After returning to her hometown after ten years on the run, and solving a major crime to boot, PJ Sugar is at long last ready to settle down and build a life for herself. She’s working as an assistant to Jeremy Kane, private investigator. It’s a dream job that feeds her soul-deep desire to make a difference in the lives of others, an opportunity to prove that she’s moved beyond her past. Settling into the new job is complicated by her old sweetheart Boone, who’s ready to settle down and pressing for a permanent commitment. PJ’s first solo assignment is house-sitting for the key witness in a major criminal trial. What should be a quiet gig becomes complicated when it becomes clear that their witness in protective custody is being targeted – and with PJ standing in for her, suddenly her life is on the line. Throw into the mix an elderly neighbor in need of help, and PJ’s nose for trouble has once again gotten her in way too deep. PJ must put her overactive imagination and all her sleuthing skills to work to uncover the bad guys – then, if she survives, she can figure out the kind of future she wants, a choice symbolized by the affections of two very different men.
I’m really glad I read the first two PJ Sugar books back-to-back. PJ’s story isn’t limited to standalone adventures – having the momentum that comes from reading her first two adventures back-to-back, it’s easy to see Warren’s superb characterization. In book one, PJ had to face her fear of overcoming her past, of living out a faith that would enable her to overcome the label “nothing but trouble” that earned her such notoriety. Double Trouble takes PJ a step further, diving headfirst into her new life, battling frustration and despair when getting it right seems like an unattainable goal. The idea God can work through our imperfections - in spite of them - and that accepting grace and trusting that His providence is sufficient is powerfully portrayed. The spiritual truths resonate because Warren’s characters are so wonderfully, achingly well-drawn and relatable.
I also loved how Warren explores the idea of choosing between good and better throughout the book. Both of PJ’s romantic choices are classic Warren heroes, each swoon-worthy in his own right. PJ’s romantic dilemma is so hard because both options are genuinely good guys, but in this volume Warren starts to develop critical differences between Boone and Jeremy and the futures they represent. While Boone’s affection for PJ is genuine, he represents PJ’s past, and his view of her is filtered through their shared experiences. Jeremy’s another story – he represents a future uninhibited by memories of PJ’s past exploits. He loves her, trouble-making tendencies and all, but most importantly believes in her now and in her potential. Through PJ’s character, Warren forces readers to confront the issue of trusting God – not settling for the good, but daring to dream and reach for an as-yet unknown future that He’ll walk one through each step of the way, if only we’ll invite Him on the journey. Double Trouble contains all of the elements that made PJ’s first adventure a success – snappy dialogue, well-drawn characters, and a page-turning plot. It ups the ante with more intense action, a better mystery, and a compelling spiritual thread that, if you let it, will encourage and inspire you to embrace God’s grace and provision. I can’t wait for book three!
Click to read my review of Nothing but Trouble.
Click to get info on the Double Trouble contest!
Nothing but Trouble (PJ Sugar #1)
By: Susan May Warren
Publisher: Tyndale
ISBN: 978-1-4143-1312-2
About the book:
PJ Sugar knows three things for sure:
* After traveling the country for ten years and hoping to shake free from the trail of disaster that’s become her life, she needs a fresh start.
* The last person she wants to see when she heads home for her sister’s wedding is Boone – her former flame and the reason she left town.
* Her best friend’s husband absolutely did not commit the first murder Kellogg, Minnesota, has seen in more than a decade.
What PJ doesn’t know is that when she starts digging for evidence, she’ll uncover much more than she bargained for – a deadly conspiracy, a knack for investigation, and maybe, just maybe, that fresh start she’s been longing for.
