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L.C. Turner
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Stilettos & Scoundrels: A Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery Book 1 (The Presley Thurman Mysteries) Kindle Edition

by L.C. Turner (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 1,215 ratings

A dead senator, a new puppy, and lots of small town intrigue.

Presley Thurman is back in her hometown, Hunter’s Hollow, and she’s planning an easy month running her mother’s flower shop, Petal Pushers. But when she delivers flowers to Senator Daniels, she finds him dead in his hotel room.

Presley's once again embroiled in a mystery where she's the number one suspect. Determined to get herself off the suspect list, she and her brand new puppy, Bella, are on the case. Too bad Presley’s old high school crush, Cooper Sands, keeps getting in her way. He’ll learn pretty quickly that Presley won’t stop until she solves the crime.

Can Presley find the senator’s killer and keep herself out of jail?

The Presley Thurman cozy mystery series is perfect for fans who love clean mysteries with quirky characters, a canine sidekick, and lots of clues along the way!

“A wonderful gem found amid the dross that seems to becoming the norm for cosy mysteries these days.” – Goodreads

“Plenty of mystery with twists and turns to keep you swiping the pages of your Kindle. Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, reminding me of the style and humor of other authors like Janet Evanovich, Lois Greiman and Gemma Halliday! The ending is a complete surprise and I love how nothing in this book leaves you hanging! This book is completely entertaining, attention-grabbing from the getgo, moves along at a good pace with fun characters and a well-written mystery!” – Amazon

“I love Presley's character. She's strong, fiesty, and still finding her way. Turner did a great job with the "mystery" of the story. There were lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing.” -Amazon

“I was so entertained by Stilettos and Scoundrels that I wasn’t even tired. What a fabulous story. My rating is five stars for this one. If you like mysteries, shoes, food, and coffee, this is a great one for you.” -Baroness Book Trove

“I really enjoyed Stilettos and Scoundrels, it's chicklit-ish mixed with mystery and a lot of fun.” -My Reading Room

Previously published by Laina Turner. This new edition is reworked with new characters and even more cozy fun.

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  1. Book 1 of 18
    A Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery
  2. Print length
    221 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    21 Mar. 2010
  6. File size
    2.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Shop this series

 See full series
There are 18 books in this series.

In this series (18 books)

Kindle Edition

Product description

About the Author

Laina Turner is an author, blogger, businesswoman, mom, college professor, and a major supporter of shopping. She has an undying love for wine and coffee. She has 2 amazingly incredible kids, a fabulous stepdaughter, and a super fantastic husband. Laina also loves fashion, baking, yoga, and the power of positive thinking.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003YJEQPY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Pen Media, LLC
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 21 Mar. 2010
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 6th
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 221 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0578034072
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 18 ‏ : ‎ A Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery
  • Customer reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 1,215 ratings

About the author

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L.C. Turner

L.C. Turner

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Laina Turner writes clean, cozy mysteries that always have a bit of humor. When she’s not writing she’s a college professor teaching business and English.

Through all her career choices, she has continued to have a passion for writing stemming from childhood, where, as an only child, she developed a vivid imagination. It was during that childhood that she devoured anything Scooby Doo and Trixie Belden, and a love of the cozy mystery was born.

In her spare time, she’s also the personal assistant to her daughter, who’s involved in many sporting activities, while she tries to convince her husband that no, 3 dogs and 1 cat is not ‘too much.’

She is proud of her varied experiences in life from barrel racing, to being on the dance team for a semi-pro basketball team, to being a mom of 2 amazing kids.

To find out more information about Laina and her books, check out her website at http://www.lainaturner.com/

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
1,215 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and enjoy it as a holiday or weekend read. The storyline receives mixed reactions - while some find it good, others say it's predictable. The writing style and character depth also get mixed reviews, with some finding them well written and well described, while others disagree. Customers criticize the pacing as boringly repetitive and unrealistic, and find the information content excessive.

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17 customers mention ‘Readability’17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with one mentioning it's a good holiday or weekend read.

