A Henery Press mystery I hadn't tried yet, Finding Sky was mostly good. It's well-written, well-plotted and has great characters.

She’s a parent. She’s (almost) a P.I. No one gets on your case like mom.

Suburban widow and P.I. in training Nicki Valentine can barely keep track of her two kids, but when her best friend’s adoption plan is jeopardized by the young birth mother’s disappearance, Nicki is persuaded to help. Nearly everyone else believes the teenager ran away, but Nicki trusts her BFF’s judgment, and the feeling is mutual.


It's right there in the summary, but I didn't expect quite so much evangelising about parenting and all the things she does to be a good parent. There was a lot. I was way more interested in what she was doing to solve the mystery than I was in hearing a detailed account of how she spent quality time with her kids.

Otherwise, I enjoyed it; Ms. O'Brien created complex and likeable characters. I like that Nicki believes in and prays to God, without practicing any specific religion and talks about the possibility of visiting psychics (she doesn't). I enjoy the perceived dichotomy and the inherent non-judginess. This is not a Christian read and unless you're a militant atheist who hates any mention of faith, it shouldn't interrupt anyone's enjoyment.

The mystery itself was interesting too; no murder, but a missing pregnant teen that may or may not have run away on the eve of delivery.

I'm not going to run out to buy the next one (the helicopter-mommy thing was annoying) but I'll definitely pick it up one of these days to see what happens next. ( )

Susan O’Brian’s debut, FINDING SKY, is classified as a mystery and yet it’s not really one. I know when I read a mystery, I expect there to be a murder; hopefully you don’t consider this to be a spoiler because there is none. And unfortunately, that’s just my personal preference when it comes to mysteries and of no fault of O’Brian’s or the publisher, Henery Press. In many ways, it is a mystery in terms of trying to find out what happened to the missing teenager Nicki Valentine has vowed to locate.

Character development is a bit weak. While we do spend a lot of time with Nicki, we don’t know much about her other than she’s super health conscious (we’re constantly reminded of the organic food in Nicki’s house) and a mother of two. We’re never told exactly why she wants to be a private investigator nor are given the whole background regarding the death of her husband. Nicki has a crush on her PI instructor named Dean and we’re told he’s a Brad Pitt lookalike (well a Brad on steroids) constantly. I was a bit disappointed we don’t get to spend much time with Dean and when we do, it’s all business. I know where O’Brian is heading with these two, it’s just I don’t just see them working out. Maybe it’s because I need to see more of them outside the PI classroom. We have a few secondary characters that play a role including Nicki’s best friend, Kenna. I really liked Kenna and her husband and hopefully they’ll play a larger role in the future.

As for the narration, it’s first person via Nicki and unfortunately, I had difficulty liking Nicki. There’s so many reasons as to why, but mostly it had to do with O’Brian constantly telling us about the food located in Nicki’s pantry. I get it, she’s health conscious and feeds her children organic food, but we don’t need to be constantly told about it. Also, I found Nicki’s behavior to be a bit ridiculous in certain situations. Time and time again, I found myself rolling my eyes, but then I can forgive her because she’s a rookie who hasn’t quite become a full fledged PI. For example, when she goes to the high school to find information about Beth, she’s doesn’t form a plan of what will be her excuse if she’s questioned by school authorities. In this day in age, a random adult in a high school library will raise some eyebrows, which didn’t occur here. There’s also an incident involving Nicki following a known gang member. I won’t go into details because it would be a spoiler, but a single mother of two would not have put herself in that type of situation even if she didn’t anticipate it to turn out the way that it did.

What I did like about FINDING SKY was Nicki’s relationship with her children and how this wasn’t one of those type of novels where we’re told about the children but never see them make an appearance on the page. I liked the kids and they didn’t distract from the overall story. I also enjoyed the parts of being in PI school. It’s a fascinating job and I got a kick reading about the different gadgets Nicki gets to work with as part of her craft. As for the overall mystery, I made a prediction at how it would end and I was right. Maybe that’s why I didn’t enjoy FINDING SKY as much as I thought I would.

Overall, Susan O’Brian’s FINDING SKY was a light and easy read. I’m hoping I’ll have better luck with the second book in the series. If you’re a fan of trying out new authors, I recommend Susan O’Brian. ( )

I hoped when I hit my fifties I'd be in shape and upbeat too. The treadmill will do it, I told myself. I'll get in shape for the first time. Maybe I'll even lift weights! I'll be able to outrun bad guys no problem.

I cannot fully express how much I loved this book. Nicki Valentine was such a great character to follow as she tries to juggle being a single parent, taking classes to become a PI, and investigating the disappearance of a pregnant teenager (who is the birth mother of the child that her best friend, Kenna, wants to adopt). While she may not have a lot of experience being a PI she has her intuition and the help of her hunky PI instructor, Dean.

Nicki had a great sense of humor and I liked that while she wasn't an experienced PI she was still pretty competent in her investigation. She has such a love for her two children and her best friend Kenna that you could tell she would do anything for them. She even puts her life in danger in order to investigate the disappearance of Beth (the teenage girl who is considering allowing Kenna and her husband Andy to adopt her baby). No matter who she encounters Nicki manages to create such strong bonds and friendships with people.

I was as giddy as a little school girl whenever Dean (Nicki's PI instructor) appeared in the story. It didn't hurt that he was described as Brad Pitt on steroids. I was dying for Nicki and Dean to grow closer and start a relationship. Nicki didn't feel like she was good enough but I could definitely tell Dean was interested. I loved what happened with those two at the end. I just can't wait to see what happens with them in the next book.

I really loved the suspense and action at the end. I love where each character ended up and I just can't believe what Nicki ended up doing with a speculum. Even though it was a pretty serious situation I couldn't help but burst out in giggles. I just cannot wait to read the next book in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and Henery Press for the galley. ( )