A Murder Investigation That Keeps Your Attention

I received an advance copy of The Big Shakeup by Nancy Boyarsky for review purposes. This is book number 7 in Boyarsky’s “Nicole Graves Mysteries” series, all books are stand alone, so no unexpected cliffhangers. The first thing I did was buy the first book in that series, The Swap, which is currently available for $0.99, as Amazon has been doing special sales on “First in Series” books this month. I read it and loved it. The story line was interesting, I enjoyed the characters, there was suspense, tension, and mystery that kept you coming back for more, until you got about two thirds into the book, and then you just didn’t want to set it down until you were done. The Big Shakeup is similar in those respects. 

The book opens with private investigator Nicole Graves arriving just before dawn for her workday at Colbert and Smith Investigations in Los Angeles. She hears some concerning noises and checks them out only to find someone hastily leaving the office; her glimpse of them is fleeting. Shortly thereafter the first big shakeup occurs in the form of a significant earthquake. A few more employees show up, the power is out, the building may be in structural jeopardy, there are after shocks, and risks of gas explosions are a real threat. As Nicole and her coworkers look through the damaged offices, a body is found, and the death appears not to be caused by the quake damage. The victim, it turns out, is unpopular, and believed to have ties with thugs and loan sharks with friends in high places due to gambling problems, which may have accounted for cash flow issues in her company. 

Nicole’s fiancé is in London working, so she’s on her own in navigating the quake‘s after effects and dealing with the body. She discovers the man’s been shot, and finds the gun, making the mistake of touching it as her initial assumption is it was a suicide. The descriptions of the quake and devastation are very realistic, as city dwellers scramble to find safe locations to stay, struggling to communicate and get news. The whole city is literally in chaos. 

Just when things looked like they couldn’t get worse, the police want to speak with Nicole, and it quickly becomes evident they suspect her in the death of her co-worker. On top of the whole city infrastructure being a wreck, just knowing who she can trust becomes a matter of life and death for Nicole. She understands her co-worker’s death must be investigated, because the killer is still out there, despite the obsession local detectives seem to have that she is their number one suspect. 

As I learned in the series’ first book The Swap, Nicole has good instincts, she’s intelligent, and takes risks like a man in pursuit of the killer. She forms alliances with people who can help her get information. She travels to Las Vegas for answers, keeping below the radar and out of reach as best she can from those with a vested interest in seeing she doesn’t live long enough to solve the crime, and doggedly follows every clue wherever it leads. The last third of the book is so engrossing you don’t want to put it down until you get all the answers. I’ve already bought the second book in the series, The Bequest, and plan to start it soon.