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Samantha Summers Mysteries #1
Going All In
Private Investigator Samantha Summers is hired to determine if the wife of professional basketball all-star Trey Williams is cheating on him. When Trey’s wife, Shannon, shows Sam the results of a paternity test that proves Trey is the father of their housekeeper Anita Sanchez’s Baby, Sam drops Trey as a client and spends the night with Shannon.
Sanchez is killed and the police arrest Trey for her murder. Despite knowing that Sam and Shannon have slept together, Trey hires Sam to prove he is innocent of the accusations.
Sam asks her housemate, human lie detector, and professional gambler, Chancy Evans, to assist on the case. Sam sees Chancy as her best friend and the brother she never had. Sam is unaware that Chancy sees Sam as something much more - she's the love of his life.
With every clue the “Besibends” (Best Friends Who Are Closer Than the Closest of Friends) uncover, it appears that the police have arrested the right person. The evidence against Trey is overwhelming; his fingerprints are on the murder weapon, his blood is on the victim’s clothes, and Anita Sanchez speaks his name during a 911 call.
The longer Sam and Chancy are on the case, and the closer they come to uncovering the truth, it’s evident someone, other than Detective Dominic Callas, wants them off the investigation.
Is Trey behind the murders after all? Or was he set up? More importantly, will Sam and Chancy survive this case, and each other?
Sanchez is killed and the police arrest Trey for her murder. Despite knowing that Sam and Shannon have slept together, Trey hires Sam to prove he is innocent of the accusations.
Sam asks her housemate, human lie detector, and professional gambler, Chancy Evans, to assist on the case. Sam sees Chancy as her best friend and the brother she never had. Sam is unaware that Chancy sees Sam as something much more - she's the love of his life.
With every clue the “Besibends” (Best Friends Who Are Closer Than the Closest of Friends) uncover, it appears that the police have arrested the right person. The evidence against Trey is overwhelming; his fingerprints are on the murder weapon, his blood is on the victim’s clothes, and Anita Sanchez speaks his name during a 911 call.
The longer Sam and Chancy are on the case, and the closer they come to uncovering the truth, it’s evident someone, other than Detective Dominic Callas, wants them off the investigation.
Is Trey behind the murders after all? Or was he set up? More importantly, will Sam and Chancy survive this case, and each other?
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2021
188 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
R.G. Peterson
27 books4 followersI grew up Wisconsin, which I use as the local for most of my novels. I worked as a teacher, coach and athletic director before becoming a video coordinator for 24 years in the NBA. That experience allowed me to travel to every major city in the US and some foreign countries, including a six-year stint when lived in Canada. My experience there was one of the most positive in my life, due to the kind people and the city of Toronto. I have three grown-up children and five grandkids. Some of my other work experience is at Disney World, where I was a photographer. I earned my master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from UW-M. One of my favorite things about being a writer is doing research for all of my books. I live in Menasha, WI and moved there to be closer to my granddaughter.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 23, 2023
With sufficient red herrings to keep the reader on her toes – one or two somewhat author convenient, but what the hell - the glamorous detective, Samantha, susses it all out and joins the dots with intelligence, efficiency and clarity. Her sidekick, Chance, who has designs on her, supports and at times overcooks trying to be funny. The series will entertain and is perfect reading for those beach days, pants days, and just-give-me-a-good-read days.
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October 12, 2022This book has a unique approach: it chronicles the adventures of a lesbian sleuth by her friend Chancy, a professional gambler and self-described wisecracker. Through his eyes—and whatever Sam chooses to tell him—we are guided through the increasingly seedy world of professional sports.
The plot involves a star basketball player who is accused of killing his pregnant housekeeper, who, presumably, is carrying his child. He denies this, but the evidence keeps piling up against him. The fact that Sam is attracted to the man’s wife makes the case doubly difficult.
Sam is a kind of Sherlock Holmes type sleuth, being able to tell a lot about a person’s background just by looking at the way they dress or the car they drive. She also has a little Doc Savage, having deliberately honed her sensory skills so that she can hear individual conversations in a crowded room or detect even the faintest traces of gunpowder in the air.
Chancy is a keen observer of people, including Sam. His ability to read his poker opponents transfers to his ability to read people in general. So, together, Sam and Chancy make a pretty good—and fairly believable—team. As friends, too, they seem to make a good pair. Chancy is mostly a little boy with little boy jokes and an adolescent desire to see Sam naked. Yet Sam—with her magnificent body and mind—is socially gauche and seems to be able to be herself only around Chancy.
As a mystery, Going All In, is not bad. The plot is intricate, the investigation with its many interrogations is first rate, and the information on professional basketball interesting, if maybe a little too over the top. At over 430 pages it may go on a little too long and the suspects might border on the too-many, although the last third of the book went quickly. The trouble, I think, is with the narrator.
Chancy is not simply a wisecracker, he is a wise ass. There is no subject of conversation that he doesn’t have a comic rejoinder for. He even describes himself as “obnoxious” and “immature,” as if that makes it okay. And one of the things he observes about the suspects is that they all have a completely shameless new life goal of taking Sam to bed. This is his goal, too, by the way.
So if you’re looking for a longish, investigative thriller, you might like this one. If you have your heart set on reading a good lesbian mystery, look elsewhere. Because Chancy narrates the book in the first person, there’s no way that we can tell what Sam is thinking unless she tells him, and even then it is in edited form. And the reader knows right away that we will never have access to Sam’s bedroom activities—which are many—although Chancy never misses an opportunity to peek through half-open doors or peepholes to watch Sam kissing her dates goodbye in the morning. But kisses are all we get.
Final Rating: As a normal mystery: 3.8; as a lesbian mystery: 3.0.
Note: I read the ebook version of this novel that was available from Amazon in September, 2022.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel , along with information on almost 1100 other lesbian mysteries by over 350 authors.
The plot involves a star basketball player who is accused of killing his pregnant housekeeper, who, presumably, is carrying his child. He denies this, but the evidence keeps piling up against him. The fact that Sam is attracted to the man’s wife makes the case doubly difficult.
Sam is a kind of Sherlock Holmes type sleuth, being able to tell a lot about a person’s background just by looking at the way they dress or the car they drive. She also has a little Doc Savage, having deliberately honed her sensory skills so that she can hear individual conversations in a crowded room or detect even the faintest traces of gunpowder in the air.
Chancy is a keen observer of people, including Sam. His ability to read his poker opponents transfers to his ability to read people in general. So, together, Sam and Chancy make a pretty good—and fairly believable—team. As friends, too, they seem to make a good pair. Chancy is mostly a little boy with little boy jokes and an adolescent desire to see Sam naked. Yet Sam—with her magnificent body and mind—is socially gauche and seems to be able to be herself only around Chancy.
As a mystery, Going All In, is not bad. The plot is intricate, the investigation with its many interrogations is first rate, and the information on professional basketball interesting, if maybe a little too over the top. At over 430 pages it may go on a little too long and the suspects might border on the too-many, although the last third of the book went quickly. The trouble, I think, is with the narrator.
Chancy is not simply a wisecracker, he is a wise ass. There is no subject of conversation that he doesn’t have a comic rejoinder for. He even describes himself as “obnoxious” and “immature,” as if that makes it okay. And one of the things he observes about the suspects is that they all have a completely shameless new life goal of taking Sam to bed. This is his goal, too, by the way.
So if you’re looking for a longish, investigative thriller, you might like this one. If you have your heart set on reading a good lesbian mystery, look elsewhere. Because Chancy narrates the book in the first person, there’s no way that we can tell what Sam is thinking unless she tells him, and even then it is in edited form. And the reader knows right away that we will never have access to Sam’s bedroom activities—which are many—although Chancy never misses an opportunity to peek through half-open doors or peepholes to watch Sam kissing her dates goodbye in the morning. But kisses are all we get.
Final Rating: As a normal mystery: 3.8; as a lesbian mystery: 3.0.
Note: I read the ebook version of this novel that was available from Amazon in September, 2022.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel , along with information on almost 1100 other lesbian mysteries by over 350 authors.
June 13, 2021
Scam gone wrong
This story has so many tangents I thought it would never come together, but it did. A housekeeper telling all that her boss, Trey, was the father of the baby. She is killed and as Sam Summers is hired to prove Trey is not guilty. Another murder and more conflicting clues. Sit back and enjoy.
This story has so many tangents I thought it would never come together, but it did. A housekeeper telling all that her boss, Trey, was the father of the baby. She is killed and as Sam Summers is hired to prove Trey is not guilty. Another murder and more conflicting clues. Sit back and enjoy.
April 13, 2023
Loved the banter.
Sarcasm, wit, metaphors, sports, murder, did I mention humor? This mystery has it all. If this novel is the first in the series, I must wonder how this author could possibly top it.
Sarcasm, wit, metaphors, sports, murder, did I mention humor? This mystery has it all. If this novel is the first in the series, I must wonder how this author could possibly top it.
September 2, 2024
Most excellent read. Sam's intelligence is bar none excellent, but her snarky comments kept me howling with laughter non stop. This is a marvelous whodunit I highly recommend. The intelligence, perseverance, snark, and personality blend together to make it unputdownable.
July 27, 2020
Fun adventure. Suspenseful.
Keeps you guessing until the very end. Well written adventure. Nice banter between Sam and Ace. Easy read. Hated for it to end but a great whodunit.
Keeps you guessing until the very end. Well written adventure. Nice banter between Sam and Ace. Easy read. Hated for it to end but a great whodunit.
August 30, 2020
A must read mystery
I love mysterious. Usually I can pick who is the bad guy but not this book. I couldn't put this story down til it was done. A must read .
I love mysterious. Usually I can pick who is the bad guy but not this book. I couldn't put this story down til it was done. A must read .
September 9, 2021
A solid 3-star read. Editor needs to learn how to use who/whom correctly.
November 22, 2021
Enjoyable whodunnit. Good humor and characters with believable dialogue. Our heroine is a little too "Columbo-ish" but it works ok.
January 8, 2023
good mystery
I enjoyed this story. I could have done without all of the sexual innuendo. Mostly unnecessary. But I did enjoy the characters created
I enjoyed this story. I could have done without all of the sexual innuendo. Mostly unnecessary. But I did enjoy the characters created
April 8, 2023
Great characters, funny dialogue, and a compelling plot about a double murder. Excellent writing.
February 25, 2024
I thought that this was a very good read. Light, fast paced, and a page turner. Nice bunch of suspects.
January 26, 2020
"Going All In" is a page-turning murder mystery. The main characters, Sam Summer and Chancy Evans have a back and forth relationship that reminds me of old TV shows like Moonlighting or Castle. I really thought I had figured out who the murderer was, but nope this author had me guessing until the very end.
January 29, 2023
Great detective mystery
This story kept you engaged until the end. The main character Sam was quite a character. The way she solved the case was amazing with her ability to perceive anything around her. Could have done without the lesbian theme. Didn't add that much to the story!
This story kept you engaged until the end. The main character Sam was quite a character. The way she solved the case was amazing with her ability to perceive anything around her. Could have done without the lesbian theme. Didn't add that much to the story!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews