The Housewife Assassin's Deadly Dossier

The Housewife Assassin #0.5

by Josie Brown

Finally--Donna Stone, as you've never seen her before: through the eyes of those who affected her life the most.

In this full-length prequel to The Housewife Assassin series, Acme Industries black-ops agent Jack Craig is tasked with investigating the mysterious death of his organization's most prolific hit man, Carl Stone, only to fall in love with the dead man's wife, Donna--a woman he must never contact, but who may hold the key to her husband's disappearance. When Acme approaches Donna to join their organization as an assassin, Jack's undercover mission will change both their lives forever.

PRAISE FOR THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN SERIES

"The book ended with a hook that made me want to get the next one. I'm completely smitten." --BarbaraVey.com

"A hilarious, laugh-out-loud read. Donna is a fantastic character - practical, witty, and kick-ass tough. There's plenty of action - both in and out of the bedroom - and although there are a few grittier scenes, generally this is a light, humorous caper of a crime novel. I especially love the housekeeping tips at the start of each chapter - each with its own deadly twist! This book is perfect for relaxing in the bath with after a long day. I can't wait to read the next in the series. Highly recommended." --CrimeThrillerGirl.com

"Can I be Donna when I grow up? The story jumps off the page with side-splitting humor, toe-curling sexual tension, and a nail-biting mystery. It's got everything a great story needs! It left me asking two important questions." --Elicia Hyder, author, Soul Summoner Series

""This is a super sexy and fun read that you shouldn't miss!" --Mary Jacobs, Bookhounds Review

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Fiction, Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Humor, Amazon

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2014

About the author

Josie Brown's forty-two novels are now in the hands of over two million readers.

She has been published by St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Books.

Read Josie’s books. You’ll get a good idea of her sense of humor. https://www.JosieBrown.com

You'll also find Josie on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiebrownau...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiebrownn...

Visit her podcast, where she discusses writing with other authors:
http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurApple

Josie is the author of these novels:

The Housewife Assassin Novel Series, including
- Handbook (Book 1)
- Guide to Gracious Killing (Book 2)
- Killer Christmas Tips (Book 3)
- Relationship Survival Guide (Book 4)
- Vacation to Die For (Book 5)
- Recipes for Disaster (Book 6)
- Hollywood Scream Play (Book 7) [2014, Signal Press]
- Killer App (Book 8) [August 2014, Signal Press]
- Hostage Hosting Tips (Book 9)
- Garden of Deadly Delights (Book 10)
- Tips for Weddings, Weapons, and Warfare Hosting Tips (Book 11)
- Husband Hunting Hints (Book 12)
- Ghost Protocol (Book 13)
- Terrorist TV Guide (Book 14)
- Deadly Dossier (Book 15 - SERIES PREQUEL)
- Greatest Hits (Book 16 )
- Fourth Estate Sale (Book 17 )
- Horrorscope (Book 18 )
- White House Keeping Seal of Approval (Book 19)
- Assassination Vacation Tips (Book 20)
- Antisocial Media Tips (Book 21)
- Manners, Missiles & Mayhem (Book 22)
- Gambit (Book 23)
- Underwater Assets (Book 24)

The Candidate (Steamy Political Thriller)

Extracurricular - 3 episodic Novels (2020; Signal Press)

Totlandia - 8 episodic Novels (2014-2017; Signal Press)

The Baby Planner
[2011, Simon & Schuster]

The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (written with Deborah Coonts)

Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
[2010, Simon & Schuster 2014 Signal Press]]

Hollywood Hunk (Book 1 - True Hollywood Lies)
[2005, HarperCollins; 2010 Signal Press]

Her novel, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives (Simon & Schuster), is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer as a dramatic series for NBC-TV.

She is also the author of three non-fiction books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finding Mr. Right [Penguin/Alpha]; Marriage Confidential: 102 Honest Answers to the Questions Every Husband Wants to Ask, and Every Wife Needs to Know [Signal Press]; and Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans: A Modern Girl's Dream Dictionary [St. Martin's Press]

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Josie also worked in advertising (JWT, DDB/Needham, BBM&B) and radio (WPLO-AM, Atlanta; WZGC-FM, Atlanta).

