A Bad Day for Sorry

Bad Day #1

by Sophie Littlefield

Stella Hardesty, our salty, unlikely heroine, runs a sewing shop in rural Missouri. She also has a side business helping battered women with their abusive boyfriends and husbands. When Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help, it seems like a straightforward case, until Chrissy’s no-good husband disappears with her two-year-old son. Now Stella finds herself in a battle against a more formidable enemy as she risks her own life to recover the boy.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Humor, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2009

About the author

Called a “writing machine” by the New York Times and a “master storyteller” by the Midwest Book Review, Sophie Littlefield has written dozens of novels for adults and teens. She has won Anthony and RT Book Awards and been shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, Macavity, and Goodreads Choice Awards.

Sophie also writes under the pen name Sofia Grant.

Reviews

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Avenging angels in books come in a few different forms, but usually they are super hot young things either male or female. They are highly educated and have top of the line clothes. Well, not in Bad Day for Sorry. Bad Day for Sorry is not a typical adventure or thriller book. The main character is a fifty year old widow who owns a sewing notions shop and runs a side business of helping women safely leave abusive relationships. Stella, the main character, has a drinking issue but attempts to control it and has re-defined her body. Formerly overweight and out of shape, she now can run 10 miles and regularly lifts weights. She has trained herself to shoot a gun and owns a suitcase full of torture toys.

Despite Stella's reinvention of her body and her life, she has an image of herself that often clashes with how others perceive her. Stella remembers being physically abused and shamed in public. She remembers being soft and thinks of herself as unappealing. But young people look up to her as a heroine, bad man fear her, and men her age are interested in her. This contradiction in perception of self versus the outside perception of herself makes Stella an interesting character to be with for the course of the story.

The subject matter is dark – women and children are in a vulnerable situation. They often have nowhere else to turn due to their financial situation and the limited protection that the law can provide. The violence and the poverty of their situation is not sugar coated. People end up with life altering injuries and scars. Having read a few books by her, I can safely say that Ms. Littliefield knows how to write about people who are down on their luck, who may be just trying to survive and who live in small rural areas.

So we have dark, gritty and real but on top of that this book is funny. Stella is hilarious, her observations as to people's behavior and choices are funny and she has created an interesting group of side characters. This is a fun book to read. Fun, but with substance.

It took me way too long to read this book, I just wasn't interested in the main character or the subject matter. I couldn't imagine how it would be fun to read about. I was wrong and I should have started earlier. I think this is Littlefield's best work I have read, I enjoyed it more than Aftertime and more than Banished. If you are interested in the audio version, that is what I listened to and I thought the narration was fantastic.

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! What a great first book!!

Stella is a woman who sells sewing notions by day and takes care of her wayward "parolees" at night. Make no mistake Stella ain't your typical momma. Stella took abuse from her husband of 30 years and one day she had had enough and he ended up dead at the end of big wrench. Now she helps other ladies with those kinds of issues. The good thing is when her "parolees" start behaving badly, no reason to get the pesky law involved, just go have a talk with the dear old guy and straighten him right up. Nothing says Honey I love you, but you must change like rope, a ball-gag and a ball-peen hammer. Stella isn't mean or cruel, she just fixes what needs to be fixed.

But Stella is finally waking up a bit or at least parts of her are. Was that Big Johnson flirting with her? and is Big Johnson his name because he is a big guy or did he get it for other appendages that he might have....curious people want to know. But there is only one guy who sizzles Stella's bacon and of course he is completely OFF LIMITS! No matter how attractive he might be with his tall, bald, broad self, Goat is the Sheriff and probably wouldn't take kindly to Stella's "mentoring" program, regardless of how effective it is. A woman sure can fantasize though can't she?

However when one of Stella's ladies comes up with her toddler kidnapped and it all points to one of her parolees, then all bets are off. No one gets between her and her man...err toddler, not even the eyes so blue they make you weak Sheriff.

