AUTHOR: Amber Rochelle Gillet

PUBLISHER: Miles Press Inc./Argbooks

ISBN: 978-0-615-76002-5

Thirty-one-year-old Paula Stone had it all. She was an executive with a respected company, was dating Perry, a Senior VP with the company, and lived in a pricey but fashionable apartment. But Perry couldn’t spend weekends with her and they never went out for dinner. All their time was spent in her apartment. Paula got suspicious, so she decided to follow Perry and find out a little more about him.

That’s when everything fell apart – but it’s also when the real fun of A Family Affair begins. Paula is arrested for stalking because Perry’s wife sees her spying on them. She is fired because of a company policy against inter-company dating (not to mention the fact that Perry is married, which comes as a shock to Paula). And because of all this, she has no choice but to take a job as a meter maid and move back home with her mother, who has house rules that would be fine, if Paula were 16.

Author Amber Rochelle Gillet’s first novel is a fun and fast-paced story that keeps the reader interested from the first page. Gillet has created characters you want to get to know and the book’s length is perfect for a quick but satisfying read.

The book’s humor is modern but hearkens back to the “screwball comedies” of many years ago. It even has a little Woody Allen ironic flair to it. For example, Paula’s Uncle Gordie was strangely impressed with her stalking abilities, and hires her to follow his mistress and find out if she is cheating on him, which is a fun plot point in itself. His wife, Paula’s Aunt DeDe, is also in favor of Paula’s talent for snooping and hires her to follow Uncle Gordie because she thinks he’s cheating on her. Accompanying Paula on these investigating missions is her very pregnant friend Mitexi, who chooses an investigating visit to a porn video store to give birth.

When all is said and done, Paula decides she has a real talent for investigating, so she and Mitexi take courses and open PMS Investigators (clever title, though it actually stands for their names). At the book’s end, there is a promise of possible romance and a new client, which will be revealed in the next installment, Doctor’s Orders.

Gillet shows great promise as an author. She does, however, need to consider hiring a proofreader or editor, since the book suffers from several glaring errors and typos, which detract from her storytelling. She’s too good not to have her book’s technical aspects meet her level of writing.

Follow Here To Purchase Book 1 in the PMS Private Investigators Series - A Family Affair