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Death Turns A Trick (The Rebecca Schwartz Series, Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Julie Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 3,023 ratings
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NOW AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOBOOK!

The FIRST book in a cozy series by an Edgar Winner. “Funny and witty, with a clever, outspoken heroine.” -Library Journal

A ROLLICKING TALE OF MURDER, ROMANCE, AND A BORDELLO…

Rebecca Schwartz, nice Jewish lawyer with a few too many fantasies, is happily playing the piano in a whorehouse when she suddenly finds herself assigned to make sure a near-naked state senator escapes a police raid. That dirty job done, a lovely evening turns even more delightful when she’s picked up by the cops and spends the next two hours at the Hall of Justice. Could this day get any worse? Of course!

Guess who arrives home to find a dead hooker on her living room floor? Handsome Parker Phillips, Rebecca’s new beau and the most attractive man she’s met in ages, is arrested for the murder. (Worse, she suspects he might actually have done it.) On the plus side, another very attractive man is following the case — reporter Rob Burns of the San Francisco Chronicle, a possible ally. And there are other possibilities.

Fans of Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Bond, and Elizabeth Peters will get a kick out of this one.

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  1. Book 1 of 6
    The Rebecca Schwartz Series
  2. Print length
    159 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    December 12, 2013
  6. File size
    3530 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you haven't discovered Smith yet, now is the time to do so... Move over, Sara Paretsky."

--KPFA-FM (Berkeley, CA)

"Funny and witty, with a clever, outspoken heroine."

--Library Journal

"Smith's crisp storytelling, her easy knowledge of local practices, and her likable, unpredictable heroine will make readers look forward to more of sleuth Schwartz's adventures."

--San Francisco Chronicle

"Nobody gets inside her characters like Julie Smith."

--Linda Barnes, author of the Carlotta Carlyle series

"Smith is a very funny writer with a nice feel for the absurdities of urban life."

-- San Francisco Examiner

"A delightfully modern sleuth."

--Minneapolis Tribune

"Rebecca's lively first-person narration brands her a new detective to watch."

--Wilson Library Bulletin

"An attractive and amusing heroine."

--The San Diego Union

From the Inside Flap

artz is a fairly normal Bay-area attorney. But when she almost gets busted for playing piano in a bordello, and Kandi, a part-time student-prostitute is killed in her home, and then the killer stalks Rebecca, it's time to take action--which is just what she does....

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008S695AO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ booksBnimble (December 12, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 12, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3530 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 ‏ : ‎ 159 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 3,023 ratings

About the author

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Julie Smith

Julie Smith

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Visit Julie at http://www.booksbnimble.com

I first knew I wanted to be a writer at seven, knew it was mysteries I'd write at 12, was desperate to win the Edgar at 13, but became a journalist to...well...keep from starving till I had the courage to actually try it. I had a great time and learned more than ten colleges could have taught as a reporter for first the New Orleans Times-Picayune and later the San Francisco Chronicle. Finally, I wrote six or seven mysteries (I've lost count!) over a period of eight years, to absolutely no avail, and was about to give up when I made my first sale. DEATH TURNS A TRICK was my first published book, and the Rebecca Schwartz series was born. I later added a second San Francisco series, plus two in New Orleans, and guess what? My first New Orleans book, NEW ORLEANS MOURNING, won the Edgar for Best Novel.

So some dreams come true! Boy, it was hard, and it took forever, but mine actually did. I'm still pinching myself. After wanting something so much and finally getting it, who would have thought I'd turn to something else after twenty-one books? (That's right, twenty-one not counting a non-fiction one on writing itself. So, twenty-two, really.) My whole identity was writing. But along came ebooks! Suddenly a gigantic opportunity opened up. I realized I could be a publisher myself---I could help other people achieve their own dreams. I couldn't help it, I got the publishing bug. Bad.

In 2010, I founded www.booksBnimble.com, a digital publishing company that focused at first on video-enhanced ebooks, but now not so much enhanced as just great quality---and, as you might imagine, with an emphasis on mysteries. So far, we've published eight authors (including me). It's been a treat to learn to function in another whole world and it's been incredibly rewarding to be able to help other writers, to bring back people's backlists, and to discover new, exciting talent.

Check out some of our terrific authors--Patty Friedmann, Marika Christian, Tony Dunbar, Anneke Campbell, Whitney Stewart, and Lee Pryor. Coming soon: mystery authors Greg Herren, Liz Zelvin, Shelley Singer, and Mickey Friedman.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
3,023 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

S.N.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great beginning to great series!
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Julie Smith has scored again with this very entertaining series.

Each series has a unique tone and broad array of characters. The Rebecca Schwartz does not have to be read in order, but this first in the series is the best place to start. The setting is San Francisco, my home town, and it is obvious that Ms. Smith spent plenty of time learning about "The City". I think I've been to all the places, and the authors' sharp eyes missed nothing!

As always, each character has a unique and skillfully drawn personality, and I think that I met most of them. And yes, they are well portrayed. The variously dysfunctional family forests of the protagonists are entertainingly portrayed, and made me feel right at home!

I highly recommend this book as an excellent diversion from these stressful times. It is a bit more of a "cozy" than the Skip Langdon and Talba Wallis series, but it is still replete with witty and entertaining characters and offers up a heathy serving of lol moments.

