Publisher: Clear Creek Publishing
Date of Publication: February 11, 2020
Number of Pages: 228
Hidden fortune. Hidden danger.
Madison Reynolds deCordova is about to uncover a dangerous secret…literally.
During In a Pinch Professional Services’s latest gig at an upholstery shop, Madison finds a chair that’s perfect for her husband’s birthday gift. At least it will be, once she removes the worn velvet. Hiding the chair at Granny Bert’s, Madison tackles her first solo upholstery project but soon discovers more than she bargained for! A hidden treasure beneath the cushion puts her in the middle of a new mystery and new danger.
The treasure isn’t her only problem. While helping a young boy find his lost dog, Madison lands on the wrong side of surly businessman Lamont Andrews. Meanwhile, best friend Genny is worried about one of her café patrons. Mr. Pruett’s wild stories are getting wilder each day, and now he’s missing. Plus, there’s the matter of a troublesome new habit Maddy seems to have acquired: breaking and entering. It’s a harsh term for simply trying to rescue a dog and save an old man.
Somehow, she knows it all fits together. But what does a lost dog, a cluttered old barn, Mr. Pruett’s disappearance, and a hidden treasure have to do with her chair? Now someone is stalking her and her grandmother, and Madison knows that danger is on its way.
As always, The Sisters are full of fun, excitement, family antics, and more danger than the law allows!
Clueless Gent’s Rating
With Sitting on a Fortune, Becki Willis has managed to do it again! Book 9 of The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series was more enjoyable to me than any of its predecessors (that I’ve read). And I greatly enjoyed each one of them. If this isn’t the best ever mystery series to come out of Texas, then I don’t know what is.
This story is quickly engaging. By using most of the same characters in this series, Willis is really able to dive deep into their personalities and quirks. But more than that, Becki Willis truly makes this book (as with the others I’ve read) a stand alone story. Yes, she hints at the outcomes of some of the previous stories, but she leaves enough out to make the other stories just as enjoyable.
The Enjoyment of Sitting on a Fortune
This storyline is very original. It really takes a capable writer like Becki Willis to make a “hidden treasure” story as original and entertaining as this one is. I love Becki’s stories, and I love how she tells them!
In this story, our protagonist – Madison Reynolds deCordova – finds some hidden treasure completely by accident. However, with the likely sizable worth of the find, she makes it her business to find out where it came from. Surely, someone else must be looking for it. (And surely, there is!)
A new character is introduced early in the story. I really liked him. He told tall tales (Texas-sized tall tales, mind you), and he utterly loved talking about himself and his adventures to anyone who would listen. I won’t tell you his purpose in the story, except to say that he fits right in.
Another thing Becki Willis does better than most authors is keep the identity of the true villain a secret until very near the end. Sure, she puts some likely suspects in front of us, hoping we’ll bite. I really thought I knew whodunit – but I was wrong.
After the climax, Willis provides a few paragraphs to tell us the aftermath of the action. I love when an author does this. First, it really helps to make the story stand on its own, but it also gives the reader a sense of closure on the story.
Technically Speaking
The edition I read was an advance reader copy, so I won’t provide any SPAG comments.
The pacing was right where it needed to be. The build to the climax started slowly, but before you know it, you’re flipping through the pages as fast as your eyes can keep up.
Here is another technical thing I enjoy about this series. Even though many of the same characters are used, Becki still manages to get fresh characters arcs in each story.
I’ll stop here. I think I’ve sufficiently described whether I liked this story. Besides, I want to go check out when book 10 will be coming out!
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2/20/20
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BONUS Post
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2/20/20
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Review
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2/21/20
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Review
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2/22/20
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Review
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2/23/20
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2/24/20
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2/25/20
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2/26/20
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Review
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2/27/20
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Full Series Review
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2/28/20
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Review
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2/29/20
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Review
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3 thoughts on “Sitting on a Fortune”
Great review and love how your enthusiasm for the book & series shine through. I’m reading it now and can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Thanks for the great review! You left me blushing. And Granny Bert is just pleased as punch!
If I ever happen to pass through The Sisters in my Texas dreams, I would love to meet Granny Bert! She’s quite the character!!