May 6, 2009

Allie Fortune Mysteries

Written by Carrie

Miss Fortune by Sara Mills is a book that I'm rather excited about. It's pegged as "Christian fiction" but I'd peg it more as just being "clean fiction" which I heartily appreciated!

The main protagonist in this story is Allie Fortune, the only female private eye in New York City, 1947. In the opening chapters you can almost visualize Humphrey Bogart or something. Drawn blinds, flickering electric lights, 1940's fashion, danger, intrigue and peeling paint on old office walls. The setting Mills gives to her story is true classic appeal. You feel like you are watching a classic movie complete with a few outrageous scenarios that Hollywood liked to throw people's way including burly Soviet Spies racing against time and East German agents. It's seriously good stuff. I enjoyed myself while hunting down stolen gold treasures and long lost beaus. It almost has a Nancy-Drew-A-Little-Bit-More-Grown-Up feel to it.

Sara Mills is also a fan of puns which is a fact easily gathered by the title of the book and name of her main character. If you like mysteries, classic movies, clean reads and good fun – high tail it to your local bookstore and snatch up a copy of Miss Fortune. Then, once you are done reading this one, you will no doubt feel compelled, just as I was, to read the sequel, Miss Matched.

Miss Match picks up where Miss Fortune left off and it also leaves in you in a position of waiting for the third book to come out. (This is a serious I can see myself being devoted to for the duration.) If it's possible, Mills writing style has improved dramatically from first to second book and I enjoyed the second book even more than its predecessor.

Allie is an unmarried, marriageable kinda gal in the 1940's with a mother who would desperately like to see her little girl settle down into the care and management of a home. The relationship between Allie and her mother reminds me very much of Lauroli and her mother in The Gilmore Girls (i.e., refined and cultured mother with some bitterness and humor vs. the young twerp that you can't help but love). Sarcasm reigns supreme a few times here and I felt like I was watching a (cleaner) episode of Gilmore Girls and I liked that.

Miss Match goes at a much faster pace and I was intrigued from page one until the very end. I'm about to name this a "must read" mystery series just because it's so much fun. Looking for a new clean, classic and fun mystery? Look no further, folks! This is it. I'm jumpin' on the bandwagon and intend to ride around for awhile.

As if all of this news, informing you of this book, wasn't great enough, the good news just get better! Moody Publishers, publishers of the Allie Fortune Mysteries, have offered to give away two sets of these two books to one of you readers. Again, TWO sets of the books will be given away to two separate individuals (U.S. Residents only, please).

To win – leave a comment below. We'll announce the winners in next week's column.

As a P.S., I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover art which is so perfectly 1940's. I love the 40's and knew this series would be a perfect fit for me.

The winner of last week's giveaway of The Household Guide to Dying is #17 Stacie.

Other current giveaways include the Latino Books Month giveaway of five books.

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.

Filed under Carrie, Christian, Fiction, Mystery/Suspense by Carrie

Find out about our relationships with publishers and affiliate networks in our full disclosure statement.

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95 Comments

Comments on Allie Fortune Mysteries

May 6, 2009

whimzie @ 2:50 pm

These sound like fun reads! I'd love a chance to win!

DeeAnn @ 2:55 pm

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. These sound like books that are right up my alley! Thanks for the chance to win them.

edj @ 3:48 pm

OH I love classic mysteries. I read and re read Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers and others of that epoch and genre. These sound like books I'd enjoy.

Laura @ 4:04 pm

This sounds fun – I'd love a chance at these books. They go on the TBR pile for sure.

Angie @ 4:16 pm

This sounds like a great book!

Mary @ 4:33 pm

I would love a chance to win these mysteries. I love the NYC, 1940's setting.

Sarah @ 4:41 pm

These look really good! I'd love to read them.

Carol M @ 4:42 pm

I would love to win these books. They sound like something I would really enjoy!
mittens0831 AT aol.com

MJ @ 4:49 pm

These sound great. I agree with you. The cover art is neat!!

mj.coward[at]gmail.com

Michele @ 5:07 pm

This looks like it would be so much fun to read! Great review!

Bluestocking @ 5:28 pm

This sounds awesome! Count me in!!

Pattie @ 5:48 pm

I will be adding these to my book list! They do sound like fun to read!

Just Mom @ 6:15 pm

These sound good; I'd love to win them!

Sara Mills @ 6:20 pm

Thanks so much for the lovely reviews Carrie! I'm glad you enjoyed the books. I'm in the process of writing Miss Taken (book 3) right now so I'm glad to hear you're looking forward to it.

Sara Mills

Rita @ 6:58 pm

I was born in the 40's and my birthday is coming up!

Mark @ 7:15 pm

Mystery? Give Away? Sign me up!

Jennifer, Snapshot (and 5M4B) @ 7:51 pm

This does sound interesting. I like the 40's too.

Amy from Occupation: Mommy @ 8:56 pm

These books sound really interesting!

carrie c @ 11:52 pm

These books sound really interesting. Thanks for the chance to win them.

May 7, 2009

Serena @ 1:26 am

This really sounds like a lot of fun to read!

Mariah @ 7:24 am

LOVE the cover!!! I enjoyed Nancy Drew as a kid, and these books sound like a really good read!

Mariah
penguinqueen(at)hotmail(dot)com

Holly DeLoose @ 7:29 am

would love to win some new reads for the beach

Literaturecrazy @ 7:47 am

These sound great, I'd love to win them. I don't read mysteries, but really like to read "Christian" fiction that isn't a bang-you-over-the-head-with-the-Bible story line… something I could pass along to non-Christian coworkers or friends and spark up a conversation.

Kylee @ 8:24 am

Thanks (to you and the publisher) for the chance to win these books. They sound great. I love mysteries!

Kipi @ 8:46 am

Gotta love a good CLEAN book…and a mystery to boot!

Jenn S. @ 9:00 am

Both these books sound great! Always looking for a good read.

Nicole C. @ 9:05 am

These books sound great!!

Kathy D @ 9:11 am

sounds like a great read you have the bbest reviews

desiree kelley @ 9:24 am

would love to read them

Michael Capp @ 9:27 am

I'd love to win!

Janet C @ 9:38 am

I blogged it:

http://gahome2mom.blogspot.com/2009/05/book-giveaways.html

randi oaklief @ 9:42 am

I love a good mystery & these sound like they fill the bill! Thanks!

Lisa @ 12:49 pm

I'd forgotten my love of the mystery and your review has rekindled it! *sigh* More titles to add to my ever growing amazon wishlist…

Angie @ 1:59 pm

These books sound really good. I can't wait to read them!!!!

Mary @ 2:00 pm

I really like Agatha Christie mysteries and look forward to these books. Thanks for having the drawing!!!!

Meredith Rogen @ 2:44 pm

This looks like a great book!

MRS.MOMMYY @ 4:07 pm

sounds interesting

AZ Dog Mom @ 4:14 pm

Oh, these look good! If I had spotted one of these on the shelf at the bookstore, the cover would totally have sucked me in to pick it up. Adding these to my wish-list for sure!!

Renee C. @ 4:37 pm

I love reading books that don't make me blush because of the language and subject matter. Sign me up!

susan varney @ 5:25 pm

sounds good enough to read mverno@roadrunner.com

shannon Baas @ 7:30 pm

These looki good.

bekahcubed @ 8:09 pm

Um, pick me! Those sound fantastic.

Denise @ 8:52 pm

I'd love to read these, thanks!

Angela Calvert @ 9:40 pm

I would love to win these books. Thanks for the giveaway.

accoupons at gmail dot com

May 8, 2009

Kim F @ 4:54 pm

I love mysterys and I love the Gilmore Girls. Your review makes me want to read these books right now. I especially like discovering books after a few in series has been published. I hate waiting on the sequels.

Anita Yancey @ 6:41 pm

I love mysteries. Please enter me. Thanks!

Christy H. @ 8:07 pm

Oh! I hope I'm not too late to enter for this fantastic prize!

hawkes (at) citlink.net

dorothy l @ 8:32 pm

please enter me I love the cover work con5459(at)gmai(dot)com

Loving Heart Mommy @ 11:08 pm

I love mysteries! What a great prize pack!

May 9, 2009

Christina Brunetti @ 2:01 pm

I would love to read these.

Thanks

Jen @ 3:50 pm

I would love to win these. I love reading!!

Carol Lawrence @ 7:04 pm

This is great, a new heroine to follow and it's set in a new era,the 40's,enter me.

C. flanigan @ 11:25 pm

Oh this is so perfect…my favorite kind of book! Pick me, PRETTY PLEASE!!!

May 10, 2009

Susan C @ 11:27 am

I love clean fiction too, especially in a mystery!

scottsgal @ 3:29 pm

Sound like great books for the summer!
thanks for the giveaway

michele anne @ 5:22 pm

books are great things….want to win

pag @ 8:40 pm

sounds like good books would like to win them

Susan Smith @ 9:11 pm

Looks like a good book

May 11, 2009

Adrian Lamont @ 1:25 am

Sounds like great books, please count me in.

Molly Capel @ 3:18 am

YAY! New books! I hope I win.

Erma @ 6:40 am

I would love the chance to win, thanks.

Claire @ 9:04 am

These look interesting, thank you!

Cynthia Mercado @ 9:27 am

I would like to add this set to my collection.

mercsmercado at yahoo dot com

stephanie @ 10:56 am

These look great.

Melanie @ 1:51 pm

I love mysteries, so these would be great for me.

Jennifer @ 2:46 pm

I would like to win

Laura G @ 4:07 pm

this sounds like my kind of book.

Ed Nemmers @ 6:07 pm

Happy Monday!

christopher h @ 6:10 pm

sounds like a good idea

christina @ 7:31 pm

Thanks for the giveaway!

kim v @ 8:16 pm

Thanks for the giveaway!
Kimspam66(at)yahoo(dot)com

Lisa Taylor @ 9:54 pm

I would love to read these Please enter me

Christina @ 10:38 pm

These sound like very intriguing books! I'd give the second set to my niece! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!

Miranda Allen @ 11:30 pm

Looks like a great read

Auriette @ 11:47 pm

I love the idea of a book I can pass on to my mom without worrying that something's going to offend her. I think she skips over some of the racier and raunchier stuff in most books, but it would be nice to have a book that we can both read cover to cover without embarrassment.

May 12, 2009