Scoop [NOOK Book]

( 81 )

Overview

Cauley MacKinnon is staring down the barrel of twenty-eighth birthday, certain the only things standing between her and certain doom are instinct, pure dumb luck and a kick-ass hairdresser. Starting over after a truly bad marriage and armed with a freshly minted journalism degree, Cauley becomes an obituary writer, and is soon up to her eyelashes in dead bodies and hot guys.

Read More Show Less
... See more details below
Scoop

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$2.99
BN.com price

More About This Book

Overview

Cauley MacKinnon is staring down the barrel of twenty-eighth birthday, certain the only things standing between her and certain doom are instinct, pure dumb luck and a kick-ass hairdresser. Starting over after a truly bad marriage and armed with a freshly minted journalism degree, Cauley becomes an obituary writer, and is soon up to her eyelashes in dead bodies and hot guys.

Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • BN ID: 2940011294303
  • Publisher: Kit Frazier
  • Publication date: 5/1/2011
  • Sold by: Smashwords
  • Format: eBook
  • Sales rank: 230,511
  • File size: 813 KB

Meet the Author

Kit Frazier is an award-winning humor and mystery writer, and was chosen Barnes & Noble Author of the Month and Mystery Guild Pick of the Month.


She lives on a ranch in Central Texas, where the west is still as wild as the women.

Read More Show Less

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

I ducked under the crime scene tape the way I always do, like I
know exactly what I'm doing, but this time I was a little more
careful on account of the black-clad SWAT guys drawing down
around the perimeter. Sometimes I think the only things standing
between me and certain doom are instinct, pure dumb luck,
and a kick-ass hairdresser.

"Little early, aren't you, Cauley?" Jim Cantu was lounging
against his cruiser looking like a Hispanic Marlboro Man as he
surveyed the rugged limestone hills and gnarled oaks at the back
of the Barnes' ranch. "What we got here is your basic suicide
threat," he continued, squinting into the hot Central Texas sun.
"Don't obituaries get written after somebody's turned up a
corpse?"

"This isn't for the Sentinel," I said, swatting dirt from the seat
of my jeans. "Scooter called me this morning and said he wanted
to talk." 

"Doesn't matter. No media behind the line," he said, nodding
toward the SWAT guys. "You're lucky you didn't get shot."

"Calling me media is pure charity on your part," I said. "And I
almost never get shot."

Cantu grinned down at me as I settled in beside him. Every
now and then, Cantu cuts me a break because once upon a time,
he'd been a rookie beat cop when my dad was a detective, and he
sometimes steps in where my dad left off.

Cantu and I stood, staring at the tumble of weathered planks
that comprised the shed where Scott "Scooter" Barnes had holed
up, presumably sucking on the business end of a shotgun.

This wasn't the earth-shattering incident it might seem elsewhere
in the world. Here, you don't ask ifyou have any crazy
people in the family; you ask which side they're on. In Texas, we
believe our own myths, and the wet heat of summer presses
heavily on already fanciful minds.

Crossing his arms, Cantu looked at the bruise that was blooming
on my forehead. "All right, blondie, I give. What happened to
your head?"

"Banged it on a big piece of wood," I said. Despite a raging
hangover, I'd climbed a crosstie fence to get past the police line. I
was hot and sweaty, and I had enough dirt under my nails to repot
a geranium. Plus, now I had a bump on my head and a hole in
my jeans, which showed a big patch of Wal-Mart underwear.
These things almost never happen when you're wearing nice
undies.

"Hurricane Cauley." Cantu shook his head. "You want off
obits? Go chase a real story. I hear El Patron's on the move." 

I had to stop myself from growling. Cantu knew I'd sell my
great aunt Kat's china for a story that would get me off the obituary
page, and while I'd been assigned to do some of the research
on El Patron-the latest South American syndicate to set up shop
in Central Texas-the News Boys on the City Desk got the byline
on the story. For the most part, I spend my days rewriting death
notices, and if I'm lucky, I occasionally get to do legwork for the
real reporters.

But getting something on El Patron could fix that for me.
Organized crime was nothing new in Texas, but El Patron crossed
the city limits into Looneyville when they shoved a heavy-duty
Firestone around some poor bastard's shoulders and burned him
alive. Talk about a front-page scoop.

"Yeah, well, El Patron will have to wait," I said, and winced as
one of the SWAT guys with an orange-stocked sniper rifle disappeared
into a thicket of sage. "Did you have to call the Jump-Out
Boys?" I said, staring at the rest of the SWAT team, which was
scattered among bushes and perched in the gnarled forks of live
oaks.

"Had to," Cantu said. "I got dinner duty tonight."

"You called SWAT because it's your turn to cook?" I said,
thinking of Cantu's three kids, who could make a sane person call
SWAT on a good day. "You know Scooter would never hurt anybody."

