⇒ [PDF] Double Whammy A Davis Way Crime Caper Volume 1 Gretchen Archer 9781938383366 Books

Double Whammy A Davis Way Crime Caper Volume 1 Gretchen Archer 9781938383366 Books

Download As PDF : Double Whammy A Davis Way Crime Caper Volume 1 Gretchen Archer 9781938383366 Books

Double Whammy A Davis Way Crime Caper Volume 1 Gretchen Archer 9781938383366 Books

Davis Way used to be a cop in Pine Apple, Alabama. Her name may sound like a road and the name of the town may look misspelled, but really, that's her name and Pine Apple is truly the town from which she hails. She used to be married. To Eddie Crawford. Twice. It didn't work out the first time and it's hard to figure why she married him a second time.

In the course of the second divorce from her first-and-second husband -- she refers to him as her ex-ex -- she (and he) behaved extremely badly. Badly enough to get her fired by her father with two-way retraining orders on her and her ex-ex. The details of what happened are never provided. I suspect that future books will flush out that piece of history.

She's hired by a Biloxi casino to find out how someone is beating the machines to collect the jackpot on their Double Whammy Poker slot machines. The terms of her employment are murky and never fully explained. From the get-go, Davis is sure that there's some wrong with the entire setup but she needs the job. She been unemployed a long time and she needs an income.

It's hard to do your job when you aren't entirely sure what it is. Harder still when nobody is who or what they appear, including Davis herself. Davis gets in deeper and deeper until she is about to be swallowed by the crime she is investigating. Eventually, with help from unexpected parties, she extracts herself from the quagmire that threatens to keep her in prison for a very long time.

Mostly, I liked it.

The book is funny with a nice ironic style. The biggest problem for me were narrative leaps. Key transitions are missing and I found myself backing up and rereading to make sure I didn't miss something. Even a couple of words to bridge those gaps would have been helpful.

Too much of humor derives from "thought balloons." Davis is "made funny" by overlaying her with a kind of foolishness that is out of character. True, she comes from a small town, but she's no hick. She has university degrees in Computer Science and Criminology. There's not a dumb bone in her body. Jokes at her expense made me uncomfortable. I would suggest finding humor in the situation rather than the character. Perhaps I'm nit-picking but it bothered me.

The plot is complicated and contains more characters than are entirely necessary. Too much unexplained -- but hinted at -- personal history and baggage. Presumably there will be explanations forthcoming in future episodes. I would have preferred fewer complications and a smoother narrative.

That being said, I like Davis Way. She's observant, creative, dedicated and brave. She has a lot of heart. The book is uneven but it's a fresh voice I'd like to hear from again.

As a first novel, Double Whammy is ambitious and well-realized. The author has a good, clear voice. She has the ability to create a story with plenty of action and make me believe it. Despite the bumpiness, despite trying a bit too hard, she handles a complex plot, a whole bunch of characters, a love story and accompanying back stories and still manages to tie up the ends. That's a significant accomplishment for a new author. I'm convinced as Ms. Archer gains skill at her craft, her characters will grow and mature too.

It's a pretty good book. Not deathless prose but fast-paced, lively and charming. It leaves plenty of room for character development and future stories. If there are more books in the series, I will read them. I'm expecting good things from Gretchen Archer.

She has been compared to Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum). There are similarities in their writing styles, but that's where the resemblance ends. Davis Way is potentially a very strong character. She a computer expert and criminologist. She's been brought up by a police chief father and knows how to handle weapons. She's got the instincts of a real detective and I hope the author develops these qualities. Davis could be a terrific sleuth.


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Double Whammy A Davis Way Crime Caper Volume 1 Gretchen Archer 9781938383366 Books Reviews

I'm having a hard time rating this one, somewhere between a 3 1/2 and 4 star. What bothered me was the flashbacks and too many extra stories, it got a little overwhelming at times. Also when Davis was in the Pokey, I had a hard time with a few things there, I don't want to say what to avoid spoilers, but I found it a bit too much. Now what I did like was Davis is a jump in there kind of woman. She gets a job in security to figure out slot machines jackpotting too often. She is also sent to other areas to figure out problems (the extra stories that I mentioned). They were interesting and entertaining but a bit much with the main story going on. I will say that this book is non stop, and keeps you guessing to what is going to happen next, because a few things I just didn't see coming. I had quite a few laughs while reading, her father seems to be the most stable character, and I loved George the cab driver. I will continue on with this series and hope that it tones down just a little, to concentrate on the main story, this was a fun read and different from the usual cozies I read.
First it was Janet Evanovich, then Laura Levine. More recently Barbara Allan. And now Gretchen Archer has joined my very special list of authors to whom I owe an unpayable, incalculable debt of gratitude for being 100% GUARANTEED to make me laugh, whether times are dreadful, fabulous, or anywhere in between. Double Whammy is not only funny, but over-the-top clever, and a terrific plot. Charmed one minute, howling with laughter the next, and deeply touched the minute after that. Repeat!
It's that good. Give it a try. Have some laughs and enjoy the cleverness. Fall in love with Davis Way.
It's a fun ride.
And hey, are those pineapple recipes?
Gretchen Archer has become my favorite "cozy mystery" author, and I read a LOT. I've read her Davis Way Crime Caper series up through her 5th book Double Knot, and I'm anxiously awaiting Double Up, due out in March 2017. if you are looking for a series that will knock your socks off you are in the right place! Seriously, her books are like crack to me. Davis Way is a hilarious laugh-out-loud heroine who kicks ass and takes names. The witty dialogue is in a class by itself, the characters such unique individuals, and the mystery is not one that you will figure out during the first half of the book -- I promise! My sister and I were on vacation together and I loaned her my as I was going to bed early one night -- I heard her laughing well into the night and I knew another fan had been born... Long live Davis Way!
I have gotten sucked into reading more than one book that was supposedly comparable to the incomparable Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I have decided, however, that a wacky heroine with crazy situations doesn't always make her an equal to Stephanie, who is one of my very favorite book characters. When I saw, though, that Queen Janet had written an endorsement of Gretchen Archer's Davis Way books, I decided that it was worthy of a read, and I'm so glad I did. Davis Way is a Southern girl and former cop who gets a job working security at the Belissimo casino in Biloxi. An offshoot of this job is being a body double for the casino owner's spoiled brat of a wife. Davis is surrounded with a great cast of supporting characters, who have made me laugh out loud. A lot. Which is my acid test for a comparison to Stephanie. I have read all the books in this series, and they get better & better. And you learn something as well about the gaming industry and cop stuff. Archer obviously has done her research. Looking forward to the next Davis book, and I think you will enjoy this series!
Davis Way used to be a cop in Pine Apple, Alabama. Her name may sound like a road and the name of the town may look misspelled, but really, that's her name and Pine Apple is truly the town from which she hails. She used to be married. To Eddie Crawford. Twice. It didn't work out the first time and it's hard to figure why she married him a second time.

In the course of the second divorce from her first-and-second husband -- she refers to him as her ex-ex -- she (and he) behaved extremely badly. Badly enough to get her fired by her father with two-way retraining orders on her and her ex-ex. The details of what happened are never provided. I suspect that future books will flush out that piece of history.

She's hired by a Biloxi casino to find out how someone is beating the machines to collect the jackpot on their Double Whammy Poker slot machines. The terms of her employment are murky and never fully explained. From the get-go, Davis is sure that there's some wrong with the entire setup but she needs the job. She been unemployed a long time and she needs an income.

It's hard to do your job when you aren't entirely sure what it is. Harder still when nobody is who or what they appear, including Davis herself. Davis gets in deeper and deeper until she is about to be swallowed by the crime she is investigating. Eventually, with help from unexpected parties, she extracts herself from the quagmire that threatens to keep her in prison for a very long time.

Mostly, I liked it.

The book is funny with a nice ironic style. The biggest problem for me were narrative leaps. Key transitions are missing and I found myself backing up and rereading to make sure I didn't miss something. Even a couple of words to bridge those gaps would have been helpful.

Too much of humor derives from "thought balloons." Davis is "made funny" by overlaying her with a kind of foolishness that is out of character. True, she comes from a small town, but she's no hick. She has university degrees in Computer Science and Criminology. There's not a dumb bone in her body. Jokes at her expense made me uncomfortable. I would suggest finding humor in the situation rather than the character. Perhaps I'm nit-picking but it bothered me.

The plot is complicated and contains more characters than are entirely necessary. Too much unexplained -- but hinted at -- personal history and baggage. Presumably there will be explanations forthcoming in future episodes. I would have preferred fewer complications and a smoother narrative.

That being said, I like Davis Way. She's observant, creative, dedicated and brave. She has a lot of heart. The book is uneven but it's a fresh voice I'd like to hear from again.

As a first novel, Double Whammy is ambitious and well-realized. The author has a good, clear voice. She has the ability to create a story with plenty of action and make me believe it. Despite the bumpiness, despite trying a bit too hard, she handles a complex plot, a whole bunch of characters, a love story and accompanying back stories and still manages to tie up the ends. That's a significant accomplishment for a new author. I'm convinced as Ms. Archer gains skill at her craft, her characters will grow and mature too.

It's a pretty good book. Not deathless prose but fast-paced, lively and charming. It leaves plenty of room for character development and future stories. If there are more books in the series, I will read them. I'm expecting good things from Gretchen Archer.

She has been compared to Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum). There are similarities in their writing styles, but that's where the resemblance ends. Davis Way is potentially a very strong character. She a computer expert and criminologist. She's been brought up by a police chief father and knows how to handle weapons. She's got the instincts of a real detective and I hope the author develops these qualities. Davis could be a terrific sleuth.