Murder: Double or Nothing

Southern California Mysteries #3

by Lida Sideris

Corrie Locke, newbie lawyer and daughter of a late, great PI, is learning the ropes at the Hollywood movie studio where she works—and where things are never what they seem. Life imitates art when a fictional murder attempt turns real—right before her very eyes. With more than a little help from friends and a crazy movie legend, Corrie trips down a trail littered with wisecracks, mysterious messages, and marginally legal maneuvers to track down the killer. Meanwhile, clues keep disappearing and Corrie makes an enemy whose deadly tactics keep escalating. Will her impromptu sleuthing skills be enough to catch the mysterious assailant before he takes her down?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

299 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 22, 2019

About the author

AUTHOR BIO:

Lida Sideris' first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer's dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio...kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida is a recipient of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America Scholarship award and a 2x Killer Nashville, Silver Falchion Award finalist. She lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens. To learn more, please visit: www.LidaSideris.com

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read some mysteries, I have watched and loved Xena and the first couple Tomb Raiders movies. Corrie is who I would want solving a mystery or battling warlords with a broadsword or would-be tomb raiders with uzis. This book was incredibly well-paced and written. I wasn't 20% into it when I was disappointed to have to stop and couldn't wait to start reading again.



Another point of acclaim is that the reader will have no idea who did it until it is exposed. This is the kind of classic whodunnit aka Agatha Christie. Of course in this book, the Marple is a high strung pretty girl who is as deadly with her wit as she is with a gun or her fists.



The plot seemed to have a daunting number of issues that had to be figured out but they were done seamlessly. At one point I thought to myself Corrie is like a Kardashian girl with little cash who solved mysteries.



The best part of this book is Corrie simply being herself. It is refreshing to read a female lead who is actually more dangerous the more danger she is in. It reminded me of a mystery-solving Buffy The Vampire Slayer. A fun and even funny read.



I laughed out loud at least three times at some of the best humor I have seen in a mystery. Superb read and highly recommend to everyone.



My Rating: 5 stars



Reviewed by: Mr. N



This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder: Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris is the third book in her Southern California series and another engaging mystery.

This time Corrie becomes involved in a murder located at the Hollywood movie studio where Corrie now works. In spite of her attempts to stay out of this one she soon is on the trail to find a killer at the insistence of a movie legend. There were plenty of twists and suspects to keep Corrie and her friend, Michael, busy looking for clues without getting killed in the process.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Level Best Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Karen (BaronessBookTrove) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Murder Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris is fast-paced, funny, full of family and friends who just want to help Corrie find the killer before she gets herself in too deep. 
Two murders, cryptic messages, and Corrie needs to find the who and why before anyone else dies.
Corrie Locke
Corrie is a contradiction herself. She is a corporate attorney working in the film industry but she is easily bored with her duties and longs for excitement. However, Corrie has these mad skills at figuring out crimes, some natural, others honed by tasks taught and designed by her father a private investigator. Corrie is like a dog with a bone when it comes to murders.
The Men in her Life
Michael
He is the steady, nerdy, smart, takes care of her type. Michael is also willing to do anything that Corrie wants. He has a steady job as a professor at one of the local colleges. Did I mention that he cooks? But he doesn't make her insides sizzle.
James
James is Michael's best friend, an attorney, actually an Assistant District Attorney. Corrie and James have known each other for a long time. The two of them are a lot alike. However, she doesn't want to mess up the peace that they have currently. They tend to tick each other off when they're together too long. But James makes Corrie's insides melt. 

Who to choose?
Mystery
There are two murders, one actor and one stand-in/double. Lacy, an older star wants Corrie to find out who killed Shaw Kota and why. As she investigates the clues keep her running around. Now she is being followed by a weird guy. Then Michael goes undercover to replace the lead in the movie. Corrie has to investigate alone. 
4 Stars for Murder Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris 
The cast is a crazy mix up of eccentrics and the situations they get in to are pretty hilarious. So, I am giving Murder Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris four stars and recommending it to all you cover readers out there.


Other Books in the Series

Giveaway
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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Murder Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris. Check out the other stops and giveaway if you have time.