"...in the middle of a murder investigation, is conversational and fun to read...." Read more

"It had everything I was looking for in a good relaxing book...." Read more

"...With many twists n turns along the way Well worth the read especially if your a Janet Evanovich fan" Read more

"Good enough to pass a wet weekend reading if there is nothing else to do...." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Story quality’9 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality of the book, with some finding the storyline good while others note it is pretty predictable.

"...writing, the characters were well described and the story line kept me interested throughout, and just enough romance. Would recommend!" Read more

"...The plot is good and does twist and turn sufficiently to maintain interest, whilst the writing remains light hearted...." Read more

"...I am left feeling disappointed by this book. The story feels disjointed...." Read more

"Not amazing but it was free! The ending wasn't obvious like it usually is which makes a nice change. The lead character is likeable...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Writing style’5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with some finding it well written and easy to read, while others disagree.

"Easy to read if a bit disjointed" Read more

"...It felt all very cliche. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors which I know will drive some readers potty...." Read more

"...Liked the authors style of writing, the characters were well described and the story line kept me interested throughout, and just enough romance...." Read more

"...and turn sufficiently to maintain interest, whilst the writing remains light hearted...." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Character depth’3 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the characters in the book, with some finding them well described while others note they lack depth and personality.

"Presley Thurman is a feisty and very likeable character...." Read more

"...He is a totally superfluous character as is the shadowy magazine editor, who seems perfectly happy with the fact that his new 'columnist' never..." Read more

"...Liked the authors style of writing, the characters were well described and the story line kept me interested throughout, and just enough romance...." Read more

"...The characters have little depth and personality...." Read more

7 customers mention ‘Pacing’0 positive7 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book unrealistic and disjointed.

"Easy to read if a bit disjointed" Read more

"...particularly "Dirt" whose name I found both unpleasant and unrealistic...." Read more

"...It felt all very cliche. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors which I know will drive some readers potty...." Read more

"...Some of the events defy description and are so far from reality you are likely to be left with your mouth open at the sheer stupidity of some of..." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Information content’0 positive3 negative

Customers find the book contains too much information.

"...and basically sums up my problem with the whole book - lots of unnecessary detail for things that are not important and skimming over anything that..." Read more

"...It also seems well written, although it does give the reader a little too much information." Read more

"Too much information..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Nicola Kirby
    5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps you guessing until the end
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Presley Thurman is a feisty and very likeable character.

    This book has a bit more depth than your usual chic lit book and is less predictable too. Yet, not so much as to make it a labour to read. Once I got into it, I couldn't put my kindle down.

    The narrative of Presley telling us the story of how she goes back to her hometown, to interview a senator, only to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation, is conversational and fun to read.
    She meets up with old school friends and other local characters she hasn't seen in a while. Which of them, if any, has killed the senator? Why was he killed? As events unfold and Presley discovers more secrets, you are kept guessing right up to the end who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? and, who killed the senator?
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  • ValG
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Easy to read if a bit disjointed
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  • Perkins
    3.0 out of 5 stars Too much information
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Presley Thurman is a small town girl who moved to the city of Chicago to build a career and make a new, sophisticated life for herself. In the event, things don't turn out the way she'd hoped and having quit her job, she is somehow offered a chance to write a column for a friend's magazine. Her first assignment is to interview a politician who, luckily for her, lives in her hometown and she is soon back at her parents' house, meeting up with all her old school friends and catching up on all the gossip. In the prologue, the politician is murdered so we know this will happen and when it does, Presley becomes determined to turn PI in order to find his killer. Whilst the story moves forward with each chapter ending on enough of a cliffhanger to get you to read on to the next, I couldn't really get my head around Presley's character. None of the other characters came over that well either, particularly "Dirt" whose name I found both unpleasant and unrealistic. Despite naming their daughter after Elvis Presley and indeed, nicknaming her 'King', there was no evidence of Presley's parents' apparent hero worship in either their home or their behaviour, so this really didn't work for me at all. Then there were the disappearing characters in the form of the ones she leaves behind in Chicago and the loathsome ex-boyfriend who is often referred to but hardly seen until he unaccountably turns up and is seen off in short order never to appear again. He is a totally superfluous character as is the shadowy magazine editor, who seems perfectly happy with the fact that his new 'columnist' never actually writes a word, despite being up close and personal with a major news story of potentially national significance. Viewpoint switches, of which there were many, were handled by each characters' thoughts being written in italics, a thoroughly irritating and totally unnecessary technique. I also found it very unrealistic that the characters seemed happy to tell all to Presley just because she asked them to. It just didn't make sense. Throughout the book, whole paragraphs were devoted to background information where one line would easily have done and there is no doubt that the book would benefit from some skilled editing to cut out all the superfluous information. I hated the way the ending was handled. I thought it was clumsy and many of the ends could have been much more effectively tied up along the way, rather than all being lumped together. There are more books in this series and hopefully, the characters have developed sufficiently for there to be less description and more action for the faster pace a good murder mystery requires.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • gemlady
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2013
    Verified Purchase
    It had everything I was looking for in a good relaxing book. Liked the authors style of writing, the characters were well described and the story line kept me interested throughout, and just enough romance. Would recommend!
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  • Mrs Hopski
    4.0 out of 5 stars Presleys change of heart
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2019
    Verified Purchase
    We meet Presley named after Elvis in this new cosy mystery.