Allow yourself plenty of time. I could not put it down, and looked for the next in the series as soon as I finished. I'd get your favorite beverage and snacks, settle into your favorite chair, and have a great time.

Thank you Julie for the great ride!
13 people found this helpful
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Gregory Bascom
4.0 out of 5 stars An Unpretentious, Face-paced, Fun Read
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2005
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This review is for the Ballantine Books paperback edition published in April 1992, 177 pages. DEATH TURNS A TRICK, first published in 1982, was Julie Smith's début novel, a mystery in the Rebecca Schwartz series. The author wrote four more novels in the Schwartz series, cumulating with OTHER PEOPLE'S SKELETONS in 1993, which was her first novel to make the USA Today bestseller list. Ms. Smith has written 19 mystery novels in four different series. To learn more, visit the author's website, juliesmithauthor.com.

Rebecca Schwartz is a never married twenty-eight year old feminist, Jewish lawyer in San Francisco who enjoys playing the piano. The story begins, on that fateful night, when Rebecca is playing the piano at a bordello as a favor for Elena, Rebecca's client and one of four prostitutes who co-share the proceeds of the business. Around midnight, the cops raid the joint. Rebecca escapes through a secret passage in the bordello's basement dungeon, but she has to take along a naked senator who was tied to the bed there. Rebecca and the senator get in a minor traffic accident. The senator runs but the cops get Rebecca, who left her purse at the whorehouse and is driving Elena's car. By the time Rebecca gets back to her apartment that night, there's a corpse on her Flokati carpet.

The writing is tight. Ms. Smith saves the sensory detail for the suspenseful moments when she wants to keep you teetering on the edge of your seat. The plot is free of hairpin twists and ridiculous feats, and the coincidences are lifelike. DEATH TURNS A TRICK is an unpretentious, fast-paced, fun read.
49 people found this helpful
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VoraciousReader
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice, quick read
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
Rebecca Schwartz, San Francisco lawyer, does a friend a favor and fills in as pianist at an event she's hosting...except the friend runs a bordello and the event is, well, you know. Schwartz ends up sneaking a politician out the back when there's a raid, and the night gets even more ridiculous after that. Written believably, mind you, just ridiculous. By the time she gets home, she finds one of the girls from the bordello dead in Schwartz's own apartment...and it turns out the dead girl is the sister of Schwartz's boyfriend. Later, she finds $25K hidden in her houseplant, but whose is it? Again, written believably, just convoluted! Nice, quick read. Not one of those cozies where the protagonist is foolish in jumping in where she doesn't belong.
One person found this helpful
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Cissa
5.0 out of 5 stars Rebecca- For The Win!
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
While this is the first book in the Rebecca Schwartz series, it's the second one I read. I encountered Rebecca a few months ago in the "Sourdough Wars", and really loved that! and so I decided to read more in the series.

It did not disappoint!

The plot is twisty and involved, and all the chracters are well-rounded and individual. The writing is engaging, and there's never a dull moment!

Mostly, though, I love Rebecca. She's not generic; she's a well-realized individual who has her idiocyncracies and blind spots, but is very sympathetic nonetheless.

I look forward to reading more in this series- it's one of the better "cozy" series I've read recently.
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Jo-Anne B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun legal mystery
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2018
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As soon as I read the synopsis I had to find out why a lawyer would be playing the piano in a brothel. I’m glad we find out right away. Funny things happen before she gets home that day (though she doesn’t find them funny). She is so relieved to get in her apartment. That is until she finds a dead prostitute in her living room. The whole place had been ransacked. But that was nothing compared to the dead woman. Rebecca is quickly thrown into lawyer mode when the man she was dating was the prime murder suspect. He was the dead woman’s brother. The police thought her boyfriend was the murderer so they were not looking at anyone else. Since he was her client, Rebecca wanted to make sure they had the right person so she started investigating. But there were lots of suspects, making this a daunting job. Lucky for her, reporter, Rob Burns lent a hand.

This was a well-written book that grabbed my attention right from the beginning. There were lots of amusing times in this legal mystery, along with romance and suspense. I liked the risks Rebecca took to get answers. And I also liked that she went from a serious, skilled lawyer to fun brothel piano player.

I recommend this fun legal mystery.
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Top reviews from other countries

AMH
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Reviewed in Canada on April 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
Irreverent and fun mystery in the typical Julie Smith style. I've read several of her other series and they never disappoint.
For anyone who likes their heroines strong and quirky, this is for you.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good story easy to read and put down, pick up without losing the plot, if the followup books are as good it will be good series.
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Simple read
Reviewed in India on June 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Simple and easy read, best to pick this book when you don't want anything too intense but just want to relax and​ read.
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Marie429
4.0 out of 5 stars Light reading and enjoyable
Reviewed in Australia on April 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good book. If you want light detective books without the gory details. This is for you. It keeps you entertained.
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Perkins
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, witty easy read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
I can't help liking Rebecca Schwarz. I found her funny, clever and quick witted, although her taste in men was a bit suspect. The book opens with her playing the piano in a bordello and just takes off from there really. The so-called mystery was fairly easily solved but the characters are fun, made me laugh and I found it a fast-paced, enjoyable read.
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