Review/Giveaway: Double Trouble

A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!

Title: Double Trouble
Author: Susan May Warren
Genre: Christian fiction
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.
Entry deadline: February 25, 2010
Restrictions: Open internationally!

That's right, enter right here for this giveaway. And it's a brand new book! Thanks to Litfuse Publicity for the review copy AND the giveaway copy...

And if you're a US resident, you can fill out a form on Facebook by 2/20/10 to win a $150 SUPER SLEUTH prize package that includes:

• A brand new iPod Shuffle (perfect for those all-night stakeouts)
• A $10 iTunes gift card (we recommend the ALIAS soundtrack)
• A $10 Amazon gift card (why yes, they do sell spy pens)
• A $10 Starbucks gift card (for fuel, obviously)
• A pair of designer sunglasses (be stealthy AND super chic)
• A gorgeous scarf from World Market (can also be used as a blindfold, and/or for tying up bad guys)
• AND signed copies of both Nothing But Trouble & Double Trouble. (romance! danger! intrigue! sooo much better than Surveillance for Dummies!)

You can also enter via Twitter or email.

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On to the book...

Double Trouble is the second book in Susan May Warren's PJ Sugar series. This 352-page paperback, published by Tyndale Fiction, was released this month and has a list price of $13.99. For more information about the author, visit the author's website. Visit Litfuse Publicity for more information about this tour.

Here's how the publisher describes the book:

With one solved case under her belt, PJ Sugar is ready to dive into her career as a private investigator. Or at least a PI’s assistant until she can prove herself to Jeremy Kane, her new boss. Suddenly PJ’s seeing crime everywhere. But is it just in her head, or can she trust her instincts? When she takes on her first official case—house-sitting for a witness in protective custody—Jeremy assures her there’s no danger involved. But it soon becomes clear that there is someone after the witness . . . and now they’re after PJ, too.

And some info about the author:

Susan May Warren served with her husband and four children as a missionary in
Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. Susan and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church. Susan holds a BA in mass communications from the University of Minnesota.

My Review

This book was a pleasure to read. A good mystery, a touch of romance with two potential suitors, and a perfectly human heroine. The cast includes "interesting" Russian inlaws, a colorful hairdresser in need of a double, an eccentric aging actress, a SERIOUS softball team, and an assortment of possible villains. Not to mention the assortment of colorful vehicles... And donuts...

I was going to say this book was pure fun, but with all the adventure and life-threatening drama, that wouldn't be quite accurate, though pretty close to the truth.

And it's packed with a powerful message, too. Here's the answer PJ's boss gives her when she asks him how long he's been a Christian: "Long enough to know that whenever I think I've got it right, then I need to watch out. That's usually a couple steps before I fall on my face... Then you crawl on your knees to the throne of grace, because God loves you and wants to save you."

It's all about grace. That's the biggest mystery of all.

I did not read the first book in this series, and this one stands perfectly well on its own. However, I really want to read the first one now - I think Susan May Warren has just made it onto my list of favorite authors.