Losing Your Head

Charlie Davies Mysteries #1

by Clare Kauter

She’ll clear his name of murder – if she doesn’t kill him first.

Checkout-chick turned amateur sleuth Charlie Davies at your service.

My nemesis has been accused of offing his billionaire uncle for an inheritance, and as much as I’d love to see James McKenzie rot in prison, there are two problems.

One: He definitely didn’t do it. (Probably.)

Two: In exchange for proving his innocence, he’ll pay up big.

And I simply can’t resist his… cash.

I have to find the killer somehow, because the reward money isn’t the only thing on the line. If I don’t catch the murderer before they catch me –

I might just lose my head.

Caution: Contains swearing, occasional inappropriate jokes and men with seriously hot surfaces. You have been warned.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Amazon, Ebooks, Fiction, Cozy, Humor

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 12, 2015

About the author

Clare Kauter writes laugh-out-loud funny books across genres, including mystery, romantic comedy and paranormal fiction. She is known for her loveable hot mess characters, dubious puns and occasional (OK, frequent) inappropriate jokes.

Clare isn’t going to tell you where she lives, because she always finds it weird when other authors do that in their bio. Why would you care? Unless you’re a stalker, in which case it’s probably better if she doesn’t give you a head start.

At any given moment she’s probably sipping tea while hunched over her pink keyboard in a super attractive posture, writing her next book and snorting like a piglet at her own jokes.

Clare posts regularly on her blog – drop by and say hi!

Reviews

[Angie R Geissman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Started off really slow and I didn’t think I would like it but ended up picking up and being a pretty good book. I gave it 4 stars because the beginning. Once you get past that and into the story it was really good

[Kaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was slow however after it picks up, she makes me crack up 😂,

[mumu · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely a slow start but it picked up and my god why was this so funny?? genuinely had me cackling and almost throwing my kindle on the floor from laughing. it was giving geek girl type monologue but adultified and for some reason it worked.

i did get a liiiiiittle bit bored in the middle section where they were investigating but it resolved itself and i did enjoy the mystery. charlie honestly makes me laugh so much because she's so real with all her comments.

also james... i sense an enemies to lovers vibe there... 😛

3.75 stars! such a unique book out of all the generic ones i've been reading lately.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose funny cozy happy easy read. I definitely enjoyed it and I've just ordered the next one.

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

After getting fired from her soul-sucking job at the local grocery store, Charlie is actually relieved. That is, until she realizes that without a job she'll never be able to move out of her parents' home. She inadvertently and miraculously lands a decent job as a receptionist at Baxter & Co, a PI firm. When her nemesis, James McKenzie is accused of murdering his billionaire uncle, Charlie bets him that she can prove he didn't do it. At least, she doesn't think he did it. Now, along with learning the ropes at her new job and getting acclimated to it, she's trying to figure out how to find out who really murdered Frank McKenzie. It becomes a toss-up as to which will happen first: will the murderer kill Charlie, or will Charlie kill James?

This book was laugh out loud funny. What a riot! Charlie is irreverent, sarcastic, and an utter klutz. The one thing that bothered me was her age. I was taken aback to learn she's only 19. It didn't detract from my enjoyment, but it did cause me to raise my brows. The story verged on being crack, considering some of the situations Charlie got herself into, but I just hung on for the ride and laughed my way through it.

Fast-paced, fun, and zany! Will certainly look for more of this series. Five stars.

[Pat Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snarky and tons of fun

This girl has loads of personality. From the first page to the last, each sentence is packed with sarcasm, self-abasement and irreverent fun. I enjoyed all except the "Jesus person drunk on Jesus blood" at a funeral, which is downright blasphemy, which I did not appreciate at all.
It is filled with tit-for-tat immature and ridiculous snarky witticisms and events which she somehow gets away with at her second job, after desperately running in there to escape rats on the seedier side of town.
I found it highly entertaining and think others will too.

[SylviaV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Losing Your Head (The Charlie Davies Mysteries Book 1) by Clare Kauter.
Funny fluffy cozy mystery with snarky dialogue and over the top antics.
This is a new to me author and I was not sure what to expect when I started reading this book. The story meanders a bit at the start as there are a lot of characters and some back story that needs to be introduced. Charlie is a 19 year old girl, who sees herself and the world around her quite differently from how others would describe her and her experiences. I like the over the top antics and Charlie's snarky internal dialogue and her unexpected reactions to interactions with the other characters. This is a fun read. The story kept me engaged. 4 stars.

[Natelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Davies gives hope to klutzes. Despite regularly sporting bruises from her inability to avoid hurting herself, she somehow manages to stay alive. When she quits her job at a seedy grocery store, she stumbles into a better job at an investigation firm. This puts her in the perfect position to investigate a childhood friend whom she can’t stand anymore for murder. But does she want him to be guilty? And will she survive her own lack of grace as she rushes into dangerous situations?

The author offered a crash course in Australian slang as well as many laughs as Charlie pursued opportunities to bruise and break herself.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give 3.5 stars... It was a good enough book that I just picked up book 2, but to tell the truth I almost abandoned it at the beginning. I'm not usually one to give up on a book so I stuck it out, and I'm glad I did because it picked up and became fairly delightful. Charlie sounds like someone I would love to hang out with. We have the same aversions (exercise and health food) and the same addiction (chocolate). What more do you need to cement a perfect friendship?

