Board Stiff (An Elliott Lisbon Mystery Book 1)

I must say I was a bit hesitant to read this book, but I am very glad that I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Elliott is a very likable amateur sleuth. She is an expert at negotiating little "problems" on behalf of the board members at her work. She doesn't portray herself as a know it all--she is flawed character, which I absolutely adore!!! She has a huge fear of germs, she gets into a food fight a rival and helps her friend "stalk" her boyfriend.The best part of all is that I actually could not figure out who the murderer was until the very end. It was a character I figured that I would be seeing in many more sequels to this book.I'm not going to go into deep detail in this book, except to say that the vast majority of supporting characters are charming. The only reason I have given it 4 stars is that the author has jumped on the bandwagon in terms of many cozy writers, by introducing two romantic interests for Elliott. Personally, I must say this aspect is very tiresome for me. I have stopped reading cozies series when the author has taken this route. The characters start becoming one dimensional...it becomes the typical "stable, steady and boring guy" versus the "exciting, sexy and unreliable" guy. The female protagonist then ends up looking like an indecisive idiot. I am an avid romance reader and I don't mind a bit of romance in the book,but I read mysteries to figure out who committed the crime, not to see who the main character is dating in this book.

This is a debut novel , An Elliott Lisbon Mystery series, revolving around South Carolina island resident and director of the 'Ballantyne Foundation' located on Sea Pine Island.The main character, and she is full of moxy to use an older term, Elliott Lisbon, is a young sophisticated, woman who has an itch to investigate petty crimes. On her Island, Elli is charting up hours to qualify as a Private Investigator, with the aid of the local police department. Although she needs over six thousand hours to qualify...Elli finds her hours beginning to accumulate when the Chair of the foundation board is accused of murdering a fellow board member.Ballantyne Board Chair, Jane Hatting is no favorite of Elli's but it is her job to try and keep her out of jail, in between handling indiscretions by other board members such as non-payment of bills, etc., Elli finds herself running parties, searching homes and offices, and trying to find clues before the police do. Further confusing the issues is the new police Lieutenant, Nick Ransome. Nick holds the cards to the current investigation as well as Elli's heart, as he quickly reminds her.This book was filled with Blackmail schemes, gambling debts, illicit affairs, investment scams and more. The humor running throughout the tale keeps the book interesting. I found the romantic theme to be fun and not overwhelming.This was a great read and I look eagerly forward to the next book in the series.

I have enjoyed this book very much, funny and easy read. I have since gotten the whole seriesalthough they have not arrived yet. Hope they are as good as the first one.

Laugh out loud funny. Elliot Lisbon is the director of the prestigious Ballantyne Foundation and a budding private eye. Those two vocations may not sound like they should go together, but anyone who has ever worked non-prof can tell you it would be a handy skill. Elliot's PI talents generally extend to ditzy board members skipping out on restaurant checks and locating the lost dog. This time she finds a body. The body of a member of her board. Dead. His head bashed in by a coveted civic trophy. When the police concentrate on another board member Elliot's instincts tell her they are barking up the wrong tree. She embarks on a funny, sassy, investigation that glues you to your chair and has you turning the pages until the real killer is exposed. The ending is a huge surprise that has you slapping your forehead and wondering how you didn't see it earlier. All the clues were right there! Did I mention that the local lieutenant covering the investigation happens to be Elliot's long lost love. One who disappeared with little more than a phone message 20 years ago? Yep, there's more going on than a good mystery. Promise yourself a treat. Read this book.

This is a light and pleasant murder mystery (is that a contradition in terms?). The setting is an upscale "bedroom island" off the coast of South Carolina and our protagonist is the director of a charitable foundation, giving us plenty of glamour, fame and yummy-sounding cuisine over which to wax wistful. There's also a duo of very different but both appealing love interest candidates. How could anyone find time to investigate a murder amongst all that? Yet it's a nicely-turned plot, with a conclusion that I didn't see coming.The author is also the publisher, but my initial concern -- from previous experience with that model! -- over writing was completely unfounded. The prose is clean and tight. Characters are well- and consistently-drawn, and there are several of them I'd love to hear from again. With regard to concern over the "R-rated vocabulary," I'll just say that the protagonist has a very realistic vocabulary (imo!) for someone who's stumbling over bodies and being stymied by spoiled rich folk at every turn... they're pretty much the same words I would have used!I'll definitely look forward to the next book in this series!

a book about a young woman who is director to a family who is one that Spencer's diff ent organization s.

I enjoyed this book as a relaxing 'time out'. I didn't guess 'whodunnit' and the location descriptions were authentic, but i thought the depiction of the main character was inconsistent. One scene she is ballsy with just the right retort and the next scene she is blurting rubbish and getting embarrassed and tongue tied. Pick one and stay with it!

a good book that's not too deep but keeps you guessing and is very funny in places. Will try this author again

An entertaining page turner.

I was bored stiff