogers - a therapist
jesus - a white-robed person
leia - a white-robed princess
sam neill - an actor
leo - a receptionist for organic spa
jimmy artane - the teamster captain on half pint detective
oj simpson - a football superstar
celestial spring jakowski - a kid sofia knew in school
nicole simpson - oj's ex-wife who was murdered
ron goldman - nicole's friend who was also murdered
mark fuhrman - one of the lapd's lead investigators
emily - sofia's sister
van - emily's six-year-old son who has a penchant for taking things apart
violet 'violent' - emily's blond, ponytailed seven-year-old daughter who is obsessed with mixed martial arts
sofia 'other sofia' - aidan's date
gilligan - possibly the first mate of the ss minnow
giorgio - a hairdresser in santa monica
carolyn reynolds - a blond boat owner
dave - an ex-navy
prince - love symbol #2
austin powers - another fictitious spy
tim - sofia's mom's second husband
ray - emily's husband
dale arnott - former nascar driver turned hollywood stunt driver
hilary - a politician
'mr speed limit' - an iowan lexus driver
janet - sofia's mom
lance sterling - a licensed psychotherapist
gray cole - sofia's neighbor; a full-blown, one hundred percent a-list hollywood movie star
adrianna - gray's companion; a stunningly beautiful victoria's secret model from italy
martha stewart - a felon who put on an ankle bracelet
frankie davis - a cast member of the half pint detective
john agnew - the lead detective on the homicide case that maloney investigations is working on
vincent 'little vinny' chitty - a mob enforcer
michael 'big mike' barbina - little vinny's partner in thuggery
chelsea - a teenage girl
simon cowell - a talent manager

redundancy:
p99: she resisted the urge to follow up with a swift rabbit punch to the back of his head.

general:
aidan was in his usual spot behind his monitors.

label:
p185: sofia stared at the brown ford kia sitting in the car rental lot.

sean's contribution is quite apparent near the end.
what i'm curious about is who came up with the hollywood connections.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an unexpected find. I picked this book up with no high hopes, but found myself really enjoying the story and the characters. Loved the pop culture references, loved the way Sofia looked after herself without being overly sassy or overly pathetic. This was a good start - looking forward to book 2.

[FangirlNation · Rating 3 out of 5]

In A Is for Actress by Rebecca Cantrell and Sean Black, Sofia Salgado has left a promising career in the television and film industry to become a private investigator. She joins up with Brendan and Aiden Maloney, a father and son team of former LAPD officers. They get hired to set a "honey trap," in which Sofia tries to seduce a reality show producer in order to get evidence of potential infidelity for a divorce filing. Then, the next day, the man's body washes ashore Malibu Beach, making the police suspect the wife. Melissa thus turns to the Maloneys for help, and Sofia gets involved in her first murder investigation.

Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation

[Jules (Never enough time to read) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, although a bit slow in the middle. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am thinking that this may be the new Sue Grafton type of series. I had to remind myself that Grafton's first couple of books were not the fast moving, well written and character driven books ever. So I will say that I enjoyed the book, good mystery, some humor and a bit of scattered action. It seemed to be building for more books to follow. The main character is young and rich from a teenage acting career (she played a private investigator). She quits acting and is apprenticing to become...wait for it...a REAL P.I. I laugh but the story is pretty good.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've found a new series of books to read!!!! Fast and funny, doesn't follow a set way of writing so I couldn't get ahead of the story and figure it out. Loved it.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone series, so when another of my favorite authors, Rebecca Cantrell, said she would be partnering with Sean Black to write a new book series revolving around a former child actress who decides to walk away from acting and train as a real-life private investigator instead, I was delighted! I eagerly awaited the release of this book, and it proved to be an entertaining read.

The first book in a series has a lot of groundwork to cover: It needs to flesh out the main characters that will be inhabiting the books, and this book does a good job of that. The storyline was entertaining even though it felt like it wrapped things up maybe a tad too quickly at the end. I’m sure that as Cantrell and Black continue working on this series, they will be filling in the gaps and fleshing out the characters even further and will possibly address the minor critiques I have.

