Title: A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones
Sunshine Vicram Series Book One
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 396 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.
Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, strong cups of coffee—and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff—thanks to her adorably meddlesome parents who nominated her—and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter’s new school, plus and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.
But even clouds have their silver linings. This one’s got Levi, Sunshine’s sexy, almost-old-flame, and a fiery-hot US Marshal. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol’s normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty—and find the kidnapper who’s terrorizing her beloved hometown—without falling head over high heels in love…or worse?
Review:
A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones is a compelling mystery starring hilarious lead protagonist Sheriff Sunshine Vicram.
Newly elected Sheriff Sunshine and her daughter Auri have recently returned to Del Sol . Now settled in, Sunshine is off to her first day at work and Auri is starting at her new school. Sunshine’s first case is the kidnapping of fourteen year old Sybil St. Aubin whose wealthy family owns a local winery.
Sunshine and her best friend Chief Deputy Quincy Cooper begin their investigation which turns up disappointingly few leads. A report that Sybil was recently seen with local teenager Jimmy Ravinder seems promising especially after they learn he disappeared the same day that Sybil went missing. Sunshine and Quincy are working round the clock to locate the missing teen, but will they find her and Jimmy before it is too late?
Sunshine is smart, sarcastic and haunted by her past. As a teenager, she was kidnapped and her case has never been solved. There are eerie similarities between her abduction and Sybil’s disappearance. Could the two cases possibly be linked?
A Bad Day for Sunshine is a captivating mystery with a delightful cast of colorful characters. Sunshine and Auri are quite close and their text messages and conversations are laugh out loud funny. The storyline is well-executed and features a few interesting sub-plots. With a few twists and surprising turns, Darynda Jones keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the novel’s nail-biting conclusion.
The Sunshine Vicram series is wonderfully unique and I am very much looking forward to the next installment.
