A Bad Day for Pretty (Stella Hardesty Series #2)

by Sophie Littlefield

Overview

A New York Times Notable Book!

Stella Hardesty, avenger of wronged women, is getting cozy with Sheriff "Goat" Jones when a tornado blows none other than Goat's scheming ex-wife, Brandy, through the front door. Adding to the chaos, the tornado destroys the snack shack at the demolition derby track, pulling up the concrete and unearthing a woman's body. The main suspect for the dumping is Neb Donovan. Years ago, Neb's wife asked Stella for help getting him sober. Stella doesn't believe the gentle man could kill any woman, and she promises his frantic wife she'll look into it. Former client Chrissy Shaw, now fully employed at Stella's sewing shop, helps with snooping around as Stella must negotiate with the unpredictable Brandy and the dangerously alluring sheriff.

A Bad Day for Pretty is the thrilling sequel to Sophie Littlefield's award-winning debut featuring Stella Hardesty, one of the most applauded and exciting new heroines in crime fiction today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312560478
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/10/2011
Series:	Stella Hardesty Crime Novels , #2
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	313,317
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sophie Littlefield grew up in rural Missouri. Her first novel, A Bad Day for Sorry, won an Anthony Award for Best First Novel and an RT Book Award for Best First Mystery. It was also shortlisted for Edgar, Barry, Crimespree, and Macavity awards. Sophie lives near San Francisco, California.

Editorial Reviews

The second novel featuring vigilante Stella Hardesty blends humor and southern-fried crime-solving, to delicious effect.” —People

“No sophomore slump for Littlefield! Her second novel featuring Stella Hardesty, empowered avenger of abused women, is just as compelling and addictive as her debut....You'll race through the pages of this book and then be sorry to leave Stella and her cohorts behind.” —RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)

“Sophie Littlefield's debut novel A Bad Day for Sorry garnered much buzz and every possible award nomination. A Bad Day for Pretty firmly establishes her as a new brand of writer....It's a joy when a new writer holds your attention from beginning to end. It's a treat when she has something so new to say.” —Crimespree Magazine

“Sophie Littlefield won this reader's heart with her unforgettable debut novel, A Bad Day for Sorry. The only thing I was sorry about was that it had to end. Never fear—Stella Hardesty is back to kicking ass and taking names in A Bad Day for Pretty. She's funny, profane, brave, passionate and honest in this new story of crime and punishment in rural Missouri.” —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Hideaway

“Who in the hell do I have to run over to get more Stella? Seriously, people, if you aren't reading about this kick-ass woman and how brilliantly Littlefield portrays her world, her heartbreaks and successes, you're missing out.” —Toni McGee Causey, author of When a Man Loves a Weapon

From the Publisher

Sophie Littlefield won this reader's heart with her unforgettable debut novel, A Bad Day for Sorry. The only thing I was sorry about was that it had to end. Never fear--Stella Hardesty is back to kicking ass and taking names in A Bad Day for Pretty. She's funny, profane, brave, passionate and honest in this new story of crime and punishment in rural Missouri.

New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Hi Susan Wiggs

An amateur sleuth finds a corpse almost as fascinating as the sheriff's blue eyes. Stella Hardesty's after-dinner plans for Sheriff Goat Jones are cruelly interrupted by the intrusion of Brandy, the lawman's not-quite-ex-wife, who screams that she needs protection and a little drink. Back home, Stella checks on Chrissy, her assistant at the sewing-machine repair shop of her late, unlamented husband Ollie. When the phone rings, she's enmeshed in her unofficial and highly illegal second job: meting out justice to wife abusers. Neb Donovan, bless his gentle heart, isn't all that bad, though Stella once had to get him off Oxycontin so that his wife Donna could live with him in peace. Now a tornado has relocated the body of a woman that had been interred under the snack shack at the demolition-derby stadium. Neb, presumably the one who'd poured the concrete over the corpse, has wound up in jail, and it's up to Stella to prove him innocent, or not. Her task involves a lot of sighing over the sheriff's blue eyes and neat butt and even more attention paid to his almost-ex and her current beau, the dastardly Wil [sic] Vines. All will turn out just fine in time for a rescheduled evening with old blue eyes. If you like a little mystery with your romance, Stella (A Bad Day for Sorry, 2009) is the gal for you. Readers who prefer crime to cute may want to give her a pass. Agent: Barbara Poelle/Irene Goodman Agency

Kirkus Reviews