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Paul Austin Ardoin
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The Reluctant Coroner (Fenway Stevenson Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Paul Austin Ardoin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 7,419 ratings
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Blood is thicker than oil--until murder is involved.

Fenway Stevenson doesn't want to return to the coastal town where her estranged father is practically king. But the death of her mother draws her back home--and the murder of the county coroner draws her into a deepening conspiracy. As the body count rises and all signs seem to point toward her father's oil company, will Fenway uncover the truth before family bonds become deadly?
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  1. Book 1 of 9
    Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
  2. Print length
    544 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    May 22, 2018
  6. File size
    1016 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's the perfect mystery for the #metoo era. Thank you, Fenway Stevenson, for reminding me that I like crime fiction. After finishing the book, I just have one question: when will the next one be out?" --Derek McCaw, Fanboy Planet"Think Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich, but with darker twists and more biting social commentary. A five-star thriller that will leave you chuckling and gasping at the same time!" --John Ling, USA Today Bestselling Author "Paul Austin Ardoin has a hit on his hands with his debut novel. It's an engaging mystery with a propulsive plot--it should appeal to readers of the genre as well as people who just love a good story. It's clear to me Ardoin has written something wonderful." --Michelle Damiani, Amazon bestselling author of Il Bel Centro and Santa Lucia

About the Author

Paul Austin Ardoin is a California native who put his degree in creative writing degree to use by authoring marketing materials for computer security companies for the better part of two decades. The Reluctant Coroner is his first novel. He has published short fiction and humorous essays in Bottomfish and Sweet Fancy Moses, and non-fiction works about computer security in California Computer News and European Communications. When he's not writing novels or trying to save the world through better computer security, Paul plays keyboards in a dance rock band. He lives in the Sacramento area with his wife, two teenagers, and a menagerie of animals.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07CKKMDGC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pax Ardsen (May 22, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 22, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1016 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 7,419 ratings

About the author

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Paul Austin Ardoin

Paul Austin Ardoin

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Paul Austin Ardoin is the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries and The Woodhead & Becker Mysteries. He has published fiction and essays in the anthologies Turning the Tide, The Paths We Tread, 12 Shots, Bottomfish, and Sweet Fancy Moses, and articles about computer security in Channel Futures, California Computer News, and European Communications.

A California native, Paul holds a B.A. in creative writing from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He lives in the Milwaukee area with his wife and a menagerie of animals.

Join Paul’s mailing list at paulaustinardoin.com for news about new books.

Visit him at:

facebook.com/PaulArdoinAuthor

twitter.com/paulardoin

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
7,419 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024
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Really enjoyed this one. Great characters and storyline. Interaction between them well thought out. Good series. Will certainly get next book.
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D. Zendel
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing premise
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2021
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Fenway Stevenson unwillingly returns to her small California hometown after the death of her mother because she feels like she doesn’t have a lot of choices, and she’s unmoored anyway. In a fit of guilt about his neglectful behavior towards her growing up, her estranged, but extremely wealthy father, has secured for her a temporary job (town coroner) and a place to live until she can get licensed in California. Maybe he has an ulterior motive in doing so, maybe not. He clearly doesn’t’ know her at all, though, because once she gets her teeth into something, she does not let go, and this decision will come back to haunt him.

I enjoyed this book. The plot, involving suspicious deaths, corporate greed, racial injustice, and small-town politics, is topical. The cast of characters reflects the real world – multi-racial, multi-ethnic, young, old, gay, straight. I was intrigued by how the author, a white male, could write a story from the perspective of a young, Black female. I think he did a credible job. It does require a suspension of disbelief that Fenway (who has an advanced nursing degree and training in criminalistics) walks right into a job as the town coroner, even with no direct experience, but it’s a great plot hook. Apparently, coroners in some states don’t even need medical experience.

Fenway has some natural investigative skills, though. She’s very observant and has a talent for pulling together diverse threads to get a picture of what’s going on. She’s also got a strong sense of right and wrong and will go where the facts take her, no matter the outcome. She starts out as just a caretaker in the position, but comes to realize this is something she’s good at.

I have two quibbles with the book – one, her name. OK, so her father’s a Boston Redsox fan. Why would you saddle your child with a name like that? And two, the author uses the work “smirk” way too often.

