A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram, #1)

by Darynda Jones

Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff, expecting nothing more than a quiet ride. But now a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter's new school, plus a kidnapped rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.

But even clouds have their silver linings. This one's got Levi, Sunshine's sexy, almost-old flame, and Quincy Cooper, a fiery-hot US Marshall. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol's normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger.

• ISBN10: 0349427178
• ISBN13: 9780349427171
• Publish Date: 7 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Piatkus Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

A Bad Day for Sunshine is the start of new beginnings, being the first in Darynda Jones' Sunshine Vicram series. Personally, I'm hoping this series goes on for quite some time. This is a series that merges the vibes of a cozy mystery with the darker tones of a thriller, with delightful results.

When Sunshine moved away from a small town somewhere in New Mexico, she thought she'd never come back. She was wrong. Now she's returning home to be the town's new sheriff – after winning an election, she didn't participate in. Parents can't live with them, can't live without them.

Now Sunny is going to have to get up to date in the town's drama and fast. It's the only way to keep the peace and hopefully keep herself out of trouble in the process. However, a series of mysteries will suddenly become (almost) all the distractions needed.

"Great, thanks," she said, neither grateful nor thankful."

A Bad Day for Sunshine is by far the most hilarious and entertaining thriller/cozy novel I've read in a long time. It was such a delight, especially as Darynda Jones' humor leaked out through Sunny's character. Fans of the author are sure to like this new series.

There's a lot going on in this novel, and that means there's plenty to keep readers occupied. Sunshine's life is...well, chaotic is too mild of a word in this instance. Her life is all over the place, what with meddling parents, an active teenager, a dramatic town, and a sheriff's department to monitor. Not to mention her history and drama, of which there is plenty.

I loved every minute of this drama-filled thriller. I'm so very thankful that I get to head right into A Good Day for Chardonnay next (the bright side of being behind on a series!).

I'd recommend this series to anyone that needs a good laugh, though I warn you that you'll be getting more than that. The drama and tension are real, and when it all blends together, it creates a unique and memorable package. One worth reading!

Thanks to StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks>

[MurderByDeath]

A long time fan of Jones' writing, I was excited to hear about this new series after her Charlie Davidson series came to an end, but also hesitant, as the premise for this new series sounded like quite a departure in a lot of ways.

I needn't have worried; A Bad Day for Sunshine has everything I loved in the Charlie Davidson series (save the outright paranormal plots), only slightly more polished.  Where the snark and jokes in the CD series could sometimes be a tad overdone (naming ever in animate object), here it was perfectly balanced.  The multiple plots were here too, without quite the manic pace, and the friendships and dialog were bang on perfect.  Levi too is the version of Reyes one could take home to their more liberal parents.  In many ways, as much as I loved the Charlie Davidson series, Sunshine Vicram feels more polished.

Plotwise, there are many different irons in the fire and all were good, though a few were telegraphed ahead of time to varying degrees.  I knocked half a star off because the multi-book plot feels transparent.  I still can't say who did it, but I feel confident about who didn't and what role the character played in the crime.  Whether I'm right or not, it left me feeling frustrated with the lack of resolution at the end, and doubly so when I found out the next book doesn't come out until July 2021.  But A Good Day for Chardonnay will definitely be pre-ordered.

 

[liz089]

Woow.. what a story !!
I LOVED IT.

Oké I adore everything Darynda Jones.. so much love for Charley and the gang, but she is really making something amazing out of this as well.
So many new characters to love, new posibilities, mysteries left to explore... It has so much potential to grow into another favorite !!
When will the next one be released !??

[kimbacaffeinate]

Sunshine Vicram has returned to the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico as the newly appointed Sheriff. This after her parents entered her in the election. A feat she still isn’t sure how they pulled off. She has her teenage daughter, Auri with her.

First day on the job and Sunshine has a missing child, an escapee from prison and a squabble over a rooster. Ah well at least someone delivered muffins! She has her close friend and fellow officer Quincey to lend support. Even though he teases her over the cow eyes she is making over the man who makes her knees turn to jelly. That forbidden fruit is Levi Ravinder, and he just happens to be the best tracker around.

The story is told from the POVs of Sunshine and Auri. Filled with humor, secrets, and the new cases. We’ve got muffins that make the police squad nervous, a missing officer and plenty of danger in this thrilling mystery.