My first critique is probably a result of my own personality quirk: Little details left hanging in books and movies tend to bother me! The detail in this particular book that bothers me is this… the authors mention innumerable times that Sofia Salgado drives a Tesla roadster. I live in a community with a good infrastructure for EVs (public chargers), and we know people who own EVs and have their own charging stations at home. Tesla makes amazing electric vehicles, and I think it is very cool that our heroine, Sofia, drives a Tesla! As we read, though, the story describes how she drives back and forth across LA, to work, to her trailer park (where she parks in a space a ways away from her trailer), and nowhere do they ever mention Sofia charging her Tesla. I can’t see how or where there would be a charger for her car where she lives (since she doesn’t have a garage, and no mention is made of a public charger… and why would there be in residential trailer park?), the office where she works doesn’t have a charger, her Mom’s house? Nope. And even when she parks in various spots in LA (at the spa, at the hotel), nowhere is it ever mentioned that she charges her car. And terrific cars that they are, they do have a certain range and need to be charged. So that is one detail that really bothered me, and I hope Cantrell and Black address that in future books. I don't expect a bunch of space dedicated to this, but it would be great if it is mentioned a time or two.

The other thought that came to mind as I came to the end of this book was that this story is laden with colorful characters… Sofia’s niece and nephew and their extreme behavior, the seagull, her agent, etc... These are a lot of quirky, colorful characters that have been thrown into the first book in a new series, and it verged on feeling a tad formulaic (kind of like the result of a brainstorming session where they’re throwing out ideas for characters and their ideas of what they are like… the thing is, those kinds of quirks often develop and become more fully formed over the course of a number of books, which makes them feel more realistic). I have full faith, however, that Cantrell and Black will continue to flesh out characters in future books so they feel even more real to me. I look forward to the next installment in the series!

[Judie · Rating 1 out of 5]

According to the introduction, Sofia Salgado was the star of a children's TV show “Half Pint Detective.” Now in her later teens, she decided to get a life outside of show business. She convinced the technical consultant for the show to hire her detective at agency. The question is can the accident-prone Sofia hack it?

Chapter 1 page 1

1 No matter how much you love the peach iced tea at the Marmalade Café, it is not a good idea to take the waiter’s offer of a third refill if you plan on spending the entire afternoon sitting in your car on a stakeout.

2. If there was even the remotest possibility that you might lose control of your bladder while sitting in the car, any meal involving asparagus is not a good lunch choice.

3. Like so much in life, you never really appreciate toilets until you need one.

The chapter continued with Sofia trying to figure out how long she could wait until she could find a place to go. There are no buildings around nor are there any bushes nor large rocks. She finally called Aidan, her boss’s son, who was watching the backside of the rehab facility trying to see their target would emerge. He said he couldn’t leave his position but finally said he'd be there in 10 minutes. Sofia tried to do what she could to wait. Meanwhile Aidan starts talking to her about waterfalls and showers and pools.

Of course Sofia can not longer wait and, seeing that the area was quite isolated stepped, outside the car door to relieve herself. It is described in some detail. She looked up and saw a young guy coming out of nowhere pointing a video camera at her.

Chapter 2

As Sofia continued with her personal mission, the videographer identified her and made some comments. Another man climbed out of the van with a zoom lens, taking more pictures. She let them know she was not there for rehab.. It turns out they were also doing surveillance.

Sofia asked them to give her the footage but they refused telling they plan to sell it. Meanwhile a black car raced to the entrance of the rehab facility. The paparazzi were able to follow it through the gates. ; Sofia was left behind.

Chapter 3

Sofia continued her watch the rest of the day (it seems that Aidan did not show up). As she left, Aidan called her on the their phones and proceeded to make some more juvenile comments. I meanwhile decided not to bother reading the rest of the book.

This book was a free Amazon download. I overpaid.

[Caryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sofia Salgado had been a child star. After growing up and deciding that maybe, just possibly there was more to life than film, made a rather startling switch to become a private detective. She works for an agency where the owner’s son Aidan is also employed and there is chemistry between the two. That chemistry-both the good and the bad, drives the humor that is prevalent throughout the book.

What starts out as a routine surveillance gig suddenly turns into a homicide investigation and just like that the former star of The Half Pint Detective Show finds herself in the middle of an actual case.

