Miss Match

Allie Fortune Mystery #2

by Sara Mills

This series takes place in the 1940's, and the motivating factor is the relationship of the main character, Allie Fortune, with a man who may or may not be dead. She fell in love with him before he went off to fight in WWII, and perhaps even worse, before she realized she loved him. Now he has disappeared and she can't move on with her life, romantically at least. Meanwhile, she has become a private investigator and has developed a stellar reputation in the business. As Miss Fortune came to an end, Allie had learned that her old flame was indeed still alive but missing, somewhere in Europe. Meanwhile, she has become good friends with an attractive, single FBI agent (Jack O'Connor), complicating the situation.Jack O’Connor receives a letter from Maggie, a woman he used to love, saying she’s in trouble in Berlin. The FBI refuses to get involved, so Jack asks Allie Fortune to help him investigate. Allie and Jack pose as a missionary couple who want to bring orphans back to the United States. A child finds important documents that everyone in the city--Soviets and allies alike--want for themselves. Maggie refuses to tell Jack what the documents are, saying if things go wrong, they are better off not knowing. Through the course of the search, Allie’s past is brought back to her, half a world away from home.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Christian, Detective

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

SARA MILLS is author of Miss Match and Miss Fortune. She lives with her three children on a ranch in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book should never end like that! It should be a crime!!

But since it's not and there's not another book in the series, I will have to succumb myself to reality! Allie and Jack's story continues in Miss Match...I enjoyed this one much more than the first and was intrigued throughout every page. Maggie's past was a neat twist, and there were several moments that I was surprised (unlike the first book where I predicted several things).

The setting was great and intriguing! There wasn't a whole lot of spiritual content like the first, but still powerful when there was. A little bit of romance, with a couple non-detailed kisses.

Definitely recommend this book, but it really should be read after the first!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways, not much has changed in Allie Fortune’s life since she met FBI agent Jack O’Connor and they partnered together to successfully close a major case. She’s still the only female private investigator in New York City, still has tense dinners with her parents every Wednesday night, and she’s till searching for her lost love David Rubeneski, missing in action since the end of the war. When Jack calls asking for her help, she knows the situation is serious – Maggie, the woman who turned him down years before, has written from divided Berlin needing help. Armed with only a cryptic letter and no idea of the danger Maggie is in, Allie and Jack travel to Berlin determined to save her life. But Allie has a side mission to complete – her mother has charged her with finding a priest in the war-ravaged city and delivering a mysterious gift. Between her mother’s request and the threats closing in around Maggie and her secrets, Allie is shocked when the current investigation rips open old wounds from her own past. With more than her life and the lives of her friends at stake, Allie must navigate the dangerous world of international espionage if she’s to have a chance to lay the past to rest and move on with her life.

The best way I can describe Sara Mills’ writing is that it’s like film noir on the page. I’ve been on a film noir viewing kick lately, and watching classics like Laura, I Wake Up Screaming, and The Dark Corner proved to be perfect viewing complements to Sara’s rich, atmospheric storytelling. The way past and present collide in Miss Match is one of the novel’s greatest strengths. I love how Mills takes each character’s secrets and forces them to confront their fears in the light of present danger. Allie is as smart and engaging as she was in her debut, but since meeting Jack, a guy who genuinely values her friendship and her rather unorthodox job skill set, she’s begun to open up. Kudos to Mills for creating such a fantastic investigative team in Allie and Jack – theirs is a genuine, rewarding friendship based on mutual respect and understanding. But emotional risk and self-reflective moments are not always welcome or easy to endure, as proven when Allie discovers a shocking secret about her mother’s past that forces her to re-evaluate her own character and prejudices.

Miss Match is the perfect blend of post-war intrigue and mystery, the ideal read for anyone who appreciates the tone and storytelling style of classic film noir. A page-turning tale mystery, faith, and second chances, I only hope that one day not too far in the future we’ll get a third Allie Fortune mystery to continue Miss Match’s KILLER cliffhanger.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack (FBI agent and Allie's good friend)gets a mysterious letter from a woman he was in love with and hasn't seen in years. She asks for him to come and help her in Berlin. (Post-WWII Berlin, mind you, which is a very dangerous place to be). Will he risk his career in the FBI to do this? Will his good friend and P.I. Allie Fortune accompany him to Germany? Will Allie ever find her true love David?

My favorite parts: Greta kicking the Russian officer in the shin.

Allie discovering the hidden side of her mother that she never knew about and the heroic part her mother played during WWII.

Least favorite part: The tour Allie had in the German orphanage in the nursery with all the crying little ones and the worker admonishing her not to pick up the wailing boy...telling Allie that the workers in the orphanage didn't have time to hold all of them...that the children had to accept their fate...the apathetic babies who already laid in their cribs and didn't cry....how the intensity of the crying increased as Allie and the worker left the room.

This book has a cliffhanger ending so I really can't wait for the next book to come out.

[Teri Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly enjoyed this novel so much more than the first however a book should never end that way if there is not another one in the series!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR Mills, Sara
TITLE Miss Match
DATE READ 11/01/2021
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE A circle of lamplight in the otherwise darkened office cast a cool glow on the letter as I wrote.
GENRE/PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH Fiction/2009/library LP/279 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE #2 Allie Fortune
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2021 Reading Goal 92/120
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 1947/NY & Berlin
CHARACTERS Allie Fortune/ Female PI
COMMENTS This was a random pick off the shelf at the library – probably liked the 40’s look. Allie Fortune is the only female PI in NYC. She is single, much to her mother’s dismay, who invites her to a weekly dinner …usually with another guest – an eligible bachelor. Allie is not only focused on her work but still in love w/ David who has been MIA for 7 or so years … he never returned from his time in WWII in Europe. Jack is Allie’s good friend who works at the FBI – when he receives an urgent written request from Maggie to help her escape from Berlin, Allie doesn’t think it wise since he will put his FBI job at risk. She accompanies him on the trip to Berlin. The ending is very open to another book … but I do not see that there is one.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book featuring Allie Fortune, a New York private detective in the 1940s. The author, for some reason, veered from the original style of detective pastiche and went for a complex parallel story with a new character being the main focus.
Lots of action and tension as Allie and her FBI friend, Jack, travel to post-war Berlin to rescue Jack’s former sweetheart, Maggie.
Obviously more books were planned, since the ending is quite the cliffhanger.

[Sarah Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series. But man! I'm disappointed! Because after reading the end of this book it was begging for more to the story!! I'm so disappointed there isn't another book! :(

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

seems like every other mystery series with a female detective

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“This series takes place in the 1940's, and the motivating factor is the relationship of the main character, Allie Fortune, with a man who may or may not be dead. She fell in love with him before he went off to fight in WWII, and perhaps even worse, before she realized she loved him. Now he has disappeared and she can't move on with her life, romantically at least. Meanwhile, she has become a private investigator and has developed a stellar reputation in the business.
As Miss Fortune came to an end, Allie had learned that her old flame was indeed still alive but missing, somewhere in Europe. Meanwhile, she has become good friends with an attractive, single FBI agent (Jack O'Connor), complicating the situation.
Jack O’Connor receives a letter from Maggie, a woman he used to love, saying she’s in trouble in Berlin. The FBI refuses to get involved, so Jack asks Allie Fortune to help him investigate. Allie and Jack pose as a missionary couple who want to bring orphans back to the United States. A child finds important documents that everyone in the city--Soviets and allies alike--want for themselves. Maggie refuses to tell Jack what the documents are, saying if things go wrong, they are better off not knowing. Through the course of the search, Allie’s past is brought back to her, half a world away from home.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Allie Fortune” series. (Review of Book #1 Here!)


Spiritual Content- Prayers; Christmas & Bible reading; A couple Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; Talks about God, His Peace & forgiveness; ‘H’s are capital; Many mentions of Church, priests & confessions; Mentions of a Christian mission organization; Mentions of prayers; Mentions of Jesus & God.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’ and two ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm; Blood & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Being choked & shot at (up to semi-detailed); Many, many mentions of blood, pain & injuries (semi-detailed); Many, many mentions of deaths, shooting, murders & being killed (semi-detailed); Many, many mentions of World War II, camps & the aftermath; Mention of Jesus being abused and slaughters (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of cigarettes.


Sexual Content- an almost kiss, and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Dancing & Touches (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches (up to semi-detailed); Noticing; Jealousy; A couple mentions of illegitimate children; Mentions of being in love.

-Allie Fortune, age 26
Switches between Allie (1st person P.O.V.) & Maggie (3rd person)
Set in 1947 (with flashbacks to ’40-‘41)
317 pages

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Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- Two Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
(And I thought the last book’s ending was crazy)
I honest-to-goodness shrieked at this ending. Very loudly, according to my parents. Because, oh-my-goodness! That ending was crazy intense and there isn’t another book! Most Part of me still wants Jack & Allie together, but Maggie grew on me. Selfishly, I hope the author writes the last book one day, but I can understand why she hasn’t and my heart hurts for her loss. :(


Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Lydia Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love!!!

Would definitely recommend!

[Stephany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second book in Sara Mills Miss Fortune series and I loved it just as much as the first. It's set in the 40's, which is my favorite time period.

I really loved the dynamic between Allie and Jack in the first book that I was actually turned off by Maggie (Jack's old love interest) in the beginning. I desperately want Allie and Jack to end up together! But I Maggie grew on me as the story progressed and the author let us in on Maggie's back story.

The entire plot was fast-moving and interesting and I gobbled up the last half of the book. It's definitely a worthwhile read. It's labeled as Christian fiction, but there isn't a lot of talk about it. Very, very slight Christian themes, but it all works.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

FBI agent Jack has loved Maggie most of his life. When her letters arrive from post-war Berlin begging for his help, he's willing to quit the FBI to go to her. But his friend Allie Fortune won't let him go alone. The only woman P.I. in New York, she has friends and connections--and a mysterious job from her cool society mother--as well as her skills. They find Maggie, who is the most wanted woman in Berlin because of a dangerous document she has found, but helping her will not be easy. There was a religious component to the previous book in the series, but it is more noticeable in this one.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the Allie Fortune series. This one was as good as the first one! It wrapped up the story very nicely, however I do wish that Mills would have written just a little more dialogue at the end. I was not at all ready for it to end when it did. I'm hoping that this means that she will write another one in the series. I would love to read more Allie Fortune books!

[Marlaina McCauslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. This book went fairly quickly and didnt' drag
2. It wasn't a murder book, just saving somebody from a bad situation
3. The main character is a women
4. makes me want to read the next book/ the whole series
5. clifhanger ending
6. Woman saving the day.
7. Historically accurtate


Dignoses: good read

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Female private investigator with a close make friend in the FBI must seek out undercover his former girlfriend who is in trouble in post-war Berlin. I really enjoyed the setting, the struggle between her longer for her missing boyfriend and this guy. It felt more really, genuine and intriguing than most Christian fiction. A little mystery/ global intrigue doesn't hurt. Safe for anyone over 12

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like this one, and won't read another of her books. Too much romance and not enough mystery and mayhem for me. There was an unfinished ending to the story, and Mills ended this story with such abruptness that the book didn't seem finished, but I don't even care to find out how it was resolved!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book right up to the last page. Felt the ending left a little bit to be desired. Very much a film noire feel to the entire book. Very descriptive.
I felt like the end left many questions unanswered.

[Christa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book. Not only was it in a time I'm not familiar with, now it is in a place I am not familiar with. I cheated and read the end, so I read the rest of the book to get there. Now I feel like I'll have to read the next book too.

[Jolee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a book talk at a time when my reading choices were "not entirely my own." lol. This was an enjoyable new mystery series, though, with a film noir feel. I may be snagged! Wouldn't be surprised if Miss Allie Fortune found herself on my bedstand again in the future.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #2 in the Allie Fortune female private investigator mysteries. First book is Miss Fortune -- probably best to read it first, but the second book reads well without it. Set after WWII in New York & Germany. Good suspense, good description of the aftermath of war on people, love interest.

[Tonya Mathis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no book #3. I need to know if Allie finds David. Do they make it out of Soviet territory.
It's been 5 years since this book came out. I hate it when books end like that. That's why I usually buy most of a series before I start to read it.

[Sabrina Maddox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started out so slow I almost gave up. But about halfway through it picked up and I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. WHERE IS THE THIRD BOOK?! this author is a pro with cliff hangers

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one did not disappoint. I cannot wait until the next book because the ending was a cliffhanger!

[Cathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

[LibraryLaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast-paced, suspenseful...but a cliffhanger ending?

[Corie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, really liked this book. There were a couple sad moments, but it was nicely paced and I can't wait for the third book.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story. The books ends with a cliffhanger and third book in the series was never published!

[Karen (Living Unabridged) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never quite worked for me.

[Carman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. This was a wonderful sequel to Miss Fortune. But, I am distressed because the book ended on a huge cliff-hanger, and now I have to wait to find out what happens. ARG!