Skydive

Nicki Valentine Mystery #3

by Susan O'Brien

Life is finally settling down for private investigator Nicki Valentine, her kids, and her boyfriend Dean. But when a jailed mom seeks help for her endangered biological daughter, who just “aged out” of foster care, Nicki can’t say no.

With Dean by her side and her free-wheeling BFF eager to investigate too, Nicki braves back alleys, drug dens, and the strip-club scene, all while wondering if any risk is too great when it comes to finding a teen in trouble.

As if navigating the mean streets of King County, Virginia, isn’t enough, Nicki also faces the realities of dating as a single mom, including “sleepover” requests she never anticipated. Ultimately—in both relationships and work—Nicki must decide, “How much am I willing to risk for love?”

Related subjects include: women sleuths, private investigators, cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, humorous murder mysteries, book club recommendations, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit).

Books in the Nicki Valentine Humorous Mystery Series:

· FINDING SKY (#1)

· SKY HIGH (#2)

· SKYDIVE (#3)

Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all...

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Cozy

276 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2016

About the author

Susan O’Brien is the Agatha Award-nominated author of the Nicki Valentine mystery series (Finding Sky, Sky High, and Skydive). Her work has been praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Mystery Scene Magazine, and Suspense Magazine. When she isn’t typing away, Susan loves cooking (while blasting old school R&B or playing podcasts), photographing nature, volunteering with hospice patients, and studying spirituality. She lives with her family, including her beloved rescue dog, in Northern Virginia, where she is writing her next memoir. She loves to keep up with readers at authorsusanobrien.com.

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding cozy mystery which I find hard to review as there are so many positives to comment. There is good information on what happens to individuals leaving foster care. The characters are well developed and descriptions of the areas are so striking that you understand the personal responses.
Nick Valentine and her BFF, Kenna accepts a request of jail inmate to find out if her daughter who has just left foster care is okay. The investigation will take them into the steamy area of drugs, prostitution, gambling, animal abuse and prisons. Will they find an answer before they endangered themselves? I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from HENERY PRESS through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niki Valentine and her side kick Kenna are learning the ropes for their PI business they have started. Niki wants to step out of her comfort zone of the usual PI cases and take on something a little meatier. The perfect opportunity presents itself when a letter arrives from an incarcerated inmate asking for help in locating her daughter.

So the action begins and this turns into an interesting story of how young teenagers become at risk when they “graduate” out of the foster care system when they turn 18. It was well written and researched and you could tell the author has a heart for troubled teens.

When I started the book I was not aware that it was book #3 in a series so I felt I was lacking some history of the characters. I also found some of the situations a little hard to believe. What mother in their right mind would put themselves into some of these dangerous and questionable situations? The book would also benefited greatly with more humor interjected. The topic certainly wasn’t humorous but when I pick up a book labeled "cozy" mystery with a fun cover I expect a little more humor and fun.

But all in all, it was an enjoyable read, though more serious than I expected. I might go back and pick up the first 2 books in the series to see how Sky Investigations began.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to review this book.

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new authors to me and I really enjoyed the story.
The plot involves a young girl who is aged out of the foster system and has become involved with the wrong people.
Nicki takes the case and with her bff with her and her her boyfriend Dean by her side, she goes into the bad parts of town to make sure the young girl is ok.
The story was well written and the author really touched on a subject that is important. This book was intense and the story was fast paced.
I look forward to reading more in this series.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

Although I haven’t read the first two books in this series, I had no problem with relating to the characters. What this book is all about you can read in other reviews so I will keep to saying how I liked the book.
Well, I liked it, but it was not as that I couldn’t stop reading. In fact, I stopped reading to read a different book in between picking Skydive up again. The story about finding a lost child is something we see on television very regularly and the domestic life of a single mum with a new boyfriend is also not something we never read about. Still, it was an entertaining book and it is certainly well written, with an eye for detail and showing good insight in human character and behavior.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an unusual trilogy because of the characters. Nicki Valentine can dance the stripper pole and pray sincere prayers. She can raise two kids as a single mom and take risks that moms wouldn’t touch. Her friend, Kenna, is even more free spirited. It is she who convinces Nicki to dance the pole. These women are exuberant and fun to read about.

In this final book in the trilogy, Nicki takes a missing person case. An incarcerated woman asks Nicki to find her daughter, who is too old to be considered a foster child. Nicki takes the case, and by so doing, she thrusts herself into a variety of unsavory places and situations from being a strip club employee to searching for her missing person among prostitutes and animal shelter workers. You have to read this for the above sentence to make sense, but this is me writing the review, not some hallucinating AI.