Turns out Auri is an amature slueth and the missing girl is someone she met before winter session started at school. Here she will face down enemies, meet an interesting boy named Cruz and help her autistic friend Jimmy.

There are touches of paranormal woo-woo in the form of premonitions and I loved it. Jones gave us a romance with sizzling chemistry and peppered in humor that made me burst out laughing. These helped balanced out the intense case, danger, twists and tender moments.

I was hooked from the start and appreciated the quotes that began each chapter. They offered insight to the town and plenty of humor. I am also curious about some of the threads left unanswered. The author left me fully invested in the town of the Del Sol and the characters living there. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Cocktails and Books]

I loved Sunshine. Levi May have a bit do the Reyes Farrow a-holishness, but I’m hoping this bad boys is sun and Auri’s savior. Can’t wait for more.

[EBookObsessed]

Darynda Jones takes the vest best parts of Charley Davidson and gives us Sunshine Vicram. I don't know how I am going to survive until the next book releases.

I loved Charley Davidson from the Charley Davidson series and I mean it when I say Darynda took all the best part of that series to create this new series. The story is told from two points of view that of Sunshine Vicram and also her fourteen-year-old daughter, Auri. I loved them both.   Sunny is as smart and witty, as is her daughter.

Sunshine has just returned to Del Sol, New Mexico, she was just elected as the new Sheriff, even though she didn't run for election. Maybe her first investigation needs to be how her parents pull that off. Before she can deal with possible election fraud, her first day as Sheriff gets her involved in a case of an abducted teenager. While Sunshine is the official investigator, her daughter has plans to help find the girl was who so nice to her by questioning the girl's friends at school.  But Auri's first day of school is fraught with just as much turmoil and her mother's first day as Sheriff.

Once Sunny finds this missing girl, she plans to dig deep into a cold case. The one that involved her own abduction when she was 17. She went missing for several days until she was brought to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury and spent a month in a coma. Sunshine has mostly lost that time in her life from several weeks before and after her abduction but she keeps getting flashes and she is determined to find the person who abducted her and finally get answers.

Since Sunshine has just returned to her hometown, she left after her abduction, we get a great introduction in this first book to the main characters of the story as well as the secondary characters who make up the Sheriff's office including Quincy, Sunny's long-time BFF and deputy sheriff; we also meet several people in the town, Sunny's family and her long time love interest, Levi Ravender, a boy she has loved from afar her whole life who has grown up dark and dangerous and who comes from a screwed up, abusive family (sound like anyone we remember?). Even young Auri will have a love interest in classmate, Cruz de los Santos.

If you are a fan of Charley Davidson, there are a number of characters here that are going to ring bells and seem very familiar to you, but the best part is that Darynda Jones has taken all the best parts of the Charley Davidson series and created something new and for those of you who aren't of fan of urban fantasy, this is your chance to enjoy Darynda's wonderful characters, storytelling and humor.

My biggest problem right now it that I was so invested in this story by the end (I've got theories that I want to know if I am right) and this book won't be officially released until April. That means it will be months and months and months before we get the next book. That sucks so much. A book nerd's heartbreak. When I was finally introduced to the Charley Davidson series, there were at least seven books out there and I just binged book after book until I caught up. I was so immerse in her world.  Now I can only hope there will be another book before the end of the year and I bet I still won't have all my answers yet.   I need answers!  While it will be painful to have to wait for the stories to unfold, these characters are going to make the waiting so enjoyable.

I can't wait for more Sunny and Auri!

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See more at EBookObsessed.com

[Linda]

*I received a free copy of A Bad Day For Sunshine. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review which is honest and unbiased.*

This was a refreshing, and kind of dark, mystery! Darynda Jones has been a favorite author of mine for a long time, and I'm happy to read something of hers that's a bit different from her other novels I have read.

Sunshine is the new sheriff in Del Sol, and she has more than one mystery to solve! First, it's her own mystery - of what happened to her when she was young. Then there's the mystery of a missing girl, which becomes several other sub-mysteries.

I was glued to my kindle reading A Bad Day for Sunshine, and I had so many (wrong!) theories while reading. I still have one more theory, and now, I'm going to have to wait forever to find out if I'm right or not.

Jones has created a very diverse - and fun - cast of characters here, and I just loved the interactions, and some of the rather unlikely situations they found themselves in. I laughed out loud just as often as I had to catch my breath because of the suspense.

Keep your eyes out for Sunshine, she's definitely worth the detour.