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove

[Cozybooklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corrie is a colorful character who is trying her best to do well in her job.
Unfortunately things don't go well when murder rears it's ugly head and Corrie is left to unravel the twist of clues.
This is a cute story, plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and engage throughout the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for approving me to read this book.

[Sherrie Cronin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Murder: Double or Nothing, Lida Sideris has improved on what she does well, and softened some of the rougher edges in her second novel. She has once again written a clever and funny story to entertain fans of light-hearted mysteries.

What I liked best:
Once again, this is a witty, fast-paced book with enough unexpected twists to keep the reader engaged. As an added plus, who doesn’t like to read about Hollywood?
The protagonist, Corrie Locke, not only has a new law degree, but she seems to be a more capable crime solver than before, and a little less inclined to break laws without consideration of the consequences. I liked this more mature and capable character.
I liked what has happened with the other characters, too. Love interest Michael is more lovable, high-fashion mom is more likeable, and Corrie’s sidekick Veeda has become more of her own person (and far less a clone of Stephanie Plum’s sidekick Lula.)
The author continues to do a noteworthy job of ending chapters so that the reader just has to keep going.
Plus … both Sideris and her creation Corrie really take their game up a notch in the suspense filled ending. Corrie shows her best yet as both a fighter and as a detective, and Sideris delivers a taut page-turner of a finale.

What I liked least:
I still struggled with not feeling up to speed on Corrie and her fascination with a competing love interest, Michael’s best friend James. Clearly, there is history here and it matters. I wish I knew what it was.
Witty and fast-paced can be overdone, and in my opinion Lida Sideris’ style at times would benefit from more transitions to add flow to the story. While her dialog and plot developments are never quite as jarring as in the previous novel, in its worst spots this book becomes a series of actions scenes and flippant one-liners in need of more connection and motivation behind them.

However … as with the previous book, the power of what I liked absolutely exceeded what I didn’t. In fact, I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor and I’d recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a fun mystery.

For the full blog post including my review of Lida Sideris' second book Murder Gone Missing  as well as more information about the book, its author, and the Goddess Fish promotional tour I originally wrote the review for, please see my blog post https://ytothepowerof1.org/2019/12/30....

[Ally Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an intriguing, interesting, suspenseful, fun, and entertaining mystery read!

I love a good mystery book and this one certainly fit the bill!

I really enjoyed the main characters, Corrie and Michael. I really liked Corrie!! She was smart, tough, brave, sassy, caring, considerate, and determined. I also really enjoyed the flirty, witty banter between Corrie and Michael which certainly led to many LOL moments.

I also enjoyed the supporting characters. There were quite a few characters in this book, but each one felt important and unique to the story line.

I also really liked that this book takes place in the LA Area and the Hollywood Scene. It was fun having the glitz and glam of the Hollywood movie studio, where Corrie works, also play a significant role in the story. I love the LA/Hollywood theme that was featured and it was almost like another character in the book.

This book had so many exciting, intriguing, suspenseful, and thrilling moments that kept this reader on her toes!!!

I really enjoyed reading this book and could not wait to solve the case and find out who the assailant was!!

This book has exceptional mystery crime solving structure with enough clues and excitement to keep you guessing, but still practical and realistic.

This book has several components of a cozy, but still has enough of the mystery, suspense, and intrigue elements to stand on its own.

There were a few predictable scenes. However, there are still many unexpected twists and turns and misdirection’s that you won’t see coming!

This book has a creative story line with well executed plot points, excellent mystery thriller structured scenarios, fantastic writing style with detailed scenes, relatable characters, is fast paced, and keeps you fully engaged and entertained.

This book is book three in the Southern California Mysteries Book Series. It can be read as a standalone. I had not previously read the other two books in this series before reading this book and was not lost or confused while reading this book. However, there seems to be character and story line overlaps.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all mystery and suspense readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Murder: Double or Nothing” by Lida Sideris is part of the ‘Southern California Mystery’ series that features attorney and sleuth Corrie Locke, whose job at a movie studio shifts from the legal work she was hired for to investigating a murder using everything she was taught by her late father. Aided and abetted by her friends and allies and complicated by the powerful actress she’s ostensibly working for, Corrie follows a serpentine path in search of a killer who may also have her in his or her sights.

This mystery story is a romp that is more of a cozy mystery despite being set in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles and some of its surrounding cities. The breezy but determined techniques utilized by Corrie to achieve her goals are entertaining and impressive, and her sidekicks definitely liven up the action with their expertise and unconventional techniques. There are plenty of red herrings and a fun sprinkling of movie studio glitz and misdirection with a bit of international flavor thrown in.

I haven’t read the other stories in the series, so some of the backstory had to be inferred, but I had no trouble reading this as a stand-alone story. I would have liked a bit more depth to some of the secondary characters and I thought some things were a little too easily ignored or swept over but this is still a fun light read. There are a few dangling threads that are apparently part of the series arc but I enjoyed getting to know this heroine and her stalwart aides and I was particularly gratified to learn that she is feisty as well as tenacious, even if she’s a little wishy-washy in the romance department, lol. I look forward to seeing what other sticky situations she gets herself into and out of.


A copy of this title was provided for review

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder: Double or Nothing is the third installment in Southern California Mysteries.

In this book Corrie Locke, a brand new lawyer and daughter of recently deceased highly acclaimed P.I is working for the movie studio when murder happens and she is yet again pulled into investigation as movie legend specifically requests her involvement.
This greatly clashes with her upcoming date with her long time crush Michael.

There are many humorous moments and funny puns which I liked. I really liked the beginning and idea of murder happening on the set.
However some characters and the dialogue with the police, sounded really stilted and exaggerated, almost comical.
I like Corrie, she is funny, intelligent and doesn't take herself seriously. I also liked mystery within the mystery.
And I like that Michael is eager to help out and work with her again.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Southern California mystery, and, being that I’m a SoCal girl, I knew this mystery was for me. And what can me more California than a movie set, right?

Corrie Locke wasn’t really part of the movie scene; she was technically on the business side of the studio. Shadowing a P.I. dad her whole life, Corrie was all too familiar with sleuthing and crime scenes, so when a crime occurs on the set, she’s on it. One of the actors had been stabbed.

It would seem, however, that there was more focus on how to spin the murder to the press rather than actually saving the case. Show people, I guess.

The mystery was maybe a little too complex for my liking, although the character’s fast wit was enjoyable. There were probably a few too many characters, too.

The writing was good and the read was decent, but the mystery wasn’t too compelling.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Lida Sideris. It was light and although a mystery, it had that touch of humor that I enjoy and a character that I really enjoyed too. Corrie Locke is an attorney and “kind of” a Private Investigator. At least her dad was a very great P.I. and a good teacher. Corrie worked with him a lot growing up. The fact that she’s the “kiddie flicks attorney” makes this funny to begin with.
Her job really has very little to do with the story line at all, but it is just one more little piece of that humor I’m talking about. I had a little trouble figuring out “who was who” so to speak, but only at first. Things fell into place very quickly providing an easy to read, enjoyable mystery with plenty of twists and turns to make any mystery reader happy.

Definitely worth the time to read as I am sure is her other book in this series, Murder Gone Missing.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder: Double or Nothing is the third installment from the Southern California Mysteries by Lida Sideris. Even though it is a part of a series, I believe it can be read as a stand alone. I thought is was a good little mystery. I did find it a little predictable but still a fun story to read. I entertained by some of the laugh out loud moments in few of the scenes. Corrie and Michael made a delightful team and enjoyed them together.
I give Murder: Double or Nothing three and a half stars. I would like to read the other books from Lida Sideris.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

[Christine Woinich · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a murder mystery story, this was a fun read. Corrie Locke was cute and witty, and I loved how tenacious she was while investigating. The secondary characters, like Michael and Veera, played well along side Corrie. I really enjoyed the entire story and look forward to reading more from this author.

I received a copy of this story through Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder, Double or Nothing is a entertaining mystery.It has interesting characters and storyline. I would read more by this author.