Stella Hardesty, our salty, unlikely heroine, runs a sewing shop in rural Missouri. She also has a side business helping battered women with their ...
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Mar 23, 2011
Lisa Kay
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This book was a kick! I loved, loved, loved Stella Hardesty and she's several notches above the Dixie Chicks and their methods of getting rid of a bad man, as she goes after several. I would never take the law into my own hands, so it's nice that Stella can do it for me. She's described as "scrappy, mean, and incredibly appealing". Yup. I got a good sense of characterization for all involved in this witty mystery with surprising depth. Well worth the read. If this was a finalist
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Jan 03, 2012
Gail
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Stella Hardesty doesn't take it anymore. She's widowed now; her husband was a violent abuser. She's pushing 50 and works her husband's sewing notions shop. Oh, and she has a small side business of protecting other abused women by giving their men a talking to. Or a can of whoop-ass as the cases demand. She's had a hard life and she has a big heart. She's also fighting a rather large crush on the Sheriff. In her line of work, she can't afford to let the law know too much of what she's doin
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Oct 15, 2011
A Bad Day for Sorry, by Sophie Littlefield, b-plus, Narrated by Kym Dakin, Produced by Macmillan Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
The first Stella Hardesty mystery. Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel!Stella Hardesty dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench shortly before her 50th birthday. A few years
later, she's so busy delivering home-style justice on her days off, helping other women deal with their own abusive husbands and boyfriends, that she barely
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The first Stella Hardesty mystery. Winner of the Anthony Award for Best First Novel!Stella Hardesty dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench shortly before her 50th birthday. A few years
later, she's so busy delivering home-style justice on her days off, helping other women deal with their own abusive husbands and boyfriends, that she barely
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Jun 05, 2011
Jessica
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Whuppin’ ass wasn’t so hard, Stella Hardesty thought as she took aim with the little Raven .25 she took off a cheating son-of-a-bitch in Kansas City last month. What was hard was making sure it stayed whupped. Especially on a day when it hit a hundred degrees before noon. And you were having hot flashes.
So begins Sophie Littlefield’s first mystery in a series about a rural Missouri sewing shop owner who moonlights as a balls-to-the-wall bounty hunter of sorts for bullying husbands. More...
So begins Sophie Littlefield’s first mystery in a series about a rural Missouri sewing shop owner who moonlights as a balls-to-the-wall bounty hunter of sorts for bullying husbands. More...
May 13, 2011
Danny
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The good thing about a fictional vigilante is that you can trust her to do what's right.
Vigilantes in the real world might be working for the common good, or might be working for themselves, or might be working for whoever hired them.
Real-World Vigilantes: You can't trust them.
But Stella Hardesty is a woman who uses her anger at the world to mete out justice to men who've been abusing their wives, and it's hard to argue with that. You know Stella's in it for the More...
Vigilantes in the real world might be working for the common good, or might be working for themselves, or might be working for whoever hired them.
Real-World Vigilantes: You can't trust them.
But Stella Hardesty is a woman who uses her anger at the world to mete out justice to men who've been abusing their wives, and it's hard to argue with that. You know Stella's in it for the More...
Aug 15, 2010
Darcy
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Fifty-year-old Stella Hardesty runs the sewing shop that belonged to her husband, Ollie, before she killed him. Ollie was an abuser and one day Stella just couldn't take it anymore and killed him. Now she has a sideline business helping other women in the same kind of abusive relationships.
Her current client, Chrissy Shaw, is married to an abusive husband, Roy Dean, but the relationship is over. Chrissy has hired Stella to make sure Roy Dean flies straight and keeps away from her. Bu More...
Her current client, Chrissy Shaw, is married to an abusive husband, Roy Dean, but the relationship is over. Chrissy has hired Stella to make sure Roy Dean flies straight and keeps away from her. Bu More...
Jul 18, 2010
Barbara
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Here's an endorsement for a book in which a 50-something woman takes vigilante action, beats up and tortures men – avoiding the nasty civil rights humbuggery that sworn law officers have to follow – and generally runs amok in Missouri. Okay, so I'm glad no one does this for real, but it makes a spitfire read.