Review:
Ten years ago PJ Sugar left her small hometown of Kellogg, Minnesota, in disgrace, and has been running from her past ever since. After an unexpected call from her sister for help, PJ does the one thing she thought was impossible – returns to the scene of her “crimes,” the town she fled after earning the nickname “nothing but trouble” and being accused of setting fire to the country club. From the moment she sets foot in Kellogg for her sister’s wedding, everywhere PJ turns it seems that her failures and shortcomings are dredged up, crushing her hopes for a fresh start. She was always the wild child, frustrating her mother and leaving her best friend to cope with becoming a single parent. But perhaps the most painful – and dangerous – memories are wrapped up in the form of handsome, blue-eyed bad boy-turned-cop Boone, her former flame. Boone’s betrayal is the main reason she kept running, and his magnetic pull even ten years later is the primary test of PJ’s resolve to prove she’s genuinely changed.
PJ Sugar is a great heroine – fun, feisty, and daring, she’s no shy wallflower. A relatively new believer, she’s desperate to prove she’s finally making some good choices and will no longer disappoint people. Her drive to prove her worthiness to others and to God is extremely well-drawn and relatable. The harder she tries to fit in, the more she fails, but when she starts to realize that maybe, just maybe, God can use her redeemed, messy, unorthodox self in spit e of her best efforts does PJ start to loosen her grip on the past and walk into a future full of promise. Warren always does an excellent job incorporating a subtle spiritual thread into her stories, and PJ’s is no exception – it works because Warren doesn’t hammer you over the head with a message, she presents faith as lived out by her very real characters.
Susan May Warren has long been one of my favorite authors, but it’s been a while since I’ve picked up one of her novels (my TBR stack is out of control!). From the first, Nothing but Trouble was a great reminder of why I love Warren’s writing. The dialogue hums with life, and the plot grabs you from the first page and never lets go. The characters, from PJ to her mother to Boone, are multi-faceted and wonderfully real. Warren’s characters aren’t cookie cutter, flat creations – they’re messy and real and fun. Speaking of Boone, Warren excels at writing swoon-worthy heroes, and in this novel she gives us not one, but two charismatic leads to vie for PJ’s affections. I can’t wait to see how that one plays out (I’m pulling for Jeremy, the mysterious private investigator). I loved how Warren gives a nod to her time in Russia as a missionary. The unexpected culture shock PJ encounters with her sister’s in-laws provides fodder for some of the book’s most comical scenes. Part chick lit, part cozy mystery, Nothing but Trouble is an expertly plotted tale of romance, redemption, and grace.
Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called "I Did It!® Productions" and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.
This new adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma is, by many, the most anticipated title of the 2010 Masterpiece Classics season. Packed with well-known British acting talent, and with a script by Sandy Welch (who also adapted North & South and Jane Eyre), this new Emma has lots of potential - and I, for one, did not come away disappointed. :) Here's the summary of episode 1 from the PBS website:
Rich, independent and kind spirited, Emma Woodhouse has no interest in marriage herself, but is inspired by matchmaking for those around her. Once she has married off her close companions, she settles on the pretty Harriet Smith to fashion into her new playmate and ally. She persuades Harriet that she is too good for her suitor, the farmer Robert Martin, and encourages her to set her sights higher. But close family friend Mr. Knightley warns Emma that her meddling will cause great pain. Undaunted, Emma continues her efforts on Harriet's behalf.
Meanwhile, Emma is intrigued by the mysterious and elusive Frank Churchill, whom she hopes to meet at a party. Frank does not arrive, but instead Emma becomes the subject of unwanted attention from the vicar, Mr. Elton.
A few weeks later, village gossip focuses on the arrival of young Jane Fairfax and a large piano that she has been sent by a mystery admirer. Emma refuses to believe that Mr. Knightley could be the secret admirer.
When I heard another version of Emma was in the works, I confess to feeling less than excited - after all, Emma has been done many times before, and done well (I'm referring to the Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale versions). However, with a runtime of nearly four hours, we're happily treated to much more expansive treatment of Austen's story. The first portion of this miniseries opens with a prologue revealing the childhood of three of the principle players - Emma, Jane Fairfax, and Frank Churchill - and how the events that occurred during their respective childhoods set each person on the path towards becoming the character seen in the novel.
