A Bad Day for Pretty: A Crime Novel (Stella Hardesty Crime Novels, 2)

Not too many second books follow a great debut in a series and don't disappoint the reader but "A Bad Day For Pretty" follows up A Bad Day for Sorry: A Crime Novel with a bang. Tornadoes, mummies, almost ex-wives and all these just when Stella was thinking things were heating up for her and Sheriff Goat Jones (and she and her daughter put so much effort into Stella's mini-makeover). Good, consistent tight writing. Lots of humor. Maybe a little thin plot-wise but I don't think these books are going to be known for heavy, thought provoking reads. But saying that, both the first book and this one surprised me a couple of times - hard to do. I like that Chrissy is developing into a strong character, too, with a lot of inner strengths of her own. I very definitely recommend this and the previous book to anyone who needs a good laugh, or wants to see the bad guys get what's coming to them. There is some rough language and some violence.

A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY marks the return of Stella Hardesty -- the sewing-shop owner who "rehabilitates" abusive men the hard way -- and it is fantastic. The author, Sophie Littlefield, has managed to bring back the cast of characters from the first book and yet alter their roles so that new facets of their personalities emerge. Sheriff Goat Jones, the ruggedly handsome object of Stella's affection in the first book, is overwhelmed by the women in his life in this one, especially by the drunken diva who is his (almost) ex-wife and by a colleague who is sexually harassing him. Chrissy Shaw, Stella's client in the first book, is back as her surprisingly ingenuous assistant. Most interesting is Stella herself: when a man she's "rehabilitated" in the past is accused of murder, Stella wants to help him, but doing so requires that she take a long, hard look at herself. As Littlefield writes: "A thought nagged distressingly close to the surface of Stella's mind, tickling her guilt buttons. If this was one of her regular clients, which was to say one of her woman clients, nothing would get in the way of Stella making sure she got exactly as much defending and protecting and avenging as Stella could possibly provide, long hours and personal danger be damned." The book is one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a while.

Ms. Littlefield is a master at capturing those hard emotional moments, and playing them out over the course of a mystery. This one threatens to do a lot of damage before it is unraveled, and I was worried about Stella and the inhabitants of her world from first page to last. The author's voice in this series is honest, refreshing, and if I may say so, ballsy. Oh, and funny--the only way to survive some things is to laugh at them. This second book contains plenty of surprises: it's a little different in scope and tone than the first, as it must be, for the mystery and the nature of Stella's problems have grown as she has grown. I love going to new places with characters who continue to grow, so this book was a blast to read, and lingers long after others have faded. One of my favorites -- it's easy to see why it's been nominated for so many awards.

If you can't wait for Janet Evanovich's SIZZLING SIXTEEN to be released on June 22, Sophie Littlefield's BAD DAY series will make your day at the beach. If Stephanie Plum had an aunt living in the Show Me State (Missouri), it would be Stella Hardesty. Stella's a younger version of Grandma Mazur and gets herself into as much trouble. Stella and her new side-kick Chrissy Shaw are survivors of domestic violence. A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY opens with a PTSD flashback to the day a tornado took out Stella's beloved uncle. Stella and Chrissy are still recovering from the wounds sustained in a tussle with the Mob at the end of A BAD DAY FOR SORRY. The pair, however, find themselves lusting after new men. Stella has the hots for Sheriff Goat Jones, and Chrissy charms the pants off a computer geek named Larry Klipsinger. He teaches her how to become a computer hacker. Goat's estranged wife Brandy Truax blows back into his life like the tornado that's brewing outside, and she creates the same level of chaos and destruction. The tornado uproots the snack shack on the county fairgrounds revealing the mummified body of a blond. Neb Donovan, a husband rehabilitated from his wife-beating ways by Stella, is the prime suspect. He was addicted to OxyContin, a hillbilly's heroin. There are so many whacky plot twists loaded with humor and romance that I forgot the book is a who-done-it until the identity of the killer is revealed at the end. The clue was so subtle that I missed it entirely ~ my favorite kind of mystery. The mystery within the mystery is which woman in the trio making eyes at Goat will capture his heart. He and Stella are the "yin and yang of holistic justice." He thought he was divorced from Brandy. And, ambitious co-worker Daphne Simmons is sexually harassing him. A BAD DAY FOR PRETTY is laugh-out-loud funny as well as thought-provoking. A great read.

From the front cover that gives an excellent idea of what our main character does every once in awhile, to the end of the story, I believe you will love this book as much as I did! A Bad Day for Pretty by Sophie Littlefield is the second book written by Ms. Littlefield, but here is one reader who hopes that there will be many bad days to come! I've already ordered A Bad Day for Sorry, Littlefield's first book... Stella Hardesty was once a victim of an abusive husband...that is, until she decided she had had enough and killed him! Now she helps other women who are in trouble. No she doesn't kill them, she just gives them a little bit, or a lot, if necessary, of what they've given to their spouse, preferably using her favorite bat! The fun thing about the storyline is that even though she's on the shady side of the law, she is very attracted to Goat Jones...the "Sheriff!" Now that's living a little dangerously, don't you think? But from what I read about Goat's looks, can't say I can blame her... Stella was having a cozy dinner with Goat that he had prepared, and she was hoping for something more when Goat's wife knocks on the door! The interactions between the three of these individuals throughout the book added greatly to its enjoyment. Goat thought he was divorced, had been acting on that assumption for about three years...but then realized that, she was right, the final papers had never been signed! Added to that trio are Chrissy and her son Tucker, who calls Stella, "Sow" and steals her rubber clogs... Tucker had been kidnapped months ago and Stella had helped Chrissy rescue him. They had become close and now Chrissy was working with Stella. Another tornado had hit and this time, it had a former client calling because her husband was being held by the Sheriff. Nebuchadnezzar Donovan was the lone man who had responded favorably to Stella's program for spouse beaters and she considered him fully rehabilitated, so she was quite willing to help, even if she had to face Sheriff Jones not too long after his wife had reappeared... Now Stella knew that Neb had once been addicted to a pain medication, which was known to have side affects, so she decided that she really should talk to his doctor to verify whether hallucinations or loss of memory could be part of the issue. Why? Well, Neb had built that building that had been demolished by the storm...but he sure didn't remember burying no woman underneath the building! Of course, things get even more complicated when Goat's wife former live-in lover comes to town and torches her car...and surprisingly, she calls Stella to come help her! Seriously, if this sounds like one screwed up bunch of characters, well, you are partially right...but mostly you will find lots to love about them...I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, you're right... but there is also a murder mystery to be solved and Stella had a major role in solving that case! Do you enjoy the every-day hero or heroine that i