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Poppy Fields Adventures #1

Fields' Guide to Abduction

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Poppy Fields is a Hollywood IT girl with big problems. Bodies are popping up like daisies, the Mexican police have taken her passport, and, when she runs for the border, a cartel makes her their unwilling guest.

That same cartel is primed to flood the US with a dangerous new drug.

Surrounded by trained killers, Poppy will need charm, intelligence, and a killer Chihuahua if she hopes to escape and save thousands of lives.

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2018

1783 people are currently reading
2105 people want to read

About the author

Julie Mulhern

41 books1,633 followers
Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders and the Poppy Fields Adventures.

She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean--and she's got an active imagination. Truth is--she's an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

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5 stars
1,361 (42%)
4 stars
1,132 (35%)
3 stars
565 (17%)
2 stars
126 (3%)
1 star
43 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 345 reviews
Profile Image for LORI CASWELL.
2,833 reviews325 followers
August 23, 2018
Dollycas’s Thoughts

Wow, Wow, Wow! I sat down to start this book last Monday evening and I didn’t look away until I finished the whole thing.

This is not a cozy mystery. This is a wild ride of action and suspense.

Poppy Fields escapes to Mexico after enduring a harrowing event. She plans to lie on the beach, make one public appearance and relax. Well, that didn’t happen. The dead bodies start to pile up at a rapid pace and then she is abducted. And then there are even more dead bodies!

Full of crazy twists and turns poor Poppy finds herself in all kinds of dangerous situations. I love Poppy, that girl needs to think on her feet and she does for the most part, but there are some situations you just need to let happen and hope and pray there will be another way out.

Ms. Mulhern has topped herself and knocked this way out of the park! She partners suspense with humor in a way I believe only she can. She has created a fantastic protagonist. I was cheering for Poppy the whole way. The pace was fast, the plot was fabulous, and the dialogue was fluid. Such as exciting read!

This story has moved to the top of my Best Reads of 2018. I can’t wait for the next installment! Bring on more Poppy Fields as soon as possible!
Profile Image for Jacob Proffitt.
3,289 reviews2,127 followers
unfinished
October 6, 2022
The marketing (cover and blurb) make this look all light and fun. It isn't. I made it nearly halfway before crashing out. Poppy has every reason to be down. So I'm not faulting her for being such a downer as such. But I wasn't in the mood for a tense suspense story with lots of cataclysmic events.

Also, it wasn't funny. I kept waiting for it to be funny. And it's not helping that Poppy is a klutz.

So one star because I really hated the experience. And the tone misread is firmly the book's fault.
1,382 reviews17 followers
July 14, 2019
Intelligent and exciting action adventure. Smartly executed plot with drama, humour and a four-pound killer dog. The story started out a bit slow but quickly engaged my imagination and curiosity and I couldn’t put it down. The main character, Poppy Fields, is the child of a Hollywood star. Spoiled, pampered and so very down to earth in spite of it all. Accidentally caught up in drug cartel wars, designer drugs and international intrigue of every kind, she learns a lot about herself. The action is understandable and story is emotionally engaging. Poppy lives a privileged life with designer bags and clothes but has an egalitarian belief that softens her and allows her to grow. I liked her very much and am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,437 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2019
Ms. Mulhern has written a mystery that kept me turning the pages. I liked Poppy and found her to be down-to-earth considering her "glitzy" lifestyle. The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat as Poppy saved herself and Consuelo, the killer chihuahua.
Profile Image for Xenos.
224 reviews11 followers
May 30, 2019
Oh, wow! After reading the first page of "Fields' Guide to Abduction", I thought I'd just found my new favorite series! So funny and intriguing! But then I continued reading...

Aargh! In a nutshell, I found the lead character to be shallow and entitled with her go-to emotion being bitchy unless she's getting paid to make an appearance somewhere. (Poppy is a celebrity's child and current "it girl".) She's hopelessly brand-obsessed, dropping names like Prada and Louboutin all the damn time, and has to mention how expensive her t-shirt is or how much someone paid for a watch. Bleck! I really detest those type of people. To be honest, she wouldn't like me either...I'm sitting here writing my review in Old Navy jeans and a Sonoma t-shirt from Kohl's, with a cute bracelet I bought *gasp* three years ago from a local artisan at the Cathedral Square Farmers' Market.

