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Partners in Crime

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A string of brutal murders. An international conspiracy that includes the highest seats of power. A ruthless, sadistic killer who’s intent on terrorizing women.

Peter Bolton is a spy, but he’s up for a career change. He makes Jack Reacher look like an amateur, and he’s saved the world more times than James Bond. But now Peter is ready to retire and live a normal life without underworld figures trying to kill him every day and without a cyanide capsule in his molar in case he gets caught.

Piper Landry walks out of the Redwood Forest of Northern California in the middle of the night with no memory and no clothes. She knows only two things. The first is that her name must be Piper Landry because that’s what’s written on a tag bolted to her ear. The other is that she’s richer than Midas.

When Peter and Piper meet, it’s fireworks. The two become instant partners, but soon Piper’s mysterious past gets in the way—not to mention the global conspiracy and the sadistic killer—and these new partners might have to save the world one more time.

Or two more times…

Partners in Crime is an international thriller and action adventure romance.

363 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 8, 2020

1178 people are currently reading
941 people want to read

About the author

Elise Sax

84 books910 followers
Elise Sax worked as a journalist for fifteen years, mostly in Paris, France. She took a detour from journalism and became a private investigator before trying her hand at writing fiction. She lives in Southern California with her two sons. An Affair to Dismember is her first novel.

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5 stars
680 (38%)
4 stars
531 (30%)
3 stars
340 (19%)
2 stars
115 (6%)
1 star
81 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
12 reviews
November 12, 2021
Is it possible to give negative star rating? One of the worst books I have read in a long time. Here is our mystery, who is Piper and why are people trying to kill her. You might expect to have either of those questions answered, if even in part by the end of this book, you will be disappointed as neither are answered at all. There is no character development. we learn early on that Peter is a spy with a smart mouth who calls his mother every Sunday to check in. That is about it for his character. We don't learn anything about Piper during the book. Story development is also bad. After meeting our main characters, Peter gets a call from some unidentified person telling him to go from San Diego to Redwood forest near San Francisco, no reason, just go to this specific spot. Piper is naked running through the forest with no idea who she is. Peter shows up at the exact spot she is after she runs for miles through the forest and the 'story' begins. How is a story well developed if they never explain this primary thing, how did they end up together?

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me...why would I ever read another book by this author with chance of being fooled again that it might be worth my time or money. Definitely not worth the money and I downloaded this book for free from Amazon, so that is saying something. My first clue should have been the characters first names, Peter and Piper. Just not surprised that as people were trying to kill them that they were arguing about being in a pickle, or was the pickle a reference to one of his body parts. Seriously? Only good thing about this book is that it was short.
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,462 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2020
Partners in Crime by Elise Sax has a well-crafted mystery, insane laugh out loud situations and characters that had me rooting for them from the first chapter. Looking forward to more adventures with Peter and Piper.
Profile Image for Susan.
1,170 reviews43 followers
January 16, 2020
10 stars!

OMG! Elise Sax has outdone herself with Partners in Crime! Peter and Piper are my new favorite couple. If you’re a fan of Hart to Hart or Thin Man, this is the series for you. Full of action, banter, and romance. Laugh-out-loud moments that kept me in tears page after page. Can’t wait to read Peter & Pipers next adventure!
Profile Image for Emmy Hermina Nathasia.
530 reviews
February 3, 2022
A fun and entertaining read! Enjoyed the fast-paced plot and the relationship between Peter and Piper. It is actually not my usual go-to thriller (ie action adventure romance genre) but I picked this up because I wanted to escape by reading something light. Plus who wouldn’t want to read about a dashing spy akin to Jack Reacher and James Bond but with a quirky Ryan Reynold’s charm!
Profile Image for Charlotte Pratt.
19 reviews
August 30, 2024
I really enjoyed the plot, but nothing ended up being resolved at the end. Was pretty much a waste of time. I guess must be part of a series? But wasn’t anywhere I read that I need to have #2 lined up to continue the story into completion…
540 reviews2 followers
August 6, 2021
First time reading this author . A thriller with very unusual characters and storyline . So many unanswered questions to follow up in the next book .
80 reviews
January 14, 2023
I gave it one star because I actually finished it. Though I mostly finished it to find out if there was any explanation for any of the things that happen it this book. For example, hero is in San Diego & gets a phone call from a mysterious voice telling him to go to a specific location north of San Francisco. He catches a plane, rents a car, & drives to the coordinates where he finds a naked woman running through the woods. He never questions who called him & it's not revealed (maybe in the sequel, but since he isn't questioning it, that's doubtful). But, even worse, it must have taken him at least 3 hours to arrive at the coordinates yet, somehow, the contact knew 3 hours in advance that the woman was going to escape her captors & run 2 miles to where the hero just happens to be to intercept her. Ridiculous. And that's just the opening.

It's poorly written/edited and pretty juvenile. Worse, the hero & heroine are named Peter & Piper yet there isn't a pickled pepper in sight.
Profile Image for Anima.
2,751 reviews52 followers
January 9, 2020
Oooh momma! I knew Peter would be a great character. We met him as Spencer's brother in the Matchmaker series. A retired spy with a deep need to be the hero. Piper doesn't remember who she is but Peter is determined to help her. There's so much to laugh at I was almost crying. It's got the typical Sax style: chasing bad guys with humor and innuendos. She actually wrote a few heated scenes just to appreciate the hotness of Peter Bolton. This is going to be another outstanding series! I received an early copy, review given voluntarily.
824 reviews12 followers
January 8, 2020
Piper wakes up groggy, confused, no memories, naked and somehow, knowing that she must escape now!!
She runs until she realizes she's in the middle of a forest and, can hear people tramping around, yelling and, dogs baying! She thought she couldn't move another inch until she hears that but, suddenly she's running again. Running right into a stone wall!
Peter has been an international spy for decades and, tells his best friend Bram that it's time to retire. He's been relaxing in Bora Bora when he gets a phone call requiring him to report to a longitude and latitude ASAP!! He's not a spy any longer, he's retired!!! Apparently not!
When Peter has a beautiful naked woman literally run into his arms, he realizes that maybe his decision to retire was made a bit too soon!!
Now, the two have to figure out who Piper is, why she's a multimillionaire, and who is trying to kill her!!
This story is non-stop, Freaking Hilarious, action!!!
You do not want to miss this!!!!
36 reviews
January 16, 2020
Great!

We finally learn more about a character we met in the matchmaker series. Peter, the spy gets a call, follows directions, and meets a woman in need. Little does he know, that it will lead him to many different places, and dangerous situation. I couldn’t put this book down. Surprises and danger at every corner. You don’t see it coming. If you like danger,suspense,with a little romance and humor as well, you’ll love,love, love this book.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
1,155 reviews1 follower
February 3, 2020
Where you think there would only be dark drama this author throws in some dark angsty humor to alleviate the situations. So many more questions definitely after getting quite a few answers. Like who is she? Why the Google mind lol. How long do I have to wait for book 2 😁
Profile Image for Arta Auzāne.
436 reviews29 followers
August 20, 2023
Like watching an 80's action movie, with all the cheesy lines 😁 Story is action-packed, and it had me laughing out loud on a few occasions 🤣
Profile Image for Baca Buku.
571 reviews2 followers
September 1, 2021
This story is utterly ridiculous. And I love it!

It reads like is a fun, action-adventure-rom-com movie. There are some clichés--the Indian techie-sidekick--and the villain was predictable, but I have already put the three other books in the series on my wishlist and will get to them eventually.

191 reviews
March 19, 2022
Free kindle book offering a while ago and just read it without re-reading the synopsis so I had no idea of the story premise. First, this is a series and while part of the story wraps up, the biggest mystery is left unsolved. The main female character Piper has no idea who she is and why people want her out of the way. I checked reviews and you don’t find this out without reading three more books.
This is unfortunate for me because I am not invested enough to want to read more of the series. It is funny, at times, but the humorous dialogue feels forced. The main character, Peter, is constantly making jokes even in the middle of dire situations. Most of the dire situations were just crazy. I did finish it hoping to get things resolved but won’t buy more even to find out about Piper.
79 reviews
July 4, 2021
NOT FOR ME

I rarely submit a negative review but will make an exception with “ PARTNERS IN CRIME “ .
I enjoy a book that is realistic, not the unreal fantasies of the author.
The first six pages convinced me not to invest more time hoping for improvement.

The book opens with the hero and his partner being tied to wood chairs and receiving a brutal beating from sadistic criminals, most blows to their faces changing their noses to jelly while they kept making sarcastic statements to their assailants like it was just a sunny day in the park.
Their medical conditions would have made it impossible to utter any recognizable word thru their totally battered lips.