Stella Hardesty, whom even the vilest of Southern bad guys calls "Miz Hardesty," was accused of killing her abusive husband. Acquitted, Stella feels it is her mission t More...
Stella Hardesty, whom even the vilest of Southern bad guys calls "Miz Hardesty," was accused of killing her abusive husband. Acquitted, Stella feels it is her mission t More...
Feb 08, 2010
Marlyn
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Stella Hardesty owns a sewing shop in a small town in Missouri. Since she dealt with her abusive husband by dealing him a fatal blow to the head with a wrench, she's also had another job on the side.
She helps other women deal with the men who abuse them. She's quite proud of the fact that she hasn't killed any of them; most of them only need a stern talking-to accompanied by a little ... bondage or perhaps something a tad more physical.
But when Chrissy Shaw asks for her i More...
She helps other women deal with the men who abuse them. She's quite proud of the fact that she hasn't killed any of them; most of them only need a stern talking-to accompanied by a little ... bondage or perhaps something a tad more physical.
But when Chrissy Shaw asks for her i More...
Sep 26, 2009
Jen
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When Stella Hardesty couldn't take the physical abuse her husband doled out anymore, she fought back. That left her with an inherited sewing shop and a reputation. She took on her second job to help other woman in abusive situations. Since her moonlighting job isn't official, she's able to work outside the letter of the law if a situation demands it. Stella has to do just that when Chrissy Shaw believes her husband Roy Dean ran off with her son. And in this particular case, playing outside the l
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Jan 03, 2012
Lance
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A Bad Day for Sorry rides on the wings of two main features: a fresh, original voice, and a unique protagonist in Stella Hardesty. Stella's stats might make you think "cozy" at first -- a divorced, middle-aged woman who's an amateur detective -- but there's absolutely nothing cozy about Stella or her work. Having dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench, Stella now adjusts the attitudes of wife-beating lowlifes around Prosper, Missouri. Naturally, this gets her involved in things s
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Mar 05, 2011
Ubalstecha
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Stella Hardesty is not your typical widow. First off, her husband was an abuser who regularly beat her. Second, Stella killed her husband with a wrench one day when she couldn't take his fists on her face anymore. She has never been tried for that murder. Third, since her husbands death, Stella has had a side business of helping battered women deal with their abusive partners. And by deal, we don't mean escape. No, Stella has little chats with the husbands, chats involving kidnapping and v
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Jul 14, 2011
Vickie
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I know vigilante-ism is wrong, but I cheered for Stella the whole time. She took matters into her own hands by killing her abusive husband. She kept their sewing shop open, but has found that lately her off time is getting less and less off and more and more about her other job. She helps other women who want out of abusive relationships.
Stella is my favorite type of woman and character. She is full of piss and vinegar (to use a favorite phrase of my mother), she gets the job d More...
Stella is my favorite type of woman and character. She is full of piss and vinegar (to use a favorite phrase of my mother), she gets the job d More...
Jul 17, 2009
Anna
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From Lay RA: In which a nonlibrarian attempts to teach herself readers' advisory (http://lay-ra.blogspot.com)
I'm about halfway through Sophie Littlefield's debut mystery, A Bad Day for Sorry (out Aug. 4). It's relatively character-centered but still with a plot that keeps readers going. After a paragraph about protagonist Stella Hardesty "whuppin' ass," the second part of the book's prologue goes like this: "Especially on a day when it hit a hundred degrees before noon More...
I'm about halfway through Sophie Littlefield's debut mystery, A Bad Day for Sorry (out Aug. 4). It's relatively character-centered but still with a plot that keeps readers going. After a paragraph about protagonist Stella Hardesty "whuppin' ass," the second part of the book's prologue goes like this: "Especially on a day when it hit a hundred degrees before noon More...
Sep 04, 2011
Adam
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Man, they'll give Edgar Nominations to just about anyone these days.
It's not that this novel is bad, but I expect more from award nominees, even in the first novel category.
The major problem with this novel is that the detective's schtick is that she beats up wife-beaters for a living (after killing her own abusive husband with a wrench...), but the mystery that she must solve is finding a kidnapped child. We were promised beating up to wife-beaters!