I've got a couple other books on deck, then on to Unfinished Sentence.

[Kat]

free ebook
she hated her job in the market, her boss wanted her to lie to his wife and say they were together for a alibi, she told the wife they were , but having a affair which the wife knew was a lie. she quit her job and his wife ended up moving in with her at her parents house and divorce her husband

she got a job as receptionist at pi bldg. she is clumsy

a man got his head cut off and she talked his nephew into giving her a house and money if she could solve the case . her friend is helping her so they could move into the house together

[Emily Gehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was super cute - I would highly suggest this to a teen/young adult that doesn't really know what they are doing with their life and/or has low self-esteem. It was a fun journey watching the main character develop and grow both personally but also in her career. This book is written with some Australian slang so I highly suggest looking up words that your questioning. Only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because the beginning was slow/childish but once you get to the end you'll see why the beginning was necessary to the story line.

[Janet L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great beginning to a new series of books. Charlie Davies quits her job at the local grocery and manages to get a job at a private investigations firm as the secretary/receptionist and also has to get into shape for the job as assisting the agents with their investigations from time to time. She manages to “accidentally” help solve one of the cases by being with the suspect when the actual killer shows up. Looking forward to reading more of this series.

[Zakiya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to like this book

Every review I read praised how fun and witty this book was. I just felt the plot was at time to unbelievable and I did not like the main character. She annoyed me alot. Charlie who has no background in investigating just end up getting a job at PI company and figures out from being least ambitious character in the book to knowing how to investigate a murder.

[Christine Chessher · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!


I really enjoyed this. Its hard to find a good mystery with humour, and this ticks all the boxes. Looking forward to seeing what charlie gets up to next. Really enjoying the banter between her and James, its hilarious! And the ending was very cleverly done. Try it!
You Wont be disappointed.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really quite good, it took some getting used to with her talking to herself etc. but it added to the book. And it actually made the book more interesting with the things she came up with.
I also read the except of the next book of Clare's and it sounds interesting also, can't wait to read something else from this author.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I loved it. It has everything a good book needs. Humor, mystery, likeable characters, great plot, and enough interest to make me want to read the rest of the series. I can totally relate to Charlie, she is a normal person. I like characters to be somone I would like to be friends with and I could picture that while reading this. Great job.

[Kyra Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Losing Your Head

I totally loved this hilarious mystery. Charlie Davies is the. Princess of Snark!! I can really relate to Charlie and her clumsy disasters ( after all, I ran over myself with my car). I laughed out loud so often! Although the villains were no surprise, I was in to the end! Next!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Losing Your Head' completely surprised me. I loved it. Full of humor, crazy characters and a good mystery. Charlie is a mess. She's one of those characters that you shake your head at and wonder how they got as far as they did in life. But, for me, it made the story better. I look forward to reading more.

[Ann Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I loved the book. It was funny and interesting at the same time. Her explanations that were in parentheses were a hoot. Her interactions with James were fun too. Her mother was a sarcastic one too. The mystery kept the story going, I didn't see it coming. Can't wait to read more.

[Patsy Crockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny cozy book read. The main character is clutzy, doesn't care how she looks and doesn't seem to have social skills. She ends up at a new job at a detective agency as the receptionist and trying to.prove that the guy she hates is not a murderer. This is the first of the series and I can't wait to read the rest.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first time reading something by this author. I found Charlie to be a very likeable, funny, quirky character. I did figure out who “the rodent” was as soon as they called him that - I wish Charlie had too. It would have been a better ending. It was still a fun read and I am looking forward to the next in the series.

[Catarina Ribeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t so sure if I would like this book when I started reading but it turned out to be a good surprise! Although not in my top favorite books, I must say Clare Kauter made me laugh with her irony and very funny jokes. The main character, Charlie, was a hot mess, but in a good way. I kept imagining this whole comedy police show in my head. I’m giving this one 3,5 stars

[J POOL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting little book

Was not sure this was my thing,but glad I continued reading ,likeable characters crazy situations,murder and a budding romance among other things.Looking forward to the next one.

[Eve Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning

From the start I fell in love with the main character. She's funny, strong and in your face. Definitely going to be getting the next book as I am now hooked. I really enjoy the way Clare writes her books, even with dead bodies there is comedy.

[Melissa G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up the book as it seemed to get good reviews... at first I was not so sure I would like the book but as I got into the story I ended up really enjoying it. Its a good light read.

reminds me of a "Stephanie Plum" style novel with the Aussie twist.

[paulette sarelli]

Great mystery

Loved the way the author told this story. Great humor throughout. Loved the main character who was definitely a real nerd. Loved the ending. Can't wait to w the next book.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real over the top mystery. Charlie seemed to hate everybody. Promised a house and a huge cash sum if she found out who killed James uncle. A lot of highly unlikely scenarios later the killers walk in on Charlie and James making cupcakes!

[Shirley Mobley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

This is my second reading of this book!
That is not something I usually do, it had been long enough that I really enjoyed it!
After a couple of years I will probably read it again!
Great author!!

[Jeri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fave

Fifth grade humor and language. I just didn't get it. The main character falls, insults, and curses but falls into a great job with a company muatang. It was just too much. I didn't find the descriptions funny.