The Accidental Sleuth

Emma Winberry #1

by Helen Macie Osterman

Life is good for sixty-something Emma Winberry. She's got a beautiful Chicago lakefront condo, a loving new man to share it with, and her nose for trouble is hardly twitching. That is, until she tries to help a teenage visitor next door, a girl too thin, too scared, and too quiet by any standards. The girl's aunt, Emma's neighbor Laura, has something to hide?and Emma soon suspects it's Laura's husband, a brute who keeps bad company.

But Emma's kindly interest leads her to meddle?again?and soon she's tied up, gagged, and left for dead in the middle of an abandoned warehouse. With some homeless people as unlikely allies, she uncovers the real focal point of everyone's trouble: an inventor found dead in an alleyway. Soon it's clear Emma is mixed up with some dangerous characters who believe talk is cheap, and a bullet is quicker.

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Helen Osterman, who has lived in or around Chicago, Illinois her whole life, is the author of the Emma Winberry Mystery Series.

Series:
* Emma Winberry

Reviews

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It had earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Kris Hynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and takes place in Chicago. Not deep. Kind of like a “murder she wrote” tv episode

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great storyline; I never saw the twists & turns coming, and yet it played out so much more naturally than so many other mysteries. I'm looking for something else by this author, I liked the way she wove her story.