I loved Stella, she was feisty, human and prone to weaknesses just like all of us. Although abuse is not funny in any way, I thought that SL handled it with grace and tact. This is absolutely not my last Stella Hardesty book!

[Noah Nichols · Rating 1 out of 5]

This plod of a novel, A Bad Day for Sorry, caused me to suffer yet another horrid week of sleepreading. So saddening. I'm probably going to have to see a doctor about this crippling condition. Maybe he (or she) will be able to tell me why so many books are boring and/or lacking any originality! Yeah; they could help me! I'll make the call immediately...

::calling::

[Lisa Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a kick! I loved, loved, loved Stella Hardesty and she's several notches above the Dixie Chicks and their methods of getting rid of a bad man, as she goes after several. I would never take the law into my own hands, so it's nice that Stella can do it for me. She's described as "scrappy, mean, and incredibly appealing". Yup. I got a good sense of characterization for all involved in this witty mystery with surprising depth. Well worth the read. If this was a finalist for an Edgar Award, I'm going to have to look up who won.

[Donna Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for a really original story line and main character. After years of abuse, Stella Hardesty took her husband out with a wrench. Now, she has a side business—she gives abusers a little of their own medicine and warns them if they come back they’ll get more of the same.

Only things go wrong when the husband of her current client runs off with the toddler child. Stella is a 50 year old badass woman. The story is set in southern Missouri. The book was just a different sort of adventure for me, an easy read, and quite enjoyable. I will be finishing the series!

[Anna Hardesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing, hands down.
one of the most interesting books i have read lately.

I honestly loved this book because it showed me how powerful women are becoming regardless of how their husband or boyfriends treat them or make them feel. It made me proud to read it and feel how confident these two women, Chrissy and Stella, really are. I think that this book’s purpose is to speak out to women of any age who have been abused verbally or physically by a man and to give them reassurance that they do not have to live like that. I think it also helps women realize how badly they are being treated and no man is worth that pain. I personally have never been THAT physically abused by a boyfriend, but by reading this book and sitting there thinking about what the author is trying to tell me, it makes me want to reach out to any female who is currently going through something like this. After reading this book, I became more aware of how strong us women are, regardless of how men sometimes portray us.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars

Wow - what a ride! This book wasn't at all what I expected, and part of the disconnect is the cover: it looks like this book's heroine is in her 20s. WRONG! Stella Hardesty is a 50-something, who's had a tough life: her husband thought nothing of knocking her around, physically and mentally. One day, Stella had enough, and when she came to herself, she was standing over her husband's body with a wrench in her hand. Because neighbors and the community knew that her husband beat her, even the law helped Stella avoid murder charges.

But Stella also had an epiphany: how many other women are battered and bruised every day by their husbands and boyfriends but too afraid to do anything about it? So by day, Stella runs her late husband's sewing machine/notions store; by night, Stella's "side business" is to take contracts from battered women and provide sufficient "motivation" for those husbands/boyfriends to stop the abuse. Her methods sometimes get messy; but despite her growing reputation, Stella rarely has to make more than one visit to her "parolees", and she's only had to threaten to kill - never follow-through. Usually, she roughs them up a bit, with help from her toolkit.If widowhood had given Stella license to explore her authentic self, menopause stood uner the window yelling at the bitch to come out and rumble. She felt like biting the heads off kittens-though that might actually be an asset today, given the talk she needed to have with Roy Dean.In this first book of the series, Stella is making a 2nd visit to Roy Dean Shaw on behalf of his ex, Chrissy. Roy Dean thinks way too highly of himself, and he's the oily type who's tough to nail down. Roy Dean's not been bothering Chrissy, but Stella got reports that he'd been physically pushing around another gal with blonde hair at the track. Stella's here to make sure that Roy Dean understands that he's not allowed to touch any woman like that.

