Audible Review: Double Strike by Gretchen Archer

This is my favorite story so far in the fun, exciting investigations of Davis Way.

Double Strike
Written by: Gretchen Archer
Narrated by: Amber Benson

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
Series: Davis Way Crime Caper, Book 3
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-21-14
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Modern Detective
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Bellissimo Resort and Casino Super Spy Davis Way knows three things: Cooking isn’t a prerequisite for a happy marriage, don’t trust men who look like David Hasselhoff, and money doesn’t grow on Christmas trees. None of which help when a storm hits the Gulf a week before the most anticipated event in Bellissimo history: the Strike It Rich Sweepstakes. Securing the guests, staff, and property might take a stray bullet. Or two. Bellissimo Resort and Casino Super Spy Davis Way has three problems: She’s desperate to change her marital status, she has a new boss who speaks in hashtags, and Bianca Sanders has confiscated her clothes. All of which bring on a headache hot enough to spark a fire. Solving her problems means stealing a car. From a dingbat lawyer. Bellissimo Resort and Casino Super Spy Davis Way has three goals: Keep the Sanders family out of prison, regain her footing in her relationship, and find the genius who wrote the software for future gaming. One of which, the manhunt one, is iffy. Because when Alabama hides someone, they hide them good. Double Strike. A VIP invitation to an extraordinary high-stakes gaming event, as thieves, feds, dance instructors, shady bankers, kidnappers, and gold waiters go all in.
©2014 Gretchen Archer (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Review:
Davis Way has survived her job for close to three years as a (mostly) undercover security officer for the posh Belissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi but things are looking dicey. Davis is anxious to marry her sweetheart, handsome lawyer, Bradley Cole, and take a four day vacation. Unfortunately she runs into a few obstacles, including a lightning strike at the hotel. Her boss's son, Thomas Sanders, shows up unexpectedly from boarding school. Davis is the lucky one who has to try to keep the high school senior from getting into more trouble.

Bradley gets to break the bad news that the marriage license has been denied due to complications from, of course, her rat ex-ex-husband. Her efforts to sort that problem result in her stealing her annoying lawyer’s car which creates other difficulties.

Meanwhile Davis is told she can’t take days off because she has to help out with a high stakes slot gaming event. The whole event has been brought in from a Vegas crew so neither the staff nor the players have been properly vetted by “No Hair” and the local security team. Davis gets fired her first day as an event waitress and a new security man, Baylor, has to take her place. Fantasy and Baylor get to be painted gold and prance around in bikinis while Davis changes her undercover persona to a social media member under a bouncy ‘hashtag’ queen.

The high tech slot games include specially designed chairs and games that are intuitive to the players. The first players have to buy a seat and then earn points to remain in the game as the nights progress. A certain woman and her husband keep cashing in large checks at the same teller window. That behavior throws up red flags and the suspicion heats up when that woman keeps earning high points in the game. Now Davis is off following the money trail which leads to something hidden in Alabama.

This is book three of this fun series. Davis has grown on me as a character and I enjoy the fact that I am familiar with some of the locations mentioned in the stories - some real towns and others like the quirky towns described by Ms. Archer.  Each story has a unique, casino related crime event which is embellished by the undercover high jinks of the security crew and the personal troubles that Davis has to overcome. The storylines are creative in fun ways and I recommend this series to readers who like cozy mysteries and are looking for a lighter, fun read. Now I have to decide if I can wait for Book 4, Double Mint, to go to Audible or if I should go ahead and get the Kindle version.

Audio Notes: Amber Benson again does a good job with the voices and the story. The story is enhanced by the easy narration.

I received this from Claire McKinneyPR for an honest review. This adds to my Audiobook Challenge.

My Review links for Books 1 and 2:
Double Whammy: A Davis Way Crime Caper
Double Dip:A Davis Way Crime Caper

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gretchen Archer is the USA TODAY-bestselling author of Double Whammy, Double Dip, and Double Strike, the first three novels in the Davis Way Crime Caper series from mystery publisher Henery Press. Double Whammy was a finalist for the 2014 Daphne du Mauier Awards.

 

A Tennessee housewife who began writing when her daughters (seeking higher educations) left her, Archer lives on Lookout Mountain with her husband, son, and a Yorkie named Bently. Double Mint is her newest book.

 

Her Twitter is @Gretchen_Archer.