Kindle
$8.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$31.95
Paperback
$18.99
Kindle Price: $8.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Susan Dunlap
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

An Equal Opportunity Death: A Vejay Haskell Mystery (The Vejay Haskell Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Susan Dunlap (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
See all formats and editions
To escape arrest for her best friend’s murder, Vejay must find the real killer—before it’s too late
In the small woodsy town of Henderson, California, the electric company is strict about sick days. So when meterreader Vejay Haskell decides to play hooky, her first concern is staying out of sight. She skirts around the edge of town, making her way to Frank’s Place, a cozy saloon owned by her friend Frank Goulet. After two cups of hot buttered rum, they have an argument and she storms out into the pouring rain. She goes home, takes a nap, and awakens sober, embarrassed, and ready to apologize. But by the time she gets back to Frank’s bar, he is dead. Vejay was seen leaving Frank’s house in a huff, and her lack of an alibi combined with her suspicious sick day makes her the number-one suspect. As the police close in on her, Vejay turns detective in search of Frank’s real killer. It’s a perilous task, but she has one advantage when she puts on her work clothes: Nobody ever notices the meterreader.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Susan Dunlap including rare images from the author’s personal collection.

An Equal Opportunity Death is the 1st book in the Vejay Haskell Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Vejay Haskell Mysteries
  2. Print length
    204 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
  6. Publication date
    May 8, 2012
  7. File size
    6037 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
All 3 for you in this series See full series
See included books
Total Price: $23.97
By clicking on above button, you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use
More like An Equal Opportunity Death: A Vejay Haskell Mystery (The Vejay Haskell Mysteries Book 1)
Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  4. The Vejay Haskell Mysteries    3 book series
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Haskell is] intelligent, unpretentious, efficient and very, very likeable.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Susan Dunlap is the leading proponent of gutsy, nontraditional women who nimbly tread in he-man territory.” —The Washington Times “As long as writers like Dunlap continue to play with the form, genre fans need not lament the mystery’s demise.” —San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

Susan Dunlap is a prolific author of mystery novels. Born in New York City, Dunlap majored in English at Bucknell University and earned a masters degree in education from the University of North Carolina. She was a social worker before an Agatha Christie novel inspired her to try her hand at writing mysteries. Six attempts and six years later, she published Karma (1981), which began a ten-book series about brash Berkeley cop Jill Smith. Since then, Dunlap has published more than twenty novels and numerous short stories. Her other ongoing characters include the meter-reading detective Vejay Haskell, former forensic pathologist Kiernan O’Shaughnessy, and Zen student/stunt double Darcy Lott. In addition to writing, Dunlap has taught yoga, worked as a paralegal, and helped found Sisters in Crime, an organization created to support women in the field of mystery writing. She lives near San Francisco.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007O3SA12
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (May 8, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 8, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6037 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 204 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Susan Dunlap

Susan Dunlap

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Susan Dunlap is an award-winning mystery writer. She was employed as a social worker when an Agatha Christie novel inspired her to try her hand at writing mysteries. Six manuscripts and six years later, she published Karma(1981), which began a ten-book series about brash Berkeley cop Jill Smith.

Since then, Dunlap has published more than two dozen novels and several short stories. Her other ongoing characters include Vejay Haskell, Kiernan O'Shaughnessy, and Zen student/stunt double Darcy Lott. Dunlap heped found Sisters in Crime. She lives near San Francisco.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

CJ-MO
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, Intelligent Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2013
Vejay Haskell takes a time-out from reading meters in the small town of Henderson, California to solve the murder of a good friend. Vejay can't believe Frank Goulet, the owner of a small bar called "Frank's Place" has been murdered. Many in the town think Frank's death may have been drug-related, but Sheriff Wescott, who is leading the investigation, suspects Vejay. Vejay has some unexpected time off and uses her extra free time to do some investigating of her own to clear her name and get to the bottom of Frank's death.

A meter reader isn't a profession commonly seen in murder mysteries, so it was nice to read something different from the usual librarians or shop-owners as amateur sleuths. Vejay is a very independent woman who uses her intelligence to conduct her own investigation. She asks smart, pointed questions of friends and acquaintances of Frank, but tact is not her strong point. She often angers people during her questioning to the point they shut down and refuse to share additional information. She doesn't seem to learn from her errors and keeps charging on, making people mad. However, her outspoken personality is refreshing and I enjoyed the book.

The mystery is interesting. During the course of Vejay's investigation, it seems there was a dark side to the seemingly easy-going Frank. Vejay's research into Frank's life is as interesting as the investigation into his murder. Vejay's blunt questioning gets a bit repetitive, so the book moved slowly for me in the middle, but it picks up again for an exciting and unexpected conclusion. Fans of Marcia Muller's early novels will enjoy this intelligent mystery by Susan Dunlap.

I received this book form NetGalley through the courtesy of Open Road Integrated Media in exchange for an honest review.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Bill Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars Another sweet Veejay Haskell mystery
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2013
Why was a popular bar owner shot dead? Why does the sheriff suspect VeeJay Haskell? Will VeeJay find the real killer before the killer finds her?

This is another sweet mystery starring VeeJay Haskell, a utility meter reader and amateur detective in her small town on California’s Russian River. Full of humor, great characters, a small town tragedy, and a flooding river, this is another Susan Dunlap entry that you will want to take to work with you so you can keep reading – why not? Who would know?
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Gee-Gee S
3.0 out of 5 stars An Equal Opportunity Death Review
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2013
An Equal Opportunity Death Review

This is the first book in the Vejay Haskell series. Years ago I read several books in the Julie Smith series and thoroughly enjoyed them.

This book starts with an introduction to the main character and the town in which she lives. I felt that Ms Dunlap did a skilled job of blending the needed background information into the telling of the story. Then gradually all the characters are introduced. And the town is laid out. All very skillfully.

Vejay is an interesting woman: an escapee of the San Francisco pace and pressures. She is now a meter reader for the utility company. She is strong, fit, and attractive.

The plot was well crafted. It took many twists and turns, keeping me interested and engaged. I did not foresee the ending until almost the end of the book. I have a mental formula for evaluating the books I read, from pedestrian/formulaic to intriguing/edge of the seat. An Equal Opportunity Death sneaks up on you; very placid initially, picking up momentum as it goes, much like the ever rising Russian River in the story.

I enjoyed the book and will read others in the series, but there is a BUT... I found Vejay a bit annoying at times. For someone so accomplished and self-reliant, she could be incredibly immature (her opening argument with Frank, the character who is murdered), and ignorant (taking dangerous risks on her own). What is it about smart women that cause them to think they know better than the police in a case? I know, there wouldn't be a story without Vejay going off on her own. But I know there are other authors who keep suspense alive without the main character acting as ignorantly as Vejay does. (China Bayles, Maisie Dobbs, Maxie of Maxie and Stretch, to name a few) I found myself annoyed with her immaturity or know-it-all attitude to completely immerse myself in the book.

I class this book in the "fun but not profound" category. If you enjoy mysteries and location-linked stories, this one is for you.
Originally Posted by Georgia S at 1:42 PM on April 24, 2013 on her blog Cuppa Tea With G.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read and an Equally Great Amateur Detective
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2013
This is my first time reading a novel by Susan Dunlap, but it won't be my last. VeJay Haskell is an interesting character from the get-go, leaving the corporate world and her failed marriage in San Francisco. Now she's a meter reader for PG&E, but not just any meter reader. Her great observation skills and knowledge of the little Russian River town she now lives in give her a talent to sniff out who done it and bring the culprit to justice before she's a victim. Very good afternoon tea or long weekend read.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report