What do you think?
Rate this book
Candace Starr #1
The Starr Sting Scale
A hard-drinking former hitwoman agrees to help catch a killer — though the murderer might just be her.
Candace Starr likes to think of herself as retired since she got out of prison. That’s until society maven Kristina Corrigan tries to hire her to permanently remove her daughter’s barnacle of a boyfriend, Tyler Brent, from their lives. The only catch? Tyler is seventeen years old. Even Candace usually draws the line at taking out a target who doesn’t shave yet.
But when Tyler turns up dead at a river gorge with a broken neck, people start asking questions. Detective Chien-Shiung Malone, the ambitious cop assigned to the case, has more than a few of her own. Candace is not about to provide any answers though — until Malone makes her a proposition she cannot refuse. Candace signs on as Malone’s unofficial partner to find Tyler’s murderer, despite the possibility she my have killed the boy herself.
With scandalous wit and cocky satire, the first novel in the Candace Starr series provides full-throttle thrills as Starr and Malone race down the dark and dangerous road to the truth. Everyone along for the ride will be scrambling to call shotgun.
Candace Starr likes to think of herself as retired since she got out of prison. That’s until society maven Kristina Corrigan tries to hire her to permanently remove her daughter’s barnacle of a boyfriend, Tyler Brent, from their lives. The only catch? Tyler is seventeen years old. Even Candace usually draws the line at taking out a target who doesn’t shave yet.
But when Tyler turns up dead at a river gorge with a broken neck, people start asking questions. Detective Chien-Shiung Malone, the ambitious cop assigned to the case, has more than a few of her own. Candace is not about to provide any answers though — until Malone makes her a proposition she cannot refuse. Candace signs on as Malone’s unofficial partner to find Tyler’s murderer, despite the possibility she my have killed the boy herself.
With scandalous wit and cocky satire, the first novel in the Candace Starr series provides full-throttle thrills as Starr and Malone race down the dark and dangerous road to the truth. Everyone along for the ride will be scrambling to call shotgun.
304 pages, Paperback
Published March 10, 2020
8 people are currently reading
1300 people want to read
About the author
C.S. O’Cinneide
7 books130 followersC.S. O'Cinneide (oh-ki-nay-da) is an Edgar nominated writer and a blogger on her website, She Kills Lit, where she features women writers of thriller and noir. Her debut novel, Petra’s Ghost, a dark thriller set on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in 2019.
She is also the author of the Candace Starr crime series, which follows the hard-boiled antics of a saucy, six-foot-three hitwoman of the same name.
C.S. O'Cinneide lives in Guelph, Ontario with her husband, an Irish ex-pat who remains her constant muse.
She is also the author of the Candace Starr crime series, which follows the hard-boiled antics of a saucy, six-foot-three hitwoman of the same name.
C.S. O'Cinneide lives in Guelph, Ontario with her husband, an Irish ex-pat who remains her constant muse.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 3, 2019
The Starr Sting Scale is the first in what promises to be a terrific hard-edged crime fiction series. Witty, irreverent, nasty, unrelenting dark crime fiction about a recently released hit woman with more skeletons in her closet than Davy Jones' locker. There's always a question for crime fiction fans whether a true crime fiction can star a woman or is it a ground only claimed by men. Make no mistake. At six foot three, Candace Starr is more woman than most men can handle. Somehow the author Cinneide (which by the way is the original Gaelic name for Kennedy) has made Candace as nasty violent and gritty as anyone, but she still sees the world through female eyes. Quite the accomplishment.
November 14, 2019
Candace Starr is a "retired" hit woman. (personal assassin, please!) She states,"I'm not in the game anymore...cooling my jets since prison, working at the E-Zee Market and keeping a low profile." Fat chance. Society maven Kristina Corrigan seeks Candace out. She agrees to pay Candace to "off" her daughter's boyfriend, Tyler Brent. "He is a parasite. A barnacle affixed to the hull of society with no purpose or design." "Ten thousand...delivered like I tell you", says Candace. "So much for retirement."
Candace Starr is a six foot three, unapologetic alcoholic who favors straight bourbon. She has amassed a "stunning collection of ways to kill people." Her vocabulary is crude and rude. She doesn't have friends since it is "...more lucrative to cultivate people that 'owe' her." Two unwelcome police detectives arrive on her doorstep, a small abode over the E-Zee Market.
Detective Saunders, instrumental in sending Candace "up the river" shows her a newspaper clipping. Tyler Brent, seventeen, was found down by the river with his neck broken. Saunders says it looks like Candace's work and wants to view the security tapes from the time in question, the hours when Candace was working at the E-Zee Market. Saunders leaves but Detective Malone stays behind to continue to question Candace.
