Loose Screw

Dusty Deals Mystery #1

by Rae Davies, Lori Devoti

Lucy Mathews, crime reporter turned antiques dealer, avoids confrontation like a home perm. She even lets a cat shove her around.

When Lucy trips over the body of a buckskin-clad relics trader, her ex-boss asks her to cover the story. She tries to tell him no, but old habits die hard and soon she finds herself directly in the path of a killer and the exasperating, if attractive, detective in charge.

Can Lucy catch a killer or is this the last confrontation for her—period?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Romance, Ebooks, Amazon

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 20, 2011

About the author

Rae Davies is the pen name of goodreads author Lori Devoti.

Lori Devoti worked for three different newspapers in two different states before deciding to stay home with her children and begin writing fiction. Lori has been a finalist for many awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award and is a member of Novelists Inc., a prestigious group for professional writers. She lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and children as well as two dogs.

Like Lucy, Lori loves antiques, Montana and malamutes.

Rae Davies has a facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RaeDaviesAuthor and Pinterest boards at http://pinterest.com/raedaviesauthor/

(Source: http://raedavies.com/about/ )

Reviews

[Eileen Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

As far as the mystery goes, this book is a lot of fun. There are hidden clues, some red herrings, and it's fun to unravel the details. I also liked the main character...but this is where it gets hairy. Normally I wouldn't have a problem giving this book four or five stars because I enjoyed the mystery so much, but this main character kept putting herself down and saying what a loser she was, and that was sad, because she was an interesting character who owned her own business and had a lot of friends who liked her, and it was hard to hear her insult herself so much. This plays into my next problem with the book...the "love interest" is a man who keeps putting her down, insulting her, and condescending to her.

I don't want to climb on a soapbox here, but I have to. This book pushed me to it. I don't know when we as a society decided that having men emotionally abuse women was "hot," but it needs to stop. I don't find it attractive when someone insults me and puts me down and uses a "first kiss" as a chance to put me down for "biting off more than I can chew." From my standpoint, the heroine seems to be "chewing" just fine, and hearing the guy who's supposed to be her romantic interest put her down as much as she's putting herself down was a major turn off. I really wish I could rate this book higher, because it does have a lot going for it, but this "romantic" aspect soured the whole experience for me. I hope in future books the heroine puts the "dashing romantic lead" in his place, because the book would have been better if he hadn't been a major jerk the whole time, and if that hadn't been treated as somehow attractive.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy Mathews is a very flawed protagonist. She not only can’t say no to anyone but she is really hard on herself and the people she surrounds herself with do not help her one bit. I am hoping she gets stronger as the series continues especially if she is going to be hunting down killers. As a side note, she adds milk to her soda, yuck!! It must be on Montana thing. I know the author lives in Wisconsin and having lived here my whole life I know it is not a Wisconsin thing.

My favorite character without a doubt was Lucy’s malamute, Kiska. He was there for Lucy throughout all the drama she found herself in the the middle of. He happy woo, woo, woo sounded just my own canine companions.

The mystery itself was very good with plenty of suspects. It could have been a little tighter but it suffers the first book in a series syndrome. The author has a lot of work in the first book. They not only have to have a mystery for the reader to follow but they also have to introduce the setting and all the characters. This author is trying to do this in about 100 less pages than a typical cozy mystery as well. I feel we get a good grasp on Helena, Montana and the basics of the characters were introduced. I am hoping in Cut Loose, book two in the series, we have characters that continue to evolve and a mystery that is a bit deeper. Davies has laid the groundwork, now she has to follow-up and build on what she has created. Lucy needs to stand up for herself and get some decent men in her life.

[pdarnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy is a kick! There are many moments where I laughed, giggled and snickered. A fun light read. Not to be taken seriously but rather with tongue in cheek. It's a murder mystery full of peculiar, loveable characters. A humorous look into the life of a antique dealer, her malamute Kiska and a unwanted weasel.

Antique auction, murder, small town life in Helena Montana, pushy well meaning friends, antique shop and bookstore right next to each other (my idea of pure bliss), learning to be assertive, failing the exercise of being assertive, detective work by both amateur and the real deal, newspaper reporting and a very laid back malamute.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars - review could contain spoilers- Free E-book by Amazon.

