Did not enjoy the story it was hard to get into and lost interest and didn’t finish. May try next in series if there is more to come. Liked the characters though

This book was a bit corny and comedic...not my cup of tea for a mystery! When your mom is a part of the picture always seems contrived and the fact that the heroine needs to stay a lawyer! I'm sure some would appreciate the lightheartedness.

Gambling With Murder is a Southern California Mystery by Lida Sideris. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will certainly be open to more. There were a lot of positives about this book. I would recommend it to my best friend.

I enjoyed the characters in the story. The main character is Corrie and is the daughter of a late PI. So, she seems to know her way around investigatiion. She is currently an attorney for a film studio. Her partner in her new adventure of investigation is Veera and this time her mom because they are going to investigate some crimes at an upscale Senior Housing Resort. Her boy friend is a computer science nerd and does online investigations for her. His name is Michael and I would have liked to see more of him in this book. All in all the characters were fun and interesting. They kept me coming back for more.

The plot of the book was a little bit like going in circles. I felt like it was drawn out a little bit and that some of the antics of the senior citizens could have been more interesting. You know most old women are looked at as being nosey. I would have thought more of them would have been hanging around trying to figure out what was going on and poking their nose in where it didn’t belong. But, that wasn’t necessarily the case. Sam seemed to be the ring leader for the errant seniors but, nobody knew who Sam was.

All in all this was a pretty good cozy mystery. If you like cozy mysteries, check this one out. Lida Sideris has a few other books that are in a series and a children’s book. She might be your next favorite author!

Princess Fuzzypants here: This is a fun read with some unusual characters, including a wannabe PI who happens to work as a l lawyer in the movies. She and her assistant stumble upon a conspiracy that takes them from the back lots of the studios to a senior’s residence. Clearly they are not going to be able to go undercover so they enlist an unexpected ally. Corrie’s mother.

Her mom not only takes to the assignment like a duck to water, it turns out she is pretty good at it too. Together they investigate a rather duplicitous group of seniors and solve the mystery. Quirky but not so oddball that it is over the top. This could be a fun summer read. Four purrs and two paws up.

When I read the second book by an author there's always some expectations as I liked the first one.
This one was even better than the first one and it met all my expectations: entertaining, gripping, and well written.
I was glad to catch up with the characters and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Wannabe PI Corrie Locke (also a newly minted lawyer) is trying her chops at finding a missing person. Villa Sunset is an exclusive retirement home in Santa Barbara.

The novel is a cozy mystery and moves at a laid-back pace. Corrie is joined by her best bud, Veera, a former security guard, and apparently this entry to the series, Corrie’s mother, who proves to be the interesting character (for me). Because it’s a senior community, they need her mother to be their “in.” It appears to work as she is readily accepted and they “temporarily” tag along.

Nothing is simple, even in a cozy mystery, and things begin, slowly, to become more complex adding characters to the plot, threads, and twists.

At about seventy percent, the narrative begins to heat up and the pacing advances. At this point, there are a lot of issues to clarify which do get ironed out in conclusion following a fairly low-key climax.

I’m not sure whether it was because I started well into the series or there was just too much minutia that didn’t help keep the plot on track, but I found it too slow for me. The dialogue could be humorous at times, however, there were occasions when action got a bit over the top and the residents too juvenile.

As this is the fifth in the series, I'm sure there are those who will read and greatly enjoy, but it's not a series for me. 3.5 stars

A late-night call is all it takes for rookie lawyer Corrie Locke to kiss her day job at the movie studio goodbye, and do what she does best: flex her sweet P.I. skills and go undercover to find a senior who’s missing from a posh retirement community. I felt the characters were quirky and funny. Corrie is such a great and fun character, Overall a fun, light, and sass filled mystery.
#GamblingwithMurderbooksNetGalley #NetGalley

What a fun, light read! Corrie Locke is a rookie lawyer who envisions herself as a professional private investigator, despite not having the license. She is accompanied in her sleuthing by Veera, a former acting studio security guard who prefers excitement in sleuthing over dreary security work. When a resident goes missing from an upscale Santa Barbara retirement village leaving keys, ID, and other personal items behind, Corrie is called in to investigate. With the assistance of Veera and her mother, Corrie’s smart and sassy methods uncover the perpetrator and discover a senior gambling ring along the way. This book is rife with humor, wit, and red herrings. This is the fifth in A Southern California Mystery series. I’m going to have to read the previous four now.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I got this book because I used to live in SoCal and it reminded me of all the fun places. I had no idea that this was a series, so it reads well as a stand alone. This one is the 5th in the series. I enjoyed the book-it was interesting, and I loved the characters. Especially Michael. It made me laugh and was just a fun read. 4 stars

Loved the story and the pacing and just everything about it… A great story that I couldn't put down!

I loved the characters from the beginning and was so happy and disappointed with myself to learn I was on book 5 of this series. I will absolutely be hunting down the others now. I had a hard time following all the changes of locations and what the characters were doing at times but that's something I struggle with for books in general, not the authors fault. Thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't wait for more

Corrie Locke is a lawyer and self-proclaimed quasi-professional unlicensed private investigator hired to investigate a disappearance in a luxury retirement community. But she soon finds out that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Throughout the story, I liked how Corrie realized her mother's abilities and could then look at her mother as more than just a mother but as an adult she respected. With a dash of humor, this mystery is the fifth in A Southern California Mystery series but can easily be read as a standalone. Thanks to Level Best Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy. The opinions expressed are my own.

A laugh out loud read with smart sassy quirky characters! I found this one a delight to read! Haven't read the previous ones but for sure will now! You'll enjoy this book so much, you'll not want it to end! Thanks #netgalley and #LevelBestBooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Ms. Sideris has an interesting take on sleuthing in a senior community. Lawyers -wanna-be investigators Corrie Locke and Veera Bankhead along with Carrie’s boyfriend Micheal and her mother Move into Villa Sunset to find a missing man, who’s not really missing and uncover illegal activities, while hiding the fact that they are not supposed to be there. She presents with skill and humor. I haven’t read her work before , but will make a point of looking for it in the future. I highly recommend.
I asked for and received an ARC from NetGalley based in the blurb and was not disappointed.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Level Best Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fantastic characters and a fabulous story. Just what you want from a cozy mystery series.

I enjoyed this book although it felt like it was going in circles in the middle. The characters are great. The story is interesting. #GamblingwithMurder #NetGalley

I laughed out loud for the first time on page 3, and from that point on was sold on this bubbly, over the top and wise-cracky story. The action is brisk, and the setting of a Santa Barbara retirement "village" (in-joke) for swells where things aren't what they seem is vividly rendered. I suppose this is a cozy mystery, and sometimes they are designed to skate over surfaces. There are plenty of the expected antics involving the book's "lying and cheating old fogeys." But here an unmistakable and humane warmth pulls you right in and has you rooting for your favourite characters with all their quirks and imperfections. A great smart funny escape read, and a light as air exploration of women getting things done.
Thanks to Level Best Books and the author for an ARC

I am not going to start the review by rehashing what the book is about but I will tell you what I thought.

A sassy non licensed P.I, Corrie Locke, who is also a rookie lawyer and her side kick former security guard for a movie studio, Veera, are asked to find a missing resident from a posh retirement home called Villa Sunset.

Dominic went missing, leaving behind his identification, keys and other things that makes his friend suspicious. They find once they get there that is more than one resident that may know more than what they are saying. They need to include Corrie's mother in the investigation as she is the perfect foil in finding the missing man, she will fit right in.

There are many characters in this crime spree, and a spree it is, with all of the residents hiding something. Turns out they are a bunch of gamblers with enough secrets that could turn them into killers as there are other unsavory people in the mix of crazy characters that are after them.

This novel is funny, witty, and a bit scary, but it keeps the reader wanting more on the road to finding the missing man. Keeping track of all the characters that are in the book can be a challenge. I really liked Corrie, and her mother, not having read the other books in the series, I would still say that if the others are like this one, maybe a tv series? Lots of zaniness goes on. I think I will go back and read the first book in the series but for now I give this book 4 stars, I really enjoyed it.