Chien-Shiung Malone is a classy, tall Asian female attired in a crisp white shirt and tailored black pants. Detective Malone asks Candace to help her find out who "offed the kid" in exchange for opening the file on Mike Starr's murder. "I was inside...awaiting trial...[when they] took out my dad...I tapped every connection I had to find out who was behind his death...nobody was talking." Candace agrees to help Malone investigate the death of Tyler Brent.
Did Malone have a hidden agenda? Malone and Candace inspect the crime scene. If asked, Candace will be introduced as PI Carrie Fisher, a comic touch! Combing the surrounding area, the duo discovers a zip line near the bend in the river. Tyler's cell phone is missing. Candace needs to assist Malone while staying under the radar. If her parole officer finds out...[she could be] back in a prison jumpsuit...I look like shit in orange."
"The Starr Sting Scale: The Candace Starr Series" by C.S. O'Cinneide is the first book in a hard-boiled crime fiction series. I enjoyed the unique pairing of Candace Starr and Detective Chien-Shiung Malone. I am looking forward to the continued escapades of Candace (not Candy) Starr.
Thank you Dundurn Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Starr Sting Scale".
Candace Starr is a six foot three, unapologetic alcoholic who favors straight bourbon. She has amassed a "stunning collection of ways to kill people." Her vocabulary is crude and rude. She doesn't have friends since it is "...more lucrative to cultivate people that 'owe' her." Two unwelcome police detectives arrive on her doorstep, a small abode over the E-Zee Market.
Detective Saunders, instrumental in sending Candace "up the river" shows her a newspaper clipping. Tyler Brent, seventeen, was found down by the river with his neck broken. Saunders says it looks like Candace's work and wants to view the security tapes from the time in question, the hours when Candace was working at the E-Zee Market. Saunders leaves but Detective Malone stays behind to continue to question Candace.
Chien-Shiung Malone is a classy, tall Asian female attired in a crisp white shirt and tailored black pants. Detective Malone asks Candace to help her find out who "offed the kid" in exchange for opening the file on Mike Starr's murder. "I was inside...awaiting trial...[when they] took out my dad...I tapped every connection I had to find out who was behind his death...nobody was talking." Candace agrees to help Malone investigate the death of Tyler Brent.
Did Malone have a hidden agenda? Malone and Candace inspect the crime scene. If asked, Candace will be introduced as PI Carrie Fisher, a comic touch! Combing the surrounding area, the duo discovers a zip line near the bend in the river. Tyler's cell phone is missing. Candace needs to assist Malone while staying under the radar. If her parole officer finds out...[she could be] back in a prison jumpsuit...I look like shit in orange."
"The Starr Sting Scale: The Candace Starr Series" by C.S. O'Cinneide is the first book in a hard-boiled crime fiction series. I enjoyed the unique pairing of Candace Starr and Detective Chien-Shiung Malone. I am looking forward to the continued escapades of Candace (not Candy) Starr.
Thank you Dundurn Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Starr Sting Scale".
November 1, 2019
3.5 stars
I can pretty much guarantee you’ve never met a character like Candace (don’t call me Candy) Starr. In a nutshell she’s a 6’3” hard drinking, foul mouthed ex-con with a diverse resume. Before she went to prison, she was a killer-for-hire. Her father was a hitman & just like any proud papa, he brought his kid into the family business. Now she lives alone above the E-Zee Market where she mans the counter & bounces meth heads who frequent the store.
But it can be hard to shake your reputation. Candace is approached by a wealthy woman with a problem. Her teenage daughter’s boyfriend is a drug dealing slacker & she’d like him…um…extracted from their lives. Perhaps Candace would come out of retirement & help.
The thing is she could really use the money but…whack a teenager? Turns out her reluctance is a moot point. Candace opens the newspaper one day & sees the guy’s smiling face. It seems his body was found in a nearby ravine. Huh. Unfortunately, it brings an old nemesis back into her life. Saunders is the cop who put her away & he’d like nothing better than to send her back to prison. So he pops by the store, sure that she is responsible for his latest homicide.
It’s not a happy reunion. He still thinks she’s in the game, she still thinks the smell of his aftershave is “like being assaulted by a basket of rancid fruit”. But his partner is a different story. After Saunders stomps out, Detective Chien-Shiung Malone has a proposition for Candace. Help solve the case & she’ll tell Candace who murdered her father several years ago.
That gets Candace’s attention. She’s never been able to learn who killed her dad & the need for revenge is like an open wound. She figures all she has to do is hang around with the petite & proper Malone for a few days & she’ll have the name of her final target.
Pretty straightforward, right? Well….that’s before you factor in a couple of pretentious soccer moms, a bounty hunter, a mole in the police force & a dangerous motorcycle gang with hygiene issues (seriously, if you have access to running water there is NO excuse for eye watering BO).