I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read I skated through after church today. You won’t invest weeks in this, and the return on your time investment will be reasonably good.

[Chaitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like these books. They have weighty subject matters, they tackle social issues that are relevant to these days, and the ladies are moms who actually think about what it means to expose themselves to the kind of risks they do. They don't just break in to random places because they're nosy and/or bored, they know when to call for backup. But they do get into some serious scrapes, because who wouldn't when dealing with drug lords or prostitution rackets? And it's realistically handled.

What is a little unreal is how great that guy is. It's a little toned down right now and it does seem like Nicki had some of her esteem issues resolved, so I'm hoping that going forward I don't have to hear about how awesome Dean is every other page and at random intervals where it doesn't even make sense for Nicki to be thinking of him.

[Lyn Soulia-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I want more to this series... please send us a #4

[Mary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skydive
A Nicki Valentine Mystery, Book #3
Susan O’Brien
5 Stars


Synopsis:

Life is finally settling down for private investigator Nicki Valentine, her kids, and her boyfriend Dean. But when a jailed mom seeks help for her endangered biological daughter, who just “aged out” of foster care, Nicki can’t say no.

With Dean by her side and her free-wheeling BFF eager to investigate too, Nicki braves back alleys, drug dens, and the strip-club scene, all while wondering if any risk is too great when it comes to finding a teen in trouble.

As if navigating the mean streets of King County, Virginia, isn’t enough, Nicki also faces the realities of dating as a single mom, including “sleepover” requests she never anticipated. Ultimately—in both relationships and work—Nicki must decide, “How much am I willing to risk for love?”

Related subjects include: women sleuths, private investigators, cozy mysteries, murder mysteries, humorous murder mysteries, book club recommendations, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit).

Books in the Nicki Valentine Humorous Mystery Series:

· FINDING SKY (#1)

· SKY HIGH (#2)

· SKYDIVE (#3)

Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all... (Goodreads)

Review:

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. Nicki is a hardworking, dedicated, relentless private investigator. She also has a softer side, as a mother, a friend, a girl friend and big hearted person. She sometimes struggles with the fact that she is doing the dangerous work that she does instead of having a safer job. She worries about leaving her children motherless (parentless, really, since her husband has passed away). The fact that she is a mother adds another layer to this book that I really enjoyed. Another thing that I enjoyed was the relationship between Nicki and her best friend, neighbor and employee, Kenna. They make such a dynamic duo and I could read about them all day long.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick, easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book, I felt like I was right there, watching all the action taking place and eavesdropping on conversations.
There is a lot of action and tension that takes place between the pages of this book and I found myself turning pages as fast as I could.

One thing that stood out to me as I read this book is how much the author cares about young girls being preyed upon in society. She took a very serious subject and wrote about it. I learned some things I did not know about children aging out of the foster system and I credit her for that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted mystery with great characters (I wish I was friends with them), a great plot, humor and suspense. The Nicki Valentine Mystery series is one of my favorites and this one did not disappoint. If you are new to the series, grab the first book and enjoy. If you love this series like me, you will be thrilled with this latest addition.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Skydive - Nicki Valentine Mystery Book 3
Author: Susan O'Brien
Published: 11-29-2016
Publisher: Henery Press
Pages: 276
Genre: Mystery; Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: Women Sleuths; Cozy Mystery; Amateur Sleuths
ISBN: 13: 9781635111170
ASIN: B01LDRSTII
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating:


I received a copy of "Skydive" from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.


Description From the Publisher:

Life is finally settling down for private investigator Nicki Valentine, her kids, and her boyfriend Dean. But when a jailed mom seeks help for her endangered biological daughter, who just “aged out” of foster care, Nicki can’t say no.


With Dean by her side and her free-wheeling BFF eager to investigate too, Nicki braves back alleys, drug dens, and the strip-club scene, all while wondering if any risk is too great when it comes to finding a teen in trouble.


As if navigating the mean streets of King County, Virginia, isn’t enough, Nicki also faces the realities of dating as a single mom, including “sleepover” requests she never anticipated. Ultimately—in both relationships and work—Nicki must decide, “How much am I willing to risk for love?”


My Review:

A cozy mystery that deals with the serious issue of foster children aging out of the system. Very little or no effort is made to prepare these young adults for living on their own.


This is the best Nicki Valentine yet in its complexity and detailed plot. The characters are familiar as I have read the series form the first book, but even those who are reading Skydive out of order will have no difficulty in understanding all the references to past events. With an intricate plot and hope of helping a child you will be drawn in and become a part of the story. My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars.


Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LDRSTII/...


Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/skydi...


GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...


The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...

[Carolyn Comings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was supplied with a free electronic copy of this book from NetGalley.

I have not read the earlier books in this series, and the author did a good job of not "losing" the first-time reader.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I am not a private eye, and have not read a lot of PI mysteries, but it seemed like the protagonist and her sidekick had far too smooth a ride as they followed leads and gathered information. Just about every lead they followed was fruitful, and pretty much everyone they talked to was extremely cooperative and helpful. I would have liked to see a few dead ends, a few more red herrings, some more stonewalling on the part of the interviewees, and some really nasty roadblocks thrown in their way.

Later in the book, the action suddenly ramped up, and at that point the heroines started encountering some major bumps in their road. I won't give it away by telling any more than that, but would advise the reader to stick with the story to get to the high-action parts.

The author clearly has a heart for missing and exploited children and the dangers that young girls face when they age out of foster care and are turned loose to be preyed upon by pimps, human traffickers, or worse.

Henery Press, the publisher, does not advertise itself as publishing Christian or religious fiction, and this book is not advertised as such. There is a small element of faith touched upon in this book, but that element is not what would be found in works published by specifically Christian publishers. Just a word of caution in case any reviewer in the future suggests that this is a "religious" or "Christian" novel. It is not. And if I explained why I say that, it would involve spoilers, so I will leave it there.

[RO G'ma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skydive is the third book in Susan O’Brien’s Nicki Valentine Mystery series. Ms. O'Brien has written a book with a plausible, well-developed story line and likeable, believable characters. This well written book has a good mix of serious and humorous moments, lots of twists and turns. The issues of foster care and teenage prostitution are addressed in this book. There is no gratuitous sex or violence; however, there is some adult language. This is a great story with a lot happening and everything ties together nicely. Ms. O’Brien provides sufficient character background to allow this book to be read as a standalone. I highly recommend this series.

The main character, Nicki Valentine, has operates a detective agency and her neighbor, Kenna, has recently started working with her. Nicki is a widowed mother of two young children who works hard and does her best to care for them and provide everything they need, both physically and emotionally. She struggles with the fact that she is doing dangerous work rather than having a “safe” job. Nikki’s boyfriend, Dean, is supportive of her and her business decisions and adores her children. Nikki receives a letter from an inmate at a detention center who is worried about her daughter who aged out of the foster care system when she recently turned 18 and may have bad people looking for her. The investigation takes Nikki and Kenna into some seedy party of town and introduces them to strip clubs, prostitution, and possible trafficking of young girls. Nikki and Kenna find themselves in more than one dangerous situation that places them in harm’s way.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

[Lghiggins]

Skydive, the third book in the Nicki Valentine Mystery Series written by Susan O’Brien, worked well for me as my first read in this series. Background details from the first books were neither overdone nor too scanty to follow the action. Skydive is a cozy mystery in the typical sense, but there is a serious theme that goes beyond what is usually present in a cozy mystery. It examines the dilemma faced by children who have been in the foster system but are dumped without supportive resources when they turn 18. Happy Birthday! They may have high aspirations, but the reality is that they have few options, making them vulnerable emotionally and physically to those who would use and abuse them in horrible ways.

Nicki Valentine is a single mom with a PI license and a handsome boyfriend, Dean, who works in the same field. Her best friend, Kenna, is an inexperienced PI, but a trained fitness instructor. Nicki and Kenna have huge hearts and are open to doing whatever is necessary to help others. They also get each other into and out of trouble with frequency.

This is a great cozy with lots of twists and turns as Nicki takes on a case, expecting nothing in return, to help an inmate by locating her daughter who has been recently exited from the foster care system. The case is much more far reaching than expected. The details would be spoilers, so I won’t reveal the directions her search took her. Suffice it to say that the plot is both interesting and intricate. I particularly like Nicki and wanted her to succeed in both her personal and professional struggles.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first ever Cozy... in fact I had to google what a Cozy book was as have never heard of it!

After receiving this from NetGalley I realised that this was the 3rd in a series and so I quickly read the first two books to catch up. However, O'Brien does a good job of filling in a new reader without too much repetition for those who have read the series.

My review has to be in two parts - the story itself and then the actual main character ofNicki:

Story/Plot - 5 star
Really enjoyed the story and it moved quickly enough with several twists to keep me turning the page. After recently reading the first 2 books in this series you can really see how O'Brien is developing as a writer as this plotline seems much more substantial and complete that the previous 2 books.

Character: Nicki - 3 stars
As a character Nicki has two dimensions... the PI in training and the mother.