What I did like - the relationship between Fenway and the local sheriff. He’s 15 years older than she is, and married, but there’s a connection from the get-go. He also treats her as an equal, not someone to pat on the head and wave off. I also like how Fenway deals with her team and the people she comes across in the course of the story.

I liked this book enough that when I was done, I immediately purchased book 2. Fenway is an interesting character and I’d like to see what happens with her.
11 people found this helpful
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Edwin H. Holmes Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful and Refreshing Novel!
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2021
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Fenway Stevenson loses her nurse practitioner position, when the non-profit organization, where she is employed, goes out of business, in Seattle . Fenway's father, Nathaniel Ferris, invites Fenway, to her home town of Estancia, California. Her father and her, have barely spoken in over 20 years. The coroner has been murdered, and Nathaniel offers Fenway a job as coroner, and sets her up with an apartment. After growing up in Seattle, she barely remembers the place. Fenway's mother has recently passed away. Fenway's mother was African-American and her father is white. Many people, meeting her for the first time, are surprised that she is biracial.

Fenway wants no favors from her father, who's trying to atone for having effectively abandoned her, and her mother. As Fenway learns her way around the town she's thrown in the deep end: having a medical education, she's asked to take over as coroner on her first full day in town. That the position is open suggests that the stakes may be higher than just getting some funny looks; the previous coroner was murdered, and they need a new one to look into the matter while the body is more or less fresh.

The writing is great, and the characters are believable. The novel is a page-turner, that is impossible to put down. What starts out almost cozy becomes a gritty mystery, and then morphs into full-on action as Fenway identifies the killer too late to keep herself safe. I have ordered the next novel, in the series, "The Incumbent Coroner."
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Kindle Customer Lea
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
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The storyline is amazing and the characters delightful! Never thought this book would be as interesting as it is; you'd think it would have so much medical jargon it would be boring but the author kept it marginal and only when necessary. Enjoy!!
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joe vitucci
3.0 out of 5 stars The rookie gets it done.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2021
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Fenway needs a job, needs a degree, and needs a a place to stay. Her dad, who has mostly ignored her for the last 20 years, and she him, says she should come down to his town and be the temporary county coroner for the next 6 konths until they elect a new one. The previous one was recently murdered. The new coroner must investigate the death of the previous one, who everyone more or less despised.
So Fenway takes the job. The HR lady hates her because of her dad, who is one of the town biggest employers, and her husband (who worked for Fenway's dad) recently passed away while at work, and the previous coroner hadn't yet ruled on the cause of death, holding up the insurance payment. Before you know it, the coroners office is attacked by a truck, one of her employee's husband dies, the HR lady shoots at her, and she and the sheriff are attracted to each other. And last of all, she's black and her dad is white.
This story is pretty interesting with many characters and side plots to keep you confused the whole time. Enjoy.
3 people found this helpful
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Pattie P
4.0 out of 5 stars The Reluctant Coroner
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2024
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The Characters in this book were perfectly described and made me feel as though I knew them, which always is a good sign that I will enjoy a book. Even though I figured out who the "bad" guy was about halfway through, the ending still surprised me -- a lot of twists and turns. I definitely recommend.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Canada on November 5, 2023
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I really enjoyed this book. It was one of those books that you can’t put down. The characters were very good too.
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heather tapsell
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2023
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Good story well defined characters had a twist in the tail at the end of the story yes I would definitely recommend reading this book
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Waigls
4.0 out of 5 stars Erfreulicher Serienstart
Reviewed in Germany on March 2, 2022
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Gute Beschreibung der Charaktere und Emotionen. Anfangs etwas verwirrend mit den neuen Namen und Figuren. Das für die English Edition.
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Unknown
5.0 out of 5 stars The reluctant coroner.
Reviewed in Spain on August 7, 2020
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Couldnt put it down, needed to know who done it, and it wasnt who you thought did it. Splendid suspense.
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mary astrid whitford
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series
Reviewed in Australia on July 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
Was so thr[led with this book that I have
read all five of his coroner books and I am waiting for the sixth Sometimes i would get so engrosed in the book I have stayed reading until the the early hours of the morning I am in my 80s and have poor eye sight and have to use a Kindle to read and these books have been the best yet Mary Astrid
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