Fortunately it only required six pages to recognize the impossible actions portrayed in the book.
Profile Image for Kristie.
47 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2021
Not for me. After the ridiculous "first scene" with non-humorous banter between two partner spies getting the living hell beat out of them, I thought not liking this, but maybe it'll get better. The second "scene" with a woman running for her life captured my attention. It seemed it was getting better. Then one spy retires, because Oprah said to be happy you need work life balance. After the 5th mention of Oprah and her cauliflower food, I was done. It's just too much like a poorly made B rater movie, can't stomach it.
Profile Image for Meghan.
3,393 reviews7 followers
June 16, 2021
Hilariously fun

The blurb and the storyline is serious, but the dialogue and characters make it hilarious and at times ridiculous. Several scenes led to snort laughing and moments led to head shakes. The book is action packed with a snark filled romance and friendship. Lots of travel and intrigue make this a fun and fast read.
32 reviews
January 18, 2022
Great book but doesn't end

I loved the book. It was funny and interesting and I couldn't wait to finish it. Unfortunately, you have to pay $6.99 each for the next 3 books to get to the ending. If it were .99 or even $2.99 I'd probably buy them. But $6.99 each for 3 books is a little high imho even if they're good books.
Profile Image for Jill Miclean.
853 reviews
May 16, 2025
I think this is one of the most ridiculous books I've ever read and would give it a no star rating if I could. It started out with promise, loved the first couple of chapters, especially the banter between the two male spies, but then Peter is sent to a mysterious rendezvous site to rescue a captive named Piper (yes, Peter & Piper are the main characters names!), and it all goes downhill from there.

The story development is awful, we rarely get questions answered, plot holes like swiss cheese, poorly written, bad sex scenes, and to make matters worse, it ends on a cliffhanger. A few events in the book are so cringeworthy, I felt like Pheobe from friends "my eyes, my eyes". One includes a naked women (this author is oddly obsessed with naked women) who ends up trying to choke Peter with her legs which ends up with her "hairless vagina" in his face - of course it does- and she is forever referred to in the book as "vagina woman". Did an 8th grade boy write this? A second scene involves a cockroach and an ear - anymore a details and you'll be as grossed out as I was. Love the premise of a funny romance but this simply delves into absurd.

Really thankful this was free because I'd demand a refund!
Profile Image for Sandra.
643 reviews8 followers
January 21, 2020
Partners in Crime by Elise Sax is the first book in Partners in Crime Thrillers series which will probably become quite successful.

Peter Bolton is a spy, extremely capable and very deadly but he has had enough and he wants out. Decides that some quiet island and a lot of booze is the right way to go.
Piper Laundry is running naked through the woods, not knowing who she is, what happened to her or who she is running from. She just knows that she is in danger and running for her life.
As soon as these two meet, there is connection and a lot of sizzling hot feelings. Peter wants to help Piper find out the truth, and that quest takes them all over the world.
They encounter queens, murderers, international conspiracies, volcanoes, explosions and so much more.

This is an action packed story perfect for those who don't mind a lot of exaggeration.
You really have to suspend belief to swallow some of the things going on. However, it is immensely entertaining.
I liked the banter between the characters funny but at times it really seemed forced and a bit too much.
Characters are likable, sometimes larger than life but so fun.
Profile Image for Jennette Reid.
150 reviews1 follower
July 9, 2021
This was a wickedly entertaining book with several laugh-out-loud funny passages.

Peter is an ex-spy, getting ready to enjoy his retirement when he stumbles into the path of Piper fleeing for her life. Piper's story begins with her running through a forest, naked, with no memory of who she is or how she got there. This kicks off their partnership in trying to keep each other alive while trying to figure out who Piper is, and why so many people want both of them dead. With the help of a socially inept and technologically brilliant sidekick, Adesh, they chase down clues and try to piece the mystery together.

I think Peter reminds me most of Napoleon Solo. 😆



I've read a few books by Elise Sax and this might be my favourite so far. As a series starter, there is enough closure that this could be read as a stand-alone but you're going to want to hop on to the next book to see what jar of pickles these three find themselves in next.
Profile Image for Emily.
355 reviews
January 31, 2021
I feel like Elise Sax is back on track with this series. It reminds me of Spencer and Gladie in the best possible way, but without relationship angst and more crazy adventure.

Her books always make me smile if not actually laugh out loud. Her characters are whacky, awkward, self absorbed and often bumbling. But their imperfections are what makes them so endearing and funny compared to other romance or mystery or thriller genre characters.