The mystery p More...
It's not that this novel is bad, but I expect more from award nominees, even in the first novel category.
The major problem with this novel is that the detective's schtick is that she beats up wife-beaters for a living (after killing her own abusive husband with a wrench...), but the mystery that she must solve is finding a kidnapped child. We were promised beating up to wife-beaters!
The mystery p More...
Oct 19, 2011
Danny
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Stella Hardesty is an unlikely heroine. She’s 50 years old, she runs a sewing shop, and she drinks whiskey almost every night. True, she’s in the best shape of her life because of all the running and weight lifting, but by no means does she have super powers. What she does have is a righteous anger at men who abuse their wives, and she uses that anger to fuel her side business: serving as an enforcer for the women who need her help. In her small Missouri town word has spread that she’s someone w
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May 24, 2011
Linden
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Sophie Littlefield's 2009 debut novel, A Bad Day for Sorry, tells of Stella Hardesty who, on her fiftieth birthday, ends her marriage with a wrench. A pipe wrench.
Since then she has been using her detective skills in pursuit of justice for women like herself who have been in abusive relationships. Not to say that it is a murder-for-hire justice. Rather it is Stella's understanding of those who may not yet have decided to leave their abusers that calls up her best efforts o More...
Jul 29, 2009
Cheryl
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Stella Hardesty is just your typical everyday woman...not! She works as sort of a patrol officer/bounty hunter. The only thing that makes her different is that she doesn't work with the law but makes her own rules. Kind of like the great John Wayne or Clint Eastwood.
Her favorite bird is the Raven. When some of her men need more convincing than others to turn their lives around, they end up on the receiving end of the Raven. You don't want to hear this Raven's tune.
When More...
Her favorite bird is the Raven. When some of her men need more convincing than others to turn their lives around, they end up on the receiving end of the Raven. You don't want to hear this Raven's tune.
When More...
Jun 08, 2011
Tim
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Reminds me of the Elmore Leonard books I've read, like Pagan Babies. This is a fun book to read with great characters. I'm probably not the target market for this book since the protaganist is a 50+ southern widow who owns a sewing shop and has the hots for the local sheriff, but I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading Littlefield's second book "A Bad Day For Pretty".
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Jun 23, 2010
S.D.
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This was interesting. I'm not sure I would call this book a full-fledged cozy. It was minus blood and gore but had more "saucy" language than the typical cozy. Stella Hardesty has a side business where she helps battered women take care of their brutal boyfriends/husbands. She, herself, had taken a wrench to the head of her husband several years ago. Stella's side business is hush-hush, whispered in back rooms of salons or behind closed doors. She wouldn't want her potential boyf
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Apr 27, 2010
Michael
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Stella Hardesty has had enough. When her husband, Ollie, continues to abuse her, she resolves the problem with a wrench. She pleaded to self-defense and didn't face any jail time.
Now, women who don't know how to resolve their own abusive situations come to Stella for help.
Stella is a fifty-year old woman whose mood is darkened with the effects of menopause. She owns an assortment of guns and bondage tools that she uses, convincing heavy handed men that they had better cha More...
Now, women who don't know how to resolve their own abusive situations come to Stella for help.
Stella is a fifty-year old woman whose mood is darkened with the effects of menopause. She owns an assortment of guns and bondage tools that she uses, convincing heavy handed men that they had better cha More...
Dec 13, 2009
Lydia
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Take Stefanie Plum and add another 20 years onto her age and you'll have Stella, the "hero" of A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield. This is the story of a 50-something widowed woman (who had killed her own abusive husband and been acquitted) and her side-job of taking care of other women who are in abusive relationships.
As much as I wanted to like this story, I found myself comparing it to Janet Evanovich's writing too much. The humor was lacking in comparision, the More...
As much as I wanted to like this story, I found myself comparing it to Janet Evanovich's writing too much. The humor was lacking in comparision, the More...
