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The Housewife Assassin #15

The Housewife Assassin's Greatest Hits

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As housewife assassin Donna Stone Craig's life hangs in the balance, a deadly bet with the Grim Reaper brings forth a cavalcade of ghosts from her past: those whom she loved and lost, and those whose lives she took. Their sometimes chilling but always insightful points-of-view on Donna's life leave her with a few regrets, and at the same time grant her the redemption she needs to keep living. But first she must beat the Reaper at his own game.

Murder. Suspense. Sex. And some handy household tips.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2017

103 people are currently reading
138 people want to read

About the author

Josie Brown

76 books701 followers
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.

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5 stars
90 (55%)
4 stars
44 (27%)
3 stars
21 (12%)
2 stars
4 (2%)
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3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Jessica Berry.
649 reviews21 followers
January 25, 2020
Okay, so as a die-hard fan of the "Housewife Assassin" series, I have to make a confession: I was NOT excited to read this book. The description led me to think that this was just a filler book, similar to Janet Evanovich's "Between the Numbers" books in the Stephanie Plum series. I thought Donna's plot wouldn't be forwarded at all, and that I would just pick up with the next book in the series as if "Greatest Hits" hadn't even happened.

I considered skipping this book.

I am SO DAMN GLAD I read this book!

"Greatest Hits" isn't an intermittent filler installment whatsoever; instead, it's another kickass Donna and Jack story, where the fate of both the free world AND Donna will suffer unless Donna can save it all.

The way I see it, Josie Brown employed two major plot devices in "Greatest Hits": how a coma affects the patient's family, and how it affects the victim. Personally, this is a subject with which I'm sadly familiar. My mother was in a coma for weeks. Doctors couldn't tell us anything. We had no idea if she could hear us, feel us, sense us or anything. I spoke to her, played music, rubbed hand cream on her, whatever I could. Ultimately, I had to make a decision regarding "pulling the plug", and it's nothing less than heartbreaking torture to do so. So in this book, I know EXACTLY how the family Craig felt.

And all the while, there's Donna, battling it out with the Grim Reaper and Satan and the ghosts of terror's past, PLUS she's watching over her own body and her family, seeing it all! Watching her family, desperate to communicate to them, and battling her prior enemies, Donna faces two major hurdles in this story. This book was so much more fun than I'd expected.

I love how Donna's given clues in limbo and/or the afterlife about an upcoming terror plot. I love her attempts to convey these clues to ACME. I love the battles she has with the evil dead.

This book could have used more Arnie/Emma/Ryan, but it didn't suffer without it. Frankly, "Greatest Hits" is so packed with emotion, action AND thought-provoking themes, that I started to think I was reading 2 books in one! I think the limited use of the ACME ancillary characters showcased a necessary editing discipline.

The chapters are introduced by way of musical hits, with factoids about each song. I loved that White Lies was one of the artists features in the chapters! I don't know of anybody else who knows that band! I felt like an insider!

In summary, this was one of my favorite books in the series. As usual, I will jump right to the next one after I fulfill some ARC obligations. If you haven't started this series yet, I'm jealous: you'll get to experience the Family Stone/Craig for the very first time! Start it!
Profile Image for Barbara Hackel.
2,807 reviews46 followers
September 24, 2017
Donna is planning a surprise birthday celebration for Jack right after she takes care of a Russian Darth Vader. In a timely Acme manner she gets the information she needs and lets the team finish the clean up detail as she goes smoothly into party planner mode. Not until a room service person pull a gun on her does she realize anything is amiss. But his last bullet (after an artful thrust with a fireplace tool by Donna) results in Donna getting shot in the stomach. Even though Jack finds her before she can bleed out and rushes her to the hospital, she is in a coma and literally faces the grim reaper. What happens next includes a deal with the devil so dangerous that readers will soon figure out this is the last book in the series. How could Donna take on seven past deadly enemies and survive? Her death is imminent. Meanwhile a quiet, grieving Acme team meets in her hospital room to plan how to thwart off the latest problem (unknown) and who (unknown) and where (unknown) and when (also unknown) they will strike.

This on-the-edge-of-your-seat-book will have you wanting to nibble on your nails in frustration and panic, as well as reading as fast as you can to see what happens next. Whatever you think will happen, forget it. Between Donna and Jack and the other "standard" cast members, there is angst, anger, amour, and about anything you can imagine! Author Josie Brown has a ride for you that is dizzyingly fast and exciting to an unexpected end. You won't want to miss this #16 in the series of fantastic episodes in Donna Stone Craig's life!
Profile Image for Jennifer Manley.
79 reviews14 followers
October 5, 2017
Another hit for Ms.Brown

This was another great story in the series. Donna gets shot and while in a coma she makes a deal with the devil. She has to fight to the death seven people who she assassinated in real life. Needless to say it's you can imagine that some interesting characters make cameo appearances in this story.
As always I enjoyed this as I usually do anything that Josie Brown writes.
I highly recommend this and the whole series for that matter. Thanks Josie Brown for sharing your talent.~A Faithful Reader
69 reviews1 follower
March 4, 2018
Author is a must read all she's written

Profile Image for Dianne.
131 reviews1 follower
October 9, 2017
Donna and Jack continue to save the world and entertain us at the same time. If you love humor, mystery, intrigue and romance this is the series for you! I have read every single book in this series as fast as they debut! Can’t get enough of this series!
627 reviews3 followers
November 11, 2017
What's not to love

She an ass kicking spy/assassin, loving wife and doting mother who bakes who has a rocking body! What woman wouldn't aspire to be her. 16 books and I have never felt Ms. Brown to be redundant, that takes talent.
Profile Image for Fred.
434 reviews8 followers
April 22, 2020
In this book, Donna Stone-Craig (the main character) is shot and in a coma. While I was not really into the narrative of hovering between life and death and deals with death and the devil, the book had what for me was a redeeming factor. Every chapter begins with a hit song that reflects the action in that particular chapter. The author not only mentions who performed the song but also who wrote it, what awards it won and background information about the creation of that particular piece of music. If you are a music buff like I am, then you will enjoy this book as much as I did. As a bonus, Josie Brown provides all the songs for your pleasure on her website. Who could ask for more?
Profile Image for Sandra.
287 reviews8 followers
October 6, 2020
Enjoyed the book. Enjoyed the info on the various songs the author used for the titles. Will take a break for a little bit from Donna & Jack. I've read 16 of Josie's books in a row.....I'll finish the rest of the series later.
Profile Image for Karen Devine.
689 reviews2 followers
October 1, 2018
To hell and back!

Only Donna could fight off the demons of hell and make it back to the land of the living! Awesome writing!
Profile Image for Connie.
13 reviews
August 3, 2021
Memory lane

A look at the afterlife while remembering some of Donna's enemies. I liked seeing Donna interact with some of them. Some I had forgotten.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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