This book reads well as a stand alone but this is a series that you'll also want to read each book written.
The characters are well rounded and defined. They seem so true to life they can at times surprise the reader. That even means some unpredictable behaviors or hidden motives.
The story is intriguing and keeps you wanting to turn pages. I like how the personal lives of the main characters support everything else that is happening along with the main crime being investigated.
Certain areas did indeed come full circle and are tactfully and thoughtfully addressed.

If you just want to read for the mystery and not all the wonderful elements that make this such a great series, you will not be disappointed.

Uneasy Prey is the 6th book in the Zoe Chambers mysteries series. Zoe is a paramedic, and while transporting an elderly women she tells Zoe that she was pushed down the stairs, than she dies. Are young men conning the elderly? Police Chief Pete Adams and Zoe are determined to get to the truth. This book is a real page turned, that I couldn't put down. I recommend this book, and every book in this series. I am anxiously waiting the next adventure of Zoe and Pete.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved this book, it is not your cookie cutter mystery. Zoe Chambers is a spunky and independent woman who comes to life in the pages. The mystery kept me guessing and I changed my mind at least 5 times as to who the killer was. This was the first book I read in this series, but as soon as I finished, I bought the first book. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially the cozy fans who want something different and addicting.

This is a new to me author. There is enough information for this to be read as a standalone book. I was sadden that people do prey on the elderly. The author takes us into the cruel world of cons. This is a social issue that does need brought to light – there are too many areas in the US that this is being done. For this story, the place is Monongahela County, Pennsylvania.
The story was fast paced and kept my interest. Zoe Chambers, a paramedic, and Police Chief Pete Adams, who is also Zoe's live-in boyfriend are involved in trying to solve the murder of Oriole Andrews and a con ring in the area.
The mystery itself is woven tightly and with many tentacles. Near the end it at last all comes together and you see how everything connects. I was surprised at the ending. Ms. Dashofy is an excellent writer.
I liked that the author was not afraid to deal with the preying on the elderly issue. Thank-you for bringing this out of the news and into literature.

This series just keeps getting better! Zoe Chambers, coming back to her job as EMT after recuperating from knee injury, immediately gets involved in incidents of elders being scammed and robbed in their rural community. Zoe is one of my favorite characters, smart and caring, and her actions always grounded in reality. While the mystery is exceptionally good, with me totally guessing wrong who was responsible, what elevates this story is the underlying framework of dealing with aging loved ones.Highly recommended!

This was the first Zoe Chambers book I had read, and hopefully will not be the last. Although there are several references to events in previous stories, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone, as the knowledge needed is quickly and skilfully woven into the narrative.
Zoe Chambers is a paramedic, and while on a call-out to an elderly lady, who was found collapsed in the basement, discovers that 1) the old lady did not fall and 2) that con men, posing as water company employees, are targeting the local elderly. As more and more elderly are robbed and traumatised, including some of her close friends, Zoe and her boyfriend, Police Chief Pete Adams, set about trying to catch the con men before any more old people are hurt.
Unlike many crime novels today, there are no serial or depraved killers and no salacious descriptions, but the crimes and their effects on their victims are more poignant, because you can clearly imagine them taking place in your neighbourhood, and to people that you know and care about.
The book is fast paced and keeps your interest throughout, as the criminals always seem to be one step ahead of the police and show no sign of slowing down their crime wave. There are little side stories too, that add to the idea of this being a normal, every-day, believable community: bullying at school, difficulties of lone parenting, finding and paying for suitable care for elderly relatives (and horses), Alzheimer’s, bereavement, intra-familial conflict; suspicions aroused by new people in town …Each of these may – or may not – be relevant to solving the crimes, but all add to your interest in the characters and the world of the story.
The book has a full complement of elderly characters: there are the fiercely independent; those that rely totally on relatives; those looking for a second chance at love and/or companionship; those still in love; some actually with fading mental faculties – and some just pretending; those wanting to stay in their own home regardless of the wisdom of doing so – and those ready to move on; the lonely and the gregarious. They all seemed so familiar to me. I feel the author, must really enjoy being around old people, to be able to depict them with such empathy and authenticity. I loved the quote from one elder: “All you kids look young to me. I could swear my doctor can’t be more than twelve.”
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime novel, and particularly to those who either are, or have friends that are, in advanced years.

On the way to the emergency room, an elderly woman regains consciousness long enough to inform paramedic Zoe Chambers that her fall down the basement steps was no accident. Before she can say more, she succumbs to her injuries, launching Zoe and Police Chief Pete Adams into the investigation of a burglary ring targeting the area's vulnerable senior citizens.

Zoe-in spite of Pete's objections-takes it upon herself to act as protection detail after the con men, disguised as water company employees, set their sights on Zoe's beloved former landlady. It's a decision that eventually puts Zoe in harm's way.

With Zoe already recovering from one close call, Pete must race against time to stop the crime ring-and a dangerous killer-before they strike again.
http://www.annettedashofy.com/

I always enjoy reading Annette Dashofy's Zoe Chambers mystery series. My enjoyment is due to Annette's combination of talents, one of great plotting and the other of masterful writing. Zoe, the EMT main character, is likeable. A caring person, she looks after many of the secondary continuing characters who are older, if not elderly. Readers are already acquainted with Sylvia Bassi (the retired police dispatcher and mother of Zoe's best friend), the Krolls (an elderly couple who own the farm where Zoe used to live and still boards her horse), and Pete Adams's (Vance Township Police Chief and Zoe's boyfriend) father, Harry, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. We, like Zoe, are vested in their wellbeing.

In this book, Uneasy Prey, the elderly become the victims of thieves who enter homes to case them for valuables under the guise of utility workers and later return to take the elderlies possessions. Annette brings the book to a surprising conclusion-a full circle conclusion-that is heartbreaking.

Please welcome Annette Dashofy to WWK. E. B. Davis

In the forward of Uneasy Prey, you said the plot was based on an experience your mother had. Would you share the story for our readers?
Thanks for having me back, E.B.! Several years ago, I received a phone call from my mom, who lived two doors away from me. She sheepishly told me she thought she'd done a bad thing. When I pressed her, she said a couple of men from the water company had come to her door and she'd let them in. I should add, we live out in the country and don't have city water. But they'd told her they were running water lines in the next couple of weeks and needed to test the water pressure. I immediately called our local police and then rushed over to her house to see what they'd stolen. Fortunately, they didn't take anything. I guess she didn't have anything worth stealing. That incident has haunted me ever since, so of course, it made its way into a book!

Oriole Andrews, who Zoe and her EMT partner Earl find at the bottom of a stairway, has "frequent flyer miles" with the Monongahela County EMS. What do they mean by this, and does it contribute to the emergency staff having preconceived notions about what happened to the victim?
When I worked on the ambulance service, there were a few folks who for various reasons were well-known by all of us. You become familiar with their ailments and symptoms. The good part is you recognize when something is "different this time" and can treat or react accordingly. Thankfully, I never had a situation quite like Oriole's.

Like many younger people taking care of their parents, Pete is torn by his sister Nadine's insistence that their father, Harry, must enter a facility. Pete doesn't have a good defense. He doesn't have the right to refute since he is not his dad's caretaker, Nadine is. But even though Harry says he doesn't want to enter the assisted living facility, he actually solves the problem for his children. How did Harry do this?
The old coot finds himself a lady friend! Young love isn't limited to the young!

Mrs. Kroll, whose husband is in the hospital, senses that something wasn't right with the utility worker she allowed into her house. Trusting her senses, she confesses what she did to Zoe, who knows about the con men and insists that Mrs. Kroll make a police report. But she is reluctant to do so. Why do the elderly assume that they are stupid or incompetent and try to cover up their actions?
Ah, yes. This is the scene that was inspired by the incident I mentioned earlier with my mom. I don't have good answer, but I think many times the elderly expect bad guys to look like…well…bad guys! These men were polite and clean-cut, so Mom didn't want to be rude to them. (Now, if my dad had been alive at the time, he'd have kicked them to the curb!) Once Mom (and Mrs. Kroll) realized her mistake, she was embarrassed and didn't want to have anyone, including the police, know she'd been so foolish. In fact, I didn't dare write this story while Mom was still able to read and comprehend my books. She'd have been furious that I revealed what she'd done.

Zoe's second cousin Patsy, who we met a few books ago, is closer in age to Zoe than to her mother, Kimberly, Patsy's first cousin. Patsy has just flown back from Florida after visiting Kimberly. Patsy acts as a peacekeeper between Zoe and Kimberly. I'm flummoxed as to why Zoe isn't more emotionally distraught by Patsy befriending Kimberly, who was a lousy mother to Zoe. Why doesn't Zoe find Patsy disloyal?
Zoe and Patsy were friends long before they learned they were related. Zoe knows what it's like to not have family, or be estranged from them, so she empathizes with Patsy suddenly finding that she has kin. If anything, Zoe feels sorry that that "kin" happens to be Kimberly!

I know the symptoms of women's heart attacks aren't forthright like men's. The symptoms mimic minor problems. How did Zoe know? Does emotional stress bring heart attacks on?
As a paramedic, Zoe better know these things! It's part of the training, and she's seen it before. If anything, Zoe was a little slow catching on. Stress is nasty. Long-term, it can raise blood pressure and cause any number of problems. But even the short-term stress that Sylvia was under can trigger a coronary episode. In Sylvia's case, she's carrying too much weight and hasn't taken the best of care of herself, so she was bound to have a heart attack at some point. The stress simply brought it on sooner rather than later.

You've taken on various themes on the elderly. Which one bothered you the most, and was there a personal issue that brought you to take on these themes?
The issues with the elderly that I address are all personal on some level. My dad had Alzheimer's. I was caregiver to both him and to my mom and know the stress involved. I had to battle the guilt of eventually placing them both in assisted living at different points. So, there's a lot of my own truth in each of the storylines. But the con men preying on the older folks really infuriates me. I hope Uneasy Prey serves as a cautionary tale. If someone reads it and then finds themselves in a situation like that and thinks, "Hmm, maybe I shouldn't let them in. Maybe I should call 911," I will feel that I've done some good in the world.

Have you plotted your characters arcs for the series?
Indeed, I have!

What's next for Zoe and Pete?
The seventh in the series, Cry Wolf, will be released this September and picks up Harry's story where Uneasy Prey leaves off, with a homicide hitting close to home. And Zoe discovers Patsy isn't the only family out there that she didn't know about!

Annette, you've been Agatha nominated several times for this series, including this year's Best Contemporary novel. I'm sick of seeing you not go home with that dang teapot. Who can I bribe, blackmail, or rough up for you?
E.B., I love you! I confess, I do lust after one of those teapots, but it truly is an honor just to be nominated. Hey, I get to stand next to Louise Penny, Margaret Maron, Allison Brook, and my good friend Ellen Byron! Being included in that company is like breathing rarefied air! (But feel free to twist a few arms. Winning would be amazing! Haha!)

Uneasy Prey is the sixth book in Annette Dashofy’s Zoe Chambers Mysteries series. The storyline is well plotted and the characters are well developed and complex. There’s a lot going on and this is more intense than most cozy mysteries and contains some adult language. This is a fast paced book and hard to put down, with lots of twists and turns. The books in this series can be read as standalones.

Zoe Chambers is a paramedic and deputy coroner for Monongahela County, Pennsylvania. She loves horses and operates a boarding stable on the Kroll’s property. Pete and his sister, Nadine, are dealing with the emotional issues of placing their father, Harry, who has Alzheimer’s, in an assisted living facility. Zoe’s back to work after a medical leave and her first call out is to Oriole Andrews’s residence. It’s originally thought that Oriole fell down the stairs to the basement until she whispers to Zoe that she was pushed. Pete and Monongahela County Detective Wayne Baronick investigate a burglary ring targeting the area’s senior citizens. The men pretend to be water company representatives to gain access to and scope out the homes before returning to burglarize them. Zoe and Vance Township Police Chief, Pete Adams, recently moved in together and their relationship has grown, so he’s lost and upset when she temporarily moves out to care for Sylvia Bassi whose health is in jeopardy after a visit from a man claiming to be a water company employee and whose home is broken into. The Krolls, whose home was also broken into, tell Zoe that they’ve sold their property and the new owners want all the boarded horses removed within a few weeks. Lauren Sanders, a reporter with The Phillipsburg Enterprise, a new local newspaper, is quite assertive and rubs Zoe the wrong way, so she and Sylvia research her past. Zoe’s estranged mom, Kimberly Chambers Jackson, who lives in Florida shows up unannounced and has a surprise for Zoe.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Zoe Chambers is a paramedic in Pennsylvania. Just as she's back to work after recovering from an injury, she receives a call that an ambulance is needed at elderly widow Oriole Andrews' home. When she and her co-worker Earl arrive, they find Oriole at the bottom of the basement stairs, where she's apparently taken a nasty fall. Oriole's granddaughter Janie is distraught and tells them she found her that way. But on the way to the hospital, Oriole regains consciousness and tells Zoe she was pushed; but dies before she can tell them who did it.

Concerned, Zoe shares this information with Police Chief Pete Adams, who is also Zoe's live-in boyfriend. What Zoe learns later is that con men posing as water department employees are targeting elderly people and burglarizing them. When Zoe's friends the Krolls have a run-in with the thieves, Zoe decides to temporarily stay with them to keep them safe.

But Pete has problems of his own. His sister Nadine is falling apart caring for their elderly father Harry, who has Alzheimer's, so makes the decision to put him in an assisted-living facility. The one she's chosen is Golden Oaks, and it's as nice as they come, even though Pete knows Harry would still be happier at home. But just when he thinks it's not going to work out, Harry sees his across-the-hall neighbor Barbara and becomes instantly smitten. So, for the time being at least, Pete's mind is at rest.

But then the retired town police dispatcher Sylvia makes a call to the station that the con men have come to her home, too, and Zoe and Pete rush to her side. While there, she has what appears to be a heart attack, and while they're at the hospital, she's also burglarized.

Not to help the situation is a reporter who's come to town, Lauren Sanders, and she won't give up on the case. She's there at every turn Pete or Zoe makes, and they begin to wonder how she knows what's going on and why she's around every corner. They wonder if she's involved somehow; and Janie's son Marcus is getting into fights at school, which only complicates things. Now Zoe and Pete both have their hands full, trying to find these guys and handle everything before someone else is killed...

I have always enjoyed the Zoe Chambers books; and each time I read one I remember why. The plot is well-thought out and the characters are full of life. Zoe and Pete have their new live-in relationship pretty well navigated, and now they have new problems with needing Pete's dad to go to a new place to live and Zoe worried about the Krolls, her ex-landlords. It doesn't help that Oriole's granddaughter's son is acting up at school, nor that attractive reporter Lauren Sanders appears to be flirting with Pete in order to get information. Along again is Monongahela County Detective Wayne Baronick, who's also investigating the burglaries, and while sometimes a thorn in Pete's side, he's grateful that Wayne's there to help.

Pennsylvania's winter countryside covered with snow cannot be easy to navigate, and can be treacherous; and Ms. Dashofy's descriptions are vibrant and enough to make you feel the cold along with the characters. The people in the book seem real and convincing; each has a definite personality and draw you into the book along with them.

The mystery itself is woven tightly and with many threads; when it at last all comes together and you see how everything - even what seems trivial - connects, it is definitely a pleasing outcome to an admirable story. Ms. Dashofy is an excellent writer with a broad imagination that makes you want to read her books more than once.

At the end, it is rather sad on the paths life can take us, and how even the smallest decision can color everything we do. While sadness does reign, there is also happiness to be found, and this was indeed a very good book and I look forward to the next in the series. Highly recommended.

Annette Dashofy does it again with Zoe Chambers. I don't know of a writer more skilled at earning my trust in presenting a story from both a man and a woman's point of view. As always, there is a bit of darkness that heightens tension and hooks readers in from the beginning. I was completely surprised and satisfied by 'Uneasy Prey' and would give it more stars if possible.

UNEASY PREY A Zoe Chambers Mystery by Annette Dashofy. This is the sixth book in a series. How did I miss the other five? Definately will be looking for Ms Dashofy's backlist. A fast paced, twisty mystery with a likeable cast of characters that kept one guessing till the end.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Yet another great installment to the Zoe Chambers series. Zoe and Pete are back and are investigating a string of robberies against senior citizens in the area. When the robbers start to target people near and dear to Zoe and Pete they'll stop at nothing to catch the robbers.

This definitely kept me interested from start to end. Zoe once again throws herself into danger quite recklessly but that is just what she does. There is a murder in this book and I felt like it was quite easy to figure out who did it.

I always look forward to reading about Zoe and Pete and I can't wait to read more of this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

Uneasy Prey is a super good mystery. Loved the plot and the characters. I enjoyed the author’s writing and will be reading more books in this series. If you enjoy a good mystery this book just might be for you.

Uneasy Prey is the sixth installment in the Zoe Chambers Mystery series by Annette Dashofy. Although part of a series, the story does stand alone. The series threads are mentioned such that the reader of the single book is not lost but the series followers aren’t bored.

Paramedic/deputy coroner Zoe Chambers is just back to work after an eight week absence from a knee injury. One of her first calls is to the home of Vance Township elder Oriole Andrews who, at first glance, would have appeared to have fallen down her basement stairs. But on the ride to the hospital she momentarily regains consciousness and tells Zoe she was pushed.

Earlier that week police chief Pete Adams was involved in a call at Ms. Andrews house when a man posing as a water system rep came to check her water pressure, a total scam. These supposed utility workers have been visiting the elderly across the county with a follow up robbery when the homeowners were out.

At the same time, Pete is at his sister Nadine’s mercy when it comes to placing their father, who is dealing with Alzheimer’s issues, at the nearby Golden Oaks Assisted Living facility. As Pete also works the senior break ins, he is forced to look at things from two perspectives, and gives him fresh insight into his father as well as those dealing with the break ins.

Also involved in the investigation is Monongahela County Detective Wayne Baronick. Also, there is new area reporter Lauren Sanders of the Phillipsburg Enterprise who keeps inserting herself into the investigation, always seeming to be there immediately after something occurs.

Set in a frigid Pennsylvania countryside with very complex characters, this story delves into local justice and social issues. The flowing tale has its share of twists and turns that culminate in an unexpected conclusion. I did enjoy this book and may just have to get caught up on this series which I do recommend.

Uneasy Prey (Zoe Chambers Mysteries #6) by Annette Dashofy is an eye-opening story that will leave the reader shaking their heads in amazement.

For anyone with elderly relatives, the idea of them being conned is heartbreaking. Annette Dashofy takes the reader into the cruel world of conning- where young men are posing as utility workers to gain access into the homes of the elderly.
When Zoe Chambers arrives on scene and the elderly neighbor whispers, " I was pushed...I didn't fall," Zoe can only use her common sense to try and find the answers, before it's too late.
This story was so good, I didn't want to put it down. AS much as I wanted to keep reading, sleep invaded my reading time and I had to put it down.

I am relatively new to this author and this series, but I am hooked on this series and enjoy the free flowing way the author writes. Her writing style seems effortless and when I meet up with Zoe and Pete, I feel a certain kinship to them.

This is an exceptional story that will appeal to all readers of this genre.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the author and NetGalley.

This is a nice cozy with a really good mystery. I love the town and its people!

Uneasy Prey

by
Annette Dashofy

A Review

Someone is robbing the senior citizens of southwestern Pennsylvania. And for Zoe, it is starting to hit close to home - to close to home. It begins with a visit from the water company, followed by a visit by thieves taking most of what is of value from the homes of the communities senior citizens. It would take the combined work of EMT Zoe Chambers and her close friend, the Police Chief, Pete Adams, to narrow the pool of suspects and find the guilty party.

Things went from bad to worse when one of the senior citizens died after falling down a flight of stairs.

If the reader has ever lived in a small rural community, the people, homes, and places will already be known. If the reader has never lived in a small town, he or she will want to after reading Uneasy Prey. The book is just right for a cold February day - where everyone is just waiting for spring to start popping out; and until it does, solving this week’s crime will hit the perfect spot.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

The genre of this book is not normally what I gravitate to. So, while I did not enjoy it, I do think there is a market out there for exactly this type of thing. It just wasn't MY thing.

Just like cotton candy, this was very sweet and pleasant at first, then overly cloying to the point where you just want it to be gone.

Zoe is an Assistant County Coroner and Pete is the local County Sheriff in rural Pennsylvania. They are sweethearts who live together. A little old lady who everyone knows (everyone knows everyone in this County) is found at the bottom of her basement stairs. With her dying breath she tells Zoe she didn't fall, she was pushed. And off we go! At a very slow trot.

Red herrings are more plentiful than the local fish market, but it is pretty obvious (to me at least) who the murderer was from the very beginning. There are a lot of side stories (putting the Sheriff's father in assisted living due to Alzheimers, troubled young boy with no father figure, Zoe's tense relationship with her mother who lives in Florida, to name a few) that I thought were going to add something to the plot, but no, they were just side stories.

The action, such as it was, was pretty tame, with things ambling along at the expected crawl of a pastoral countryside. The tale centers quite a bit on the various old people who live there, with the crime spree (someone is casing, then breaking into seniors houses) being referred to as the 'Senior Killers', even though only
one senior is actually murdered. A few times I did skip a few pages, even though I hate to do that, because it was moving so excruciatingly slow and rehashed things that had already been explained. And although Zoe and Sheriff Pete are in love and living together, they exchange only chaste looks and kisses on the forehead. Seriously.

The ending, and I was right in my guess at the beginning, had a little more 'shoot 'em up' excitement, but just barely. And in their joy at solving the case, Zoe and Pete do finally have one peck on the lips!

Honestly, if a person likes this sort of cute, harmless mystery then this is a good one. Sadly, I don't.

I love this series. This book was complex and simple and all the things you want in a mystery.

SUSPENSEFUL FROM START TO FINISH!

Uneasy Prey (A Zoe Chambers Mystery Book 6) is a thrill-ride from start to finish! Dashofy has brilliantly woven a mystery full of danger, deception, depravity, destruction and death. There is also the thread of long term friendships, the hope of new friendships being formed and the all encompassing peace that comes from knowing that you are loved unconditionally. Dashofy’s characters are realistic and complex. Her descriptive word pictures will have you feeling as though you are a “participant” and not just an “observer.” A truly great book! I was provided an ARC by Henery Press and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.