Things that make this book a winner include the protagonist Sofia, the behind the scenes of the Hollywood setting and the remarkable job of plotting. The book is a comedy from the very first page, but the twists in the plot were excellent. I absolutely did not see the ending coming.

There were a couple of things that left me a bit cold. While Sofia is a very likable protagonist, I found Aidan just plainly annoying an awfully lot of the time. Also, the book opens with Sofia on a stake out after having consumed way too much tea and needing to use the ladies’ room. Unfortunately, that situation plays out for readers with her getting out of the car and dropping her pants only to discover she was being filmed. the References to that act just kept on coming leading to a great deal of kidding from others for poor Sofia. This left me feeling like I was reading about a group of fifth grade boys instead of adults.

This book is the beginning of a new series for Cantrell, now partnering with Black. Readers familiar with Cantrell’s and Black’s other work will probably be surprised with this series. Black writes thrillers and Cantrell has taken readers to Nazi Germany, below the streets of New York and on archeological expeditions, none of them exactly filled with humor. This time however, Cantrell and Black are taking readers on a fast paced ride through LaLa Land while we can almost hear the laugh track playing in the background. Did I like it? Mostly yes. Will I read the next one? Most definitely.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am quite a fan of Sean Black and his books but was unsure what to expect from this latest release which he and Rebecca Cantrell have written together. This is a series of books featuring Detective Sofia Salgado who has had her fame as a successful TV Detective. She has now taken a ‘real life’ job working for Brendan Moloney and his Detective Agency.

As the first in a series there are always minor things that may irritate but I tend to overlook these as with a first book in a series they need to cover some of the groundwork that the series is built on. I was glad Black and Cantrell did this as you get a real feel for the characters that are part of the series (hopefully). Sofia is a very likeable and funny character, along with her annoying but likeable colleague Aidan. Sofia’s family, especially her niece and nephew are brilliant additions and I hope we see more of them in the future.

The main thread of this story revolves around the death of somebody who was a client for the Agency. Before they know it Sofia and Aidan are dragged in to become part of the investigation. It’s hard to explain but this book sits in-between genres for me. It’s light-hearted and a dose of humour always pleases me, but ultimately it’s most definitely a mystery. I think this book will be an absolute winner for people that aren’t hard-core crime and thriller fans, but like the element of mystery and intrigue. There is also the rather unusual and notable element of there being no bad language, which some people are never a fan of!

Overall the book is what I think is a solid start to a highly entertaining set of mysteries. It has all the key elements without too much gore or violence and has great characters. The biggest pull for me is Sofia herself who is a funny character but ultimately a woman that wants to become more involved in her job. I had my reservations about this but frankly Rebecca and Sean have every right to stick 2 fingers up at me right about now and say I told you so!

[exncgal · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first: I won this on Goodreads (thanks, random computer program that picked me!), but the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was expecting Sofia to be a combination of Stephanie Plum and other characters who just happen to fall into problem-solving or detecting-type careers. I was pretty much right. The zaniness is all Janet Evanovich-inspired. Getting caught peeing in public, and being taunted with a lifetime supply of adult diapers? Fending off bad guys with well-aimed Louboutins? Yep, that's our Stephanie, I mean, Sofia.

Sofia's relationships with Aidan, Brendan, and her family, as well as random "special guest star" characters who popped in and out, were pretty credible, and it seemed like she had come through her acting career as a reasonably well-balanced person.

So what was missing? Why did I only give this three stars? Well, there wasn't much that made it unique. It was a pleasant read, with a few bits that made me laugh. However, I don't think there will be much from the story that stays with me beyond the next few days. It was fun but forgettable, like a dinner at Applebee's. No insult to them; sometimes that's what I want, but it's not usually a meal I will dream about for months afterwards...

An aside: did anyone else picture Sofia as Vicki from the late 80s TV show "Small Wonder?" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088610/?... - I know my imagination made this link because of her TV show titled Half Pint Detective...)

