Sink Trap

A Georgiana Neverall Mystery #1

by Christy Evans

Former corporate drone Georgiana Neverall loves her new occupation as a plumber's apprentice, but is a bit surprised when she finds the favorite brooch of Martha Tepper, the town's former librarian, clogging a sink. Georgiana has a sinking feeling that Martha may have been retired permanently-and suddenly it's up to a plumber's apprentice to flush out a killer.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Chick Lit, Crime

244 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2009

About the author

Christy Evans is a pseudonym used by Christina F. York.

Series:
* A Georgiana Neverall Mystery

Reviews

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love finding new to me authors who write a super fun book and this one fit the fun bill perfectly. I was entertained and informed and didn't even mind that I figured out whodunnit towards the middle of the book. Sometimes that bugs the McCrappe out of me, but when the rest of the book is superb, I don't mind.
I really admire Georgiana's intestinal fortitude, coming back home to change her life after her computer security company she started gets taken over by someone she trusted. She could have easily let it crush her, but she put on her big girl panties and went home to start over as a plumber's apprentice.
She is back in her hometown with her mother, best friend and old boyfriend and a mystery. Sometimes (most times) the amateur sleuth looking into the mystery can feel forced. This one didn't really feel that way. Georgiana knew something was wrong and she needed to figure out what it was and show others she wasn't crackers.
Best of all, I loved the plumber tips. Common sense tips that helped me and proved my dad right when he gave my first need to have tool kit...tape measure, hacksaw, rubber mallet, adjustable wrench aka crescent, slip-joint pliers, locking jaw pliers, plumber's snake, toilet plunger, and sink plunger, screwdrivers (both common and Philips head)....and the tip about baking soda and vinegar unplugging a sink instead of using the commercial drain cleaners.
And the lovely funny Airdales, Daisy and Buddha! I want an Airdale now.


Multi fun plumber's tips and dogs mystery chocolate bunnies......

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The piece was lodged crosswise, and I pried it loose with my finger. It popped out of the pipe and landed in the bucket with a plop.
Curious, I fished it out.
It was a brooch.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice start to the series. I liked the characters and the setting. The mystery was a little different but still kept me guessing. The ending was good.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 3 out of 5]

ink Trap has been on my TBR list for a while and it was actually available from my local library so I picked it up this week.

There is a lot to like in this first of a plumbing themed cozy mystery series. The main character, Georgiana Neverall, her mother, Sandra, her “not my boyfriend”, Wade, and boss, Barry are all good characters. They are interesting and behave as they are drawn. The relationships between them flow naturally in conversation and are believable, (who doesn’t have moments that their mother drives them nuts?) The plumbing theme is not overwhelming but the pieces included are interesting, at least to me. The book is well written as far as voice and tone for a cozy mystery.

The issue is that it is patently obvious almost from the beginning of the mystery, when Georgiana finds the brooch of Ms. Tepper in the sink trap, who the villains are and basically why they did it. The rest of the book is spent with the sleuth leading the readers around as she chases red herrings and tires to convince others that a crime has actually been committed. She lets her feelings of animosity towards certain characters drive her investigation rather than looking at what is actually happening. In fact, she doesn’t really solve the mystery, the reveal is more that the killer(s) come out.

There is enough enjoyable here with the characters and the setting that I will probably give another in the series a try.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of Georgiana Neverall who gave up the glamorous and hectic career of corporate CEO for the not so glamorous job of plumber. It was not all voluntary, although she does enjoy being a plumber’s apprentice. Losing her company first was not her idea, but hey, it happens. Now back home, dealing with her disapproving mother and reconnecting with a former boyfriend, life is what it is – and it is mostly good. But the disappearance of a retired librarian and some other strange occurrences stir up Georgie’s curiosity and she simply must ferret out the clues, even if it includes a bit of house breaking and entering. This fast-paced tale with likable characters will entertain you with its humor even as it intrigues you with its mysteries.

[Dez Nemec · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/3 of the way through and I'm done. NOTHING IS HAPPENING! Georgie is working on plumbing, dealing with THE MOST annoying mother in the world, and pretending she has no past. All we really have is a broach found in a drain from a woman who would never take it off. That's it. I could not be less interested. I quit!

DNF

[ANNETTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading anything by Christy Evans. I found this book at a small book store . A fun cleanly written cozy mystery.
I liked the characters and the mystery part.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgie went to Caltech, graduated, got her Master's Degree, started her own computer security business, but something went terribly wrong and now she is back in Pine Ridge taking classes and working as a plumber's apprentice and it's driving her mother crazy.