While she thinks she gets her message across with one of her trusty guns, Chrissy shows up a few days later at Stella's with a huge problem: her 18-month old, Tucker, is gone, and Chrissy's certain that Roy Dean took the boy. The question is why? Plus, Chrissy's past is muddied: she's sleeping with her 1st ex-husband, who's convinced that Tucker's his boy, despite Chrissy assuring him that he's not Tucker's daddy. Except that Chrissy's not sure which man in the stretch between her 1st and Roy Dean Shaw is Tucker's daddy. Her 1st ex was present when Roy Dean and Tucker were; but Chrissy's convinced Roy Dean has him. So Stella agrees to help.

What follows is Stella's dogged pursuit of Roy Dean's associates, which includes possible mobster ties. But the question always comes back to WHY would Roy Dean take Tucker? We learn a lot more about Stella, including her neighbors and friends, and her flirting with the latest sheriff, even though she knows she can't let him fully into her "side business" - no way will he allow her to continue. We learn about Stella's strained relationship with her only daughter in her 20s - mostly the result of her husband's death and Stella's concerns about her daughter's latest boyfriend.

Chrissy finds her backbone and actually becomes a help to Stella. Until they track down Tucker... and find themselves in a no-win situation with a minor mafia boss and a couple of his minions. Now what?
=================
Again, a surprising book full of laugh-out-loud moments and pithy, witty prose such as these quotes:

But that's what made her the professional that she was. Fastidious planning, careful preparation, flawless execution-when you made a career out of delivering justice, there was no room for error.

In the photos, lovely young ladies looked quite pleased to be trussed up like roasts ready to do into the oven. That's when she had an inspoiration: why not try the same thing on her targets and see if it got them under control?

"First of all, they ain't expecting us," Chrissy said calmly. "And second--we're moms. We're wired special to be fearless. They have no idea what kind of hell we can raise when we get provoked. Ain't that right, Stella?" Being from the Midwest, I could see and hear the little southern Missouri communities. Easy to assume they're all country hicks or even white trash, but that's not a fair assessment. These are everyday people in a rural setting. And it's easy to relate to them, especially the women.

While I don't condone vigilante justice, Stella's "side business" makes for interesting reading and makes one think. At times, it was tough for me to cheer her on, because no matter how prepared she is, Stella puts her own life in danger with her pursuits. And yet... it's tough not to admire her, because even in the stickiest spot, Stella keeps her wits and keeps going. Even a beating doesn't phase her - she's been beaten and beaten down before.

The writing is so clean and clear and crisp. The characters leap off the page and into your heart and mind. I think I've found a new series! (Thanks, Regina!)

[Angela Verdenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

An avenging angel with a difference! She's not a hot young woman with a figure to die for. She's an average 50 yr old with padding and an avenging heart. The sheriff isn't a hot young man with thick hair and smoldering eyes, but bald-headed and intriguing in his own way. Throw in some side characters and a mystery and you have something completely different!

[Jane Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 ½ stars. I don’t recommend it. She gets in trouble when she does stupid things.

I loved the concept. Stella goes after men who abuse their wives. She beats them and tortures them so they will stop hurting women (spouses and ex-spouses). Stella runs a sewing/quilting shop. She goes after these guys as a side job for low or no pay. She started this after she killed her husband, hitting him in the head with a wrench. He had abused her for years. After that she began exercising and learned to use guns. She has no other training. She doesn’t want the police to know what she’s doing, so she keeps lots of secrets.

This is the first book in a series.

Plot: Chrissy’s baby is stolen. Chrissy thinks her ex-husband did it. The cops are looking for the baby and so is Stella. But everything Stella does is on the quiet. She doesn’t let the cops know what she learns. I had problems with that. Someone tells Stella that X has the baby and where X is living. Stella should tell the cops who would go there with guns and get the baby. But Stella does not do that because she thinks the baby might get hurt if the cops attack. She thinks she can do a better job of it. But she does NOT do a better job of it. What happens makes Stella look stupid. Three times Stella went somewhere with a gun. And each time the bad guys got the gun away from her and worse. She did not do smart things. But with some unexpected luck there is a happy ending.

At times I was impatient with Stella’s internal ponderings. Is that good because I wanted to story to get going so I could see what would happen? Or is it bad because I didn’t want to listen to the pondering? Probably bad. In a good book I don’t even raise that question.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
The narrator Kym Dakin was good.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 9 hrs and 2 mins. Swearing language: strong but not often used. Sexual content: none, other than mentioning that someone had sex with someone. Setting: current day rural Missouri. Book copyright: 2009. Genre: mystery suspense crime fiction.

[Leea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars...

This has been on my TBR list for such a long time and then a few friends started reading the series and I couldn't help myself. I just had to dive into the world of Stella Hardesty a 50 year old widow who owns and runs a sewing shop in a small Minnesota town. You know the place where ladies congregate at the Popeye's in John Deere green hats to gossip. Where everyone knows all your dirty little secrets but still smile and wave from the sidewalk.

Stella has another life, a part of her that feeds that fire that was lit by Ollie all those years ago. She helps the battered and beaten woman that she once was, gain freedom from those who inflict it. Stella does this in some creative ways...

From the outside Stella is strong, worn by years of Ollies abuse. But it's the inside that has me loving Ms. Stella, she's not taken her situation and folded, not Stella is one strong smart woman and her desire to help those in need will only get her in more trouble. Underneath it all, Stella is lonely. That's where Goat walks into the picture. Well he's always been there as town Sherif but it's just recently that those side looks and tummy turning feels has started to effect Stella. I hope there is more to come in regard to Goat, it's a fun side to this series.

In conclusion, this is just the start of the Bad Day Series I know that Stella is going to find more trouble in the coming books. I just find it refreshing to read a hero in her 50's taking names, it's just so fun to read.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take Stefanie Plum and add another 20 years onto her age and you'll have Stella, the "hero" of A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield. This is the story of a 50-something widowed woman (who had killed her own abusive husband and been acquitted) and her side-job of taking care of other women who are in abusive relationships.

As much as I wanted to like this story, I found myself comparing it to Janet Evanovich's writing too much. The humor was lacking in comparision, the characters a bit one-dimensional and the situations .. just not that believable. It felt as if Littlefield was just trying too hard to be cute and funny, and it ended up coming across as corny and cliche.

The only reason this book did not get 1 star from me is, at times, it did make me chuckle a bit. But those moments were few and far between.

[Katrece Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

My biggest mistake going into this book was hoping it was going to be just as good as Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I was looking forward to reading a new series with a badass woman as the main character and expected a lot of humor and entertainment and I was severely let down. Doubt that I would recommend this book to anyone I know.

[Liv · Rating 2 out of 5]

there was a good premise for the book. I think it could have been really interesting but it was anti climatic. The ending and honestly the beginning was boring too.

[Lance Charnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Bad Day for Sorry rides on the wings of two main features: a fresh, original voice, and a unique protagonist in Stella Hardesty. Stella's stats might make you think "cozy" at first -- a divorced, middle-aged woman who's an amateur detective -- but there's absolutely nothing cozy about Stella or her work. Having dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench, Stella now adjusts the attitudes of wife-beating lowlifes around Prosper, Missouri. Naturally, this gets her involved in things she hadn't bargained for.

If you can imagine Justified with a sense of humor and told from Mags' point of view, you wouldn't be too far off the mark. The characters and dialog are spot-on; you can clearly hear the twangs and see the unfortunate fashion choices and feel the rhythms of life in a place far from the usual big-city settings. The finale threatens to spin out of control into Robert Crais territory, but Littlefield manages to pull it back just in time to maintain the integrity of the story and preserve Stella for her next two adventures. Y'all check it out, y'hear?

[Linda Lipko · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's not too much to like about the town where Stella resides. There are lots of men hanging out in bars and the women who wait for them to come home. And, there is abuse by the husband, or lover who likes to leave marks on his women.

Stella had her share of abuse. After years of passivity, she couldn't take anymore. She took a wrench and smashed it over her husband's head. She got off when people defended her, and many thought he had it coming to her.

Now, Stella runs a shop where women can get their sewing machines fixed, and buy notions and material. However, she has a side job, and that position helps women who ar weary of abuse. She doesn't kill them; she simply gives a loud and clear warning.

When young Chrissy stops are her house, the stakes are highter. Chrissy's little boy is gone. He is stolen by one of her former husbands.

It is up to Stella and Chrissy to find the boy before the mafia keeps him.

This is a great escape book, filled with humor. There is profanity and some vivid descriptions of those who met their fate.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one!! She is a bad ass 51 year old woman kicking ass and taking names! Win!

[Spuddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

#1 Stella Hardesty series, featuring a 50-ish widow who owns a sewing shop in small town in rural Missouri. Sounds like a nice new cozy series, right? Um...well....not exactly. Stella has a side business--an unofficial business--of paying men who abuse their wives "visits" to help them realize they need to be nice. She put up with 30 years of abuse herself before (shall we say) embracing widowhood and resolving to help other women who are in a place she once was. Plumpish, graying and prone to mood swings and hot flashes (we have a lot in common! LOL) she put herself on a 'get in shape' regimen, oiled her guns (ok, so we don't have THAT much in common!) and put the word out.

She's helped quite a few women over the past couple of years so when Chrissy Shaw approached her, bruises barely fading, asking her to 'talk to' her ex-husband Roy Dean, Stella does--but then finds she needs to make a second visit when he is spotted being nasty to another girl in a public place. Second visits are something that don't happen often. When Chrissy's toddler, Tucker, goes missing after Stella's second visit, she's certain it was Roy Dean who took him...but it's not even his child, so why would he? Stella sets out to find Tucker, but also notifies the Sheriff, whom she of course has a crush on but can't do anything about it given her sideline. What she discovers is that Roy Dean was involved with some pretty nasty people and she's really hoping that Tucker isn't in their hands. But she and Chrissy are determined to find out.

I really enjoyed this book, although I can imagine it may stir up a bit of controversy. I've never been a proponent of violence and I hate guns with a passion, but then, I've never been an abused woman. I find it hard to understand women who let themselves stay in those situations for years, so if I had "met" Stella earlier in her life, I would most likely not have related to her very well. I'm thinking that Stella may help me to understand them a bit better. Now that she's seen the light, however, she's determined to help as many other women as she can and she does so with guts, grit, humor and pragmatism that are hard to argue with. The book was written in an easy-to-read style, and while her secondary characters aren't yet firmed up, I expect that will come along with subsequent books. I'm really looking forward to the next in series.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stella Hardesty is just your typical everyday woman...not! She works as sort of a patrol officer/bounty hunter. The only thing that makes her different is that she doesn't work with the law but makes her own rules. Kind of like the great John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.

Her favorite bird is the Raven. When some of her men need more convincing than others to turn their lives around, they end up on the receiving end of the Raven. You don't want to hear this Raven's tune.

When Stella learns that no for good husband Roy Dean has not only beat his wife but vanished with their two year old son, Tucker. Stella is after Roy Dean...like a mouse is after cheese. Stella learns that she is not the only one interested in Roy Dean. He has some very bad men after him as well.

A Bad Day for Sorry is Sophie Littlefield's debut novel. After reading this book, I can guarantee that she will be an instant bestseller. The two things I absolutely love about Stella is that she has a mouth like a truck driver's and she takes no bullshit from anyone. In fact she calls all the shots and if you don't like it...too bad.

A Bad Day for Sorry is a one sit read. I couldn't read this book fast enough. I almost forgot about doing anything else like eating or sleeping. Mrs. Littlefield has captured my attention. From now on, I will be reading all her books. Now if only I didn't have to wait so long for her next novel.

[Mendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those OMG you have to read it books! Stella is a 50-something woman and she has 2 jobs. By day (Mondays and Wednesday thru Saturday), she runs a sewing machine repair and notions shop. But on Sundays, Tuesdays and at night she has a much darker but more important job. She attends to her parolees - only she's NOT working on the side of the law. Stella is standing up against men that beat their wives & girlfriends. She's rehabilitating them. Rumors fly around her small Missouri hometown regarding her activities but Stella doesn't mind. They help insure that these losers stay on the straight and narrow.

The only problem - Stella has the hots for the local Sheriff - Goat. Oy Vey! When a parolee disappears with the baby of a client, Stella is on the job and won't stop until baby Tucker is back with his mama.

VERY GOOD book. I loved the darkness and humor that Ms. Littlefield brought to the pages. I hope this will continue on to another installment.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stella took her own abusive husband out of the picture with a wrench just before her 50th birthday. Now, she helps other women escape abusive situations with her own brand of justice. Stella skates on pretty thin legal ice so she tries to steer clear of the local sheriff but he's just so darn attractive! In this first book of the series, Stella helps Chrissy Shaw track down her baby, most likely stolen by an abusive ex who may have gotten himself mixed up with the mob. Sophie Littlefield's story lines may not always be believable but Stella is an admirable, tough character who has endured a lot in life and isn't about to take any more crap. Light, fun reading but not a cozy - contains a fair amount of violence and profanity. The audiobook narrator does a far better job with female than male characters.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The descriptions seemed like a great setup for meaty issues with a great character...unfortunately I found everything very superficial. Rather than digging into the meaty issues regarding abuse, victims and vengeance the story just skimmed the surface without digging into the issues. Could have been much more...but in the end it was just a passable read that never really hooked me. Plus the insanely long chapters were quite irritating.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this one on a lark, it wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I admire Stella, sort of even think that she deserves an award for her second job. I love that she doesn't care about the rumors running around about her. Chrissy turned out to be a pleasant surprise. My initial thoughts ran along the lines of Stella's. I was happy to see how things ended and the surprise at the hospital. I look forward to reading more of Stella's adventures.

[Emelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great debut! I wish I had read this first, instead of the second in the series on accident. I think I would have liked the second book even more.

Stella's one helluva badass. The tone and ambiance was amazingly well done, and it's nice to read about an older hero (50 year old ladies who track down and beat some sense into wife/girlfriend beater, hell yeah). It's was a quick read, but not a mindless one. Lovely.

[Ivanna Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally hilarious! Takes place in Kansas in areas near where I live in Ok so it's cool to see places mentioned I actually recognize. I don't know if it's realistic with the "Kansas Mafia" but then i'm not sure if it's supposed to be. I love that she's totally an S&M vigilante savior with a crush on a cop and the other charactors are a bunch of laughs. The serious side deals with spousal abuse (the reason she's a vigilante warrior in her 50's).

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Promising Debut. This was nominated for an Anthony and Edgar for Best First Novel. Thought the main character Stella Hardesty, a mature woman who runs a sewing shop and doles out vigilante justice to abusive men on her days off, was fascinating but wished the actual plot line was a bit more plausible.

[Francis S. Poesy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me of the Elmore Leonard books I've read, like Pagan Babies. This is a fun book to read with great characters. I'm probably not the target market for this book since the protaganist is a 50+ southern widow who owns a sewing shop and has the hots for the local sheriff, but I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading Littlefield's second book "A Bad Day For Pretty".

[Susan Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is, indeed, a very bad day for some of the idiots Sophie's protagonist has to talk to in the course of her unorthodox work. But she deals with them head on and comes back for more. If she were younger and didn't have weapons, we might call her a Bad Girl. She's something rather more serious, but still makes the reader laugh now and then! Glad to know more Bad Days are on the way.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stella offs her abusive husband with a wrench and finds she has a talent for helping other husbands see the errors of their ways. An underground business is born that holds all sorts of possibilities for adventure and mayhem. A surprisingly light read considering the body count, and a fun one too.

[Kiki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled through it, it just wasn't for me. I wish I could say more, but really.... it just wasn't for me.

[Dee Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

I put it down and I just couldn't pick it up again. Meh.