Dating Can Be Murder

Samantha Shaw Mystery #1

by Jennifer Apodaca

Samantha Shaw remembers a time when she believed in true love. When buying Heart Mates - the dating service her now deceased husband did business with - seemed like a good idea. But her romantic reveries ended the day she found a stash of sexy panties (not hers) hidden in his car. Leaving Sam with one What else was the cheating creep hiding? Try an illegal drug trade and a whole lot of money. That's just some of what surfaces after a man walks into Heart Mates and promises to kill Sam - and her kids - if she doesn't come up with the cash her spouse stole.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Romance, Fiction, Cozy, Romantic Suspense, Chick Lit

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

Also writes paranormal romance under the pseudonym Jennifer Lyon.

I went back to college after my three sons, Matt, Gary and Paul, were born. Beginning with a vague idea of earning a marketing degree, I ended up pursuing a writing career with the full support of my husband, Dan.

First I tried to tame my naturally edgy voice into writing romance, but dead bodies and quirky humor turned up with alarming regularity. So did rejection letters in my mailbox! Dan nagged me to write something contemporary and funny. My mother dropped a hint about trying something modern. My sister mentioned how good I'd be at writing a comedy, maybe even a mystery. Dan agreed with them.

Finally, frustration drove me to murder, fictionally speaking, of course. And so, I have been forced to admit that my husband, mother and sister were right. Not entirely humbled, these days I am busy plotting future adventures for Samantha Shaw!

Reviews

[Linda]

This was a good mystery, in the vein of Stephanie Plum, that kept me guessing just as much as Sam. Lots of action going on and an exciting ending. I enjoyed the characters and am interested to see what happens next.

[Crystal Harmon]

Pretty good mystery. Reminds me of the Callahan Garrity series written by mark Kay Andrews.

[Denise Kettering]

This book feels very much like a Stephanie Plum novel. That said, I enjoyed the actual mystery/detective piece and I thought that Sam was a fun character trying to figure out her life in the midst of a lot of turmoil: dead cheating husband, new business as a dating consultant, lost her home, got some plastic surgery and a new wardrobe. She finds herself being threatened in her new business and the person who threatened her ends up dead. She continues to be threatened for money that she didn't know her husband had and she has to rely on Gabe, a Security specialist she knows to help her figure out the case. I thought that the idea of being a matchmaker was a bit too much in the background, but overall this was a fun read.

[Rina.P]

Ich war am Anfang etwas skeptisch….Ich dachte mir…ja gut les ich halt weiter aber das war´s dann auch….Aber im laufe der Geschichte hab ich mich doch noch amüsiert und in Erwägung gezogen, die Serie im Auge zu behalten und immer mal einzuschieben, wenn ich mal was entspannend lockeres lesen will….
Als Sommerlektüre absolut empfehlenswert…..Es macht Spass Samantha zu folgen und zu sehen wie sie mehr zufällig die ganze Sache überlebt…..

[andrea]

Janet Evanovich wannabe....but lacking all of the charm, humor,likeable characters, and entertainment value of Evanovich's series.
Might try one more of the series...but not for a good long while. Need some time to get the complete disappointment and non-satisfaction of this story out of my memory.

[Harriet O'Malley]

Great book. Quick read. Can't wait to read the rest in the series. I bought all that were available.

[Adrian Cantu]

The book was ok, the ending could have been better or different all together. I like the writhing style the author uses. The antagonist was basic.

[Chasity]

Samantha Shaw is one kick butt kind of character. I really enjoyed reading about this character. I really like how she reinvented herself after she found out what a pig her husband was. It was a really funny, witty, and rare find for a mystery. I really loved this book.

Jennifer Apodaca creates such great characters and they always have flaws that they need to work out through the book but yet they always kick butt. I really love that fact that she writes her heroines like that. They aren’t flawless but they don’t let the bad guys win either.

Samantha got the cruddy end of the stick in this one. She had the nice perfect marriage, two beautiful sons, and was a soccer mom. Her husband suddenly dies from a peanut allergy after eating some homemade candy. Turns out she didn’t have such a perfect marriage. Not only did her husband cheat on her all the time but he was also involved in the drug dealing business and someone wanted him dead. Problem is he stiffed someone out of a lot of money and now everyone thinks Samantha has it. Now she has criminals tracking her and her family’s every move, threatening their lives for that very money.

Problem is Sam has no idea what they are talking about and she definitely doesn’t have that kind of money.

I think this book was the perfect beginning to a series. It definitely pulled me in, I fell in love with these characters.
Sam is a strong heroine but yet she is so much like an everyday woman. She will do anything for her kids and this story was totally solid and amazing. Her sons were too cute. They were very supportive and quirky from the beginning and they stole my heart from the beginning. I do have to say I think my favorite character was Grandpa though he was the coolest; he was witty and just kept surprising me throughout the whole book.

This is only the second book I have read from Jennifer Apodaca and let me tell you I am impressed. I love her attention to detail when she is writing. I cannot tell you how many romance novels I have read that are nothing but repetitive. Jennifer Apodaca is far from it. She is such a great writer her stories just pull you in. She writes characters you easily fall in love with.

This was just a great book and I can’t wait to read more about Samantha Shaw. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Monique Lebrocq]

The book starts out in grand fashion. I call it breaking up with style. Our spunky heroine, Samantha Shaw, is in a pickle. Her husband Trent has been killed in an unfortunate peanut-related incident. After finding a stash of women’s underwear in his vintage Mustang, her mourning period is brief. So what’s a scorned woman to do? How about taking the life insurance money to buy breast implants and a dating service? Sounds like a plan.

Anyway, Samantha’s plans gang aft agley. In addition to being a serial cheater, her dead husband was also a liar, a thief, and a drug dealer. And now Samantha and her two young sons are being threatened by some really scary bad guys. Sam’s life is made even more complicated by two new men in her life—Gabe Pulizzi, an ex-cop who now runs his own security firm and Detective Morgan Rossi, who is looking into all the strange happenings that surround our heroine.

So why should you be interested in the trials and tribulations of Samantha Shaw? Here are three good reasons. First, while the story is fast-paced, the mystery is enjoyably on the light side—no coked-up drug dealers, decapitated bodies, or sexual deviants. Wait! There may be a mention of a vibrator. Or maybe that’s in the fourth book in the series: Batteries Required. Second, the book is damn funny. For example, Sam’s cheating-ex was a record-setting condom salesman. Another example, Sam reviews romances and erotica, awarding stars for extra “sizzle.” You get the picture. Third, Apodaca’s characters are likeable and well-rounded. You feel for Sam—literally. The sexual tension between Sam and Gabe actually elicited a physical reaction from me. I’m not ashamed to say I got a tad bit warm during their first sex scene. Bottom line: Apodaca and Sam (and, let’s be honest, Gabe) had me hooked. I eagerly consumed the next four books in the series—Dying to Meet You, Ninja Soccer Mom, Batteries Required, and Thrilled to Death.

Read my full blog: http://www.2manybooks-notenoughtime.b...

[Lori Henrich]

Not sure what I think about this one. I felt the main character Samantha Shaw - wasn't very believable. I was torn between liking her spunk and saying get a grip. I wanted more mystery and less focus on sex. It was a good story line that for me got muddied up with the sexual focus. I want to read another of the stories by this author in this series before I make my final judgement. It was an easy read. I love the Grandpa and the way her mom was trying to constantly change her daughter into some image she had of her.

I have to reserve my final judgement until later.

[Abigail]

Samantha Shaw's husband dies and it turns out he was a cheating, drug dealing creep the whole time. Which being a condom salesman (like really?) sounds about right. She's trying to make the dating service, which she bought after his death but before the reveal of his true life, a legitimate business instead of a drug dealing front. It turns out that most of the men she's been trusting are in on it with her dead husband, which is now threatening the lives of her sons and herself.

An alright read but doesn't have me reaching for the rest of the series.

[Lori]

If you're looking for something light, funny, and a little bit of romance ... this is it. I'm one for reading something not too serious. Samantha Shaw runs a dating service and does a little sleuthing on the side, which ends up being most of the time. She tends to get herself into a lot of trouble, which her boyfriend private investigator helps get her out of. Lots of good laughs in a not-too-serious setting. Perfect summer reading!

[FlibBityFLooB]

At first, I didn't know if I would make it through this book. The main character was a mom who struggles with money, yet spent cash on a boob job. Ugh. She waxed poetic about romance novels. When Gabe (Ranger-wannabe) arrived to install security and started with "Babe", I sighed heavily.

However, once I got past that, it wasn't too bad. I will read the sequel.

[Nisha]

This book was actually funny. It reminded me of the good ole days when Stephanie Plum used to be hilarious. Samantha Shaw thought she had it bad when she found out her dead husband was a cheater but the wheels fell off her life when she found out he was an even worse scumbag. This book is worth the read I just hope the sequels can keep up.

[Teena in Toronto]

This is the second Samantha Shaw novel I've read and I enjoyed it. The first one I read (a couple months ago) is a couple books later in the series.

The writing is indeed fast-paced and I'll be reading the others.

Do I recommend this series? Yes!

Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2007/04...

[Jaime]

Cute but contrived. My main interest in this series is that it takes place near where I live. It's fun to have shops and streets I frequent appearing in murder mysteries (and possibly some victims based on people I know?).

[Jill]

After a slow and somewhat painful start, this turned into a pretty good book. I'll probably pick up the second book and give the series an additional try, hoping that some of the minor characters (Barney and Angel) play larger roles.

[Alissa]

Really funny first outing for Samantha Shaw. A little murder, a feisty heroine, and a little sex. Reminded me of the Bubbles series and Stephanie Plum. I'll be reading this series, I can't wait to see what happens to Samantha next.

[Missy]

Book #10 read in 2006

Very similar to Evanovich's Plum series. Samantha is new to the investigation business and constantly gets herself into trouble; mostly funny trouble. I enjoyed it and will read more in the series.

[Michele]

Fun book. Soccer mom's husband dies, was cheating on her, left a mess for her to deal with. Mom learns her inner strength and how to stand up for herself. I liked the character and how she started her life over and her devotion to her kids.

[Kathryn Moore]

I enjoyed this book. It was a fast read. It stuck to the story without getting carried away to far from it. Some humor as well. Will definately read another one by this author. I like a book that doesn't take a page to describe the weather or a tree or their clothes. I just want a good story.

[Kristie]

Two chapters in I wasn't hooked. But I usually try to power through anyway. By the time I got to chapter 5 I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my face! Similar to Evanovich, but a fun read!

[Pria Alston]

This was a fun read. My only issue is that Sam reminded me so much of Stephanie Plum I couldn't help but compare the two books. The writing was more exciting and fast paced than Janet Evanovich (too formulaic lately) the similarities were too much.

[Gwen Kozlowski]

Tries to hard to be Janet Evanovich.

[colleen]

read 04.15.07

[Lisa]

So much fun to read and it takes place where I live!

[Floral]

I really loved this book, it was funny, action packed, and hot. It reminded me of those movies in the 1990's with terrible picture clarity but combined comedy, mystery, and passion well.

[Kevin Connery]

Samantha Shaw

[Kevin Connery]

Samantha Shaw

[Andrea]

Fluffy chick-lit murder mystery with some romance. Characters a bit 2-dimensional but likable, fun plot, fast read. Good for a bit of escapism.