Competition Can Be Murder

Charlie Parker #8

by Connie Shelton

Charlie and Drake are spending a few months in Scotland, fulfilling a helicopter contract for a friend. Flying over the frigid North Sea is dangerous enough, but they soon learn that there is an ongoing feud between the helicopter operators in the area and the union-run boat operators. Charlie and Drake find themselves right in the midst of the battle.

The upside of the assignment is that they are experiencing life on a Scottish estate, living in a rented cottage on the elegant grounds of historic Dunworthy Castle. The resident lord and lady of the manor have problems of their own--several valuable lambs from their flock have gone missing and Robert Dunbar wants Charlie to investigate. And then there is the Dunbar's grandson, Richie, who is visiting with two friends. When Richie is kidnapped and the ransom demands begin, Charlie tries to convince the Dunbars to call the police but they resist. Before she knows it, Charlie finds herself pulled into the vortex of that dark mystery.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Crime

326 pages, ebook

First published April 15, 2004

About the author

My love of books started with weekly trips to the library as a child and from the moment I learned to read I can't remember a time that I didn't have at least one book going. For the past 25 years, that list has grown to include what I'm reading and what I'm writing at any given time.

I began writing my Charlie Parker series when my husband and I lived on Kauai, then continued them in my home state of New Mexico. Charlie lives in Albuquerque and manages to travel to a variety of locations, wherever her investigation business and her husband's helicopter business take them. My second series featuring Samantha Sweet, the 50-ish woman who breaks into houses for a living, is set in Taos, New Mexico.

In addition to reading and writing, I've traveled quite a lot, taught writing courses, and been a speaker at a whole lot of mystery conventions and writing conferences. In my spare time I also love to paint, draw, cook and spend time at the beach.

Series:
* Charlie Parker Mystery

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie and Drake are in Scotland flying supplies to oil rigs as a favor to a friend of Drake. The union of boat suppliers are harassing them. Each trip is dangerous.Charlie makes friends with her landlord and becomes involved with a kidnapping. The book has a number of twist and turns to hold your interest. I felt the danger all the that Charlie found herself in little unbelievable.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The synopsis for the book was for a different book, so it confused me for a bit. I wondered where Drake disappeared to if Charlie was in her 80s and living with a roommate. But once I found out what the story was about, it was a pageturner and biting your nails to the quick journey when Charlie's helicopter went down and it was a race to see if she could hold on until she was rescued. Loved the book and looking forward to the next one.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts were good; other parts not so much. The lambs...meh. The competition, intense at times & the best of the three mysteries at play. The kidnapping...I had figured out very early. I wondered why Charlie never considered that for the longest time, but she did have a lot on her mind. I was very glad to have Drake back in the picture. At this rate, they may never go on another vacation.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I was dreading this book because the last narrator nearly ruined the two previous books but Rebecca Cook did a fantastic job. I’m not a fan of accents but Rebecca was outstanding. The story was suspenseful, engaging and very well written. I look forward to the next 12 in this series. Thanks Connie and Rebecca

[Jeffrey Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading mysteries in places I’ve been. In this case, Inverness, Scotland. Referencing areas of interest, like Culloden Moor, and its visitor center, while reading about Charlie and Drake? I enjoyed it immensely!

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Charlie Parker adventures just gets better and better. She is not only a CPA, a private investigator, but also a helicopter pilot.

I usually cannot stop reading until the whole book is done.

[Jan Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure if it was a flaw in the writing or a diversion tactic. This is set is Scotland. A shepherd told an American woman two lambs were orphaned. This could be due to wolves or big cats or wolves, neither of which Scotland has. The sheep were stolen from a neighbor.

[Kathie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoopla audio did not care for this one, maybe it was the accent

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie and Drake get around. Not sure about the subplot about the lambs

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually was a Books in Motion audio - not listed and not able to add. Excellent.

[Connie Whitcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one even though the heroes were far from Albuquerque.

[Ginger Osborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Started series a couple weeks ago. Love how each book gets more intense. I like the characters and how they grow and change. Looking forward to next in the series

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one really didn't work for me. During a working holiday to Scotland, three mysteries arise - the theft of some lambs, the kidnapping of a teen, and helicopter sabotage.

The characters really didn't come across as believable Scots to me, and there were a couple of clangers (Dogs to guard against wolves in Scotland. Seriously.). But more to the point, with the mystery regarding the teen, the culprit was highly obvious once a "need money" motive had been uncovered. As for the helicopter issues: it appears to boil down to evil unions are evil - the culprits there seemed barely real people - just hulking union heavies happy to commit murder. I could not get over the idea that a helicopter pilot could be shot without causing an enormous fuss (guns are _not_ common), let alone the loss of a helicopter the very next day being considered not related to the shooting!

The story just failed on the credibility front for me.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the one where the husband is a helicopter pilot and the wife is a detective. she is now a pilot too. this book is in ireland. i didnt like it, it didnt have the dog in it. some kid in a castle staged his own kidnapping and the owner of teh helicopter got killed. they were leaving for home at the end of the book. the other book was better..

[Leslie Ferrari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Parker has not one or two, but three mysteries to solve while working with her husband flying helicopters in Scotland. The bad guys are fairly predictable but there are some interesting twists.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t want this series to end