This just in-- On the weather front, category four Hurricane Kevin took a last-minute left and is headed straight for the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. In breaking news, undercover casino operative Davis Way has one foot out the evacuation door when fifty million dollars disappear, and in its place, a dead body. In other news, if forced to ride out the storm on the hotel's thirteenth-floor fortress, Davis won't be alone. Her husband, Bradley, her best friend, Fantasy, and a crew of highly trained first responders will be hurricane hostages too, along with Mississippi State Gaming Agents, a FEMA agent, an insurance agent, a State Special Agent, and an Emergency Response Agent--at least one of them a double agent. The good news is her high school reunion is cancelled. The bad news is everything else. The fake news features a castaway pig named Bacon. The hurricane heist headlines will be sensational. If Davis survives to see them.
As soon as I finish one Davis Way installment, I start thinking about what the next one will be about! I finished DOUBLE AGENT in one day, only putting it down when I had to get off the train and picking it back up and finishing it as soon as I got on the train home! Archer’s writing gets better and more funny as the series goes on, and it’s been interesting to watch Davis grow as a character-from clumsy spy to mother of twins. And I love how even though Archer has written eight books that have all taken place in the same casino (well, minus DOUBLE KNOT, ahoy baby) she has fresh ideas and plots every time.
The worst part is waiting patiently for the next book. (Sigh.)
The only problem I have with Gretchen Archer's books is that when I receive them, I want to read them as soon as possible. I always finish her books within two days and then I have to wait for another year... I'm so very impressed by the way the author gives us stories that contain really hilarious characters, very bad characters and everything in between, each book having different ones without them becoming all the same. In this adventure, it is undoubtly the cook Filet, a Vietnamese youg man, that is the most hilarious one. Sometimes I had to put the book down because it gave me hiccups from laughing so hard. In the mean time, there is a very distressing story behind everything that happens, because there are several people Bradley and No Hair and Davis and Fantasy would trust with their lives... who are not who they say they are, and only out on the casino's money. Although this book in the latest in de 'Double' series, it can be read as a stand alone - although after reading this one, you would probably run to the book store for the other books in the series. I think Double Agent would be a very good book to make a movie out of; the empty casino, the storm, all the different groups of people that have to stay to guard the money and the casino, the ones that want to leave but cannot, and the ones that want to stay for very different reasons. Very gripping!
Many thanks to Henery Press and Edelweiss to allow me to read a digital ARC.
Davis gets herself into more predicaments than usual in this story, and I laughed all the way through it! She and the crew are locked down in the casino waiting for a hurricane to pass through, and it is just one laugh after the other. Two things that I have to mention, are Bianca and her demands on Davis (David, HAHA), and, the names of the stores inside the casino!! I had to stop a few times to wipe away the tears from laughing! There were so many things I loved about this book, that I couldn't even begin to list them all. The only problem with it, is that it ended too soon, and now I have to wait until the next one! I really tried to read it slowly, to make it last, but once I started reading, I couldn't put it down.
Normally I stay far, far away from cozy mysteries. Almost without exception if I break down and read one I find myself pointing out to the author (even though they can't hear me) all the completely illogical and couldn't-possibly-happen scenarios the author set the characters up for. So why do I find the Davis Way Crime Capers irresistible? Maybe it's the down home feeling of her books - I'm Southern through and through. Maybe it's because I spend so much time laughing out loud or chuckling to myself while I'm reading what's going on. Maybe it is because author Gretchen Archer always builds the plot around a darn good mystery for me to try to solve. Whatever the answer is, Archer hasn't failed me yet and we are now into book eight of the series.
The Bellissimo Casino has sent all the players and staff home and had the storm team come in to close the casino down for Hurricane Kevin, about to batter Biloxi, Mississippi with a category four hurricane. Davis and Fantasy are having to empty the slot machines of their coins so all the money is accounted for when, all of those boxes full of all of that $50 million dollars is just gone - stolen. But how? And who stole it? The hotel floor that doesn't exist, number 13, was designed to be used in a disaster and this weather, theft, and multiple murders is just one Disaster after another. Yes, Disaster with a capital "D".
This addition to the series was just as funny as all the previous stories; the solution to the multiple crimes was just as easy for me to accept. I'll admit it, I'm hooked and a faithful fan, but I wouldn't say I liked it if I didn't.
Once again Gretchen Archer has penned a winner in the Davis Way series. As usual, this one had me in stitches and listening to the audiobook with the hilarious accents and voices adds to the humour. I've said it before, these books takes every stereotype of the south and then magnifies it. They remind me of the Stephanie Plum books with those taking place in New Jersey with Italian stereotypes.
With a hurricane predicted, Davis and the crew have to lock down the casino, which includes securing the cash. Unfortunately, the cash has disappeared, the power is out, it is pouring rain and they are trapped on the 13th floor. We meet some new characters, including the cook Filet, a Vietnamese young man, who speaks very little english, he is hilarious. Add in another character named Broom, or is it Mop, and you can get an idea of how funny this one is.
I really enjoy this series. It is just plain fun. Over the series we have seen Davis grow from a clumsy, undercover operative to a mature mother of twins. The other members of the team are also quite well-developed and I love to visit with the crew from the Bellisimo. Bianca is still around making demands on "David" and she expects Davis to say how high when she says jump. Some of the requests are ridiculous, but Davis always tries her best to accommodate. The mystery is always well written with me trying and failing to figure out who dunnit, how and why. This one is no different and the chase to find the money is fun. I will say that either The Belissimo is the most unlucky casino ever or that these plots are so out there, that the implausibility makes them even better stories. I will continue to read these cozy mysteries because they are just so much fun and entertaining. If you like a fun cozy that will make you laugh, pick this one up or any in this series, you won't regret it.
We all have a list of authors and/or book series that we always look forward to reading. We eagerly await each new release, ready to spend time once more in this world with these characters. The Davis Way Crime Caper series by Gretchen Archer is definitely on my “anxiously awaiting these books…when does the next one come out?!” list.
I was so excited to receive an early copy of Ms. Archer’s latest crime caper, Double Agent. I knew before I even opened the book that I was about to be transported to a world filled with “humor, hijinx, and heart.” (OK, the back cover told me that part.) And I was not disappointed.
My favorite part about this series is Ms. Archer’s distinct writing style. Each book is told in the first person from Davis’ point of view, and the writing feels so…effortless and natural I guess are the words I’m looking for. (And sometimes even a little punny.) It doesn’t feel like I’m reading a book written by Gretchen Archer. It feels like Davis is sitting with me, telling me all about her latest adventure. The story just flies by, full of funny commentary and small asides from our heroine as she struggles to solve the latest mystery and keep those she loves safe. Davis isn’t perfect…and that’s what makes her great.
The mystery is an intricate and interesting puzzler — how *do* you sneak fifty million dollars out of a locked-down casino? — but as always, for me it’s the characters that take center stage. As Davis investigates, she runs across both old favorites (including Bianca, Davis’ parents, and Eddie the Idiot) and new characters, some of whom I really hope we see again. One of my favorite new characters is Filet, the chef. English is clearly his second language, and his radio calls to gather people for meals might just become the stuff of legend.
Ms. Archer made me laugh. A lot. I teared up a little, too. And the closer Hurricane Kevin gets to the Bellissimo, the more Davis sees the true character of those around her. And — for the most part — the good shines through. Above all, that is what I loved most about this book.
This is a well balanced and orchestrated cozy mystery series that has perfected the ability to interlace wry banter with clever repartee (read: well delivered snark) and a rapid fire dialog that keeps you turning the pages; all woven into the story to give it an additional element not often found within the cozy mystery genre...believability. The characters are uniquely relatable, with personalities so real you feel a nearly instant emotional connection to them.
With all the fluid layers which comprise the twists and turns that are the trademark of this series, it takes a truly gift writer, with an extraordinary imagination, to draw the reader seamlessly through the story while keeping the plot evolving until a most surprising and unexpected conclusion.
With its trademark zany cast of characters, Davis and company have this loyal reader anxiously awaiting her next escapade as soon as the last page is turned.
This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
I laughed so hard the first time I read this I am going back to read it again and savor every bit!
Double trouble for Davis in Davis Way Caper # 8. Double Agent is so laugh-out-loud funny!
Deleting unread emails from her hometown high school reunion committee seemed like a good idea at the time. When Davis finds they have booked the Bellissimo as this year's venue using Davis as the authorizing sponsor those "at the time" decisions leave her blindsided while Hurricane Kevin is heading to the Bellissimo too. The residents of Pine Apple Alabama are unique individuals whose relationships to Davis are always a source of fun and friction.
Evacuating the resort & casino has its own challenges along with special storm personnel, one who seems to be a double agent! Where has $50 Million disappeared to?
Bradley gets in on this adventure, as does Bianca. The details make you feel like you are there - a helicopter ride in a hurricane to live Weather One reports!
I volunteered to read an ARC from Henery Press through Edelweiss.
I was lucky enough to have an ARC copy of this book. Couldn't put it down. Every book in this series has been terrific and each new one is better than the one before it. Davis and company are always making me laugh as they run into all sorts of obstacles solving their latest mystery at the Bellisimo....finished this book at 3 am and already waiting on the next
I have loved the Davis Way Crime Series since the very first book in the series, Double Whammy. This is my favorite book series.
She creates characters which keep you laughing and laughing as you try to figure out who did it.
Double Agent is #8 in the series and it is my favorite after Double Whammy. I never could figure out who did this crime until the very end. These books seem to get better and better.
As soon as they clean up the damage caused by Hurricane Kevin and other misfortunes at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino, I am ready for the next adventure. Can’t wait for the action and the fun to begin.
Gretchen Archer does it again with this eighth Davis Way caper. No one weaves a mystery with so many different threads that all pull together into a seamless plot like Gretchen Archer. Best yet, she keeps it light, funny, and heartfelt. You won't be disappointed!
Who's in the mood for a little storm chasing? Hang on for the ride of your life! Another five-star offering from Gretchen Archer in the form of perhaps her best action-laden casino caper yet. I had so many laugh-out-loud moments I'm still reeling. And darned if she doesn't catch me off guard and bring a tear to my eye just when I'm not expecting it. There's a hurricane on the way to the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and no amount of planning could have prepared the skeleton crew left behind to clear the premises and prepare for casino lockdown. The action hits in the very first chapter and doesn't let up, and it's not only exciting and frightening, but grand fun throughout. I'm a little torn as to whether my favorite character comes in the form of a four-hoofed charmer aptly named Bacon, or an energetic chef who answers to the name Filet (think Mignon) and specializes in making detailed dinner calls via a two-way radio, or even the long-time high-school rival with hidden talents who you love to hate and end up cheering for...it doesn't matter. It's all wrapped up in a gale-force plot that will leave you whirling and weaving and enjoying the tale tremendously. It's a mystery, a thriller, and a story about loyalty and relationships all in one. This is one hurricane I'm glad I've gone through! Five big, fat, luminous stars, and a great desire for more Davis Way, her extended family, and her supporting cast of characters. I expect this to be my best read for 2019. I absolutely loved it. Bravo...
8 is great. Laughter is a great medicine and I feel pretty healthy after laughing through this very complicated, funny Davis Way Book. There is mayhem, crime, bodies, and I absolutely was on the edge until the very end to know WHO DUN IT. The cast of characters added to the belly laughs. How many crazy people can be locked up in a safe floor in a Casino? Apparently, too many. Davis was locked up with her real husband, mother, dog, her best friend, her ex ex husband, his girlfriend, their pig, Bianca Sanders and a bizarre Fema agent. My favorite laugh creating character other than Davis, was Filet the cook . He was always encouraging us to washes our filthy hands. Well there were plenty of dirty hands that needed washing in this Category 5 storm of a book. I hope the sun shines on Davis and crew for many books to come.
Another Davis Way book that does not disappoint! Gretchen Archer has a way with words, and this is one of her most entertaining books yet. The characters are so fun and unique, and the action and suspense is non-stop, all while being thoroughly entertaining. Her books always jump to the top of my Must Read pile.
I’ve loved this series, but this was my least favorite by a mile. The story line was all over the place and too over the top to be interesting. I will probably read the next one because I love Davis, but I could have skipped this one and missed nothing in the series.
This was my favorite Davis book ever!! I laughed until I cried, like I always do with this series. This one kept me on my toes. Every time I thought I had it figured out- I was thrown another twist. Read this series. You won’t regret it.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast is no stranger to Hurricanes having looked both Camille and Katrina in the eye and lived to tell about it. Hurricane Kevin has decided to head directly toward the Bellissimo Casino and Resort. It is said to be a Hurricane of epic proportions. What the weather forecasters don’t know is that the DISASTER brewing within the walls of the Bellissimo is a much bigger threat than the actual Hurricane.
Archer has blessed her readers with one very of the greatest female crime solving lead characters of all time in Davis (not DAVID) Way Cole. Davis has grown and matured into a fascinating woman, wife of Bradley (President & CEO of the Bellissimo). Her supporting cast of characters she works with on the Covert Security Team for the Bellissimo are like family to her and they work together like a well-oiled machine - well, maybe at least like a squeaky, cranky, glitching machine until faced with all sorts of death defying situations and then they turn into that well-oiled machine!
No one is better at creating unique and unforgettable characters than this author. She will have them embedded in your brain and you will remember them, their characteristics and their crazy accents long after you’ve finished the book. This series should come with a CAUTION because you cannot read one and not get caught snickering or completely laughing out loud! She is the best at detailed descriptions of people, personalities, situations and people working their way out of a jam. Her books are totally fun from start to finish and they always challenge you to choose the villain/villains. My favorite part of this book is that it is about FAMILY - the Bellissimo Covert Security Family as they work together to protect each other and more importantly the Cole/Davis Families as they do everything in their power to protect and provide for their families from the Bellissimo to Pine Apple, AL. Even a Hurricane can’t stop that kind of love! I was provided an ARC of this book by Henery Press and Edelweiss. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
What a blast of a book! Everything over the top just like I like it!
Everything that could go wrong did in this book. Wow. Not sure how Davis' ex-ex Eddie managed to break into the bank with amnesia girl and his drunk bestie but OMG the whole thing kept me glued to the book. What a page turner! I always enjoy these books. Glad to see Davis back to work with Fantasy.. Love it!
I normally give Gretchen Archer 4 stars - she writes well & the books are very funny, but this one just didn't grab me - I find Davis's ex-ex- husband and the other characters from her home town annoying rather than amusing, and they featured prominently in the action. However, it's well-written, the plot moves at a great pace, and Davis is a character I like a lot.
Gretchen Archer is my favorite author! Her latest book, Double Agent, continues the Davis Way crime caper series which is "laugh out loud" funny! You don't want to put the books down once you start them. I have become so invested in these characters that I tend to see the world from their humorous viewpoints now which is awesome. I have read all the books in this series twice, they are that good. There is humor, mystery and romance all rolled up into every book!
Hurricane Kevin is bearing down on the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Davis and her friends are stuck with her ex-ex-husband, his girlfriend (and Davis’ childhood nemesis) Danielle, their pig, Bacon and a number of other characters, among them Filet the chef and his cousin Mop/Broom. The hurricane also makes it the perfect time for a heist. I laughed so much throughout this book and couldn’t put it down. Gretchen Archer is a superb and hilarious author, and if she is anywhere near this funny in real life, I know her life and her family are very blessed
I was so looking forward to the latest casino caper. Not sure why this one didn't give me my "fix". I found myself skipping pages (never a good thing). Too long? Too far fetched? Too many characters? Not sure.
Loved this book along with all of the others. I can hardly wait for the audible version to be released. Now I anxiously waiting for the next installment. Lol!
Davis Way Cole works at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi as a sort of "secret super spy." When she's needed, she does whatever necessary to keep things running exactly the way they should, even if it means turning into a female James Bond.
Right now she and her family - her husband, President and CEO Bradley, and twin daughters Bexley and Quinn, need to evacuate the casino because of impending hurricane Kevin. But that can't be done until they remove all the cash from the machines, and there's only herself and her partner Fantasy to do it. The rest of their team - Baylor and No Hair - are in Hawaii for Baylor's wedding to Davis's nanny July.
Unfortunately, they also have in residence Davis's lookalike Bianca Sanders, who, along with her husband Richard, own the casino (Richard is in Norway) a couple of women from Michigan who couldn't leave because of flight problems, the Bellissimo Storm Team (first responders and specialists), and a television production crew, and a couple of gaming agents.
But things never go according to plan, especially so when Davis and Fantasy hear a gunshot while removing the cash boxes from the machines. They follow the sound and find Davis's ex-husband Eddie (who is there because for some reason unknown to Davis - and unwanted - her high school reunion was supposed to take place at the casino) apparently shot, and his girlfriend Danielle - Davis's nemesis - lying in a pool of blood. Which turns out not to be hers. But which also means it has to belong to someone else, and that someone else isn't Eddie. Which means there's a shooter in the casino, and they need to find out who and where that person is.
Needless to say, Davis isn't going anywhere, and neither is anyone else; which means they're all going to be huddled up on Disaster, the unnamed thirteenth floor that Bianca's father built as a fortress in just this kind of emergency and which no one is supposed to know even exists.
Now that the stage is set for riding out a hurricane in a deserted casino, holed up in a fortress that isn't there, let me be clear: In Davis's life, things never go as easy as riding out a hurricane in a fortress. This is about to be made clear in her latest escapade. Which all takes place in under 48 hours.
It's an intense ride, rather like being on a roller coaster - backwards, upside down, blindfolded, and in the rain. Even if you could see, it wouldn't be a pleasant trip. Davis finds out that there's more at stake than finding a lone shooter in the casino. It's finding out who killed the man on the floor... and who took the fifty million dollars they removed from the machines. But, unfortunately, the only witnesses are Danielle, who seems to have amnesia, and Eddie, who's dumber than a sloth (which is the dumbest animal on the planet). Which means Davis has no help at all.
What ensues is worse than chaos, and Davis is stuck right in the center of it, like being in the eye of the hurricane. Endlessly. With no way out. It's full of suspense, intrigue, conspiracy, and cunning. The tale is masterful, with Ms. Archer pulling you into the story immediately, and right from the amusing phone call with her mother (who wants her out of the casino now) to that first gunshot. By that time, you are hooked.
But there's more afoot to be found: People who are not what they seem, and even what appears to be forthright problems on the surface turn out to be something else entirely. (Sorry, but in saying more I'd be pretty much telling you enough so that you wouldn't need to read the book - so I won't). It's enough to say that not only are the twists and turns aplenty, it's a tale that weaves so many threads throughout you could create a tapestry. It's crazy. Insane. Totally enthralling. It makes me grateful I don't have to live Davis's life.
Some of the characters are annoying (even I was starting to hate Eddie and Danielle as much as Davis) and I probably wouldn't have been able to keep from slapping Filet, so Davis has the better of me there. Or more patience. Either way. I do think Bianca has grown on me, since I actually like her, too. I don't know why. I love Davis, Bradley, and the rest of the crew, who are always there and always have each other's backs, and not a stupid one among them. I even like her parents (her mother, while trying at times, does have her moments).
When we reach the climax and everything starts to come together, it's woven so tightly you couldn't pull the threads apart if you tried. It's a delightful narrative, engaging, and those last few moments when the action finds it way to a close are surprising. An ending to be proud of. A book to be read and reread. Highly recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.