Of course the star of the piece is Emma and all her machinations, played here by Romola Garai. I've been a fan of Garai's work since she played Gwendolen Harleth in Daniel Deronda. She just looks like an Emma, know what I mean? Garai's got the looks, personality, and vivaciousness to pull off the role, and her performance is full of energy and life. I liked the way this presentation balances Emma's busybody qualities with quieter moments, little hints of self-reflection that make you think that perhaps Emma is not quite as self-satisfied and assured as she would like the world to believe. She's a bit more sympathetically portrayed than she has been in previous films, methinks.
Michael Gambon plays Mr. Woodhouse, Emma's father, and I think his take on the character has got to be the finest that I've ever seen. Mr. Woodhouse is such a fussy, needy character that it's easy for him to be portrayed strictly as comic relief. Here, Mr. Woodhouse is fussy and needy and constantly worried, but Gambon's performance adds some depth and real, almost tragic poignancy to the role. I also enjoyed seeing the interaction between Mr. Woodhouse and Emma, who I've always thought was a rather surprising caretaker. Garai's Emma may get a bit frustrated with her father, but her genuine regard and care for her anxiety-prone parent is abundantly apparent. Emma's never quite so self-absorbed that she loses patience with her father, and perhaps that is Austen's hidden saving grace that she imbued such duty and regard in a character she described as a "heroine whom no one but myself will much like."
I was quite pleased to see Jodhi May again, playing Emma's beloved Miss Taylor, her greatest matchmaking "success." May is probably best known for her performance as Alice Munro in The Last of the Mohicans, but she also made noteworthy appearances in films like Daniel Deronda and Defiance. Her quiet and elegant screen presence is the perfect foil to balance out Emma's energy and feverish matchmaking schemes. Blake Ritson is ideally cast as the pretentious curate, Mr. Elton. No stranger to Masterpiece viewers, he played Edmund in the 2007 version of Mansfield Park (a production that left MUCH to be desired, LOL) and one of the prisoners in the supberb film God on Trial. Ritson has this remote, aloof presence that's well suited to play a curate with aspirations to marry very, very well. The scene between Elton and Emma when he proposes, and all her schemes for marrying him and Harriet, is really quite funny. Another familiar face plays Highbury's most mysterious bachelor, Frank Churchill - actor Rupert Evans. Evans played Frederick Hale in the absolutely fantastic North & South, and Zander in ShakespeaRe-Told's modern take on A Midsummer Night's Dream. He's got the looks and personality in spades to carry off the rakish Frank Churchill role, and it's abundantly easy to see how Emma so quickly falls under his spell. :)
Now I've saved my favorite part for last - Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley. :) I absolutely fell in love with Miller after seeing his take on the character of Edmund Bertram in the much-debated 1999 version of Mansfield Park. I for one love that movie, and the last five minutes or so - sheer romantic heaven. :) Anyway, I don't think one can argue that it beats the 2007 version of Mansfield by a mile. Miller's casting was the first thing to really interest me in this production of Emma, and thankfully so far he's not disappointed me. This production of Emma really plays up the sparring between Knightley and Emma, and in this episode, during their scenes together, the sparks really fly. As much as I love Jeremy Northam and Mark Strong's takes on the Knightley character, I've got to say Miller probably gives the most intense, energetic performance of the three. I think one gets a better sense of Knightley's battle over his feelings for Emma and frustrations with her superficial pasttimes. This Knightley clearly not only wants better for Emma because he's known her basically since birth, but because he believes in her potential - and he also struggles with his attraction to her. And I'm all for more romantic tension, don't you know. :)
This epsiode of ends when Emma is faced with the horrifying realization that Mr. Knightley may have romantic intentions towards Jane Fairfax - and that would be an incomprehensible reality. So far I'm thoroughly pleased with the pacing, scripting, and acting that fills this latest adaptation of Emma. Definitely looking forward to seeing how the rest of this version unfolds. So, what did everyone else think? Part two airs Sunday night! :)
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