Title: Nothing But Trouble
Author: Susan May Warren
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Publication Date: April 2, 2009
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-1414313122
Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Christian

From the Publisher:

It’s not fair to say that trouble happens every time PJ Sugar is around, but it feels that way when she returns to her home town, looking for a fresh start. Within a week, her former teacher is murdered and her best friend’s husband is arrested as the number-one suspect. Although the police detective investigating the murder—who also happens to be PJ’s former flame—is convinced it’s an open-and-shut case, PJ’s not so sure. She begins digging for clues in an effort to clear her friend’s husband and ends up reigniting old passions, uncovering an international conspiracy, and solving a murder along the way. She also discovers that maybe God can use a woman who never seems to get it right.

My Review:

Nothing But Trouble is the first book in Susan May Warren’s PJ Sugar series. The reader is introduced to fun and quirky PJ Sugar who is finally returning home to Kellogg, Minnesota after being run out of town on her graduation day. Her homecoming is about as PJ expects, except running into her old boyfriend who is now a police officer, part of the reason she was run out of town. To make matters worse, PJ is left to care for her 4-year-old nephew, whom she has never met, while her sister goes off on her honeymoon, what could possibly go wrong in two short weeks? The reader is soon introduced to the quirky inhabitants of this charming small town and trouble seems to follow PJ wherever she goes. When her best friend’s husband is arrested for murder PJ decides to do some digging around on her own to uncover the identity of the true murderer. PJ Sugar is a loveable and rather sharp-witted character, the novel is quite engaging as well as endearing and I would recommend Nothing But Trouble to anyone looking for a charming cozy mystery, but be prepared to want to immediately follow-up with the next novel in the series, Double Trouble.

Title: Double Trouble
Author: Susan May Warren
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Publication Date: January 11, 2010
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-1414313139
Genre: Fiction/Mystery/Christian

From the Publisher:

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.

My Review:

Double Trouble takes up where Nothing But Trouble leaves off, with PJ training to become a Private Investigator and working alongside Jeremy Kane, PI. However, Susan May Warren makes the book easy enough to follow for those readers who have yet to read her first PJ Sugar novel, Nothing But Trouble. However, I strongly recommend reading the novels in order as it allows, in my opinion, for a better understanding of the dynamics between the characters as well as the growth of the characters. As usual, PJ Sugar tries so hard to be perfect and realizes at times quite painfully, that she is human like the rest of us. Double Trouble is without a doubt a page-turner and while I was secretly hoping for the book to head in a different direction toward the end, it is with anticipation that I await the third novel to read which direction PJ Sugar’s life will take. Then again, maybe by the time I am reading the third novel, Licensed For Trouble, my views will have completely changed or maybe PJ’s will, but either way, time will tell. As for Double Trouble, I highly recommend this book as well as the first in the series, Nothing But Trouble, for anyone looking for a delightful, witty, cozy mystery.

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. Her larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com

The full tour schedule is here.

I received a complimentary copies of Nothing But Trouble and Double Trouble by Susan May Warren from LitFuse Publicity Group. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.