Lucy and her dog find romance and murder in the mountains of Montana. Lucy a crime reporter returned antiques deals, avoids confrontation like a nome persm. She even let a cat shove her around.
When Lucy trips over the body of a buskin - dead relics trader her ex-boss asks her to cover the story. Fun romance cozy mystery this book contains it all. Lucy Mathews 29 years old and highly marriageable tips over all kind of problems but her mind saves the day. Lucy realy is a girl who has her priorities in line but just does not get them quit done. I like the humor in this book a lot. And
like her I am a big fan of scoby doo! I would love to read more of her adventures.

Some lines out of the book:

- Locking around she spied the perfect place she plucked a knife from where it hung on the wall and carried it to her chosen nidey-hole. With surgical presision she cut a slit and slid her treasure inside.-

-Thirty dollars for a 400 hundred dollar pot. My day, my week, actually, was complete.-

-One of my favorite things about owning an antique shop in Montana was taking Kiska to work. -

- "The Native Amarican trader?" Ronda frowned and shock her head slightly. "Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, I didn't see him, but Lucy did, and the police talked to me too."-

- I pulled an old reporter notebook out of my lap drawer and flipped it open."Do you think the rest of it was stolen?"-
- With smoke still rolling out of the bundle, I turned to Kiska, who offered no advice.-

- And to add to the joy, I-d got myself hooked into a mountain bike ride. That would be a perfect time to lure him with my beduty, charm and ability to hyperventilate with style.-

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Read

This is a fun read, perfect for anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. While the actual mystery wasn't anything groundbreaking, the characters were quirky and enjoyable to read about. Likewise, the narrator's humourous and oftentimes sarcastic tone really lends itself to the book. Can't wait for book two!

[Erin L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good first in series, but the romance develops oddly. Very oddly. And at the end, it's still a little confusing, but at least it isn't a triangle. And I'm sure there will be further answers in later books in the series.

[Marsha Holz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This is a good book. If you like small western type towns & mysteries you will like this book. The characters are good & I loved the dog lol

[Thelma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trying way too hard. Just didn't grab me.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

Omg can't wait to read the next book. It was so dang good I'm so going to recommend the book to anyone who likes .

[Skeptigirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read. Interesting enough. I think it was the writing that kept me going because it certainly was not the character who I could not relate to or her, who needs enemies with a friend like this, friend Rhonda or the mystery that really did not grab me either and it certainly was not the domineering grumpy, unatractive bully Detective Blake. Lucy has trouble saying no and a very poor self-esteem, I mean why else would she be interested in someone like Blake, he strikes me as the type to beat a woman, especially Lucy who he has not respect for as a humanbeing. The reason I dislike her friend Rhonda is because she was pushing her into a relationship with Blake. What sort of a real friend does that?

[Sassafrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little mystery. The heroine is very quirky. It was hard for me to get into in the beginning but it picked up 1/3 of the way in for me.

One thing that kept ripping me out of the story was that the guy Crandell's name kept going back and forth between Crandall and Crandell. That happened several times throughout the book and I thought someone in editing should have gotten that.

Otherwise, I enjoyed it. I liked the way the author tried to throw us off the scent of the killer. I also liked the budding romance that I hope gets more play in later books.

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first "Loose Screw" mystery by Rae Davis and Lori Devoti. I enjoyed it even though the heroine was a bit unassertive for me. But the setting was interesting, Helena, Montana, and the supporting cast was colorful. And I did root for the heroine. The thing was that the climax made me uncomfortable. You see in my experience unassertive people choose the oddest times and ways to suddenly try to become assertive and they end up, looking silly. I enjoyed it, but it didn't have the big finish or solve I like in a mystery. But I would read another in this series!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for free through a Kindle Daily Deal.

I enjoyed this book, it was a funny read. The main characters are interesting, the dog is silly, and the main character is very relatable - (other than her constantly adding cream to her soda, which I never heard of and sounds kind of gross to me ;) ) she suffers the usual pains we all do as adults.
Some of the secondary characters aren't flushed out very much considering the book is longer than I expected it would be, but it was better than the book being dragged out too long with unnecessary add-ins.

[Kai Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a light fun mystery read. The story moved along quickly and I really liked the wussy heroine. Though I think she's made of sterner stuff than she knows. After all, not many can refuse being a cat pillow. When a cat wants to use you as a pillow, you're a pillow. Nothing wussy about it. Right now there are two more books in the series and I'm looking forward to reading them.

[Janice B. Dobbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very glad this was a free book. I would not have liked to pay money for this. Did not enjoy the book - could not like any of the characters especially the "heroine". Story line was very choppy and the characters were not really filled out so that you could get to know them. Don't plan to read another book by this author.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy Mathews is an odd duck, always ready to yield to others and put herself down. The odd part is that she was a crime reporter and, as a breed, they are more like Rottweilers than lapdogs.
She's also got very strange dietary habits - adding milk to soda or Diet Pepsi being one. It sounded so odd that I checked Google - it is not for the faint of heart!
She's now an antiques dealer, selling through Ebay and her shop in Helena, Montana. Attending an auction she witnesses an unexpectedly high sale for a Native American Shaman's outfit, complete with a badly preserved weasel.
She later finds the buyer murdered beside her shop - the Shaman outfit is gone - and is promptly brought back as a stringer for the local newspaper to follow the story.
I like antiques (books are my catnip) and worked on local newspapers for over three decades so there was a lot to like in 'Loose Screw.'
On the downside, while it ticks all the required boxes and is well written, it just never really took off. I'll read the next in the series but hopefully Lucy will have found her spine in the meantime.
3 Stars.

[D. Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice, light, cozy mystery.
1st in series.

Rating: PG (elementary students wouldn't be interested.)
No sex
No graphic violence or stomach-turning descriptions
No strong language that I can remember. (It's been a couple weeks since I finished.)
When I started reading, I thought the story was going to be deadly slow. Additionally, within the first 2 chapters the main character had to "wrap her head around," or similar wording, the fact that there'd been a murder near her. The phrase NEVER happened again. Yes, I'm sick of that phrase and hope it fades away soon.

Plot time/place
When: I wondered why she didn't pick up her cell and call, but then after paying attention to style descriptions and that she was pulling her phone's cord with her to the table to talk comfortably, I realized this was written just before we all had a cell glued to our fingertips, since towards the end, a cell phone does show up.
Where: Small town Montana

A little plot- no spoilers:
Lucy, the main character. has a malamute and also a small antiques shop. I've owned a malamute, and her descriptions of the animal's behavior are spot on.
Lucy is not a smug amateur detective who think she knows better than the professionals, she just happens to have witnessed and experienced enough peculiar goings-on that she gets caught up in the investigation. She questions herself and then scolds herself for not being bold enough to stand up against her fears or intimidation.

Unsurprisingly for a cozy, a romantic interest develops.

Recommended for an enjoyable, light read. Again, this isn't Shakespeare, I might even go so far as to spell it "lite." Sound good? Go for it.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy is a former crime reporter and now owns an antique shop in Helena, Montana. She has attended a local auction where items from the Deere family are being featured. While she manages to pick up a few pieces for her shop, there are some outsiders in attendance. The bidding gets outrageously high for a Medicine Man set.

The winning bidder of the Medicine Man set stops in to see Lucy the following Monday and is asking about books regarding the Deere family. Lucy has a few books for him, and refers him to the bookstore next door. Later that afternoon, she stumbles over the body of the man on her way to her car.

The story is told in a very lighthearted manner, which makes it an easy read. I had a hard time putting the book down until it was finished.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Interesting And Entertaining"

This is the first book I've read by this author (also known as Lori Devoti). Here, Lucy Mathews, once a crime reporter, is now an antiques dealer in Helena, Montana. In public, she avoids confrontations, but at home her dog knows how to shove her around. One evening as she was closing the shop, the body of a buckskin-clad relics trader is found in the back alley. Her previous editor wants her to investigate the case. She not only steps into the path of the killer, but also has encounters with the handsome local detective in charge of the case, Peter Blake. He's the one man she has tried to stay away from. It's an intriguing story and a very creative mystery.

[Marty Langenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nicely convoluted tale where the hints are carefully disguised until you need them to identify the killer. Our heroine Lucy gets involved because she stumbles over the body while sidestepping the horse droppings in an alley behind her shop. By then I’d forgotten about the very short prologue to the story where the first clue was hidden. Lucy’s malamute is no police hound but he provides a wonderful, lovable support character because he sheds so much hair! Add a stuffed weasel which is part of an old Medicine Man Set dating back to 1930, plus the back-story of Garrison Deere who married the town’s prostitute named Ruby, and suddenly the whole story comes together.
An enjoyable, easy read. I’m happy to recommend it as a true cozy mystery.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Matthews runs an antique store in a small Colorado town. Her store carries some antiques, some collectibles, some vintage items, etc. Her dog is often resting in the office. At an estate auction, a newcomer buys a medicine man outfit. Right away, things go amiss and there's a dead body in the alley behind her store. Her old boss at the newspaper asks her to cover the story and she does, a little reluctantly. She's smart enough to talk to the police, both to get information and to give information, but she doesn't like the sheriff enough to tell him everything she knows.

I enjoyed this one enough I'm going to look for the 2nd book in the series.

[Ja’net · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an ok read

This was just an ok book to me. It wasn't horrible but the main character's personality could use some work in my opinion.

The main problem I have with her is how she sees herself. Always referring to herself as a "wuss" and allowing others to walk all over her becomes annoying and distracting at some point.

The plot was interesting which is why I continued to read it until the end. I'm still not sure if I'll read the next book in the series.

Basically if you don't mind reading a book with a childish, blundering idiot main character with a decent story plot this book is for you!

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people let greed take over



Loved it. Okay it wasn't hard to spot the killer but it was an entertaining read. She has run her antique shop by going to all the estate sales she could find. What she didn't expect to find was the buyer, from the last estate sale she went too, dead in the alley behind her shop. Where were the rest of the items he purchased? With her name in the frame she starts sleuthing. Will she be able to beat the detective to find the killer or will they get off scott free? Great little plot, well written but not hard to figure out with characters that you can relate too and come to like.

[Ceejay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dusty Deals is the name of an antique shop in Helena, Montana, and the owner Lucy, along with her dog, is the gal solving the mystery in this very enjoyable story. After attending an auction ,looking for objects to sell at her store, Lucy discovers the big winner of the auction stabbed to death in the alley behind Dusty Deals. We are presented with a group of possible killers. We are introduced to various members of town, and friends of Lucy who I'm sure will show up in future novels. And we learn about Lucy's background. This is a well written mystery with an honest ending. I'm sure I'll try the next book in the series.

[Mary Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self-absorbed, Twenty-Something Mess....

Because I am old enough (nearly) to be the protagonist’s grandmother, several times during the reading I wanted to smack her. (Lucy needs a greater degree of comfort with herself before I could stomach any more of her adventures.). I would have abandoned the book, except the really wanted to know who done it and why, which were resolved in a fine fashion.

The book and mystery will appeal to younger female readers, which is the appropriate target audience for this book.

[Loretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Mathews owner of Dusty Deals shop selling collectibles in Helena, Montana and has a dog named Kiska. She goes to auctions to find old items to sell. On June 8th she was at an auction that was selling Native American items from the Deere Estate. Lucy gets what she wants and leaves. she went outside of her shop and discovered a dead body near the dumpster that bought the Native American items. She then gets involved with finding the killer. Things happen after she got an item to sell from the collection. Keeps you guessing who was the killer?

[Dawn Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion Rae Davies did a good job with the mystery part of the story. She did a good job of hiding who did what. There were two mysteries in one. I kind of figure some of it out, other parts I could not figure out. The problem I had was with the self-deprecating that Lucy resorts too. I understand insecurity, but it got to the point that I wanted to yell at Lucy snap out of it. I'm going to read Cut Loose and hope Lucy grow some. I'm hoping Lucy's friends Rhonda and Betty helps her to grow and have a little more faith in her self.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun interesting mystery

I enjoyed this book and the characters. It kept you guessing until the end. I must say although it did not detract from a fun story the idea of putting milk in soda makes me cringe. The western small town setting along with a great selection of characters and kiska the malamute made for an enjoyable read. The only negative is at least in the first book Lucy is continually putting herself down which does not fit in with what you see of her in the story. Looking forward to reading the next story.

[Karyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was your basic simple and quick mystery. It was forgettable, at best. One thing that did stick out to me that I absolutely did not like was the way the main character talked about other women in the book. I guess it's meant to make her "relatable" but I interpreted some of her comments she made with her "internal monolouge" to be unkind and judgy, all while she's unkind to herself. Like the author makes a point that we always know the main character isn't girly and is insecure about herself. Also the fact she kept calling her jeep her "rig" the entire time irrationally annoyed me.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOOSE SCREW. Once a reporter always a reporter so her ex boss thinks. Wants her to cover story, after all she found the body. Her first thought was to report it to the newspaper, then the 911 call. She now runs an antique shop was there a connection with some of the items she bought the day before. A light hearted mystery easy to read, with enough clues in the plot, to try and figure out the why.