Swift Justice

August 9, 2010
In DiSilverio's winning debut, Colorado Springs, Colo., PI Charlotte "Charlie" Swift, a former U.S. Air Force investigator, gets saddled with a wildly out-of-place partner, Gigi Goldman, the just-dumped wife of Charlie's now-fugitive financial backer. But a situation that's as hard for the smart-mouthed single to swallow as Gigi's kittens-and-ducklings office redecoration makes for a promising odd-couple premise, especially once Charlie starts giving the socialite outlandish assignments in the hope she'll quit—like performing undercover surveillance while working as a burger chain's bison mascot. And it develops that Gigi's people skills might actually help with the duo's complex latest case, locating the missing teen mother of the infant left on the doorstep of their client, an abuse survivor who herself gave up the baby's mother for adoption. DiSilverio shifts seamlessly between breezy banter and the weightier tone the investigation takes once murder enters the equation. Just as importantly, she creates an engaging community of characters readers will want to revisit. Author tour.

October 1, 2010

When Charlotte Swift's silent partner dies, his ex-wife, Gigi, shows up at the office of Swift Investigations looking to become a real partner. VERDICT This is a delightful series debut, full of zany humor and female bonding. Sure to attract fans of soft-boiled and chick lit mysteries.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2010
Charlotte Charlie Swift of Swift Investigations has just started on her newest casefinding the mother of a baby left with a woman who doesnt want her husband to know shes the babys grandmother. Then Gigi shows up; her ex-husband was Charlies silent partner, but he ran off with a much younger womanafter cleaning out the couples bank accountleaving Gigi with no income, two teenage kids, and the partnership papers for Swift Investigations. Loner Charlie definitely doesnt need a middle-aged, inexperienced woman who has no idea of how to work as a private detective; but theyre stuck together. Readers will sympathize with Gigi, who manages to turn crazy assignments into even crazier situations. Meanwhile, Charlies case gets more complicated when the missing mother turns up dead. The odd-couple relationship between the two women may appeal to fans of Janet Evanovichs Stephanie Plum and Lula. DiSilverio deftly mixes light, zany humor with the darkness of the crimes. Readers will leave this one impatient for the next book in the series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)