As a journalist, Josie has interviewed Maya Angelou, Brenda Blethyn, Julian Bond, Kenneth Branagh, Jackie Collins, Costa-Gavras, Craig Ferguson, John Gray, Derek Jacobi, Debbie Reynolds, and John Woo. Her celebrity interviews and relationships trends articles have been featured in Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, Redbook, and Complete Woman, as well as AOL, Yahoo, AskMen.com, Divorce360.com, and SingleMindedWomen.com, where she serves as the Relationships Channel editor.

Josie's interviews for her podcast, Author Provocateur, and for the International Thriller Writers magazine THE BIG THRILL include such notable authors as David Baldacci, Samantha M. Bailey, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, Lee Child, Deborah Coonts, Robert Dugoni, Barry Eisler, JT Ellison, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Kristan Higgins, Jon Land, John Lescroart, John Lutz, James Rollins, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Brad Thor, and Debra Webb.

Although born and raised (a Southern expression) in and around Atlanta, Georgia, Josie is proudly one-hundred percent Puerto Rican: her father was born in Ponce, and her mother was from Humacao. Does this make Josie a Georgiarican? She thinks so, and proudly claims that title.

She now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely my genre! I am hooked on reading and writing about spies. (You could probaby tell that from my Twitter name: tonispywriter.) This is what makes reading for Net Galley a real pleasure. You get introduced to books you might never come across.

It took me a hot minute to figure out who was the star of the narration since so much happened at the beginning of the book. At first I thought it might be Donna's husband Carl but quickly came to realize it was Jack Craig. He is an interesting fellow. And in one part when Carl was acting very un-Carl-like, I thought he was Jack. (Come to find out that little tidbit about Jack and Carl became a bit of a spoiler for me later on. You will just have to read it to know what i mean.)

I enjoyed following Jack as he practically fell in love with the image Donna portrayed to her other suburbanites. Underneath it all, Donna was a bit of a rebel. I don't want to go into too much detail about the plot but it sure kept my interest the entire time. I have already bought book one and book two. (This is the prequel to the Housewife Assassin series.) You should pick up book one for sure. It's FREE!

One little note about reading this sucker. Pay attention to everything. You might need to remember it for later. I read this on my Kindle but wished I had it in paperback just so I could go back and check my memory on certain facts.

This is definitely a great one for sure. Check it out if you like the spy genre that is filled with fun antics.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) from Net Galley in return for an honest review. I thank the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.

[Freda Mans-Labianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donna Stone is bad ass!!
She should've been the main character of the story and not Jack, the perverted agent.
Anyway, the story was cool. Revenge is dish best served cold and that is a true adage for Donna. She wants nothing but revenge. Can't say I blame her really.
I like stories of espionage when they use normal people.
This book kinda reminded me of that Geena Davis movie where she is a housewife and assassin.... whatever that was called.
Yeah, it was good, but should I have read it in sequence of the series? Maybe.
Still it was good.

3.5/5

[Bookmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prequel to the series told mostly from Jack Craig’s point of view beginning with the events that lead to Carl faking his death and ending with the day Jack takes on Carl’s persona in the Stone household.

Those who recall the first book, The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook, will recognize a number of different scenes, now told from a different point of view. This story also fills in some gaps with other characters and events. But what struck me most is Jack’s feelings for Donna long before they physically met as he’d not only known about her, but had been spying on her and the kids and did the vetting before she was offered a job at Acme. It also makes sense now why he so easily seemed to fit in with the family and everyone’s happiness was so important to him.

This is only the second book I’ve read in this series. The uniqueness of the first book grabbed me; this one, not quite as much. The story starts off rather scattered with a number of different events and characters before Jack starts zeroing his attention of what has become familiar to readers. The tale is often lightened with comments and some situations.

Not a bad way to spend a few hours. 3.5 stars

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 3 in a combo book featuring books one and two and as such it is the prefect backstory explaining in detail the actions of book one.

