Sophie Swift and the Terror of the Deep

by Christine Bell

My name is Sophie Swift, and it’s been a year of firsts for me.

I landed my first office job at the Art Institute, met my first male pig named Charlotte, got my first roommate (not including my ex, Steve—may his genitals atrophy into stone). Oh! And I just tripped over my first dead body! Probably, I should’ve led with that…

I’ll tell you this much; I didn’t see any of it coming. After the break up, I thought I’d left the investigating life behind for good. But when the office curmudgeon dies under, shall we say “fishy” circumstances, I can’t seem to keep my nose out of it. Now, it’s up to me and my merry band of misfits to find out whodunnit…before whodunnit finds us.

Genres: Amazon

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2018

About the author

Christine Bell is a romance author and also writes erotic romance as Chloe Cole. She and her handsome hubby currently reside in Pennsylvania with a four-pack of teenage boys. If she gets time off from her duties as maid, chef, chauffeur, or therapist, she can be found reading just about anything she can get her hands on, from Young Adult novels to books on poker theory. She doesn’t like root beer, clowns or bugs (except ladybugs, on account of their cute outfits), but lurrves chocolate, going to the movies, the New York Giants and playing Texas Hold ‘Em. Writing is her passion, but if she had to pick another occupation, she would be a pirate…or, like, a ninja maybe. She loves writing steamy romance stories, but also hopes to one day publish something her dad can read without wanting to dig his eyes out with a rusty spoon. Christine loves to hear from readers, so please contact her through her website, www.christine-bell.com

Reviews

[Chelsea B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophie Swift and the Terror of the Deep was a quirky cozy mystery filled with heaps of quirky, eccentric characters. And a pig.

I loved Sophie. She was smart and relateable. The side characters could be a bit much, especially in her place of work, where most of the book takes place. Like I said, very eccentric characters...but I'd have been going to HR over at least half of them haha.

Anyway, the mystery was good, the solving of the mystery was entertaining, and I'm looking forward to the next book!

There were some editing errors, but for the most part they didn't take away from my enjoyment.

3.5 stars.

[Marizaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a creature of habit. Therefore, I don't read anything other than Chic Lit, LGBTQ+, Romance, General and Contemporary Fiction, however, after reading this I am considering adding Cosy Mystery to my go to genre list.

Here are some things I really enjoyed:

1. I absolutely adore pigs whether its a pot belly or landrace. They are smart creatures and deserve to protrayed as such. I love seeing them as pets, but people should be aware of the destruction they can cause. The novel show that teacup pigs are overrated and that all of them deserve the same love.

2. Gina: I loved Sophie's roommate/best
friend because she's supportive, outspoken, loyal and a feminist. I share a lot of her values and ralated with her the most.

3. The use of sarcasm, irony and poetic devices make the book more relatable and hilarious, especially the similes.

And now for things I didn't enjoy:
1. Throughout the book Sophie and Gina curse Steve, Sophie's ex, as seen in the book blurb. The first few times I thought that it was hilarious, however, as the book progressed it started to feel forced and unnecessary.

2. The chain of events taking placed seemed highly unlikely. This took away a lot of the book's realism and made sure that Sophie's world didn't suck me in completely...

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first day to remember--because there is no way you could forget it. Yep, Sophie was high on life. New job, one that matched her degree. Got rid of the boyfriend,( may his bed be infested with bedbugs and fleas) and she was going to be on time. Well, almost. Little did she know her coworkers were a tad on the eccentric side. Or just plain weird. She could deal with that--a whole lot more than the dead body she tripped over.

And that was the best part of the day!

Since she had been a PI assistant, everyone including herself, expected her to solve the murder that as yet had not been deemed a murder. So begins a romp with disguises that...you gotta read it to believe it...helpers that are so not helping, hunky men she tries so hard to ignore, and dialogue that will have you giggling, shaking your head or outright laughing. There is no shortage of suspects see if you can guess who dune it?

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you ready for a few giggles and some breathe holding adventure? Then this is for you! Poor Sophie has broken her engagement with her fiance, a PI, due to his infidelity. She decides to join the ranks of adults and find a job using the degree she earned. On her first day of work as she;s being taken through the steps of employment and filling out paperwork she literally stumbles over a body...a dead body. The man is not one widely liked in the office. Again poor Sophie is trying to be a regular employee. But once her coworkers discover she has experience as a PI, she is tugged along on a wild ride of investigation, helping the security officer of the building, who, is kind of cute according to Sophie.
Fantastic story and one that will have you giggling at the antics and holding your breath at the antics!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Krystyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blind leading the blind

Sorry but this series isn't for me. The pig should have been funny - it wasn't. For an assistant PI she sure was slow on the uptake. Okay saying all that the plot foundations were good, it just got bogged down. The characters should have been funny but they just missed the mark and came off as forced and slightly wooden. Her first day at her new job started in a perfect way, until she tripped over the dead body. Who wanted to kill him? What reason did they have? Will she be able to discover the truth before there are any more casualties?

[Disney14604 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute cozy mystery. Fun and fast read. Characters are extremely well developed.

So well developed that I had to check where in the series this book was. I thought I missed something from a previous book since they all know each other so well.

Funny and love the the problem one character has to work on.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my freely given and honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and I couldn't out it down till the end. Sophie like me is trying to live life and do alot of firsts some good some bad and I like that because like all of us, she is trying to start a life and a good one. Awesome book can't wait for the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh and Funny, Can't Get Enough
This should be an excellent series. The writing is witty and fresh. The characters are great! The plot is intricate and well developed. I was bouncing through suspects right up to the end. I'm going to keep my eye on this author and read everything she writes. I received this book for free and voluntarily chose to post my honest review.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers will fall in love with Sophie, when she stops for her latte. Calling it public service, it made her so much more likable. First day, her step was as bouncy as her pony tail. Till she stumbles going into the break room, an arm, and a guy who looked super dead. Natural curiosity was making her look and wondered what happened. Going back to apartment and finding a new tenant, one pig. You want humorous dialog, with a murder, maybe some romance, then read about Sophie she is not dull.

[Donna Crabbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was between 3/4 stars on this book. I found it rather dry, I really disliked the way it was going back and forth on the food issue, I found the main area was missed through the pain in the arse flatmate and landlord whom was annoying. I like a murder when it got into the employers I got fed up. I can say I read it till the end just to see if I felt better in my fed back

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in this series and the suspense, drama, danger a killer all kept me reading I had to know who it was. This was a well-written book that I enjoyed reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie has a way of attracting attention when she isn't looking for it. This book had some funny parts with Sophie's roommate Gina and her landlady Marion and Marion's pet pig, Charlotte. The Art Academy had a lot of quirky people. This book was really interesting.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first day would have been my last.

This book has more twists and turns than a caterpillar on a hot plate. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and much of it was amusing. It actually was a pretty good mystery, as well. Still needs a bit of editing however.

[Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like quirky characters but these ones came across as a slap stick routine. Maybe it was because every single person in the story was bonkers? I felt like this book was more of a comedy routine than a story. Sadly, it was a joke that went on long after it was funny.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant and a bit silly

This was a pleasant, easy-to-read cozy. A bit silly in places, but I liked it enough to want to read the next installment too. Sophie’s trick with remembering names gets old soon though. For instance: ‘Sammy. Sammy, Sammy, cold and clammy. Sammy.’ That is just a lame bit of humor. And wanting to call a pet ‘Peeve’? A bit meh. But the rest of the book was funny. Maybe not the laugh-out-loud kind of funny but more the put-a-smile-on-my-face funny. Sophie is smart and nosy. She’s also not one to give up, even though she wants to. But she’s not very cool under pressure… Her colleagues are a little too OTT unprofessional and eccentric to be real, but it makes for a good read. The pig was a bit too destructive to be really cute. Original though! And it got quite suspenseful at the end. All in all, it was an enjoyable book.

[Misty Goan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun easy to read clean PI murder mystery. Sophies 1st day as a PI assistant she trips over a dead body. Her character has potential for amazing adventures. I enjoyed following her and a crazy crew and silly diguises trying to solve this murder. Her character potential for some amazing adventures. Then throw in hunky men she tries so hard to ignore, and dialogue that will have you giggling your in for an enjoyable standalone to a series of her adventures.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.