In Sink Trap, Georgie is working in an old warehouse with her boss Barry "Bear" to get the plumbing up to code so the building can be sold. While cleaning out a "sink trap" she finds a beautiful old brooch, that looks very familiar. The former librarian and owner of the building, Martha Tupper wore a brooch just like it everyday without fail. But it can't be Martha's brooch because she has retired to Phoenix or did she? Georgie can't get anyone to share her concerns so with the help of her friends and her beautiful Airedales, Daisy and Buddha she must flush out what really happened to Martha.
Many of you probably don't know that I once gave up my job as an office manager to work on a construction crew with my husband and some friends. So I loved these stories!!! I started reading them and couldn't put them down. They are well written, the characters are wonderful, the plots kept me guessing, and the humor content was perfect. I cannot wait for the next installation.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good light mystery. Some weakness in the basic premise of a well loved librarian who suddenly, without saying good bye or packing up her heirlooms, supposedly takes off. Georgie, female plumber apprentice, has a tough time making anybody listen that this is out of character for the wealthy, lovable librarian.

[Sherry Markowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

good first

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books where the main character is a woman, and in her everyday life, finds crimes to solve.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. I enjoyed the characters even though the story was a bit predictable. I look forward to the next books in the series!

[Coley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book - quick read. I'll pick up the sequels.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to a series. Can't wait to keep reading it.

[Beth Diiorio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just too slow moving and obvious for my taste. I did, however, really like the idea of the main character/detective being a plumber.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

.
This was a fast-paced, cozy mystery. It was fun, but not overly stimulating.

[Dantegideon · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF, alas. Got to chapter 9 and nothing, absolutely nothing, has happened. She's had some nice dinners, walked her dogs, found an old brooch. Maybe she'll investigate it eventually! I'll never know!

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once she ran her own successful security company in San Francisco, now Georgiana Neverall is a plumber's apprentice and, mostly, loving it.
Back home in Pine Ridge, Oregon, she keeps her past to herself and, as much as possible doesn't think about her downfall at the hand of her partner and lover, Blake Weston.
A routine job sees Georgie finds a brooch in a clogged sink. It's not just any brooch, it was worn every day without fail by town librarian Martha Teppar who has just recently upped and left town without notice or forwarding address.
A little research reveals that Martha would never have left without the jewellery as it was a gift from her fiancee who died, along with her brother, in Vietnam.
“Sink Trap” is well written, chugs along quite nicely with hints of humour and romance, but doesn't quite pull off the finale (the guilty parties choose to reveal themselves even though the plot was clearly heading in a different direction which would have inevitably exposed them).
3 Stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast, interesting read. I like mysteries that have a female lead doing a traditionally male job, as long as it focuses on her skill and not JUST the fact that she's a woman. This was one of those mysteries. Georgie was determined, skilled, and truly enjoyed her job. There was a lot of references to her previous job but not a complete history, but I expect we will get that in time. Her mom was a little overbearing and that made her a little one dimensional. Like Georgie I was not a fan of Gregory, but that was to be expected. I was also suspicious of Wade; his let me take care of the little woman act got on my nerves. The Gladstones were set up to be unlikable from the beginning, but it was almost too obvious they were the bad guys. Them skimming from Martha for years was not surprising. I really liked Barry; he's a good boss and a good person. I look forward to more from this series.

[Lydia Sadler]

I started reading this series because sometimes the title is just so interesting. I had a friend who wanted to be a plumber. She said there was a lot of money in pipes. Our herorine, Georgie, an escapee from corporate America (and a relationship gone sour), comes home to take up manual labor as a plumbler, much to the horror of her mom, who wants to see her only daughter married with kids. What is it about moms in books who only want their daughters to get married and have babies? It's not like these moms are sitting at home baking cookies. But I digress.
Georgie finds a brooch in an most unlikely place, owned by the nice old lady who everyone liked and who was thought to be the secret benefactor of many of Georgie's friends, including Wade, the man Sandra (Georgie's mom) wants her to settle down with. Anyway, this brooch, which was worn by Martha Tepper should not be anywhere but on her person, why is it stuck in a pipe?
Read on and find out.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another adult returning home (Oregon) after not succeeding in the big city (San Francisco).

Instead of computer security, Georgiana Neverall decides to become a plumber, although it looks like she might also lean towards opening a martial arts dojo in a vacant dance studio.

She has also returned to her high school boyfriend, which also tends toward cliche, as does the domineering mother.

Despite these disappointments, the story hinges on a missing former librarian, whose cameo brooch is found in a drain by the apprentice plumber, Georgie. It also features two loveable airedales and a lot of pizza dinners.