[Rosemary K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sofia Salgado has tasted fame. She was a well-known child actress. Now she's grown up and left the entertainment business. She wants to feel good about what she does for a living. Will being a private investigator do that? I like Sofia. She is funny, feisty and full of life. She can think on her feet and can use her skills to save the day. Her nemesis at the detective agency, Aidan, keeps her on her toes. Unfortunately they are often a team. Their snappy dialogue made me laugh. Aidan knows how to rile up Sofia but he's good at what he does. There were times that I wanted to give him a head slap but deep down I liked him. "A" is for Asshat is a great start to the Malibu Mystery series. This is an entertaining and solid story. I never knew what was coming next. The secondary characters were an interesting mix. Some were quirky while others were deceitful and dangerous. I'm looking forward to the second book in the series. Sofia has me hooked.

[Cherei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice whodunnit read. The main character is a young tv actress now wanting to become a detective.. Which is very unique by itself. The plotline is not easily figured out. Lots of twists and turns. The bickering between the main character and her fellow agent is somewhat humorous. Though, even the main character wants to thump her partner from time to time with the sophomoric humor.

If you like reality shows and gossip shows then this book will be one you will totally enjoy! Cantrell shows that she has quite a range of writing. As one who has read many of her other books had I not known I was reading her book.. I would never have guessed she wrote it. Kudos! :)

[Robin Dillon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much bodily functions humor, no where near the level of Sue Grafton and Janet Evonavich.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It is very much like an Evanovitch or Grafton novel, same style of heroine and same type of pacing. Good story, entertaining and fun.

[Imjussayin · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A" is for Actress: Malibu Mystery 1
Chronological order recommended.

In A Nutshell: Sofia Salgado former starlet has turned real-life PI. Sofia is the honey in the trap when a wife wants her husband, Nigel investigated. It turns out that he is an okay guy. And the next day his body is washed up! Sofia feels terrible and needs to know whodunnit! It's fast and fun and gets 👍🏽

The Protagonists: Sofia Salgado was the child star of a hit series called The Half Pint Detective. But fame and fortune was not her dream but that of her sister. A frustrated Sofia, age 22, wants something more meaningful. And she may have found it in detecting. Sofia is amusing and given her current life choice, earnest. It is the first book, and there is nowt not to like about her.

The Plot:Maloney Investigations, Sofia's employer, is hired to find out who killed Nigel Fairbroad, a producer of 'corny' TV.

I think this series has potential, although it is preachy. Sofia's quest for meaning against some of those pays cheques the agent was offering was a bit hard to swallow.

There is a colourful cast of characters. Sofia has a larger than life nephew, Van and niece, Violet. I particularly like her Violet; she is not your typical girl but one left to grow up without gender restraint. That girl is violent. There is a greedy seagull, an agent who won't give up on Sofia's comeback and Aidan.

Aidan is her work colleague who has issues with women. I hope they don't get together that would be too easy. And Aidan is a right royal pain. Fortunately, the book focuses on the mystery, not romance.

There are parts of the story that had me sniggering, but it's OTT on the toilet theme, and the humour sometimes felt forced. The language is crude in places, and the grammar could also do with copyediting.

Overall, book one is strong enough to have me off to read book two. Those who like a cosy mystery with humour may find this book a good read.

Enjoyable.

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Book Rating
Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next one or reread ?: Yes

My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1*Finished the book but didn't like it not fulfilled
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A magnificent read. A prominent example of the genre.

[Tara Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

**This review is for the audiobook on Audible.**

"A" is for Actress (Malibu Mystery, Book 1) by Sean Black & Rebecca Cantrell, narrated by Madeline Mrozek is a great intro to the Malibu Mystery series. (I'll let you read the plot description on your own, rather than go over again what has already been said. Many of the reviews here focus more on the storyline, so I'm going to do things a little different and focus more on the narration for my review...just an fyi.) I actually did things backwards and started with books D & E. Oops! I enjoyed them so much that I decided to go back to the beginning and start with book A. I'm glad I did; it's good to have laugh out loud moments, and in this series there are plenty....all statring on page one! The characters and situations are funny, which definitely make for an enjoyable listen!

Narrator Madeline Mrozek puts on an outstanding performance from start to finish. She is my favorite narrator, as I'm sure many of you feel the same. Here's why she's #1 in my book:
1. Her pace and volume are perfect - I never have to make changes or speed adjustments while listening. (I listen in the Audible app almost 100% of the time.)
2. Her portrayal of the characters and events are so much fun - she really brings them to life! I always seem to forget I'm listening to an audiobook! She makes me feel like I'm watching a movie.
3. The voices she uses are sooo good, and she never messes up! It's crazy! The best part is that she perfectly stays in character throughout the series, so when I start a new book, I feel like no time has been lost....like I'm back hanging out and talking with old friends.