The one thing that saved this book from getting one star is that Poppy finally decided to get her act together and be a better person in the very last chapter. I wish I could say that that will entice me to read the next book in the series, but at this point I'm not sure...
Profile Image for ✴ Cindy ✴  .
422 reviews
December 2, 2020
This series is so fun. I binge read it in four days and wished for more.

The character is clever, hilariously laugh out loud comments, and Consuela the dog was icing on the cake. Such an awesome series to lift you up. And it's all about empowering women.

Profile Image for Doward Wilson.
752 reviews18 followers
November 14, 2018
Meet Poppy Fields (yes it's her real name), a Hollywood "Golden Girl Extraordinaire." Her mother is a top Hollywood actress and her late father was a Special Forces expert who taught his daughter self defense moves and how to shoot a gun with deadly accuracy.

When Poppy wakes up and finds her current love interest has Od'd next to her, she is bereft. To take her mind off the event, she agrees to help a friend out by staying at and being photographed at a new resort in Cabo, Mexico. Somehow she finds herself mixed up with men who want to kill her, men who want to kidnap her and men who just want her. As the dead bodies pile up around her, she just wants to go home. On the way to a safer location, she is kidnapped by a high ranking "Drug Lord" who worships her movie star mother. Looking just like her famous mother isn't an asset in this case. As she works to escape her captives the dead bodies mount up quickly. Why is another Drug Cartel doing everything to rescue her? What does she have that they want so badly?

This was a hilarious read that had me on the edge of my seat turning the pages, while laughing my head off. Poppy's character is wonderfully developed, as are the rest of the cast of friends and foes. The settings are beautiful described and the action is nonstop. The plot twists and turns and keeps the excitement building while providing lots of comedy moments. A must read for any cozy fan or adventure reader. This is the first in a new series and I am going directly to reading the second book.
Profile Image for Jannelies (living between hope and fear).
1,288 reviews178 followers
August 19, 2019
I loved the Country Club series by Julie Mulhern so I picked up this book some time ago. I wasn't disappointed! This promises to be a nice new series. The characters are predictable, the story is predictable, even the brands of clothing and shoes and champagne are predictable... but that doesn't matter. The author mixed all this predictability with humor and wrote it down in a fast-paced story. Very enjoyable!
Profile Image for Aimee Nicole Walker.
Author 70 books2,001 followers
February 2, 2024
I honestly didn’t expect to like this as much as The Country Club Murders, but I was wrong. The two series occur in different eras and the characters couldn’t be more different, but that’s a great thing. Lots of fun action and potential for excellence here. Already downloading the next audiobook.
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,397 reviews24 followers
September 10, 2019
A good start to another good series by Ms Mulhern. i love how she writes with intelligence but doesn't make you feel unknowledgeable about the subject. Cant wait to see where Poppy goes next.
Profile Image for Sandy Bartles.
1,395 reviews38 followers
January 27, 2019
Even though this book gets off to a slow start, I really enjoyed it. I love Poppy Fields, but my favorite character has to be Consuela. I hope she is in future books. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Profile Image for Sheri.
1,691 reviews22 followers
June 1, 2018
Ahhhh! There's a new crime solver in town and her name is Poppy Fields! Excitement, wealth, paparazzi, drama, intrigue and undercover work - plus a 4 lbs killer dog named Consuela (whom I fell in love with!)... What's not to love about this first in a brand spanking new series by Julie Mulhern? Excellent character development, along with an exciting plot and menacing bad guys, this was such a fun read! I can't wait for book two in the series!!
Profile Image for Liz Burkhart.
300 reviews
July 17, 2018
A fun new series from Julie Mulhern! Poppy Fields is going to be a great character to get to know, and I already love her little sidekick, Consuela! Can’t wait to see where Poppy’s next adventure takes her!!
57 reviews4 followers
May 29, 2018
Fields' Guide to Abduction

Love.Love.Loved it!! Thank you Gretchen Archer for this book. I read it all in one day. It just kept moving and even though it might have seemed a tad far fetched I couldn't get enough! Poppy Fields might be a new favorite!
Profile Image for Susan.
1,160 reviews43 followers
April 5, 2019
Fun!

Fun start to the Poppy Fields Adventures. Great characters and lots of adventure kept me turning the pages. This will be a must read series for me!
Profile Image for Mary Corso.
1,146 reviews1 follower
July 10, 2019
Funny and exciting

Lots of action and funny banter. Shows you how the one percent live as well. A woman who can handle herself.
Profile Image for Jane.
22 reviews
January 20, 2021
Better than your average mystery....it has action, adventure... and current events thrown in, to keep you guessing every step of the way. I hope the author keeps this series going the characters are interesting with lots to still explore.
Profile Image for Brenda.
1,513 reviews
June 3, 2018
My Favorite Line: "James was so deeply in the closet, he had one foot in Narnia."

Poppy Fields is a 23 yr old college graduate who looks exactly like her famous actress mother, Chariss Carlton.

To distract her from mourning the sudden death of her boyfriend, Jake, Poppy accepts a week at a Mexican resort opening as one of the 'stars'. Poppy finds herself in a spiral of dangerous situations requiring the self defense skills her father taught her when she was a young girl.

Lots of action and twists make this an interesting book you don't want to put down.

Poppy's next adventure in "making a difference" should be equally exciting knowing the author's skills in her other series. Well done Julie Mulhern!
Profile Image for Toni.
1,528 reviews63 followers
August 5, 2019
This is the first book in a new series by Julie Mulhern. I am a big fan of Mulhern’s writing and her characters Detective Anarchy Jones and Ellison Russell from the Country Club Murders series are two of my all time favorite characters. So, I knew I would probably like this series then I read it. Now I am hooked. Mulhern has this unique ability to make us fall in love with her quirky book people.

What a surprise this was!

This was a great read. Poppy would give Ellison Russell a run for her money in the finding dead bodies department. This is an excellent beginning to a series. All the right bells and whistles. Tons of action and suspense and an almost reality television vibe. Just excellent all around. UNPUTDOWNABLE! 💛

Here is a brief synopsis of Field’s Guide to Abductions: Poppy Fields is the daughter of mega movie star Chariss Carlton. So she has the supposed life of the elite. But her life isn’t that exciting. When she wakes up in the bed of her on again, off again boyfriend Jake and finds him dead, a whole new world of drama comes down on Poppy’s head. While she is morning Jake, she is asked by one of her besties to do a photo op down at a resort in Mexico. How can she say no to such easy money. Unfortunately, she draws the eye of a drug cartel second in command named Javier. Then a Mexican telenovel star comes to her villa for aid and ends up dead. Now the crazy just starts rolling downhill with a vengeance. People she thought were on the up and up might actually be aligned with the bad guys. She doesn’t know who to trust except her mom’s constant best friend James, also a mega movie star in his own right who lends assistance at a moments notice.

Like I said, excellent, excellent. I had to pick up the next book in the series because it was like a thirsty gal searching for the water she didn’t know she needed. I am hoping that James shows up in book two and is already somehow linked to this mysterious government agency headed by Mr. Brown. Why do I keep seeing Phil Coulson from SHIELD as the director? He’s an unassuming guy with a lot more backbone than you realize, methinks.

One spectacular series start!
Profile Image for Rosemary Standeven.
1,008 reviews52 followers
July 27, 2018
I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms due to the lack of a new Country Club Murders book to read, when I discovered that Julie Mulhern had started a new (hopefully!) series, featuring the very modern, capable and fashion savvy Poppy Fields.
Thanks to her Hollywood icon mother, Chariss, Poppy is never short of money, nor of socially well-connected friends and admirers. Recognised – and photographed – everywhere she goes, she finds herself in a Caribbean resort, mourning the death of her erstwhile boyfriend, Jake.
Like the author’s other heroine, Ellison Russell, Poppy seems to have a knack of finding dead bodies, but in this book, the murderer(s) are not the manageable Country Club folk, rather the much more intimidating international drug barons, their minions, and US drugs enforcement. As if that didn’t account for enough bodies, Poppy (unwillingly) adds a few to the count as well.
Poppy shows that she is not just a pretty, entitled face, trading on her mother’s fame, but a force to be reckoned with. Her long-time friends have their parts to play – Mia (handbag connoisseur) and James the father figure and Lear Jet supplier (“James was so deeply in the closet, he had one foot in Narnia”) – but special mention must be made of Poppy’s new sidekick, Consuela, who strikes fear into even the most dangerous of men.
So, an international tale of adventure, danger and excitement, all narrated with Julie Mulhern’s wit and humour. I cannot wait for the next instalment (please say there will be one!).
Profile Image for Lisa G. Hudson.
696 reviews61 followers
May 28, 2018
SENSATIONAL!

Julie Mulhern’s Fields’ Guide to Abduction (A Poppy Fields Adventure) is absolutely sensational! What a way to kick off a new series! Mulhern has created a dynamic new series that is full of excitement from start to finish. Her list of characters include those that are quirky, some that are very endearing, many that are very treacherous and then there’s the very unforgettable heroine Poppy Fields. Poppy has led an interesting life. She’s had it all but she’s missed the opportunity to have the things that are the most important needs of everyone. That makes her a perfect unwitting target for both good and evil. Poppy just wants a free trip to a friend’s resort in Mexico. What can possibly go wrong? Ask her again at the end of her trip! Who knows - she may end up being the best actress in her family, a well compensated author or being a government agent. I was provided an ARC of this book by the author. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence. I have already preordered my own personal copy to add to my collection.
Profile Image for Toula.
2,504 reviews
January 10, 2022
Audio book review
Book 1 in a new series.
This is a fantastic cozy mystery series

It seems that deal people are dropping like flies around Poppy. Poppy comes from Hollywood Royalty.
In this one book the author wrote a very detailed description story. The author also description of Poppy is fantastic.

Poppy hates how everyone compares her to her very famous Hollywood mother .
The mystery starts when Poppy wakes up one morning and finds her on again and off again boyfriend overdosed. Poppy decides she needs to get away for a bit. She decides to do a photo advertising for a new resort in Mexico. Once there the same thing happens 3 people die , and she ( Poppy) think it’s a drug lord that is looking for something. Grab it and see why is this happening around Poppy .

Jillian Mackie is fantastic. Her performance is very smooth, her tone for each character is great. I highly recommend this story and any Jillian does
Profile Image for Shelly.
240 reviews16 followers
September 18, 2021
Fields' Guide to Abduction by Julie Mulhern is the first book in the Poppy Fields Adventure Series.
Poppy Fields is the 23 year old daughter of a movie megastar. However, she was raised by her father, an ordinary person with a military background. When her father disappeared when she was in her early teens. That’s when she went to live with her mother. There’s a secondary story involving Poppy and her mother and their “not so much a” relationship.
This is the first cozy I’ve read where there are 5 dead people before page 100!
Fields' Guide to Abduction is a attention grabbing, well written story with kidnapping, drug cartels, gun fights and more. This book kept my attention throughout. And bonus: the dialogue and Poppy’s relationships with her friends are hilarious!
33 reviews2 followers
June 18, 2018
I adore this new series (1st book) by Julie Mulhern. I read all of the Country Club mysteries as they were released and will follow this series as well. The main character, Poppy Fields, is a strong and vibrant young woman. I can't wait to see what happens in her relationship with "the guy." The plot is well developed and suspenseful.

The only part that I didn't care for was the casual use of the Lord's name. I wish that "Oh my" or other phrases were used.
382 reviews6 followers
January 18, 2021
Poor Poppy Fields. The poor little rich girl has so many problems. First she has an ill-advised romp in the hay with her ex, and when she finally comes out of the bathroom to face her mistake, she finds her mistake dead on the bed. Being the daughter of a movie star has some advantages, like knowing people who have their own private jets, one which jets her off to Mexico to "make an appearance" at a new resort. As is custom, people are paired up for photo ops. Unfortunately she has a photo-op with someone else who ends up dead, in her spare room. Ok, as you can see, Poppy's life is not about to get any better. Danger seems to lurk around every corner. The police have taken her passport and before she knows it she is mixed up with bad guys, and even worse guys. There are so many twists and turns you will just have to read it to figure out all of it. Will be looing forward to the next adventure.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 345 reviews

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