    When on a home visited to see her parents Presley stumbles into trouble in the shape of a dead Tom Daniels senator.
    With many twists n turns along the way

    Well worth the read especially if your a Janet Evanovich fan
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  • Avid reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chicklit Whodunnit!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I have read a few chicklit-whodunnits (I just made that genre name up- sorry!) and I really enjoyed them and this one was equally as good.
    The storyline follows a young lady, who having walked out on her job returns to her hometown. She has been asked to write a magazine article for a friend's magazine. Keen to pursue this new career path, she arranges an interview with the local controversial senator. Unfortunately, straight after the interview he gets murdered.
    Cue in sexy blast-from-the-past security guard and a man-eating best friend and suddenly she finds herself keen to find the murderer.
    The plot is good and does twist and turn sufficiently to maintain interest, whilst the writing remains light hearted.
    Laina Turner is definitely an author that will be appearing on my kindle more often :)
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 February 2019
    Verified Purchase
    **** Spoilers*****

    This book should have the promise of being a good page turner with murder, intrigue and mystery. Presley returns to her parents home after losing her job in the city. Whilst she is there a local senator is murdered and Presley sets about catching a killer. 

    I am left feeling disappointed by this book. The story feels disjointed. One moment Presley says she needs to go see someone and the next chapter she is not doing this but has sean someone else. Similarly, there are times when she is in a setting one moment and the writer has hyped up the mystery but on the following page Presley has just woken up with no mention of the intrigue the night before. As I said very disjointed and a real shame as it could be a really good mystery book. 

    I dislike the constant mention of clothing and brands. Because all girls are interested in fashion, sales and shopping. It felt all very cliche. There are a few spelling and grammatical errors which I know will drive some readers potty. 

    The love interest part of the story is much of the same.  1 moment Cooper is kissing Presley the next they are pulling apart. There is no follow up with this and she is not asking questions about why this is happening. 

    Overall disappointed. 
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Easy Reading Mystery!
    Reviewed in the United States on 14 January 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Good easy read. Nice start to a new series. Presley and her puppy Bella and all her friends and parent's back in her hometown. Her parent's still reside there and her Mother runs a bustling Flower Shop called, Petal Pushers. The setting is well drawn in and captures you into the time and place. The well written easy diction and good story line make it an enjoyable easy and fun read. I will be looking forward to the rest of this series. I would recommend this series to others. Grab a copy for yourself and enjoy.
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  • Srivalli R
    4.0 out of 5 stars It was nice
    Reviewed in India on 30 November 2019
    Verified Purchase
    For a cozy mystery it was interesting and fun to read about an amateur detective trying to find the murderer. There were quite a few characters and things going on in this book. I hope it's this long because it's the first one in the series. Going to read the next book to finalize my decision.
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  • Elisa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
    Reviewed in Australia on 28 June 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I love Presley's character I can't wait to read more she is funny and awesome the story was great I couldn't put the book down
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  • Watt To Read
    3.0 out of 5 stars slow start, needs an editor and more practice
    Reviewed in Canada on 12 July 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Overall, this book has so much potential. There actually was a pretty good story here. There were a few things that it needed:

    1. The author chose to write in the first person, but didn't always keep true to that. I found it annoying when one character thoughts would just pop up, even though they were italicized. There is a way to make the switch, but she didn't find it.
    2. Presley was presented as quite shallow, all she ever thought about was fashion and how she looked. It was cute at first but eventually became annoying.
    3. The first half was very slow. So slow I almost stopped reading. But I just finished a fast paced book and was looking for something lighter, so I kept going. Still, I ended up skipping paragraphs when I just found myself not caring about what the author was saying.
    4. And then the ending was wrapped up in a summary. She just told us what happened which was very sad. It could have been an opportunity to meld some of the conflicted characters together as they discussed the outcome. Or perhaps Presley keeps a diary and records it that way. It just felt like she was tired of writing and went. Blah blah. .. That's what happened.
    5. There was no cursing in the first part of the book, so i was surprised when it popped up towards the end. It seemed odd to suddenly have characters using language they hadn't previously used (and I hadn't missed it either)!
    6. There weren't any sex scenes in this book, but there was plenty of lusting so I was surprised when nothing happened. It was so blatant that I was expecting something! It was fine that there wasn't any, but since it was so apparent that it was going to happen there was no mystery to the relationship. The conflict between them was always overshadowed by, "he's so hot in those jeans" for the umpteenth time!

    In all, this author has a good start. I can't say I'd pay for her next book based on this one, but I would try it if it were a free download. Mostly out of curiosity to see if she has grown as writer.
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  • Jersey Girl Book Reviews / Jersey Girl Sizzling Book Reviews
    4.0 out of 5 stars Stilettos & Scoundrels
    Reviewed in the United States on 18 April 2016
    Verified Purchase
    In Stilettos & Scoundrels, the first book in The Presley Thurman Mysteries Series, the reader is introduced to Presley Thurman, an ex-HR representative turned freelance journalist and amateur sleuth.

    Presley Thurman lost her job in the HR department of a Chicago corporation when she refuses her boss' sexual advances. She hooks up with her friend Trevor, and accepts his offer to be a freelance journalist, and write stories for his online magazine. Her first assignment is to interview a U.S. Senator in her hometown. The day after the interview, the Senator is found murdered, and Presley was the last person to see him alive, and now finds herself a suspect in his murder. To add to the craziness, she discovers that her ex-high school boyfriend Cooper Sands, is in charge of the Senator's security. Presley is determined to clear her name and prove her innocence, so she teams up with Cooper to investigate the Senator's murder and find the real killer.

    Author Laina Turner weaves an entertaining cozy mystery with a chick lit twist that follows Presley Thurman as she gets herself embroiled in the Senator's murder investigation. Told in the first person narrative, Presley is a sassy lady with a penchant for fashion (shoes) and snooping. Presley's investigation is filled with enough crazy trials and tribulations that will keep the reader guessing. And if that isn't enough, there are distractions that she has to deal with: being in her hometown has her reminiscing and gossiping with old friends, and working closely with Cooper makes it really hard for her to resist his charms. And even though there is someone who is out to harm Presley because of her investigation, she is determined to find the real killer, even when danger is around the corner.

    Stilettos & Scoundrels has a good mixture of humor, mystery, and a touch of romance that will easily keep the reader engaged as they follow Presley's amateur investigative adventures. There is a lot that goes on between the pages of this story, especially with the amount of characters and the variety of crazy situations, but Presley's humorous shenanigans, and the intrigue and suspense behind the mystery of who really killed the Senator will keep you guessing right to the very end!

    Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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