Madeline Mrozek makes my overall listening experience that much better. When faced with the decision to read a book or listen to it on audio, if Mrozek is narrating, I will choose audio 100% of the time. She has a way of turning something good into something great. Think of it like this...ice cream is good, right? Sure, it is. But, when you put caramel on top, it becomes great. Yessss! Well, Ms. Mrozek is like the caramel, whipped cream, and cherry on top of my ice cream. :-) I'll choose a 🍨Mrozek 🍨 Sundae 🍨 any day of the week to plain old ice cream. :-) Like the sundae, her performance is always 5 stars!

Overall, I give the audiobook "A" is for Actress (Malibu Mystery, Book 1) by Sean Black & Rebecca Cantrell, narrated by Madeline Mrozek 4 out of 5 stars. It's funny, engaging, and entertaining. I recommend this book and series to those who enjoy mysteries and humorous reads that are fast-paced and action-paced. I plan to start the second in series ("B" is for Bad Girls) soon, and yes, it will be on audio!

Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. Happy listening! :-)

[Denise Zendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sofia Salgado goes from a child actor playing a detective to apprenticeship with a real detective agency after she quits acting in search of something real. Everyone around her, including her family, thinks she’s nuts for giving up a lucrative career to “get a job.” She convinces the technical consultant from her show to take her on as an apprentice. The target of her first case, a Hollywood producer who may or may not be cheating on his wife, washes up dead on the beach. Sophia goes the extra mile to exonerate his wife, putting herself in danger.

Sofia is an interesting character. She fell into the acting gig when her sister, who really wanted the career, was unable to attend an audition. Turns out Sofia was the one with the talent, and her sister ended up on a more traditional path. Now she’s in her 20s and searching for something more than stardom. I’m not exactly sure why she chose a career where the ability to be anonymous is a necessity, since it’s hard for her to go anywhere without being recognized, but her fame seems to help more than hinder. She reminds me a little of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plumb, except she’s less spastic and has some self-awareness. I am fascinated by someone who “has it all” giving it up to lead a life like I lead. OK, she drives a much better car, and she has famous neighbors, but I like that she tries to be a “regular person.”

The writing style was enjoyable, the supporting characters interesting, and the plot entertaining. The title changing from the book cover to inside the book (A is for Actress vs. A is for Asshat) was a little disconcerting. At first I thought I read it wrong, but then I went back and verified and figured, maybe Amazon was worried about offending readers’ delicate sensibilities with use of the word ass. I notice Goodreads has it titled "A is for Asshat." I find that much funnier, but no matter the title, I enjoyed this story and bought the second book as soon as I finished the first. This is a light, easy read, perfect for the pool or at the gym.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sofia was a child actress who wanted to do something different with her life so she quits acting and joins a detective agency that is run by Brendan, the technical consultant to the show she was in, Half Pint Detective. She is being trained by Brendan and his son, Aidan, who is her age and teases her all the time.

The agency is hired by Melissa ... she wants to know if her husband, Nigel, is screwing around on her. Sofia puts her acting skills to work and goes undercover and tries to see if Nigel will put the moves on her at a bar or if he is meeting someone else. He basically ignores her but he obviously has a lot on his mind and rushes out. The next day he is found murdered and Melissa is the suspect. Her lawyer retains Brendan and his team to find out who murdered Nigel before his client is sentenced to prison for a murder she didn't commit.

This is the first in the Malibu Mystery series and I liked it. It is fairly light and amusing. It is written in third person perspective and focused on Sofia. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2023/02...

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sofia Salgado was a child star. Now, at the ripe old age of 22, she's shuffled from a "play one on TV" role of detective to a real-life PI role. More often than not, people open up to her because they think they know her from watching her show...or from their kids watching her show. At any rate, this seems to make her learning curve a bit less steep. It helps that the two others in the PI office are former cops with years of experience under their belts. When she ends up on TMZ for an embarrassing incident, her family stages an intervention, thinking she's an addict. When their agency is hired by a wife checking up on her possibly cheating spouse, the trio wind up trying to clear said wife of murder charges when the husband shows up dead the morning after Sofia trailed him.

