Stalking Susan

A good book that is different from other types of detective novels. A lot of humor and a good mix of characters, made this hard to put down.

Love to read books by local authors.

Cool new author (new to me) writing about a flawed TV reporter who investigates a possible series of murders, or are they? Very good at setting up several suspects and having love interests that aren't sappy...as a former journalist, I think she captures the attitude of journalists everywhere -- no cookie cutter stereotypes...slower paced than the Laura Lippman book I just...more

Cool new author (new to me) writing about a flawed TV reporter who investigates a possible series of murders, or are they? Very good at setting up several suspects and having love interests that aren't sappy...as a former journalist, I think she captures the attitude of journalists everywhere -- no cookie cutter stereotypes...slower paced than the Laura Lippman book I just read, but faster and easier to follow all of the characters than Carol Higgins Clark's Zapped which I recently finished...I would definitely recommend this as a beach read or a late night book.   hide

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and fun... I enjoyed this debut of a series featuring spunky 36-year-old television news reporter, Riley Spartz. (She reminds me of a smarter, more sophisticated Stephanie Plum.) This funny, improbable, and likeable heroine uses her investigative talents to bring some closure to two homicides. An old friend, ex cop Nick Garnett, has retired from the...more

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and fun... I enjoyed this debut of a series featuring spunky 36-year-old television news reporter, Riley Spartz. (She reminds me of a smarter, more sophisticated Stephanie Plum.) This funny, improbable, and likeable heroine uses her investigative talents to bring some closure to two homicides. An old friend, ex cop Nick Garnett, has retired from the force to take a job in security at the Mall of America, but can't leave behind an unsolved cold case involving two dead women named Susan. He gives Riley the case files, hoping that she can use it to bolster her self esteem and regain status at her job after a harrowing personal experience. Both women were killed on November 19, but are as different as can be, and Riley feels that there might be something more to this - is there a serial killer involved here and are there more cases? This humorous story is not a typical blood and guts thriller detailing grisly murders and gory torture - it's more focused on the activities of Riley and gives us an insider view of sweeps week at a television station. Set in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, the author gives a lot of description and fun local color that adds to the story. Riley has a sense of humor and a self deprecating nature that provides a character driven novel which focuses less on the murders and the murderer than it does on the methods she uses to get to the bottom of the escalating situation. In addition, there are some side plots that get her into trouble at the station with the news director and the lawyers. Her friends, neighbors, and coworkers all provide a foil for her determination to bring the investigation to a conclusion. Even though it becomes predictable as far as the "whodunit", I think you'll enjoy this one, so set aside an evening and help Riley figure out why those Susans died.   hide

I love crime dramas and this one is set in the Twin Cities in Minnesota where my stepson lives, so that was kind of fun!

I kept reading and hearing about this book and wanted to snatch it up as quickly as possible. I ran right home and started reading it. I was bored after the first couple of pages. Nothing grabbed my attention. But I decided to drudge through and it give it a chance. It was a quick read and before I knew it I was up to page 198. I put the book down and reflected on how I felt about the book...more

I kept reading and hearing about this book and wanted to snatch it up as quickly as possible. I ran right home and started reading it. I was bored after the first couple of pages. Nothing grabbed my attention. But I decided to drudge through and it give it a chance. It was a quick read and before I knew it I was up to page 198. I put the book down and reflected on how I felt about the book at that point. It wasn’t horrible. Worse. It was forgettable. I still had no bonds to the characters even though some back story was given on them. I didn’t really care who the killer was, or if the lead character was going to be killed or not. I was tired of being schooled on cop talk and news-caster talk. About ten pages away from the ending, there was still no suspense. I wasn’t enticed to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next. Everything seems really choppy and disjointed and contained absolutely no drama. This book is listed under: mystery and thriller. Neither of which actually appeared in the book. I just have two words for this book. SADLY DISAPPOINTING   hide

THIS WAS GREAT! And I only read it because Julie Kramer won the Minnesota Book Award the same night my partner did. I really like her style in writing a mystery. Her style reminds me of the R. D. Zimmer (aka Robert Alexander) Todd Mills series. It was a fantastic mystery, and being set in Minneapolis, really was fun. I did figure out who the murder was early on in the novel, but...more

THIS WAS GREAT! And I only read it because Julie Kramer won the Minnesota Book Award the same night my partner did. I really like her style in writing a mystery. Her style reminds me of the R. D. Zimmer (aka Robert Alexander) Todd Mills series. It was a fantastic mystery, and being set in Minneapolis, really was fun. I did figure out who the murder was early on in the novel, but still, it was fun to see how the whole thing progressed. I just ordered her 2nd book, "Missing Mark." Truly a great mystery for you Minnesota mystery lovers!   hide