"And he won't hurt anybody. Captain's called a negotiator."

"We don't need a negotiator. Let me talk to him."

"You talked to him last time."

"Hey," I said. "That thing with the goats was not my fault." 

Cantu snorted. "You busted in the back of that pet store and
scared los cabras so bad they passed out cold."

"They were those weird fainting goats," I said, staring at the
shed. I shook my head. "Exotic animals. I don't know why Scooter
can't sell dogs and cats like a normal person."

"He's not a normal person. He's a serial suicide. This is the
second time he's threatened to bite a bullet this month. It's standard
procedure to call SWAT and I shoulda never let you talk me
out of it the first time."

I started to say that serial suicide was an oxymoron and that
Scooter had issues, what with his wife leaving him and all, when I
sucked in a breath and stopped dead in my tracks. "Who is that?"

Near the fence line, a lone man loomed, speaking into a cell
phone as he surveyed the scene. I'd practically grown up in the
West Side substation, and I knew all the precinct cops and most
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 81 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(27)

4 Star

(29)

3 Star

(16)

2 Star

(4)

1 Star

(5)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 81 Customer Reviews

  • Posted September 30, 2011

    Highly Recommended

    This was a fun book to read, with an interesting plot. I liked the characterizations, and as a free download, it was really one of the good ones. Lots of action and Cauley is no shrinking violet. I finished the book at 4:30 a.m., this morning, so I'd say it really keeps your interest.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted September 29, 2011

    Good book!

    For me, a good book is one you think about for a few days after you finish it. This book is one of those. Last night I woke up and I thinking about the events in this book! I really enjoyed it! The only disappointment was seeing that the sequel is not available on Nook! I was ready to buy it!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 13, 2013

    Highly recommend!

    Great book. Easy read.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 21, 2012

    Blah

    Lost interest very quickly. Tried to finish it but found i didnt care what happened to anyone. Good thing it was free.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 4, 2012

    Check it out.

    Cute, fun read.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 5, 2012

    Good read.

    Very enjoyable book, except for the run-on sentences that occur so often.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 11, 2012

    Entertaining

    Fun to read without having to think too much.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 10, 2012

    Funny

    Love this - normally not my type of book but had to laugh It is good.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 18, 2011

    Fun to Read!

    A good read with interesting characters. Probably could have enjoyed it a bit better if I had not grown up in Austin and kept looking for actual landmarks that matched Ms. Frazier's fictional re-naming of places... Interesting that the Austin American-Statesman was divided into two competing newspapers! Regardless, I'm looking forward to more Kit Frazier books and the adventures of Cauley!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 9, 2011

    A good read!

    Enjoyed the story, kept moving right along. Fun and easy to keep up with characters. It offered suspense, a little romance, and a good story line.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 9, 2011

    Recommend - Fast moving mystery novel

    This is a very good and fun read... fast moving and well written. I would certainly read another book written by the author, Kit Frazier.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 4, 2011

    Not bad at all

    The story line is very interesting and comes with lots of humor so makes it very fun to read as it's serious and keeps you turning pages, but filled with humorous characters. Turned out much better than I thought as I was looking for different authors and thought I would try this one. I'm glad I did and I will definitely read more of her books.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 2, 2011

    finally - an engaging story with a great plot & characters

    You will love reading Scoop & the next book - Dead Copy. Waiting on the next installment to be written. This author goes in my personal list of keepers.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 31, 2011

    Very enjoyable -- give it a read for yourself

    The character, plot development helped place me in the scene. The characters, well, most of them, were believable and while their individual actions were within plausible explanation, they were not predictable. I like that in characters. As previously noted, this is a good story and deserves a good audience. The downside is that the editing could and should have been better. Missing or misspelled words are too plentiful -- but despite the interruption to my thoughts while reading, I had a keen interest from beginning to end.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 29, 2011

    Enjoyable reading

    I really enjoyed it for a shut in person It's very handy to have a Nook book as I unable to get out sometimes

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 28, 2011

    check it out

    Easy to read and pretty good too.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 27, 2011

    Check it out!

    Enjoyed this book! Kept my interest completely!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 26, 2011

    Good Read

    I enjoyed reading SCOOP, it is a little long. Some parts drag but it is a good story. I recommend it.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 14, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Who says Obit writing can't be fun?

    I didn't have high expectations for this one when I downloaded the book, but I have to say , it definitely surpassed my expectations. Lots of colorful characters (especially the minor background characters...) made this one a delightful pleasure to work through. The love "triangle" was a bit cliched, (you could see the steps between the start/end coming a mile awawy), but didn't distract from a good story.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 8, 2011

    Stop telling all the details in your rating

    Some of us want to read the the book to learn about all th twist and turns the characters go thru. I loved this book and was ready to read the sequal.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 81 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)