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Bingo Barge Murder: Book 1 in the Shay O'Hanlon Caper Series Kindle Edition

by Jessie Chandler (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 175 ratings
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"Madcap dangers...amusing debut, with [an] attractive lesbian sleuth..." ~Kirkus Reviews

"A winner. Let me assure you that you won't be taking a gamble on reading this delightful romp." ~Mystery Lovers Review

"Jessie Chandler is literary kin to both Cotterill and West...unabashed fun but also much bolder than traditional cozies." ~Library Journal
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Shay O'Hanlon is the co-owner of the hip, quirky Rabbit Hole, a popular coffee shop in Uptown Minneapolis. Police detective JT Bordeaux and her partner show up at the Hole in search of Shay's best friend, Coop – a chain-smoking, vegetarian tree hugger – who's wanted for questioning in connection with the bludgeoning death of his less-than-respectable boss, Stanley "Kinky" Anderson. Coop's prints are all over the murder weapon – an over-sized, bronzed bingo marker – and the cops have themselves a prime suspect.

Suddenly, Shay's quiet but highly caffeinated world spins out of control faster than a ride on a fairground Tilt-A-Whirl as she tries to save her friend. Complicating matters are a couple of bumbling mobsters, a missing truckload of stolen nuts, an abused mutt named Dawg, a kidnapping or two, and a very persistent Detective Bordeaux.

Will Shay and her quirky friends succeed in their quest to clear Coop and nail the murderer? Or will their nutty caper wind up deadly?
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  1. Print length
    242 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    May 8, 2014
  5. File size
    333 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jessie Chandler is literary kin to both Cotterill and West...unabashed fun but also much bolder than traditional cozies." ~Library Journal

"Madcap dangers...amusing debut, with [an] attractive lesbian sleuth..." ~Kirkus Reviews

"A winner. Let me assure you that you won't be taking a gamble on reading this delightful romp." ~Mystery Lovers Review

From the Author

I have no idea who managed to place the tags: This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title on the above, but this novel is both in print and available. 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00K8A0RLY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Train Wreck XPress; 2nd edition (May 8, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 8, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 333 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 175 ratings

About the author

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Jessie Chandler

Jessie Chandler

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Jessie Chandler was born in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, and raised primarily by a single mother, her father having died before she was born. She spent part of her early life with her grandparents in Siren, Wisconsin, then lived with her school teacher mother in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metro area until taking off to attend St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where she received a bachelor's degree in journalism. She met her long-time partner, Betty Chandler, over two decades ago, and they were finally able to marry in Iowa in 2010.

A former police officer, Chandler has worked in management at both Borders Books and True Colors Bookstore in Minneapolis, previously known as Amazon Bookstore Cooperative. Currently she spends her days writing and running a small, home-based business.

She is the author of the Shay O'Hanlon Caper series, the Operation series, and the Quest series. Her debut novel, Bingo Barge Murder, won the Golden Crown Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award. Hide and Snake Murder, the second novel in the series, won a Golden Crown Goldie Award and an Independent Publisher Book Award for LGBT fiction. Hide and Snake Murder and the third in the series, Pickle in the Middle Murder, were both finalists, and Chip Off the Ice Block Murder, the fourth Shay O'Hanlon book, won the LGBT fiction category of the 2014 USA Book Awards. Chip Off the Ice Block Murder was also a finalist in both the mystery category of the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards and the 2015 Golden Crown Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award. Blood Money Murder, the fifth in the Shay series, was a 2017 Lambda Literary Award finalist. Quest for Redemption (Feb 2020) won the LGBTQ American Fiction Award.

Chandler lives in central Minnesota with her wife, partners in crime, three mutts, Nato, Fozzy Bear and Ollie. In the fall and winter, Jessie writes, and spends her summers selling T-shirts and other assorted trinkets to unsuspecting conference and festival goers. You can visit her at www.jessiechandler.com

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
175 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Judy Goodwin
5.0 out of 5 stars Madcap adventures
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
This was a funny, intelligent mystery from a lesbian detective in the spirit of the Stephanie Plum series, only set in Minnesota instead. Great cast of characters from the not-quite-together Shay O’Hanlon to her sexy love interest, Detective Bordeux. I think the junkyard dog was one of the best characters, especially when paired up with feisty Ms. Eddy.

This was a bit more of a madcap adventure than a true mystery, but there was the question of why the murder took place. The misadventures certainly kept the pace of the book up, and I found the whole thing quite funny. I’ll be grabbing Ms. Chandler’s next book in the series for sure.

I think my one tiny criticism wasn’t with the book itself but with the eBook formatting. It looks like the book was scanned and there were a few formatting issues. This wasn’t enough to detract from the story, however.

A great debut novel!
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Miss D.
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Light Read
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2012
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This was a good book. Most of the books I read are heavy mysteries, detailed to the max. This one was an enjoyable reprieve.
Most of the negative reviews of this book mention the "lesbianism". I will admit, I wasn't expecting the main character to be checking out a member of the same sex. I also think that the characters preference could have been left out without affecting the story.
But people, get real. This is a STORY, and the author can write it however she chooses. Many of the books I have read, I have skipped lines or paragraphs that may be too graphic for me, whether up close and personal love scenes, or detailed murder scenes ( I do the same with TV shows or movies. And especially those Humane Society commercials.) It bothered me more that Dawg appeared abused than Shay being a lesbian.

If you decide to pass by this book because a character is a lesbian, you are missing a good read. It is not a lesbian book. It is actually a funny story about a woman who just keeps getting deeper into a mess. The plot has some twists and turns,and events that intertwine. It runs smoothly with no boring parts. There is great continuity. Several times I actually laughed out loud. I didn't even try to picture the characters- but I could easily picture the places.

I enjoyed the book, and plan on reading more by the same author.
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Sage320
3.0 out of 5 stars Not compelling, but OK
Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2012
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Bingo Barge Murder is the debut novel for Jessie Chandler and the first in the Shay O'Hanlon mystery series. It's another entry in the genre of slapstick stories that feature a bumbling amateur and her friends.

Shay O'Hanlon runs a coffee shop called The Rabbit Hole where her most difficult job is making a proper latte until the police want to talk to her best friend Coop about the murder of his boss. Instead of working with a police detective who Shay finds very attractive, she decides to try and solve the situation herself. The consequences result in kidnappings, more murders and tangling with Mafia hit men. The entire plot revolves around a shipment of very valuable nuts that Shay manages to steal and that several other parties want. Along the way Shay acquires a large, but loveable dog and manages to put more of her friends in danger. Even taking the beautiful Detective Bordeaux into her confidence doesn't insure that Shay will be able to rescue her friends or escape injury herself.

Readers who enjoy farcical stories with humorous characters will probably like this book. It has the stereotypical people - the hapless friend who can't do anything right (Coop), the feisty older woman who doesn't know when to be quiet (Eddy) and the unrepentant gossip (Kate). The villains also fit into typical role models. None of the characters are developed beyond their roles, so they tend to be rather flat. The story moves along at a clip however and has enough ridiculous situations to be amusing.

True lovers of mysteries will probably want to avoid this book. There really isn't a mystery in it except to wonder how many inept maneuvers characters can make in one story. Not once, but twice, Shay knows that "dangerous" people are after her and, instead of insulating herself and her friends from the threat, she decides to go to sleep or do something else which allows the criminals to catch up to her. All Shay can talk about is how efficient and good at her job Detective Bordeaux is, but then she treats the police like they can't solve a simple case. Shay, who has no training at all, manages to keep finding evidence that is in plain view, but seems to have eluded the police when they went through the same area. Bordeaux reveals that the police have been working on the case for months with few solutions, but Shay is able to settle everything in a matter of days. Vicious killers can't deal with an old woman or manage to shoot a gun and hit someone who is standing right in front of them. After a while these inconsistencies become irritating.

Bingo Barge Murder isn't a bad book. It simply contains many of the missteps made by first time authors. There is enough good about it to hold out hope that Chandler will improve with experience. She has a strong cast of characters to work with and that might be where the book went astray. Since it is the first in a series, it reads more like Chandler was trying to introduce her cast than focus on telling a compelling mystery. The book is fine for an entertaining read, but it's not one that has you turning pages because you can't put it down.
21 people found this helpful
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Ron Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars Good police action murder mystery.
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017
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~I enjoyed this sorta convoluted murder mystery. It was a good guys vs. the bad guys, with some crossing over the lines. The plot moved right along, with ample twists and surprises to make it a good story.
~I liked the main characters O’Hanlon and Bordeaux and several of the side characters.
~I don’t do spoilers, so all I will day is that there is a romantic twist to this story…which I actually found interesting. I was not expecting it at first.
~I’d recommend this book and say just read it for the crime mystery solving part of the story…don’t get hung-up on the romance part of it.
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Vicki L
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Minnesota murder!
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2015
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I met the author at the Minnesota State Fair, enjoyed talking to her and told her then that I would buy the Kindle book the moment I got home. I did, and am glad I did. It was a fun read, with some laugh-out-loud moments. I like the characters and the way they interact. The only thing that keeps me from purchasing the rest of the books in the series is the price. But GREAT JOB, Jessie! Wonderful book!
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Top reviews from other countries

Angie T.D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2012
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I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, as it was my first by this author,and I'm glad to say I absolutely loved it.Great characters, and I like the pace of the book, there was plenty going on but it wasn't confusing.I guess this falls into the category of "Cozy" but unlike some books with that title, there was more depth to the plot,and characters than you some times get, I liked the hint of romance too, just enough to be interesting, but not intrusive on the main plot,great book, and I definately want to read more.
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