Sep 09, 2009
Mendy
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This is one of those OMG you have to read it books! Stella is a 50-something woman and she has 2 jobs. By day (Mondays and Wednesday thru Saturday), she runs a sewing machine repair and notions shop. But on Sundays, Tuesdays and at night she has a much darker but more important job. She attends to her parolees - only she's NOT working on the side of the law. Stella is standing up against men that beat their wives & girlfriends. She's rehabilitating them. Rumors fly around her small Missour
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Jan 22, 2010
Theresa
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Stella Hardesty has lead a hard life: wed too young to an abusive man, she is now estranged from her only child, a widow by her own hand and a fan of Johnny Walker. Luckily for Stella, the judge was sympathetic towards battered woman and she was free to begin a quiet life working in her small sewing and quilting shop. But Stella is no longer interested in standing by while there are women being abused. On her days off, she dispenses her own form of vigilante justice on behalf of those who ask fo
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Mar 15, 2011
David
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Stella offs her abusive husband with a wrench and finds she has a talent for helping other husbands see the errors of their ways. An underground business is born that holds all sorts of possibilities for adventure and mayhem. A surprisingly light read considering the body count, and a fun one too.
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Aug 30, 2011
Janyse
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I actually really enjoyed this book. It's the story of Stella, a 50-year-old ex-abused wife who has taken it upon herself to dish out some vigilante justice. She becomes her own sort of parole officer, determined to keep the women in her county from being abused. Though not sanctioned by the police, Stella brand of justice (not be hampered by all that red tape) leaves her fairly successful in her endeavors.
My only problem with this book was the language! I honestly don't know many More...
My only problem with this book was the language! I honestly don't know many More...
Apr 20, 2010
Anna
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amazing, hands down.
one of the most interesting books i have read lately.
I honestly loved this book because it showed me how powerful women are becoming regardless of how their husband or boyfriends treat them or make them feel. It made me proud to read it and feel how confident these two women, Chrissy and Stella, really are. I think that this book’s purpose is to speak out to women of any age who have been abused verbally or physically by a man and to give them reassurance t More...
one of the most interesting books i have read lately.
I honestly loved this book because it showed me how powerful women are becoming regardless of how their husband or boyfriends treat them or make them feel. It made me proud to read it and feel how confident these two women, Chrissy and Stella, really are. I think that this book’s purpose is to speak out to women of any age who have been abused verbally or physically by a man and to give them reassurance t More...
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Feb 03, 2011
Jennifer
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Stella Hardesty is a 50ish owner of a small town Missouri sewing shop. She has another business on the side helping abused women get away from their abusers. She feels passionately about this job because she used to be one of the women who was abused. At least until she took a wrench to her husband's skull and he died. Chrissy comes to see her after she is abused by he live-in boyfriend. Stella talks with him and gets him to agree to stay away from Chrissy. Not long after this conversation
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Jul 22, 2010
Chris
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In a world of crime novels featuring male "tough guy" leads it's fun to have a woman in that role, particularly as one actually choosing to be tough as opposed to just being put in a situation that she has to tough her way out of. If Stella's "side job" seems a little implausible, that's okay with me, because Sophie keeps her well within the bounds of the world she's created for her. I thought she captured the attitude and flavor of small town life very well; all in all, this
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Apr 26, 2011
Hobart
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I knew that crime fiction would come up with someone to dethrone Lisbeth Salander as reigning Queen Bad*ss, but I never woulda figured it'd be someone like Stella Hardesty. Sure, Lisbeth could take Stella in a steel cage match--but in an extended campaign, that little girl wouldn't stand a chance, Stella'd kick her Asperger's all the way back to Sweden.
After years of spousal abuse, Stella finally had enough and killed him. Some years later, Stella augments her income from her sewin More...
After years of spousal abuse, Stella finally had enough and killed him. Some years later, Stella augments her income from her sewin More...
Jul 06, 2010
Jodi
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This was my first Kindle book! A good choice it was. This is a fun book. It is written in a Janet Evanovich style, yet stands on its own. I loved the premise--Stella Hardesty, owner of a sewing machine repair/sewing supply shop, moonlights teaching domestic abusers a lesson or two. She calls herself a "parole" agent. As a prosecutor, I really appreciated what Stella was accomplishing. You have to suspend belief a little here and there, but the humor is appropriate, funny, and ju
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