Sofia is quite likeable and down-to-earth, considering her Hollywood childhood. She can hop in her Tesla and park #2 in the series on my to-read list.

[Nancy Tudor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A Is For Actress. The story is very good, very entertaining, and sometimes it was difficult to stop reading and do other things I needed to do. If you like mysteries/thrillers without a lot of gross graphic descriptions, this is definitely a book to read.

While this book is definitely drama, there are some places in the book that made me laugh. I'm not going to give anything away. However, the comical parts make sense and certainly are reasonable based on the interactions between the characters and the circumstances at the particular moment. The drama is good and sometimes the suspense is enough to make one want to skip ahead to see how a situation turned out.

I think Rebecca Cantrell is an author worth reading. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

[doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cantrell/no #1 Malibu mystery /a is for actress

Enjoyed the book . First time reading a story from this author . Makes me think of one of my other favorite author Stephanie plum series. This story about an actress Sofia who got disillusion in the entertainment world who turned out working for Maloney investigator owned by father Brandon and son Aiden who took her in as trainee. Aiden continues to jokingly tease her through the mishaps that happens to her and getting her face plant in Twitter through the paparazzis. She unknowingly helps crack cases in her somewhat experience by using her actress knowledge of being a childhood actress in show called half pint detective. Very entertaining and humorous . Very good read I recommend this author to anyone . She show a style that's is uniquely her own . Getting ready to read the next series.

[Alexia Dvorak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It had me laughing in so many places. I thought it gave a fair assessment of how on the other side of the fence fame and Hollywood can be compared to what is normally perceived. I thought Aiden could be a real jerk sometimes but perhaps maybe he has a little crush on Sophia. At least that is how the boys in elementary school behave when they like someone. I really loved the private investigation office owner, a no nonsense Marine, but it sort of rubbed me the wrong way when he told Sophia she should not have roughed up that back woods reality star. He was touching and fondling her breast after all!!!

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be better than i thought it would be. It had some genuine LOL moments and it felt fresh with all the pop culture references. Won my heart over with a discussion about" lady shaving" that has been my own longheld unpopular opinion for years and i literally cheered when i read the main character give voice to my exact thoughts on the subject. The actual mystery resolution was the weakest part of the book but a worthwhile beach book kind of read to warrant trying another entry in the series.

[Bob Ely · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book advertised to be the next best thing to the "Alphabet Murders" and the "Number Murders", it doesn't quite live up to the hype. Sofia is an aspiring PI and works for a company. They investigate a murder and it leads them to a mob killing. There are some funny parts, like "Stephanie", and some get out of jams like "Kinsey", but it isn't there. The jury is still out on this series. I will have read the next book to see.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

E-Reader. Mysterty

Sofia Salgado was a TV actress on show for kids called Half Pint Detective. She decided to quit to become and Private Detective.
Brendan Maloney was the technical advisor for the show. She asks him to hire her to become a private investigator. She's accident prone, says what's on her mind plus a tends to get herself in trouble.
There is so much more to the story. Will Sofia be able hack it?
You need to read this book to find out.

[Marci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for the audio version...I am so excited that I have found a new series! I hope this one keeps going, loving it so far. Sofia is an ex-actress turned private investigator. She's fun, quirky and has an unusual "pet."
It is well written and has an amazing narrator. Can't wait to start "B"!

I received a copy as a gift, NOT in exchange for a review. This is my honest opinion. I'm hoping more people will read this so she'll keep writing. =)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but seems like a faux “Kinsey Milhone” Sue Grafton

Cute story but seems like a faux “Kinsey Milhone” Sue Grafton .

Perhaps if they had titled it differently it wouldn’t have seemed like a copy of Sue Grafton's series.

The mystery was lightweight, a summer beach read. There weren’t any surprising plot twists and the characters weren't well developed.

There were also some grammatical errors.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally enjoyed reading

The characters are interesting and the storyline your typical detective novel. The heroine a cross between characters by Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton. The only thing that was a little annoying was the repetitiveness of so much of the back story. It’s all in one novel, you don’t need to keep repeating parts of the story. Still enjoyed it but that’s why I only gave it a 4 star