The PI in training is interesting and fun to follow as she has to learn many parts of the PI role actually on the job! I like the fact that PI Nicki isnt perfect and as a reader who has followed her over 3 books I feel that I am watching her grow up.

However, Nicki the mother, has to be one of the most annoying characters I have ever read.
As a mother of 4 boys I have seen all sorts of mothers with all sorts of parenting styles. However, Nicki is the worst....
the judgemental, overprotective, I am better than anyone else kinda mother :-(
Seriously her smugness at being so perfect with her organic vegan food, non stop proactive parenting and holier than though attitude is so frustrating to read.

Thank you for Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :-)

[Jennifer Ritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skydive is the third installment in the Nicki Valentine Mystery Series by Susan O'Brien. In this story, PI Nicki Valentine is contacted by letter from the King County Detention Center. The sender is inmate Corey Burke asking for help to find her daughter, Kat. Kat recently celebrated her 18th birthday, aging out of the foster system. Since then she has seemingly disappeared and Corey is very worried that her past has been visited upon her child.

Having a good amount of "safe" work doing background checks and the like, Nicki has been wanting to do something with more grit that could help those that had fallen victim to others. When she discusses the case with friend, neighbor, and newly licensed PI Kenna has been looking for something exciting to help Nicki and is excited about their visit to prison to speak with Corey.

As Nicki follows the few clues with Kenna at her side and PI boyfriend Dean volunteering for childcare duties, they come upon a murder victim, become involved in the tawdry sex scene working undercover, and ultimately put their very lives at risk trying to save a young woman from the sex trafficking trade.

As in the previous two books, Nicki Valentine continues to grow as a PI and as her confidence builds so does her relationship with Dean. And, as in the previous installments, the mystery is centered around serious social issues, brining greater awareness to the problems.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for a good mystery, especially one that is short on violence and long on deductive reasoning. Kudos to Ms. O'Brien for a very good third ventured for the Nicki Valentine series.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series, but I think Nicki and Hannah have got themselves into a real pickle this time. They are having to deal with some real mean guys. Ones who shoot first, ask questions later. The future of Sky Investigations may be changing.

In this book, they are paid to find a girl who's just turned 18 and has been living in foster care. She's ready to get out of there and find her independence. Unfortunately, she ends up with less control than what she had. They get into some pretty bad situations. Some you wonder how they are going to get out of them.

I would say that I definitely found this book to be entertaining and enjoyable. Although there were times when I wanted to slap some sense into that 18 year old. She knew they were looking for her and she just kept hiding.

Huge thanks to Henery Press for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

High tension investigation mixed with normal life aversion to formal exercise give this series' characters balance.

Finding the balance between being the Mom to young Jack & Sophie and a PI owning Sky Investigations is something widow Nicki Valentine has to figure out.

With the help of her neighbor & BFF Kenna, finding 18 yr old former foster kid Kat Burke puts Nicki & Kenna in danger when it leads them to strip clubs, drug dealers and inmates.

Nicki's relationship with Dean intensifies along with her relationship with God when she finds herself in over her head.

Foster care, animal shelter dogs, run away kids being exploited are part of this investigation that keep things moving and emotional.

I received a copy of this e book from Henery Press through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book; this is the third book in the Nicki Valentine Mystery series written by Susan O’Brien. Life is finally settling down for private investigator Nicki Valentine, her kids, and her boyfriend Dean. But when a jailed mom seeks help for her endangered biological daughter, who just “aged out” of foster care, Nicki can’t say no. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skydive by Susan O'Brien is the third book in the Nicki Valentine series, and another enjoyable read for me.

Nicki's life has settled into a good routine with her children and her boyfriend, Dean. She decides to take on a pro bono case of finding another missing teenager. The characters have really developed in this one. Nicki and Dean's relationship has grown. Dean is very supportive of her and her work. Plus they actually communicate with each other which I believes adds to the story when their is a romance present.

Smoothly paced plot and great description of characters and scenes made this an enjoyable read.

I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sky Dive by Susan O'Brien is another entertaining book about PI Nicki Valentine. Once again this is a fun, fast paced cozy mystery. Ms O'Brien lures readers in then traps them until they have read the who[e book. This book is another one that is definitely worth your time to read.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I hung in there with this series because the third book was the best! Not sure if she is going to write more but she left it on a high note.

[HENERY PRESS PUBLISHING]

“O’Brien once again mixes humor, layered characters, a bit of romance, and social issues into a seamless, riveting book.” – Sherry Harris, Agatha Award-Nominated Author of All Murders Final!