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    Come Hell or Highball: A Mystery
    Come Hell or Highball: A Mystery
    Come Hell or Highball: A Mystery
    Audiobook9 hours

    Come Hell or Highball: A Mystery

    Written by Maia Chance

    Narrated by Suzy Jackson

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    30-year-old society matron Lola Woodby has survived her loveless marriage with an unholy mixture of highballs, detective novels, and chocolate layer cake, until, her husband dies suddenly, leaving her his fortune.or so Lola thought. As it turns out, all she inherits from Alfie is a big pile of debt. Pretty soon, Lola and her stalwart Swedish cook, Berta, are reduced to hiding out in the secret love nest Alfie kept in New York City. But when rent comes due, Lola and Berta have no choice but to accept an offer made by one of Alfie's girls-on-the-side at his funeral: in exchange for a handsome sum of money, the girl wants Lola to retrieve a mysterious reel of film for her. It sounds like an easy enough way to earn the rent money. But Lola and Berta realize they're in way over their heads when, before they can retrieve it, the man currently in possession of the film reel is murdered, and the reel disappears. On a quest to retrieve the reel and solve the murder before the killer comes after them next, Lola and Berta find themselves navigating one wacky situation after another in high style and low company. Charming, witty, often laugh-out-loud funny, Maia Chance's Come Hell or Highball introduces a sparkling new voice in crime fiction. MAIA CHANCE was a finalist for the 2004 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington. She is writing her dissertation on nineteenth-century American literature.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateSep 15, 2015
    ISBN9781490699417
    Come Hell or Highball: A Mystery
    Author

    Maia Chance

    Maia Chance, national and bestselling author, writes mystery novels that are rife with absurd predicaments and romantic adventure. She was born in rural Washington State, grew up in the small-town of Moscow, Idaho, and after living in upstate New York and Boston for a decade, she returned to the Seattle area. She now makes her home with her family on magical Bainbridge Island.

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    Reviews for Come Hell or Highball

    4/5

    83 ratings7 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Prohibition era; Lola's husband dies of a heart attack and she discovers he wasn't as rich as she'd thought. She and her cook Berta are without house and home, and while hiding out in her husband's heretofore unknown love nest in the city, agree to retrieve a film reel for one of her late husband's mistresses. Thus begins what is supposed to be a madcap and hilarious adventure into mystery and mayhem. Eh. Either I was off my game or the book was. Nothing struck me as madcap so much as it did silly (and there's a subtle difference, in my opinion). Lola failed to elicit much sympathy from me, her mother was annoying in all the wrong ways, her brother in law unrealistically meddlesome (he kept trying to gaslight Lola) and Berta was sorta weird. The romantic tension that was supposed to exist between Ralph and Lola was absent. The mystery plot was all over the place; incredibly complicated, and hinged on unknown information until the very end. Now that I've beaten the poor book to death, for all that it wasn't a bad read. It kept me entertained enough to keep reading, it just didn't hook me, or bond me to the characters in any way that will result in my desire to read any additional books in the series. Which is a shame, because I do love the Prohibition-era setting.
    • 4/5
      This was a delightful gem of a book not so much as a twisting mystery with a few red herrings but rather for it witty dialogue. There's the food loving widow of a philandering husband and her trusty cook on the case and it's Prohibition time. Gangsters, wealthy 5th Avenue matrons and speakeasies abound. At the heart of the story is the film industry and all the usual characters one can imagine. Cute start to this series.
    • 4/5
      Recently widowed High Society Matron, Lola Woodby, is less than distraught over the sudden loss of her husband. She'd spent most of her marriage estranged from her husband and getting through the days with a mixture of highballs, mystery novels, and chocolate. But following her husband's death, Lola learns that she's absolutely broke. Suddenly she and her Swedish cook, Berta, must find a way to scrape by. When Lola is offered an option of to track down an item for a sizable payment, she and Berta decide to become private sleuths. However, things get more complicated when a murder is tossed into the mix.Such a delightful cozy mystery set in prohibition-era New York City. With a well-crafted mystery plot that I didn't manage to unravel before the sleuths and charming characters everywhere (Lola and Berta have hints of Jeeves and Wooster in their relationship - although Lola is far more competent), I was so happy to discover this series. Highly recommended if you enjoy the time period and cozy mysteries.
    • 4/5
      I was checking this in at the library and I saw that it was the first in a new series--which just happened to be the latest "assignment" in the mystery book club I'm in. The picture and the title really hooked me right off the bat--I love the Roaring 20's!
      Lola, the protagonist, is a "society matron", much as she hates that term. She's not your typical skinny, waifish flapper. She does love to drink highballs and pretty much any other cocktail--despite them being prohibited--and she loves to eat chocolate cake and cinnamon rolls... well, in fact, she likes to eat just about anything as long as it's not "health food". She's snarky and sassy and curvy. Just the kind of girl I'd like to be, if I were alive during that time.
      After her husband's death, she discovers that she's broke and she takes on an assignment to retrieve a missing item for a handsome fee... when murder turns the job into serious business. I look forward to reading more in this series!!!
    • 4/5
      This novel has a lot going for it. The setting is colorful, the characters are varied and quirky, the descriptions of the era are flamboyant, and the plot is unusual. And there is an adorable dog – what more could you ask for? When her despicable husband dies and leaves Lola with a mound of debt, she and her intrepid Swedish cook practically stumble into a new career of retrieving objects for well-paying clients. With much humor and a fair amount of danger, these two woman begin a quest for which they have little talent but much drive. Throw in a good-looking gumshoe private eye, and you have the makings for a topnotch cozy. It’s a treat from start to finish.
    • 4/5
      Come Hell or Highball is a comedical, entertaining, cozy mystery. I had such a fun time reading this book. The antics of Lola and Berta had me in stitches many times. They were like Lucy and Ethel. From the situations they found themselves in, to the other quirky characters, and all of the food that Lola seemed to always have stuffed in her bra. Again it was Lola and Berta that I enjoyed so much that I didn't really care what they were doing or if they ever solved the mystery. Although, there were a few surprises to be had when it came to solving the case. I do hope to see more books in this series. If you enjoy the roaring 1920's, quirky characters, and a good storyline then you have to pick up a copy of this book to check out for yourself.
    • 4/5
      Chance, Maia. Come Hell or Highball. 8 CDs. unabridged. 9.25 hrs. Recorded Books. ISBN 9781490693965. The first in a few series, Discreet Retrieval Agency Mysteries, promises rollicking good fun. Author Maia Chance is no stranger to quirky cozy mysteries, she has also authored the popular Fairy Tale Fatal series and seems to be a library favorite. This latest endeavor introduces readers to Lola Woodby, a recently widowed society matron, who suddenly finds herself penniless and embroiled in a mystery. If Lola and her trusty cook, Berta, can solve a crime and find a missing film reel then they can finally have some financial independence. Full of twists and turns, witty dialogue, and saucy characters, this mystery will have readers laughing out loud and craving a highball. Narrator Suzy Jackson, does a charming job as the ever sassy Lola and has quite a convincing Swedish accent for Berta, the bumbling sidekick. For fans of cozy mysteries, historical fiction, and the roaring twenties. - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin, IN