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Squeaky Clean Mysteries #11
Thrill Squeaker
Gabby and her friends find themselves in a world of trouble when they travel to the mountains to help turn an abandoned theme park into a quirky resort.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 29, 2016
448 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
About the author
Christy Barritt
339 books1,709 followersChristy Barritt is an author, freelance writer and speaker who lives in Virginia. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious—but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who’s known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado. She’s only won one contest in her life—and her prize was kissing a pig (okay, okay… actually she did win the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery also). Her current claim to fame is showing off her mother, who looks just like former First Lady Barbara Bush
When she’s not working or spending time with her family, she enjoys singing, playing the guitar, and exploring small, unsuspecting towns where people have no idea how accident prone she is.
When she’s not working or spending time with her family, she enjoys singing, playing the guitar, and exploring small, unsuspecting towns where people have no idea how accident prone she is.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
July 8, 2022
The setting was spot-on for this one. So creepy and unpredictable and mysterious. There was a good theme and mystery for this one.
March 24, 2016
Clean, fast-paced cozy. It takes place in an abandoned amusement park that's in bad shape and appears to be a hiding place for BigFoot. The lead, female character is there helping a friend do repairs and renovations. A dead body is discovered in the woods on park grounds, and Gabby sets out to piece together all the when's, who's, and why's of all the mysterious occurrences. There's deception every where Gabby looks, and the answers may take you by surprise. There is a developing romance between Gabby and Riley. I think it would be best to start this series at the beginning and read the stories in order.
March 31, 2018
I was starting to feel like this was an episode of Scooby Doo. An abandoned amusement park, Big Foot haunting people. People showing up dead. A murderer who’s done it book. And then the author actual has Gabby saying she feels like she is in a Scooby Doo episode, which was fine with me. As it used to be one of my favorite cartoons. All hands but Sierras are on deck to clean this place up in record time for it to reopen. Will they be able to make their deadline? Or will the mysterious murders cause people to run screaming away or have them come in droves to see this place? I think this was my favorite book in this series so far. It really had the murderer pointing to someone and then it flipped. I like the not so typical books.
June 30, 2021
Gabby St.Claire and Riley Thomas are helping their friend, Chad, restore the amusement park called Mythical Falls, owned by Nate Reynolds. Many other workers were hired, too. Not long after they began working, a dead body was found. During the investigation, weird things happened including creepy clowns, "Bigfoot" peeking into their rooms, and deliberate "accidents." Nevertheless, they make progress with the restoration. A group of seven brothers helped a lot, or so it seemed. Many people did suspicious things. Relationships were very mixed up. Many scary situations occurred, even almost deadly ones. Some college boys were involved, as well as an older couple. A surprise ending will be interesting to all readers.
June 6, 2020
Hallelujah!
What a ride this book has been! Gabby ends up with her hands full this time. Not only is she working for Chad all week to help restore some cabins at an old amusement park, but she has two days of demonstrations with her new job. On top of all that she has been asked to look into the murder of a young man found on the grounds of said amusement park. In so doing she and Riley end up almost being killed themselves, twice! This time around they both are more prepared and the outcome could be chilling, again. I simply love the ending and look forward to more mayhem and mystery.
What a ride this book has been! Gabby ends up with her hands full this time. Not only is she working for Chad all week to help restore some cabins at an old amusement park, but she has two days of demonstrations with her new job. On top of all that she has been asked to look into the murder of a young man found on the grounds of said amusement park. In so doing she and Riley end up almost being killed themselves, twice! This time around they both are more prepared and the outcome could be chilling, again. I simply love the ending and look forward to more mayhem and mystery.
December 25, 2020
I enjoyed this book, the Thrill Squeaker. It is challenging trying to figure out who was behind the murders and all the mishaps going on in this story. I delighted in the challenge throughout this book. There are many twists to the possibilities of who is behind the chaos. I really like how Gabby develops her thoughts about her relationship with Riley in this story. Riley’s faithfulness to his feelings about her is a wonderful addition to the theme. This is a difficult book to put down! Highly recommend it!
August 18, 2018
I have to say, Christy Barritt keeps you on your toes. I love this series, and have been reading it since the first one, although, Gabby resonates with me, I had a past family life similar to Gabby's although add in some abuse and other traumatic stuff, anyhow, as far as Gabby's love life and relationship with Riley, it's like it was written from my love life. I will keep reading this series till the end, hopefully there's more after book 13?😉😉 Keep up the good work Christy.
October 4, 2019
I like the strong female lead, her spunk and wit. I liked the author's writing style that allowed me to read quickly. I liked the challenge of discovering the villain. The setting was eerie with the relics of an old amusement park and the presence of clowns and Bigfoot. I enjoyed reading this book. I also liked the fact that it is a clean read with the focus on solving the crime, not long passionate, unnecessary sex scenes.
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November 12, 2022Review of this book.
This book was everything that I was looking for. Suspence, drama romance and humor. Throw in two unsolved murders and you have the perfect squeaky clean mystery. The ending was everything that I hoped it would.be. Keep the series going! You have a winner here.
This book was everything that I was looking for. Suspence, drama romance and humor. Throw in two unsolved murders and you have the perfect squeaky clean mystery. The ending was everything that I hoped it would.be. Keep the series going! You have a winner here.
December 13, 2025
Christy never disappoints!
I cant get enough of this series! This book was another edge of your seat page turner! I love Gabby so much! I love all the main characters and the interactions between them all really brings them to life, I always feel like I'm right there experiencing it all first hand! I am so happy for Gabby and Riley!
I cant get enough of this series! This book was another edge of your seat page turner! I love Gabby so much! I love all the main characters and the interactions between them all really brings them to life, I always feel like I'm right there experiencing it all first hand! I am so happy for Gabby and Riley!
May 30, 2016
This book was received free in exchange for an honest review.
In “Thrill Squeaker” Christy Barritt takes her intrepid amateur detective, Gabby St. Clair, on the road and out of her hometown (Norfolk, VA) once again. This time, Gabby is in the mountains of West Virginia, helping her friend Chad restore a deserted theme park, so he can earn some money to support his wife and newborn. Unfortunately, bodies start turning up around the park, and it appears that someone is doing his – or her – best to keep the theme park closed for good.
Gabby isn’t thrilled about getting involved in the investigation – not when there’s so much cleaning and fixing to do around the park. But when an old forensics colleague surfaces and asks for Gabby’s help on behalf of a victim’s family, Gabby finds herself right where she always does – in the middle of a murder investigation with few clues to guide her. It’s Gabby’s willingness to confront potential suspects and witnesses that stir up more clues, and trouble, and eventually lead her to the murderer.
But it just wouldn’t be a Gabby St. Clair story without some personal drama and a crisis of faith thrown in. “Thrill Squeaker” is Book 11 in the Squeaky Clean Mystery series, so if you’re thinking about reading it, you’ve likely already read Books 1-10. By now you know that Gabby is a very complex girl: she has a loving, intelligent, handsome, gainfully-employed boyfriend who wants to marry her, but she just can’t seem to commit. In Gabby’s world, for every one good thing that happens, five things are sure to go wrong. So why should she take that leap of faith and marry him? But that’s not the only leap of faith she’s facing. Since embracing Christianity as the guiding light in her life, Gabby has been forced to confront her flaws – not to punish herself, but to free herself of the bad habits and negative interior dialogue that keep her apart from the life she has been promised as a daughter of God. Sound heavy-handed? It isn’t. In fact, it’s fair to say that my language here is preachier than the language used in “Thrill Squeaker.”
Gabby has been working to improve herself since Book 1, and the fact that she is still not perfect by Book 11 is perhaps the most honest portrayal of the Christian journey that one can find in fiction today. People do not become saints overnight by virtue of embracing Jesus as their Savior. Doesn’t happen in the real world, and thankfully it doesn’t happen here. Gabby’s journey of faith is a constant theme; religion is not just for Sundays, after all. I also note that much of her struggle is internal. On occasion, she will turn to her pastor or boyfriend for guidance, but much of the time she is experiencing personal revelations or epiphanies. And best of all, Gabby does not preach. She does not thump other characters over the head with a Bible. You will not find Gabby condemning a suspected murderer to Hell for his sins. Gabby does not use the Bible as a yardstick to measure others. She uses it to guide herself. If you were afraid to pick up this series because of the Christian content, don’t be. Gabby’s faith is an integral part of who she is – as are her flaming red hair, her trust issues, and her indomitable spirit.
Although Barritt writes her books from a Christian perspective, they are by no means wimpy. In fact, in “Thrill Squeaker,” a gun turns up in the hands of a character you might not expect. Happily, it turns out that the opposite of “wimpy” is not “vulgar.” I enjoy Barritt’s books (and those of noted suspense author Mary Higgins Clark) because the stories are edgy without being crude. Barritt proves it is possible to write tense and dark scenes without resorting to crass language – no mean feat in today’s market.
As for the basics of book reviews, here are a few of the questions I asked myself about “Thrill Squeaker”:
Is it a page-turner? In my opinion, yes. Although not every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger, I nonetheless wanted to keep reading to find out whodunit. (I am admittedly less interested in the Gabby-Riley romance.) There was enough action in the story to keep me engaged, and just enough downtime to give the characters (and me) a bit of a breather. However, the story slowed down for me a bit too much whenever Gabby ruminated on her relationship with Riley.
Was the culprit obvious within the first third of the book? No; the author kept me guessing on this one.
Is there real peril in the story or just threatened/imagined peril? Gabby had to run, jump, or fight for her life on more than one occasion, so she wasn’t just imagining it. (She’s clearly in better shape than I am.)
Was the antagonist a worthy opponent? Yes; this one was creepy, slippery, and bent on destruction.
Was the book perfect? Only God is perfect. There were some odd word choices here and there, and one character introduced (or re-introduced) in this book without a reminder of the backstory. I’m still not certain if she was from a previous book in the series or created for this story. I also felt that one of the last escape sequences had an odd tone, particularly the dialogue, which seemed out of sync with the action.
Would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes, and I already have.
In “Thrill Squeaker” Christy Barritt takes her intrepid amateur detective, Gabby St. Clair, on the road and out of her hometown (Norfolk, VA) once again. This time, Gabby is in the mountains of West Virginia, helping her friend Chad restore a deserted theme park, so he can earn some money to support his wife and newborn. Unfortunately, bodies start turning up around the park, and it appears that someone is doing his – or her – best to keep the theme park closed for good.
Gabby isn’t thrilled about getting involved in the investigation – not when there’s so much cleaning and fixing to do around the park. But when an old forensics colleague surfaces and asks for Gabby’s help on behalf of a victim’s family, Gabby finds herself right where she always does – in the middle of a murder investigation with few clues to guide her. It’s Gabby’s willingness to confront potential suspects and witnesses that stir up more clues, and trouble, and eventually lead her to the murderer.
But it just wouldn’t be a Gabby St. Clair story without some personal drama and a crisis of faith thrown in. “Thrill Squeaker” is Book 11 in the Squeaky Clean Mystery series, so if you’re thinking about reading it, you’ve likely already read Books 1-10. By now you know that Gabby is a very complex girl: she has a loving, intelligent, handsome, gainfully-employed boyfriend who wants to marry her, but she just can’t seem to commit. In Gabby’s world, for every one good thing that happens, five things are sure to go wrong. So why should she take that leap of faith and marry him? But that’s not the only leap of faith she’s facing. Since embracing Christianity as the guiding light in her life, Gabby has been forced to confront her flaws – not to punish herself, but to free herself of the bad habits and negative interior dialogue that keep her apart from the life she has been promised as a daughter of God. Sound heavy-handed? It isn’t. In fact, it’s fair to say that my language here is preachier than the language used in “Thrill Squeaker.”
Gabby has been working to improve herself since Book 1, and the fact that she is still not perfect by Book 11 is perhaps the most honest portrayal of the Christian journey that one can find in fiction today. People do not become saints overnight by virtue of embracing Jesus as their Savior. Doesn’t happen in the real world, and thankfully it doesn’t happen here. Gabby’s journey of faith is a constant theme; religion is not just for Sundays, after all. I also note that much of her struggle is internal. On occasion, she will turn to her pastor or boyfriend for guidance, but much of the time she is experiencing personal revelations or epiphanies. And best of all, Gabby does not preach. She does not thump other characters over the head with a Bible. You will not find Gabby condemning a suspected murderer to Hell for his sins. Gabby does not use the Bible as a yardstick to measure others. She uses it to guide herself. If you were afraid to pick up this series because of the Christian content, don’t be. Gabby’s faith is an integral part of who she is – as are her flaming red hair, her trust issues, and her indomitable spirit.
Although Barritt writes her books from a Christian perspective, they are by no means wimpy. In fact, in “Thrill Squeaker,” a gun turns up in the hands of a character you might not expect. Happily, it turns out that the opposite of “wimpy” is not “vulgar.” I enjoy Barritt’s books (and those of noted suspense author Mary Higgins Clark) because the stories are edgy without being crude. Barritt proves it is possible to write tense and dark scenes without resorting to crass language – no mean feat in today’s market.
As for the basics of book reviews, here are a few of the questions I asked myself about “Thrill Squeaker”:
Is it a page-turner? In my opinion, yes. Although not every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger, I nonetheless wanted to keep reading to find out whodunit. (I am admittedly less interested in the Gabby-Riley romance.) There was enough action in the story to keep me engaged, and just enough downtime to give the characters (and me) a bit of a breather. However, the story slowed down for me a bit too much whenever Gabby ruminated on her relationship with Riley.
Was the culprit obvious within the first third of the book? No; the author kept me guessing on this one.
Is there real peril in the story or just threatened/imagined peril? Gabby had to run, jump, or fight for her life on more than one occasion, so she wasn’t just imagining it. (She’s clearly in better shape than I am.)
Was the antagonist a worthy opponent? Yes; this one was creepy, slippery, and bent on destruction.
Was the book perfect? Only God is perfect. There were some odd word choices here and there, and one character introduced (or re-introduced) in this book without a reminder of the backstory. I’m still not certain if she was from a previous book in the series or created for this story. I also felt that one of the last escape sequences had an odd tone, particularly the dialogue, which seemed out of sync with the action.