I know these books aren’t the best written, and the characters aren’t fully developed. There are inconsistencies and plot twists that don’t always make sense. I mean, who called Peter and sent him into the woods? Why isn’t he wondering that? But at the end of the day, most of Elise’s books make me feel warm and fuzzy inside so I keep going back for more!
782 reviews2 followers
September 28, 2025
This is advertised as a "hilarious binge worthy romantic suspense" - I think that's a bit overstated! Funny, at times, but the "wise cracks" that at first are amusing start to wear thin after the first few pages. It's a constant barrage of quips and jokes that just get old. That said, the story is good - young woman running thru the woods naked escaping something she can't remember is found by a just retired "superspy" who is bound and determined to save and protect her until she gets her memory back.

The book is entertaining enough, but the non-stop attempts at witty conversation is just overkill, not to mention (WARNING!) you get no answers when you finish the book. You still won't know who the woman is unless you read the next and then maybe the next? book. Not for me. I like humor but this was too much for this reader.
Profile Image for Kim.
141 reviews5 followers
January 21, 2020
Sooooo....it pains me to write this but this is now the second book in a row that didn't wow me. This authors Matchmaker series and Good Night series are excellent. The Agatha Bright series had such potential but that fell short too.

However, with this book things felt rushed and sometimes generic. I feel like her other books were more in depth and there was more character building. She has been churning out a new book every few months and it is starting to show. Quality over quantity needs to be applied.

There were some really funny scenes. The last action scene had me cracking up. But so much of it fell flat. I really hope she can rebound because when she is on her A game, she is a favorite author of mine.
Profile Image for Bibliobiubli.
53 reviews
December 7, 2021
SPOILER ALERT⚠️ REVIEW ESPAÑOL👇
Ehhhh bueno .....


En primer lugar, este libro me hizo reír bastante. Hubo muchas situaciones irónicas y el thriller combina muy bien la comedia.

Lo que para mí arruinó un poco el libro es que tenía DEMASIADO smut y a veces era aburrido. Además, algunas situaciones no eran las más adecuadas.

El giro de la trama es bueno pero no voy a continuar con la saga.




Ehhhh well .....


First of all, this book made me laugh quite a bit. There were many ironic situations and the thriller combines comedy very well.

What ruined the book a bit for me is that it had TOO MUCH smut and was boring at times. Also, some situations were not the most suitable.

The plot twist is good but I'm not going to continue the saga.
Profile Image for Natelle.
686 reviews4 followers
July 12, 2023
Partners in crime

After another case leaves him beaten and bruised, Peter Bolton finally decides to retire from spy life. Then he gets a message containing coded coordinates. Old habits die hard and he travels to the location. There he discovers a naked young woman running from danger she doesn’t remember. Soon the two are united in uncovering the mystery of how she came to be in those woods, who she is, and what all of those answers mean.

In the opening scene, jocularity detracted from the extreme violence. As the story progressed, however, the ongoing wisecracking made the story drag and ultimately feel like some story lines originated in the mind of a fifteen year old boy. WARNING: This book contains violence, language, and sexual situations.
1,482 reviews19 followers
June 7, 2025
This is the first book in the Partners in Crime Chronicles by Elise Sax. Peter Bolton is a world-class spy ready to retire. Piper Landry is a woman who emerges naked from the redwood forests of Northern California with no memory. Piper only knows that she is a wealthy heiress. When Piper literally runs naked into Peter's arms, sparks fly, and they become instant partners. However, Piper’s past soon catches up with them, entangling them in a global conspiracy, brutal murders, and a sadistic killer. As they face peril and deceit, their mission to save the world may not be a one-time endeavor, but a battle they must fight repeatedly. I really enjoyed this amazing action thriller romance novel.
710 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2020
I have been meaning to read this author for a while now and when this particular book was highly recommended by another author I follow I thought it would be a good one to start with. Sadly I was not impressed. The story premise was interesting but required a lot of suspension of disbelief. Then I didn't really like either of the main characters, they seemed so weak and vain. Then the dialog was so simple and stilted it was just a painful read. There was so much more that could have been done with this story, it was disappointing. I don't believe I'll read any more in this particular series.
723 reviews5 followers
May 26, 2020
DELIGHTFUL BOOK!😁

I enjoyed this book immensely. I laughed, I smiled, I was delighted at the banter and fast moving twists and turns that Peter, Piper and Adesh went through! It was a cleverly crafted story..... Full of amusing moments but also suspense and intrigue at the same time. There was not one slow moment in the whole book! The romance between eyed and Piper was sweet, sexy and endearing. I highly recommend this book... You can't go wrong if you want a very entertaining light read that will leave you with a smile on your face!!!😇
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews

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