Needless to say there’s much more to the story & there are a couple of pivotal twists so I’ll leave it here to avoid spoilers. What you do need to know is despite the addition of Candace’s snarky humour this is a dark, gritty, hardboiled read. There’s plenty of violence & the f-bombs fly thick & fast. Those bothered by stronger language, racial epithets and/or misogyny should walk away. I confess some of it was a bit much although entirely in keeping with the characters. Just a matter of personal taste & not a reflection of the author’s skills. It is what it is.
Two things in particular really stood out for me. One is the relationship between Candace & Malone. They’re from different worlds. But a gradual understanding & acceptance develops as they spend more time together. The other element was the final few chapters. Despite one disturbing scene (couldn’t decide whether to yell “Eeeew” or “Gross!”) there is a clever reveal that made me reevaluate what I thought I knew. Well done, Ms. O’Cinneide.
Rating this is a tough call. I think I was expecting something slightly lighter due to marketing blurbs & endorsement quotes. If a story is well written/plotted, It all comes down to what you enjoy reading. So if your tastes run more toward a hardbitten take-no-prisoners approach to the genre, this should be right up your street.
I can pretty much guarantee you’ve never met a character like Candace (don’t call me Candy) Starr. In a nutshell she’s a 6’3” hard drinking, foul mouthed ex-con with a diverse resume. Before she went to prison, she was a killer-for-hire. Her father was a hitman & just like any proud papa, he brought his kid into the family business. Now she lives alone above the E-Zee Market where she mans the counter & bounces meth heads who frequent the store.
But it can be hard to shake your reputation. Candace is approached by a wealthy woman with a problem. Her teenage daughter’s boyfriend is a drug dealing slacker & she’d like him…um…extracted from their lives. Perhaps Candace would come out of retirement & help.
The thing is she could really use the money but…whack a teenager? Turns out her reluctance is a moot point. Candace opens the newspaper one day & sees the guy’s smiling face. It seems his body was found in a nearby ravine. Huh. Unfortunately, it brings an old nemesis back into her life. Saunders is the cop who put her away & he’d like nothing better than to send her back to prison. So he pops by the store, sure that she is responsible for his latest homicide.
It’s not a happy reunion. He still thinks she’s in the game, she still thinks the smell of his aftershave is “like being assaulted by a basket of rancid fruit”. But his partner is a different story. After Saunders stomps out, Detective Chien-Shiung Malone has a proposition for Candace. Help solve the case & she’ll tell Candace who murdered her father several years ago.
That gets Candace’s attention. She’s never been able to learn who killed her dad & the need for revenge is like an open wound. She figures all she has to do is hang around with the petite & proper Malone for a few days & she’ll have the name of her final target.
Pretty straightforward, right? Well….that’s before you factor in a couple of pretentious soccer moms, a bounty hunter, a mole in the police force & a dangerous motorcycle gang with hygiene issues (seriously, if you have access to running water there is NO excuse for eye watering BO).
Needless to say there’s much more to the story & there are a couple of pivotal twists so I’ll leave it here to avoid spoilers. What you do need to know is despite the addition of Candace’s snarky humour this is a dark, gritty, hardboiled read. There’s plenty of violence & the f-bombs fly thick & fast. Those bothered by stronger language, racial epithets and/or misogyny should walk away. I confess some of it was a bit much although entirely in keeping with the characters. Just a matter of personal taste & not a reflection of the author’s skills. It is what it is.
Two things in particular really stood out for me. One is the relationship between Candace & Malone. They’re from different worlds. But a gradual understanding & acceptance develops as they spend more time together. The other element was the final few chapters. Despite one disturbing scene (couldn’t decide whether to yell “Eeeew” or “Gross!”) there is a clever reveal that made me reevaluate what I thought I knew. Well done, Ms. O’Cinneide.
Rating this is a tough call. I think I was expecting something slightly lighter due to marketing blurbs & endorsement quotes. If a story is well written/plotted, It all comes down to what you enjoy reading. So if your tastes run more toward a hardbitten take-no-prisoners approach to the genre, this should be right up your street.
February 21, 2020
This book is just.... Lmao... Just no... It's clunky, gets expositional when it doesn't need to and not forgetting the bigotry.
Candace is a retired hit woman who is approached by a stepford wife to off the daughter's boyfriend. The money is tempting but she decides not to do it because she doesn't like the idea of offing a kid. It doesn't even matter since the boy is found dead later and a cop, the most inept waste of skin since the mayor of townsville, ropes Candace in to try and solve the murder. And why should Candace help solve the murder of who killed Tyler Brent? Because the cop, Malone, has the info on who killed Candace's father years ago.
I kept getting impatient with the book and was really disappointed with how they treated Black people. This book should also have given trigger warnings for racial slurs and mentions of rape. There is also a scene that turned my stomach. Frankly it was as necessary as Ramsay's marriage to Sansa. Just added in to showcase brutality.
The mystery of who killed Candace's father was also unsatisfactory in its solving. Candace's sleuthing didn't give them any results. Making me wonder why I had to endure all those pages if Malone's bungling and a phone call would lead me to all I needed to know anyway. There's a big "plot twist" at the end but you'd have to not be paying attention to not see it coming.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Candace is a retired hit woman who is approached by a stepford wife to off the daughter's boyfriend. The money is tempting but she decides not to do it because she doesn't like the idea of offing a kid. It doesn't even matter since the boy is found dead later and a cop, the most inept waste of skin since the mayor of townsville, ropes Candace in to try and solve the murder. And why should Candace help solve the murder of who killed Tyler Brent? Because the cop, Malone, has the info on who killed Candace's father years ago.
I kept getting impatient with the book and was really disappointed with how they treated Black people. This book should also have given trigger warnings for racial slurs and mentions of rape. There is also a scene that turned my stomach. Frankly it was as necessary as Ramsay's marriage to Sansa. Just added in to showcase brutality.
The mystery of who killed Candace's father was also unsatisfactory in its solving. Candace's sleuthing didn't give them any results. Making me wonder why I had to endure all those pages if Malone's bungling and a phone call would lead me to all I needed to know anyway. There's a big "plot twist" at the end but you'd have to not be paying attention to not see it coming.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2020
I'm going to lazy-out on this one because Sherwood said all the necessary/right things in her review. She doesn't do ratings, but for me, this was four stars, largely because I just couldn't put it down, it was so captivating!
A note about Steamy: Okay, I'll add this tag. There's no romance, but some sex and enough explicit to tag it. I hate to call it gritty because . . . ow. But it's gritty...
A note about Steamy: Okay, I'll add this tag. There's no romance, but some sex and enough explicit to tag it. I hate to call it gritty because . . . ow. But it's gritty...
November 1, 2019
This book was a rollicking ride from start to finish. Lean and mean prose peppered with witty asides that caused me to laugh out loud while reading it. Candace Starr is like a cross between The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and that crazy ex-girlfriend you had in college that you couldn't get enough of. Dark and hard-boiled crime fiction for sure, but tempered with the main character's uniqueness of spirit and a sub-plot of her relationships with her quirky "family" and the solid but intriguing character of Detective Chieng-Sheng Malone. Looking forward to the next novel in this new, fresh series.
Read
February 19, 2020Candace Starr is a retired hit woman who is approached in the early pages by a helmet-haired soccer mom to snuff her high school aged daughter's loser of a boyfriend. Candace refuses to off a seventeen-year-old, but the boy is found dead anyway, and Candace is first on the suspect list, as the local police know very well what Candace's former career was--a family business, you might say.
The detective in charge of the case is Malone, an Asian woman who takes no crap from Candace, or from the world. Together (often against Candace's will) these two delve into the case, which has enough twists and turns for the highway to hell.
Candace's snark sends up the hard-boiled detective genre, but it's a hard-boiled for our time. Read a few pages. What you see in the opening is what you get: rough language, rougher action, the worst humans can be, and yet Candace has a core of decency and even (buried very deeply) a yearning for justice, whatever that means, that intrigued me. Malone, too, was complex, especially seen through Candace's judgmental eyes.
The last third kept me reading until the wee hours, coming to a resolution that was satisfying except for one death that really hurt. It's a wild, vivid ride, via a first person narrator whose language is as blue as it gets, her eye merciless in its observations. Yet there is that core of silver . . .
Really well done.
Copy provided by NetGalley
The detective in charge of the case is Malone, an Asian woman who takes no crap from Candace, or from the world. Together (often against Candace's will) these two delve into the case, which has enough twists and turns for the highway to hell.
Candace's snark sends up the hard-boiled detective genre, but it's a hard-boiled for our time. Read a few pages. What you see in the opening is what you get: rough language, rougher action, the worst humans can be, and yet Candace has a core of decency and even (buried very deeply) a yearning for justice, whatever that means, that intrigued me. Malone, too, was complex, especially seen through Candace's judgmental eyes.
The last third kept me reading until the wee hours, coming to a resolution that was satisfying except for one death that really hurt. It's a wild, vivid ride, via a first person narrator whose language is as blue as it gets, her eye merciless in its observations. Yet there is that core of silver . . .
Really well done.
Copy provided by NetGalley
June 27, 2020
''The Starr Sting Scale' by C. S. O'Cinneide (2020), kicks off a new slick, hard-edged but witty crime series about Candace Starr, a former professional hitwoman, trying to retire and not quite getting there.
We first meet Candace when a woman is trying to hire her to 'remove' someone difficult. Here's a sample of Candace's interior dialogue at that point.
'Difficult husbands are a speciality of mine. Rarely, in my line of work, do you run into a husband who isn't difficult in some way. The cheat, they lie and occasionally they smack their women around. It's like the metal in a wedding ring creates a strange magnetic force within a guy's body that sets off his asshole switch. Maybe wives should insist on a wooden band?'
Initially, I thought this would be a light, fast read, filled with pithy one-liners delivered by a slick anti-heroine who, through a combination of threat and incentive, finds herself working alongside the police as they investigate a murder for which Candace is a promising suspect.
I did get all that and it was fun but it wasn't really what the book was about. As the story unfolds, the real focus is on Candace's history and the events that made her who she is: a deeply scarred woman, who trusts no-one, is comfortable killing for money and thinks that friendship is a consensual delusion that wouldn't survive under pressure. The Starr Sting Scale of the title measures the amount of pain received from stings from large insects. Candace's story is one formed by periods of great pain.
Candace is a strong complex character that I can easily see a series being built around. She's physically imposing, fierce, lethal, unscrupulous, amoral, friendless, determined and very bright. She runs her mouth and can't prevent herself from antagonising everyone, especially people who try to exert power over her. Her past is traumatic. Her outlook is understandably bleak. She's a stranger to remorse and isn't looking for redemption but she'll take revenge whenever she can.
The plot is remarkably complex, not in a baroque way, but more in the sense that there is always a lot more going on than there appears to be and that almost everything is connected but the connections only become visible in the rearview mirror.
There is a lot of violence and none of it is sugar-coated. Candace is many things but likeable isn't one of them. Yet her energy and the plot's complexity kept me engaged throughout the novel.
'The Starr Sting Scale' works very well as a standalone novel but it also convinced me that I'll be buying the next book in the series when it comes out.
We first meet Candace when a woman is trying to hire her to 'remove' someone difficult. Here's a sample of Candace's interior dialogue at that point.
'Difficult husbands are a speciality of mine. Rarely, in my line of work, do you run into a husband who isn't difficult in some way. The cheat, they lie and occasionally they smack their women around. It's like the metal in a wedding ring creates a strange magnetic force within a guy's body that sets off his asshole switch. Maybe wives should insist on a wooden band?'
Initially, I thought this would be a light, fast read, filled with pithy one-liners delivered by a slick anti-heroine who, through a combination of threat and incentive, finds herself working alongside the police as they investigate a murder for which Candace is a promising suspect.
I did get all that and it was fun but it wasn't really what the book was about. As the story unfolds, the real focus is on Candace's history and the events that made her who she is: a deeply scarred woman, who trusts no-one, is comfortable killing for money and thinks that friendship is a consensual delusion that wouldn't survive under pressure. The Starr Sting Scale of the title measures the amount of pain received from stings from large insects. Candace's story is one formed by periods of great pain.
Candace is a strong complex character that I can easily see a series being built around. She's physically imposing, fierce, lethal, unscrupulous, amoral, friendless, determined and very bright. She runs her mouth and can't prevent herself from antagonising everyone, especially people who try to exert power over her. Her past is traumatic. Her outlook is understandably bleak. She's a stranger to remorse and isn't looking for redemption but she'll take revenge whenever she can.
The plot is remarkably complex, not in a baroque way, but more in the sense that there is always a lot more going on than there appears to be and that almost everything is connected but the connections only become visible in the rearview mirror.
There is a lot of violence and none of it is sugar-coated. Candace is many things but likeable isn't one of them. Yet her energy and the plot's complexity kept me engaged throughout the novel.
'The Starr Sting Scale' works very well as a standalone novel but it also convinced me that I'll be buying the next book in the series when it comes out.
November 19, 2019
Candace Starr, a not-so-retired hitwoman with a taste for bourbon delivers a rocking good time in this first of a three-part series. Hard-boiled crime fiction with a dark feminine twist, the action comes fast and furious, as do the witty asides. If people have even half as much fun reading it as I did writing it, then my work is done!
March 6, 2020
A witty, irreverent crime novel that is simply a ton of fun to read! Candace Starr is a hard-drinking, semi-retired hit-woman who finds herself working alongside the cops to solve a young man's murder. You'll be laughing out loud, and thoroughly gripped, until the very last page.
January 12, 2023
Brilliant. Unquie.
Okay, you want a little more. Our protagonist, Candace Starr , is an irreverent, retired personal assassin, standing at 6' 3" tall and recently released from jail. She is an unapologetic alcoholic working at the E-Zee Market. And then... she is offered $10,ooo to take out a parasitic teenage boyfriend - Tyler Brent. Then Brent's body is found with a broken neck and the police think Candace did it. Candace knows she did not.
There is so much to love in this hardboiled genre book featuring a female protaganist. The wit, sarcasm, the contrast between Candace and Detective Chien-Shiung Malone a bougie tall Asian female who is well tailored. And She wants Candace to help solve the murder and uses the bait of helping Candace solve her dad's murder.
There are plot twist and turns, great scenes, foul language and good character writing which keeps you engaged and the pages turning.
Okay, you want a little more. Our protagonist, Candace Starr , is an irreverent, retired personal assassin, standing at 6' 3" tall and recently released from jail. She is an unapologetic alcoholic working at the E-Zee Market. And then... she is offered $10,ooo to take out a parasitic teenage boyfriend - Tyler Brent. Then Brent's body is found with a broken neck and the police think Candace did it. Candace knows she did not.
There is so much to love in this hardboiled genre book featuring a female protaganist. The wit, sarcasm, the contrast between Candace and Detective Chien-Shiung Malone a bougie tall Asian female who is well tailored. And She wants Candace to help solve the murder and uses the bait of helping Candace solve her dad's murder.
There are plot twist and turns, great scenes, foul language and good character writing which keeps you engaged and the pages turning.
March 11, 2020
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
When a book is named for a scheme to rate pain from insect stings, you know it's not going to be a feel-good kind of read. C.S. O'Cinneide delivers the kind of book you'd expect from that title and readers are the beneficiaries.
Candace Starr is the daughter of a hitman who followed in her father's footsteps. She spent a few years in prison, and now released, she's trying to retire. Her days are full of drinking, sleeping with anyone handy, drinking some more and then occasionally manning the till in the convenience store below her apartment.
But her name is still out there (among people who know hired killers, anyway), and a potential client approaches her wanting her daughter's boyfriend (a low-life drug dealer/user) eliminated. But Candace is trying to retire and the target it seventeen. And that's just not something she can do.
But someone kills him and Candace is worried that she'll be a suspect (for fairly obvious reasons). So when homicide detective Chien-Shiung Malone asks her to consult for the investigation—she takes the opportunity (Malone offering information about her father's killer doesn't hurt).
Candace is smart, acerbic and tries really hard to be apathetic. Malone is smart, driven, and tough. Put the two of them together and you've got a great combination—this is definitely the beginning of a beautiful friendship (assuming they live that long)—emphasis on "beginning." I thoroughly enjoyed watching the interplay between the two and the establishment of their relationship.
We also meet a few other cops—some seem pretty cool, others are focused on bringing Candace down (whether she's guilty of whatever they're suspecting her for). Not to mention people from Candace's world—bartenders, waitresses, other hitmen, Candace's surrogate family, and biker gangs. Candace is starting to not fit into their world as much as it's clear that she doesn't belong in Malone's. In between are friends, classmates, parents of the victim and other associates. There's a lot of pain and suffering (in various forms) going on with every character we encounter.
The hunt for the killer has more than the requisite twists and turns—and by the time the true villains behind everything are exposed, I was surprised. I was kind of write with one of my theories, but even then I was wrong—and even more wrong about all the details that were revealed in the closing pages. O'Cinneide's plotting—and the reveal it all led up to—were rock solid and as intricate as you could hope for.
It's a fun ride, a clever read, and Candace's perspective on crime, family, and loyalty make this a high-spirited read. I'm struggling (and failing) to come up with a way to describe the gritty, but entertaining; dark, but not oppressive; witty, without being facetious feel to this book. Candace (and her voice) is sort of a hybrid of Huang's Cas Russell, Ford's Teagan Frost, and Rucka's Dex Parios (without the superpowers or super-genius abilities). And even as I write that, I can see the problems with the comparisons. That's as good as it gets for now. Undoubtedly, about 20 minutes after this posts, I'll hit on the way I should've said it. Hopefully, this is enough of a flavor to tempt you to take a look at this book.
Not only did I enjoy this rollicking ride, I am definitely coming back for the promised sequel. Based on how things turned out here, it is going to be a completely different kind of story, and I'm really curious to see how O'Cinneide is going to tackle it—and hopefully a few more sequels after that. There's a great kind of chemistry at work in The Starr Sting Scale and I encourage you to sample it.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Dundurn Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
When a book is named for a scheme to rate pain from insect stings, you know it's not going to be a feel-good kind of read. C.S. O'Cinneide delivers the kind of book you'd expect from that title and readers are the beneficiaries.
Candace Starr is the daughter of a hitman who followed in her father's footsteps. She spent a few years in prison, and now released, she's trying to retire. Her days are full of drinking, sleeping with anyone handy, drinking some more and then occasionally manning the till in the convenience store below her apartment.
But her name is still out there (among people who know hired killers, anyway), and a potential client approaches her wanting her daughter's boyfriend (a low-life drug dealer/user) eliminated. But Candace is trying to retire and the target it seventeen. And that's just not something she can do.
But someone kills him and Candace is worried that she'll be a suspect (for fairly obvious reasons). So when homicide detective Chien-Shiung Malone asks her to consult for the investigation—she takes the opportunity (Malone offering information about her father's killer doesn't hurt).
Candace is smart, acerbic and tries really hard to be apathetic. Malone is smart, driven, and tough. Put the two of them together and you've got a great combination—this is definitely the beginning of a beautiful friendship (assuming they live that long)—emphasis on "beginning." I thoroughly enjoyed watching the interplay between the two and the establishment of their relationship.
We also meet a few other cops—some seem pretty cool, others are focused on bringing Candace down (whether she's guilty of whatever they're suspecting her for). Not to mention people from Candace's world—bartenders, waitresses, other hitmen, Candace's surrogate family, and biker gangs. Candace is starting to not fit into their world as much as it's clear that she doesn't belong in Malone's. In between are friends, classmates, parents of the victim and other associates. There's a lot of pain and suffering (in various forms) going on with every character we encounter.
The hunt for the killer has more than the requisite twists and turns—and by the time the true villains behind everything are exposed, I was surprised. I was kind of write with one of my theories, but even then I was wrong—and even more wrong about all the details that were revealed in the closing pages. O'Cinneide's plotting—and the reveal it all led up to—were rock solid and as intricate as you could hope for.
It's a fun ride, a clever read, and Candace's perspective on crime, family, and loyalty make this a high-spirited read. I'm struggling (and failing) to come up with a way to describe the gritty, but entertaining; dark, but not oppressive; witty, without being facetious feel to this book. Candace (and her voice) is sort of a hybrid of Huang's Cas Russell, Ford's Teagan Frost, and Rucka's Dex Parios (without the superpowers or super-genius abilities). And even as I write that, I can see the problems with the comparisons. That's as good as it gets for now. Undoubtedly, about 20 minutes after this posts, I'll hit on the way I should've said it. Hopefully, this is enough of a flavor to tempt you to take a look at this book.
Not only did I enjoy this rollicking ride, I am definitely coming back for the promised sequel. Based on how things turned out here, it is going to be a completely different kind of story, and I'm really curious to see how O'Cinneide is going to tackle it—and hopefully a few more sequels after that. There's a great kind of chemistry at work in The Starr Sting Scale and I encourage you to sample it.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Dundurn Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.
May 7, 2020
Candace Starr a retired hit woman turned good - but not too good leads us through a series of twists and turns in an entertaining crime fiction novel. Candace forms an unlikely partnership with Detective Malone to help solve the murder of a teenaged boy who she was approached to carry out a hit on. Throughout the novel the reader is left guessing as to the extent of Candace's involvement, how much we can trust the motivations of those in her small circle of friends and relatives with questionable backgrounds and the integrity of the police. O'Cinneide pulls no punches in giving us a realistic anti-hero who in spite of all of her moral shortcomings has reason and justification for her actions. The Starr Sting Scale provides an honest representation of the viewpoints of the villains involved in crime and Candace protects the underdog - sometimes begrudgingly. It is a fun read and I'm looking forward to seeing where Candace takes us next.
May 8, 2020
Oh to be a retired hit-woman, or is it hit-person? Candace Starr, out of jail and making ends meet by a variety of jobs, legal and maybe not so, finds herself involved, reluctantly, with the cops to solve a murder, she may have knowledge of. And so it goes, and go it does. Ms. O'Cinneide keeps the action coming through a parade of characters and incidents that hold the reader in till the very end and what an end it is.
Fun and entertaining with a lead character that might be tough to love, but oh so interesting.
Fun and entertaining with a lead character that might be tough to love, but oh so interesting.
June 8, 2023
What a breath of fresh air. Unapologetic, earthy, a full scope heroine. If foul language doesn’t upset you. If a hard drinking six foot three heroine is long overdue. If you crave the sort of life sting that rejects hearts and flowers but gives you humor and a clear eyed view of this world. Boy are you in for a treat. Candace Starr is out of prison and manning the counter at the E-Zee market. A proposal to come out of retirement and do one more hit is tempting but not enough to put her life in another stranglehold. Added to her woes is the reappearance of the cop who put her away. It is this cop’s partner with an offer to let her know who killer her dad that forms an unlikely alliance and reckoning with her past. I hope this is a series to come.
May 3, 2020
This is a detective novel unlike any I've read as the protagonist is a reformed hit woman and she's pretty ruthless. There are glimmers of the heart of gold but they are pretty small glimmers!!
I found this an easy read in that it flowed quickly and I found myself turning page after page, immersed in the story. Dive in and enjoy!
I hear there may be more stories about Candace Starr in the pipeline. Can't wait!
I found this an easy read in that it flowed quickly and I found myself turning page after page, immersed in the story. Dive in and enjoy!
I hear there may be more stories about Candace Starr in the pipeline. Can't wait!
June 3, 2020
Intrigued by the idea of a hard-drinking “retired” hitwoman agreeing to help a classy female detective catch a killer, I couldn’t read fast enough to find out what awaited them in this gripping page-turner. I was particularly impressed by the first-person POV, quirky characters, dark humor, plot twists, and an unexpected ending. It’s official—I’m now a fan of The Candace Starr Series and hope that Ms. O’Cinneide will deliver the next installment ASAP.
September 29, 2020
I’m a fan of classic “hardboiled” noir from the likes of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and even Mickey Spillane. The Starr Sting Scale is a compelling read, from start to finish, that updates classic noir fiction for 2020. This could easily be turned into an excellent television series, like a feminist version of “Justified” seen from the side of the crooks instead of the cops. Well worth your time and money.
March 19, 2020
This is an exciting start to what I know will be an excellent series. A kick-ass protagonist, reminding me of Anita Blake without the vampires and supernatural elements, dominates the narrative. And although her character traits are not the most admirable, you root for her and want to follow her on her adventure. Well worth the read!
June 8, 2020
I don't think I have ever read a novel such as this one with a character like Candace Starr. Her world is so full of vicious and degenerate individuals it is a wonder she is still alive. There is something engaging about her and I look forward to reading another one in the series, although I might try an audio book as the narrative voice is so strong and entertaining.
August 15, 2020
From the moment I started reading I was stung!!! Candace Starr is one bad ass gal. I wouldn't want to be on her bad side or even on her good side for that matter!!! I've never encountered such a raw strong female character in any booknive read. C.S O"Cinneide does not disappoint and I can't wait to read more about this raunchy lady
March 13, 2020
An engrossing and entertaining hard boiled that kept me hooked till the end.
A solid mystery, an interesting cast of characters and background made me liked this story.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
A solid mystery, an interesting cast of characters and background made me liked this story.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
March 7, 2020
Very well-written and enjoyable. Really liked the protagonist. This is definitely leading to a series. Can't wait for the next one.
March 7, 2020
What a fantastic book. It reminds me of the 1940s era film noir but with the female as hit man. There are enough twists and turns to make a person dizzy, and I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend this book.
April 15, 2020
Noir. Unfiltered. Witty.
4.5
4.5
April 27, 2020
A fantastic crime novel that kept me hooked till the end with a unpredictable plot.
Can’t wait for the next one of this series.
Can’t wait for the next one of this series.
November 20, 2020
Excellent Read
Great character development, intriguing plot, and very surprising twists along the way. Wonderful way to escape COVID-19 for an evening.
Great character development, intriguing plot, and very surprising twists along the way. Wonderful way to escape COVID-19 for an evening.
August 14, 2022
True rating - 4.5 stars. I love when I don’t figure out who done it. That’s the sign of a clever writer to me!
December 10, 2019
Disclaimer: ARC provided for an honest review.
I went back and forth on a three or four stars. The first third of the book was slow, and our hero, Candice Starr, was very much the opposite of likable. I also wasn't a huge fan of how she viewed other women, but the narrative challenges her on that. And the book's co-star, Malone, through her actions and words, forces Candace to confront how she relates to other women.
Then we get to the last third of the book and damn it got GOOD. The ending is what made me give this book a four star. The whole thing is wrapped up neatly and satisfyingly. All the bad people got what they deserved, and the people doing their best got their rewards. It's not all sunshine and roses, but it's a hopeful end.
This book is an excellent example of taking an unlikeable character, giving them a story arc and a background reveal that changes how the reader sees them.
I went back and forth on a three or four stars. The first third of the book was slow, and our hero, Candice Starr, was very much the opposite of likable. I also wasn't a huge fan of how she viewed other women, but the narrative challenges her on that. And the book's co-star, Malone, through her actions and words, forces Candace to confront how she relates to other women.
Then we get to the last third of the book and damn it got GOOD. The ending is what made me give this book a four star. The whole thing is wrapped up neatly and satisfyingly. All the bad people got what they deserved, and the people doing their best got their rewards. It's not all sunshine and roses, but it's a hopeful end.
This book is an excellent example of taking an unlikeable character, giving them a story arc and a background reveal that changes how the reader sees them.
December 13, 2019
A cool noir book that gender-bends the hard-boiled detective genre with a rough-and-tumble gun-for-hire named Candace Starr who's done time and isn't too keen to help the cops. Her partner is a well-dressed, intelligent cop who also happens to be a woman. The objectified "bimbo" of the story is good-hearted bounty hunter with a soft spot for Candace. Definitely a fun read, especially for women who want to see a broader representation of their gender in noir crime books!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews