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Red Riley #1
Chicago Blue
“I’m sorry, Miss Riley, you’ve got nothing left to offer. You yourself admitted that I was never going to let you live. It’s time to move on.”
Bombs are going off in downtown Chicago. Caught in the middle is Kay Riley, an unassuming police officer framed for the devastation.
On the run with only her sense of humor and a few old friends to help her out, Kay faces an annoying hitman, a sexy thief, and a madman with a penchant for destruction.
Unexpectedly, Riley finds that being an outlaw agrees with her. She’s not a karate expert, she can’t pick a lock, and she certainly isn’t a master of disguise, but Riley is stubborn, and this is her city. She’s not going down without a fight.
Bombs are going off in downtown Chicago. Caught in the middle is Kay Riley, an unassuming police officer framed for the devastation.
On the run with only her sense of humor and a few old friends to help her out, Kay faces an annoying hitman, a sexy thief, and a madman with a penchant for destruction.
Unexpectedly, Riley finds that being an outlaw agrees with her. She’s not a karate expert, she can’t pick a lock, and she certainly isn’t a master of disguise, but Riley is stubborn, and this is her city. She’s not going down without a fight.
209 pages, ebook
First published October 10, 2017
929 people are currently reading
927 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Andrews
20 books42 followersStephanie Andrews hopes her love of classic mysteries and thrillers, and her desire to show strong women as protagonists, comes through in her books about Kay Riley. Thanks for reading!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
August 21, 2024
A compelling read.
Actually, this book was really quite good. There is plenty of action and some twists that kept me wanting to finish it.
Actually, this book was really quite good. There is plenty of action and some twists that kept me wanting to finish it.
October 22, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I found the book enjoyable, but I thought there could have been a bit more character development. At times it felt like the book dragged and other times it felt like it was rushed. There were points that it felt a little formulaic and predictable, yet the mystery that Riley and her merry band of quirky characters had a great surprise ending.
In conclusion, the story was engaging enough to keep me guessing and in fact reading, but I felt there could be some improvements that would have made me enjoy it more. Also, as I was reading I thought that in some ways it was set up for more books but by the way it ended, I am not sure that I would be up for that.
In conclusion, the story was engaging enough to keep me guessing and in fact reading, but I felt there could be some improvements that would have made me enjoy it more. Also, as I was reading I thought that in some ways it was set up for more books but by the way it ended, I am not sure that I would be up for that.
January 8, 2023
An interesting read but not exceptional
October 17, 2017
The only reason that this book did not get five stars is I got a little lost once in a while.
The story was great, love Riley but I lost my place once or twice and had to go back a page to figure out where I wandered.
Cannot wait to check out the next book!
The story was great, love Riley but I lost my place once or twice and had to go back a page to figure out where I wandered.
Cannot wait to check out the next book!
January 13, 2021
"Minor flaws, major dose of fun"
Just what I needed. Red Riley gets into all kinds of scrapes as a PI trying to clear her name. This falls somewhere between cozy and no-holds barred thriller, but it works because it's a fun read. We could all do with something like that right now.
Just what I needed. Red Riley gets into all kinds of scrapes as a PI trying to clear her name. This falls somewhere between cozy and no-holds barred thriller, but it works because it's a fun read. We could all do with something like that right now.
November 9, 2024
4 stars! This book definitely have some twisty turns, I’ve never heard anyone talk about this book or series but I found it on Kindle Unlimited and it was better than i thought it was.
February 9, 2025
DNF. Sorry but this book didn't catch my attention enough.
July 27, 2018
Great
Great to get the app for the fact I only get one app that is so not happy going through my friends friends
Great to get the app for the fact I only get one app that is so not happy going through my friends friends
October 22, 2022
A nice mystery set in Chicago. Sprinkled with a splash of humor and likable sidekicks.
November 29, 2017
Free copy for honest review
Kay Riley, a police officer, is framed for crimes she didn't commit. Only she and a few close friends can unravel the truth and find the true culprit. Overall I enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting but I think a little more back story would have made the story flow a little better. The story seemed to be a little uneven at times, some of the chapters seemed to end abruptly and leave you wanting more. Overall a good start to a series of books with the same main character.
Kay Riley, a police officer, is framed for crimes she didn't commit. Only she and a few close friends can unravel the truth and find the true culprit. Overall I enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting but I think a little more back story would have made the story flow a little better. The story seemed to be a little uneven at times, some of the chapters seemed to end abruptly and leave you wanting more. Overall a good start to a series of books with the same main character.
November 15, 2017
Telecommunications game where cheating was going on.
Stephanie Andrews, author of Chicago Blue: A Red Riley Adventure, has written a story with a great idea but it just doesn't seem to flow smoothly. Also typing errors detract from the reading. As I said the story line is great and it is a fast reading story for a night or a weekend if you enjoy mystery stories. I got this story for free from a free book site.
Stephanie Andrews, author of Chicago Blue: A Red Riley Adventure, has written a story with a great idea but it just doesn't seem to flow smoothly. Also typing errors detract from the reading. As I said the story line is great and it is a fast reading story for a night or a weekend if you enjoy mystery stories. I got this story for free from a free book site.
December 27, 2017
An amusing trifle..
Kay Riley is a police officer in Chicago, until she's wrongly accused of a crime, and has to go undercover.
Kay has a weird sense of humor, and no real crime fighting skills, but that doesn't deter her from playing detective, and trying to figure out what happened.
Results: a breezy little mystery/thriller, nothing deep, just a quick, fun read.
Kay Riley is a police officer in Chicago, until she's wrongly accused of a crime, and has to go undercover.
Kay has a weird sense of humor, and no real crime fighting skills, but that doesn't deter her from playing detective, and trying to figure out what happened.
Results: a breezy little mystery/thriller, nothing deep, just a quick, fun read.
June 14, 2019
Enjoyed
Just a little too convoluted at times with characters to keep straight. On the other hand, I was kind of jumping around with reading times also which could have been to blame. A fun romp.
Just a little too convoluted at times with characters to keep straight. On the other hand, I was kind of jumping around with reading times also which could have been to blame. A fun romp.
December 6, 2017
Chicago Blue
Entertaining read. Not deep but kind of fun. Need more words to post but out of ideas right now so here it is.
Entertaining read. Not deep but kind of fun. Need more words to post but out of ideas right now so here it is.
December 23, 2017
fast-paced Chicago cop read. I bought my copy on Kindle and noticed more than a few typos! That didn't stop me from purchasing the second book in this series or pre-ordering the third.
March 9, 2024
A rather different police story with a surprising ending
January 1, 2021
Fast paced. Great story.
Great Story fast paced. Nice twist.
Recommend for people who love the Stephani Plumb books. Not always as funny but still not the normal crime fiction.
Great Story fast paced. Nice twist.
Recommend for people who love the Stephani Plumb books. Not always as funny but still not the normal crime fiction.
August 13, 2025
I thought that this was an okay read. A light story but engaging.
January 22, 2024
Kay “Red” Riley starts “Chicago Blue” as a disgruntled cop.
Not for her the dramatic terminations of stakeouts, gun battles and hostage negotiations:-
“Nope, I had pretty much spent ten years arresting drunks and vagrants. Occasionally some piece of crap who beat his wife.”
It all changes when a businessman blows up in front of her.
She survives, but another copper dies, and, almost before the dust has settled, she is named as the chief suspect after a second explosion.
And, with gunmen on her trail, Kay decides to (a) disappear, and (b) solve the crime with the help of a variety of friends, acquaintances and family friends.
It has a tendency towards lazy plotting – one odd instance is that her fingerprints are removed from her police records but are later used to identify her (it's the kind of inconsistency that needs to be explained, and it would have been simple to do.)
I don't think the author was entirely sure what kind of book she wanted it to be. Remove the supervillain aspect, drop Selena Salerno entirely, and you'd have a solid P.I. novel. As it stands it is trying to be too many things and some of them just don't work.
It also needs a tighter edit.
That said it is not a bad read by any means.
3 Stars.
Not for her the dramatic terminations of stakeouts, gun battles and hostage negotiations:-
“Nope, I had pretty much spent ten years arresting drunks and vagrants. Occasionally some piece of crap who beat his wife.”
It all changes when a businessman blows up in front of her.
She survives, but another copper dies, and, almost before the dust has settled, she is named as the chief suspect after a second explosion.
And, with gunmen on her trail, Kay decides to (a) disappear, and (b) solve the crime with the help of a variety of friends, acquaintances and family friends.
It has a tendency towards lazy plotting – one odd instance is that her fingerprints are removed from her police records but are later used to identify her (it's the kind of inconsistency that needs to be explained, and it would have been simple to do.)
I don't think the author was entirely sure what kind of book she wanted it to be. Remove the supervillain aspect, drop Selena Salerno entirely, and you'd have a solid P.I. novel. As it stands it is trying to be too many things and some of them just don't work.
It also needs a tighter edit.
That said it is not a bad read by any means.
3 Stars.
April 10, 2021
I don't do book reviews
I don't do book reviews like you keep seeing, as I find that some give too much of the plot away and I personally hate that, as it makes the book not worth reading. I much prefer to take the authors back cover write up as a review as it can either intrigue you enough to read the book of provide you enough information to make you decide that the book is not for you.
My review rules are: The more stars, the more I liked it.
If there are too many typos or errors the less stars I give
If the storyline or plot is poor or contains too many errors, the characters are too weak, the ending lacking something, then the less stars I give.
Simple, uncomplicated and to the point without giving anything away.
Some of the books I read have been given to me by the author as a pre-release copy and this does not bias my reviews in any way.
I don't do book reviews like you keep seeing, as I find that some give too much of the plot away and I personally hate that, as it makes the book not worth reading. I much prefer to take the authors back cover write up as a review as it can either intrigue you enough to read the book of provide you enough information to make you decide that the book is not for you.
My review rules are: The more stars, the more I liked it.
If there are too many typos or errors the less stars I give
If the storyline or plot is poor or contains too many errors, the characters are too weak, the ending lacking something, then the less stars I give.
Simple, uncomplicated and to the point without giving anything away.
Some of the books I read have been given to me by the author as a pre-release copy and this does not bias my reviews in any way.
October 21, 2017
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy.
Chicago Blue was fast paced fun from start to finish. Riley reminded me a lot of Stephanie Plum with the antics she got up to while going after the bad guys.
The dialogue and narration were very humorous and kept the story from going to a darker level that exploding CEOs could take it to. What I really liked was the ending. It was a good ending to allow for the continuation of the series but it was not a sugarcoated happy ending with everything ending perfectly.
Kay Riley and her hodgepodge group of friends make for a great group of entertaining characters. I look forward to reading their next adventure.
5 stars
Chicago Blue was fast paced fun from start to finish. Riley reminded me a lot of Stephanie Plum with the antics she got up to while going after the bad guys.
The dialogue and narration were very humorous and kept the story from going to a darker level that exploding CEOs could take it to. What I really liked was the ending. It was a good ending to allow for the continuation of the series but it was not a sugarcoated happy ending with everything ending perfectly.
Kay Riley and her hodgepodge group of friends make for a great group of entertaining characters. I look forward to reading their next adventure.
5 stars
June 25, 2018
I am a cozy mystery reader and had the opportunity to read this book which is outside of my normal niche. I would classify this book as suspense/thriller mixed with a bit of humor and the unexpected. Kay is not your normal police officer being framed for crimes she didn't commit. She has sass, humor, and her wits. Along with a little help from her friends, she experiments with many disguises and finds her inner outlaw all the while trying to find the real criminals. This is the first book in a future series of adventures that I feel readers will continue to want to read.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
April 5, 2018
I found this to be an entertaining and attention holding book by Stephanie Andrews about a female Chicago cop trying to clear her name and at the same time solve the crime she was accused of. I really enjoyed the primary character's trials and tribulations and the way the author solved and handled them made the story fun to read from page one to the last one. I am looking forward to adding the next Red Riley adventure book to my TBR pile. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
September 19, 2021
A fun unbeleivable wild ride
Kay Riley is a police officer in Chicago. She's on a call when a bomb goes off. Now she finds herself a suspect. It is definately a fiction book because no one could go through what she does an live. It's fun going on this ride with her. I enjoyed this book and have already picked up the next. I love the characters, even the bad guys. There is a little humor thrown in ocassionally and the store is well written. It's not too intense so it should be enjoyable even if mysteries are not your go to read. I think you will enjoy it, give it a try.