Would I recommend this book to a friend? Yes, and I already have.
January 7, 2018
This one felt like it dragged in too many places. I love Gabby’s inner commentary, and she was pretty funny in this one too but also lots of drama worrying about Riley. I don’t know, it just got old. 🤷♀️ Still going on to the next one though!
August 26, 2019
Renewal
This book has many facets. It has humor and mystery, questions and answers both about the “whodunnit” and about commitment and trust. I continue to enjoy the diamonds and other gems in Christy’s books.
This book has many facets. It has humor and mystery, questions and answers both about the “whodunnit” and about commitment and trust. I continue to enjoy the diamonds and other gems in Christy’s books.
October 11, 2020
Thrill Squeaker! Vomit Comet!
Wow! What a rollercoaster ride this book has been! So much excitement and intrigue! But the end was perfect and I just wanted to be there at the beautiful falls!
Wow! What a rollercoaster ride this book has been! So much excitement and intrigue! But the end was perfect and I just wanted to be there at the beautiful falls!
October 22, 2020
Great Book
Expecting just a bigger "clean up" job Gabby and her friends head out to the middle of nowhere in the Appalachian mountains. As usual they find more than expected and way more than they bargained for.
Expecting just a bigger "clean up" job Gabby and her friends head out to the middle of nowhere in the Appalachian mountains. As usual they find more than expected and way more than they bargained for.
August 8, 2021
Another great caper!
Christy Barritt never fails to deliver the adventure, mystery, faith, wit and hilarity that I’ve come to expect from the Squeaky Clean Mysteries series — this novel was another great caper with swoony moments and deep-rooted faith lessons along the way.
Christy Barritt never fails to deliver the adventure, mystery, faith, wit and hilarity that I’ve come to expect from the Squeaky Clean Mysteries series — this novel was another great caper with swoony moments and deep-rooted faith lessons along the way.
June 4, 2023
Thrill Squeaker
Enjoyed the theme park setting and a few new characters in this book. The Bigfoot Theme was a great addition to the storyline plus the wedding we’ve all been waiting for.
Enjoyed the theme park setting and a few new characters in this book. The Bigfoot Theme was a great addition to the storyline plus the wedding we’ve all been waiting for.
February 17, 2025
Cute book
Adorable story with quirks, twists, and turns, mystery, suspense and romance combine with unique characters in this one. Set in an abandoned theme park, the story is filled with multiple opportunities for mayhem.
Adorable story with quirks, twists, and turns, mystery, suspense and romance combine with unique characters in this one. Set in an abandoned theme park, the story is filled with multiple opportunities for mayhem.
August 30, 2017
Awesome
Love live loved this story, makes you believe in things that you wouldn't think about. God is good......,all the time
Love live loved this story, makes you believe in things that you wouldn't think about. God is good......,all the time
February 13, 2018
Great mystery!
August 18, 2019
Gotta love Gabby!
Another fun and suspenseful adventure with Gabby. Christy Barritt has quickly become my new favorite author. Can't wait to read the next one.
Another fun and suspenseful adventure with Gabby. Christy Barritt has quickly become my new favorite author. Can't wait to read the next one.
September 22, 2019
Wow!
This book is going to get the emotions run with excitement and thrills as you run through the woods being chased by Bigfoot. Oh yea, there is a surprise ending.
This book is going to get the emotions run with excitement and thrills as you run through the woods being chased by Bigfoot. Oh yea, there is a surprise ending.
October 20, 2019
Awesome! There were so many suspects and Christy kept me guessing! I love how she wove thru the book real life lessons that I can apply to my life. Great read.
December 8, 2019
Another great read!
Love everything about Gabby and her adventures. Always has a twist you don't expect and of course she gets help from her tribe!
Love everything about Gabby and her adventures. Always has a twist you don't expect and of course she gets help from her tribe!
July 5, 2021
A fun Christian mystery series - check it out.
September 15, 2021
The 11th book in the Squeaky Clean mystery series by Christy Barritt. Light and enjoyable cozy mystery.
January 3, 2022
Amusement Park thriller, and not just any...mythical falls! Add In murder, fraud, Bigfoot and more intrigue, and you've got fast paced excitement!
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January 6, 2022Thriller
You did it again! I can't stop reading these book's. Not just a thriller but life lessons, and I love watching the Gabby growing spiritually. It has been wonderful.
You did it again! I can't stop reading these book's. Not just a thriller but life lessons, and I love watching the Gabby growing spiritually. It has been wonderful.
September 22, 2022
Good mystery!
This was an enjoyable mystery and I had fun reading it! I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
This was an enjoyable mystery and I had fun reading it! I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
January 11, 2025
Twist and turns and it who you expect!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews