Hazardous Duty

I love a combination of romance, mystery, and comedy and this book made me laugh out loud, try to figure out whodunit, and cheer for the two main characters, so I was happy to discover author Christy Barritt. Great introduction to a wonderful series! I couldn't wait for the next in the series to come out! A great read!

Some women have interesting careers. Some women have interesting neighbors and friends. Then there are the women with active imaginations and creative minds. And very few women face a murderer and find God. Gabby St. Claire has all that and more. For Gabby, life as a crime-scene cleaner is far from glamorous. her days are spent cleaning up other people's messes and trying to think of a jingle to advertise her business. How exactly does one advertise cleaning up a murder scene? When a routine cleanup uncovers a murder weapon her inquisitive nature takes over. Lessons learned in forensics school become invaluable as she becomes self-made sleuth. Sure she knows who the murderer is and equally sure Detective parker does not care she noses around on her own. With the help of a good looking new neighbor she uncovers a trail pointing directly to her suspect. And he is not the man the police have in custody. Her perseverance almost causes her to be the next victim. Will Riley, the neighbor or Detective parker save her? If you want a calm, peaceful read, this is not the book. The action begins on page one and continues until the end. The characters grab. The mystery intrigues. And gabby's mixture of stubborn boldness and humor compel you to read more. Clear your calendar, you won't stop reading.

Gabby St. Clair wants to be a CSI specialist. She's always loved science and mystery. Family trouble demanded her time and she didn't finish college. Now, she's given up her dream so she can clean up after murders, assaults and the occasional cat lady. But with her inclination toward crime solving, Gabby can't help but notice some things don't add up at the site of a murder. And when she takes her suspicion to the police, she's met with incompetence or maybe it's a cover-up. And then a bomb shows up on her doorstep. She's definitely making someone nervous. Hazardous Duty switches pace from comedy to spine tingling suspense with quick deft skill. Barritt has a great cast of odd-ball characters backing up her heroine: a way-too-cute new neighbor who stacks up to be a bum like Gabby's dad; a vegan who is willing to give a pro-animal speech at the least provocation; and a cop who looks like Brad Pitt and who might be trying to kill Gabby. Hazardous Duty by Christy Barritt as much fun as I've had reading a book in a while. I feel like Christian fiction, which I love and write, has just turned a corner with this book. It's as funny and fast paced as any book, created with Christian readers in mind with no offensive language or situations--unless picking skull fragments out of a wall offends you--which is possible. It's pure entertainment with a Christian worldview. - Debbie W. Wilson, [...]

Merry Maids meets CSI! Hazardous Duty is a light hearted mystery with engaging characters and plot twists that will keep you wondering what happens next! Crime scene cleaner, Gabby St Claire is a smart and sassy college dropout with bills to pay and a freeloading father to care for. After discovering the murder weapon at a routine crime scene cleanup, the forensic scientist in her comes out. Not only does she catch the killer, but she finds a couple of things she wasn't looking for. Like love and a new interest in faith. I highly recommend this first book and plan on following Gabby St. Claire in her next adventures.

Talk about strange job descriptions, Gabby St. Clair is a crime scene cleaner. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. She can restore a scene to, if not it's original appearance, at least to something the average person can look at without throwing up. At first this seems like a routine job, until Gabby turns up the murder weapon someone used to kill the wife of a powerful politician, someone tries to burn down the house with Gabby inside, and her employee is in jail on an arson charge. Gabby St. Clair is a spunky, spirited stubborn heroine who is on a mission to track down a cold-blooded killer. She is also trying to fend off Riley Thomas, her new, good looking neighbor, and detective Chip Parker, who bears a strong resemblence to Brad Pitt. Hazardous Duty is a delightful blend of humor and suspense, with a cast of quirky characters and a twisted plot that will keep the reader turning pages to the end.

Hazardous Duty is what Christian Fiction has been working toward for years. A book that's presented in such an entertaining way it will appeal to everyone. So many Christian readers want a book that doesn't offend their faith but they want to be entertained, that's why most readers read, for fun. Christy Barritt just does it all in Hazardous Duty. Laugh out loud, spine tingling suspense, every character is worth lingering over, except you can't linger when someone's trying to kill our heroine. A book worth reading again and again.