The killers were a bit easy to spot in this one, but I might read more in this series since I already have the next two in the series.

I borrowed a copy from the public library.

[Hope Doty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good start for a first novel. Many holes, assumptions, and annoying “plot leaps” in the writing that made you go, “Hey now, wait a minute,” throughout the story. Would have benefited greatly from a solid content editor/consistency proofreader. Little things like: they ordered food and coffee but in the very next sentence they were drinking the coffee that was never delivered. It made the technical difficulties stand out blaringly ahead of the story. Sigh.

[Tonie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had found a quote somewhere by Christy Evans and discovered her books. I am glad that I did. The characters were good and believable and brought me out of my usual genre but now I want an Airedale.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read.

[Jen Castaneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good cozy, cleanly written.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 stars

Georgiana Neverall left her fast-paced corporate world in San Francisco to return to her hometown of Pine Ridge, Oregon with her two Airedale Terriers. She has taken up plumbing, wasting her degree from CalTech according to her mother, a high-powered real-estate mogul. Georgie loves her job and is determined to prove herself in a man's world. When she finds an old broach in a sink in the home of the town's former librarian, she starts asking questions. She concludes Miss Tepper would never have home without her beloved broach. Everyone remains convinced that Martha Tepper left town to retire to Arizona but Georgie has a feeling Miss Tepper left permanently and not of her own accord. When mishaps occur at work, Georgie thinks the job is jinxed - or is someone trying to sabotage the job? Could that person be the killer? Meanwhile, her high school flame is interested in a relationship with Georgie that she's not ready to pass Go on and her mother appears to have moved on since Mr. Neverall's death three years ago.

This book is an OK mystery. The mystery kept me interested but the list of suspects is pretty short so it's not hard to figure out whodunnit. I wasn't at all surprised. The story follows the usual pattern with the heroine poking around, asking questions, ignoring warning signs and confronting a possible murderer alone. The writing style isn't bad - average to just above.

The characters are not very compelling. I admire Georgie for sticking it out in a man's world and even doing such a horrible job. Yuck! I don't know why she's so secretive and closed off with her best friend. Not trusting Wade I can see but Sue is her closest friend and deserves to be trusted. I love her dogs but they're reduced to minor characters. I expected them to be more central to the mystery since one is on the cover.

My favorite character is Sue. She's a dog lover and owns a grooming salon. She's lively and fun to be around. I'd like her for a friend. Paula is also a good character. She's a librarian and a devoted wife and mother. Barry is a very sweet husband and a great boss. I like that he respects Georgie and loves her like a sister. Georgie's mom, Sandra, is a bit much to handle, at least at first. She seems like a nasty person but she has some hidden depths and I actually started to like her towards the end. Her "friend" Gregory seems smarmy and like Georgie I wouldn't trust him. I would definitely expect him to commit murder for real estate. Did he? Wade is a super boring boyfriend. I don't like how he's so conscious of his public image and I would fully expect him to be a murderer. Is he? The attorneys, The Gladstones, are also skeevy, suspicious characters though I did NOT like Georgie's negative comments about Rachel's unshaven legs. That was TOTALLY uncalled for, especially from another woman. Even so, I didn't like them very much and was convinced they could commit murder or one of them could have done it.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never thought I'd find a cozy mystery built around the heroine's plumbing job interesting. Imagine my surprise when I read this and liked it! There were some things that worked, and some that didn't, but overall I liked Sink Trap and the main characters, so I'll be picking up the second book.

What really struck me about this mystery was the fact that there was no body for the entirety of the novel. I don't think I've ever read a cozy where there wasn't even a body! The mystery is based around Georgiana's suspicions that Martha Tepper, the retired librarian, had met some kind of trouble that led to her disappearance. Her only proof is finding Martha's treasured brooch, lodged in the drain. For that reason, the mystery wasn't the most interesting; readers might actually be inclined to treat Georgiana's worries with skepticism. Initially I was a little perturbed at all the jumping to conclusions and worrying over a woman whom she barely knew, but once I got over that I realized it's really rather an interesting take on the genre. It's probably much closer to what might really happen in real life if an amateur were to do any "detecting."

I liked Georgiana, her best friend Sue, her sort-of boyfriend Wayne, and even her uptight and overly organized mother. Georgie's interesting, though there were times when I wished she'd loosen up a bit and forget about her painful past. Nothing annoys the reader more than hints constantly being dropped about what happened before, but the story's never expanded on. Only the heroine keeps harping on about it while withholding the full story. Please, Ms. Evans, either tell us about it or let Georgie build a bridge and get over it! Thankfully Georgie does seem to reach a turning point by the end of the book - she relaxes and actually trusts her friends and accept her relationship with her mother again. I have hopes that she'll grow more in the next book and we'll get past the issues.

There was one other thing that really bothered me - the constant use of incomplete sentences. I can understand some for emphasis, but a good deal of the novel's narrated by Georgie and she keeps talking like this: "Apparently, Wade wasn't about to mention my backside a second time. Which was fine with me." Or: "Long-term romances and I weren't a good match. Which was probably why I was taking things with Wade so slow." What's wrong with using a comma?!

Minor irritations aside, Sink Trap was really rather a good read if you have a few spare hours to kill. Don't let the plumbing theme scare you off, either; there are tips included at the start of every chapter, but I skipped those and was happily never bothered with jargon or detailed descriptions about how to unscrew things in the bathroom or kitchen.

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Georgiana Neverall cosy series. She's a former corporate type who gave it all and moved back home to her small town in Oregon to become an apprentice plumber, much to the chagrin of her mother, a hard-charging Type A real estate agent.

She's working on a job at the Martha Tepper house when she finds a brooch in the pipes, which ordinarily wouldn't seem odd -- people lose jewellery down their sinks all the time, right? But Martha was literally never seen without this brooch as it had much sentimental attachment for her. Georgie is convinced that something must be wrong here, although everyone shrugs this off as Martha told everyone that she was moving away.

As Georgie continues to work in the Tepper house, she begins to think the job is jinxed - a toilet breaks and falls on her foot while she's moving it, her boss falls on a broken step while walking to the basement, etc. And that's all before they discover the bloody rag and the bullet shell hidden in the basement wall.

Assisting Georgie are her best friend (who also owns a dog grooming shop, which comes in handy, since Georgie owns two dogs who often need bathing!), her high school sweetheart (who may be more interested in local politics than in her), and her boss' wife (who was close to Martha).

This was a great cozy with good pacing, fun humour, and colourful characters. I liked that each chapter opened with common sense tips about plumbing that everyone can use, and the end of the book had a list of tools that everyone should have in the toolbox. That being said, this book wasn't full of technical jargon, and people who aren't DIYers could easily follow the plot. I'll definitely be checking out the rest of this series.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's never a good sign when you spend most, really all, of the book hoping the romantic interest is either killed or the killer. That indecisiveness is a reflection of how I feel about Sink Trap, it is an okay book and at times I even liked it, so, is that a two star rating or a three star rating.

The book was quite repetitive, reminding the reader of the lead protagonist's former career, the secrets that led her home, her martial arts expertise and of her candy red 'Vette (I officially hate this word now) at least five times too many, once really is enough sometimes.

The characters were a mostly interesting set but as I read I couldn't help but notice the similarities in characterization between this book and other series mysteries - a little Charlaine Harris, a little Susan McBride, a little Sarah Graves, etc. I suppose those that don't spend a great deal of time reading cozies wouldn't notice the familiar characters, albeit with different names and faces, but I did and it became a game of sorts for me.

There was a mystery but the book seemed to stall for great lengths of time, I was a reader running in place wondering when we would start getting some clues and when the investigation would begin in a fashion that was less bumbling and half-hearted.

There are some series introductions that I read and know I'll never read another, such is not the case here. I'll read the second just to see if the dust settles, so that makes this a three-star read - just barely.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My four-sentence or less take on the plot: After Georgie's high-powered computer security job dissolves, she moves back to her hometown to become a plumber (much to her mother's dismay). When Georgie finds a brooch while unclogging a sink, she becomes worried that the brooch's owner might have been subject to foul play so she (of course) goes investigating the mystery by herself. Between dodging her overbearing mother and trying to learn a new job, Georgie has a full plate.

Rating: 7

What worked: I thought the plumbing theme was a novel (hehe!) concept. I liked the plumbing tips. Georgie was an interesting character and I thought she reacted well to the challenges of her new profession (like sexism).

What didn't: It was spectacularly obvious who the crooks were from about the second chapter. Georgie got kind of annoying with her constant suspicion of the same couple of people, for no real reason (ie Greg, her mother's boyfriend). I also am getting a little sick of the "I moved away when I was "important" and ignored all my friends but now I'm back, accepted, and enjoying my small town" trope. Honestly, I wouldn't be a fraction as understanding about my friend totally ignoring me for years and then wanting to be besties again when their life imploded and they moved back.

Keep reading? Sure.

notalwaysthebutler.blogspot.com