I enjoyed this but suggest you only read it AFTER you have read book 1 so you don't spoil the novel.

I loved the main characters and the background enhancement and other characters.

I plan to buy the entire series as I am enjoying the quest to root out Quorum, the love affair between Donna & Jack and the fallen character of Carl.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sixth book in the series that I've read. Josie Brown writes very entertaining books. They are funny, sexy and full of action. The housewife in question, Donna Stone is an adorable character. I always enjoy the books. They are such fun to read. My only problem is that they are so hard to put down and so come to an end too quickly.

[Sherry McWilliams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I read the first book before this one, I enjoyed this story just as much. The story was interesting and had some intense moments through out. I love Donna and Jack. If you want to read a cozy mysery with some thriller in it, this is the one.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so outrageously funny, wonderful, loving, sarcastic, feminist, that I almost wish it could be "real-life" [sigh!]. But since it isn't, thank the Universe it's an ever- expanding series!

Donna Strong is kind of a quintessential "upscale-housewife-mother-of-3-carpooler-school-volunteer"--if the quintessential includes essential marksmanship, assassination, and interrogation. Donna never knew, until too late, that hubby was a CIA spook. To avenge him, she becomes one. That's where the fun commences.

I am totally in love with series (even though I don't care for the cover designs) and I know I must see the series through to its eventual end.:)

[Linda Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of the Housewife Assassin, this is a must read. And, if you're not already a fan, why not? Josie Brown has a gift for mixing humor with mystery that is totally engaging and laugh out loud funny. I particularly enjoy Brown's humorous intro to each chapter.

I'm really glad that I read this book after the others, as it gave me more of a frame of reference and made so many things make sense. If you are new to the series, you could start with this book, but I would recommend reading them in the order the author wrote them in.

[Katarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sad to say, I didn't like it.

I hadn't read any of the books in the series, so I thought starting with this prequel would make sense. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I DNF'd at 20%, because nothing was really making sense, and because I hadn't been grabbed and pulled into it by then. So many reviews rave about this series, but I just didn't get what made other readers love it. To me, this means it's not the book's fault, it's not a bad book, it just wasn't the book for me. I found it confusing and hard to follow.

[Tracey Chananie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad I found this prequel to The Housewife Assassin's series. It gives the detailed background information about the characters that feature in The Housewife Assassin's Handbook and in my opinion can stand alone as a short story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and finding out the reasons for some of what happens in the 1st book of the series - why does Donna take the "employment" offer made by Acme?

[Ted Tayler · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Terrific thriller"

This series somehow escaped my attention and I only stumbled upon this 'prequel' to the Donna Stone character by chance. Jack Craig seems like a great character too. This is a superior novel in many ways. The characters, the dialogue the action; everything is handled particularly well. I need to trawl back through some of the earlier books to be on the same page as Ms. Brown's legion of fans. A tremendously good read.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be a prequel but don't let that fool you because it isn't like many that are more like a novella. This is pretty much a full length book but sets up how Donna gets involved with Acme. I had read book 1 but didn't remember a whole lot because it has been awhile (other than I liked the book!). But I don't know that I remembered enough to get the true background or lead-in to book 1. Doesn't matter, still enjoyed the book and will have to pick this series back up again.

[Paige Bentch-pruitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful

I am glad it was free. I could not even finish this. It is supposedly the prequel to the series which I have not read. I was hoping to start at the beginning with this and then read the others. Characters are flat, story reads like a bad spy movies and, at times like two people are writing it. Amateurish writing style. If I was the author I would be embarrassed to have my name associated with this.

[Karen Yancey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn' t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! Great fun, fast pace, good humor, enjoyable characters. Looking forward to reading more books in the series.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! Great fun, fast pace, good humor, enjoyable characters. Looking forward to reading more books in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tongue in cheek spy stories with strong female and male characters with a little sex

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've got only a couple weeks left to meet my Goodreads challenge, so I've been scooping up "cozy mysteries" like there's no tomorrow that are free to help me meet that goal. This is definitely not a "cozy mystery" so I don't know why it was labeled that way. I was interested though because the premise sounded really interesting. I thought this would be a great place to start since it was the prequel to the series, but I just couldn't get into it.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

This one will keep you up at night. A super woman that could pass for a PTA mom by day is the real deal. Throw in the baddest man on the planet and you have a power couple that is impossible to stop. Get rip of the skinhead plot, which cost the author a five star and has never been a problem in America, and you have the perfect novel. Action, adventure, and first rate characters makes this book a perfect read.

[Sharon M. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assassin, Mother, Lover

Another series of books that I'm reading out of order. But this one is a good one. Take a mother with young children , a beloved husband that travels all the time, a new fancy home and government agents spying on the family. Hubby dies in a car accident, wife finds out that he was a government assassin and wants revenge on the enemy that killed him. Imposter husband shows up and......... oops! Read to find out.

[Bob Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It follows the recruitment of an assassin and her take on what it is to be an assassin. Donna Stone's husband is a spy and is killed. She did not know he was a spy, but only the agency he worked for. Another spy organization is responsible and the good guys start out to try to protect her, without her knowing about it. It goes from there. This book gives the background of how she became an assassin, thus the name of the series. I enjoyed the book.

[LaShawnda Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved learning about Donna and Jack back story. What I didn't like is left me with more question about Carl. This book made appear that he was loving husband and father that faked his own death when he got made and the criminal master mine the other books made him into. Anyway, I can't wait to see were Donna and Jack relationship go.

[Diana Hershberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't say enough. I only put it down when forced to get a couple of hours of sleep before work. Then I was impatiently waiting to get back to finishing

A nice number of characters which were developed well. No insignificant descriptions. I really love this series.

If you like strong independent female protagonists like I do, this is a MUST READ!! Enjoy!

[Diane Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny!

I probably should have read this one before I read the first, but either way I still enjoyed it. It gave me the background on how the series got started and I absolutely love the quirky, sarcastic writing. The characters are great. It is a fun read when you want something light and funny.

[Mrs. Garen L. Herd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I read Book 1 a long time ago, so I already knew the characters somewhat. Our heroine "lost" her husband who led a double life that she knew nothing about. Our hero worked with him, watched over her and fell in love with her, all without her knowing. There's a lot of spy intrigue and twists and turns. Highly recommend.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I had read Book 1 a few years ago, and this prequel deftly filled in a lot of blanks. I've started re-reading Book 1 and, while I loved it the first time around, it's so much richer having read this prequel. "Wifey assassin" is a great character, and I look forward to reading the entire series.

[Dee Haddrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great addition to the Housewife Assassin series! This is the story, seen mostly through the eyes of the delicious Jack Craig, prior to the events of the first book. Funny and sweet, it's nice to see how Jack felt leading up to taking on the role of Carl.

[Lisa Godina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a prequil to the author's series. The only thing I can say is if the writing is as good in the rest of the series I have a new thriller series. I even had to start a new category on Goodreads to list this book... simply"spy".

[Darcysmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved getting the scoop behind Donna and Jack becoming assigned to each other.
Josie Brown's writing style really works for me. I really love Jack. I love Donna even more. Together, they make me laugh out loud.

[Dee Cash · Rating 2 out of 5]

No Ending

The Housewife Assassin's Deadly Dossier is not the best book even without the lack of an ending. But when it just stops; that totally destroys Amy redemptive quality it might have had.

[RJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a typical cozy mystety. The main character is a male spy. I did get confused between some of the characters as they all blended into each other and all had bland names (too close to movie spy names).

The story was interesting and it was setting up the series.

[Frances L. Ehrig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Different Life

After reading the first book I was eager to see the prequel. It was interesting reading. Some marvelous characters people this book, but I doubt I'll ever meet any.

[T C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware the Cliffhanger

Ok, it says prequel, I get it. No, seriously If the next book is as good, I have no issue. The book moves right along, so it was right up my alley. It is not your normal assassin/ spy novel and well worth the read.