Kay Riley is a police officer in Chicago. She's on a call when a bomb goes off. Now she finds herself a suspect. It is definately a fiction book because no one could go through what she does an live. It's fun going on this ride with her. I enjoyed this book and have already picked up the next. I love the characters, even the bad guys. There is a little humor thrown in ocassionally and the store is well written. It's not too intense so it should be enjoyable even if mysteries are not your go to read. I think you will enjoy it, give it a try.
June 17, 2022
"Nothing but luck and some shenanigans had gotten me this far. And a little help from my friends."
I was fully prepared to like this book. Kay Riley sounds like a heroine to root for - funny, smart, brave, impulsive, flawed. The plot was a bit twisty. Yeah, there were some unbelievable bits, but it's a story, not a memoir. The author does a great job of keeping all the plot points balanced.
This book was very well written. I love some witty dialogue & this book definitely had it.
Fun read, looking forward to more of Riley's adventures!
I was fully prepared to like this book. Kay Riley sounds like a heroine to root for - funny, smart, brave, impulsive, flawed. The plot was a bit twisty. Yeah, there were some unbelievable bits, but it's a story, not a memoir. The author does a great job of keeping all the plot points balanced.
This book was very well written. I love some witty dialogue & this book definitely had it.
Fun read, looking forward to more of Riley's adventures!
July 3, 2023
Riley she was a police officer like her dad was. She didnt really know if it was a job she wanted to continue doing. She supposable was not to good at her job.She got involved in a bombing and ended up being thought to be the cause of it. She went into hiding so she could find out and prove she was just the cop there trying to arrest a guy. By the way she didnt know that this man had a bomb on him - he kept trying to tell her but she didnt listen to him. Does she really want to continue to be a cop or maybe a criminal.
April 29, 2025
It held my attention. Murder in the front, a cop, "Red," is blamed for the murder and runs to find a way to prove her innocence.
What I liked:
-The character was interesting.
-Her friends
-A mysterious female assassin, we never really get a handle on
-The story was wrapped up well.
What I didn't like:
-Could be a plus for some, but a little too much description.
-I did occasionally wonder about the basic premise of her running from the police, not sure she wouldn't have been cleared if she just turned herself in.
What I liked:
-The character was interesting.
-Her friends
-A mysterious female assassin, we never really get a handle on
-The story was wrapped up well.
What I didn't like:
-Could be a plus for some, but a little too much description.
-I did occasionally wonder about the basic premise of her running from the police, not sure she wouldn't have been cleared if she just turned herself in.
December 30, 2017
Quirky. Fast-paced. Creative. A crime caper who-done-it, ideal for those times when you are seeking a quick, light read. The main characters are interesting, although I did not come to care deeply about them. The plot has a few too many characters, adding unneeded complexity, given the length of the novel. Typos in the kindle edition indicate that the book could benefit from a little editing. Still, the book is a particularly unique light mystery, and it is full of surprises.
October 18, 2017
This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it. It kept my interest from the beginning. The author does a good job of mixing mystery with humor. I'm looking forward to reading the next Red Riley Adventure.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This is my honest review.*
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This is my honest review.*
October 25, 2017
This was a great entertaining book with plenty of twists, some surprises as well as humor. I thought the characters were great and you got to know them all more as the story went along. I can not wait to read the next Red Riley book and see what not only see is up to but hopefully we see more of Marty, Ruby and maybe also Nick!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews