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Kelly Oliver

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WOLF: A fast-paced, funny, mystery (Jessica James Mystery Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Kelly Oliver (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.8 1,646 ratings

Book 1 of 7: Jessica James Mystery Series

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If James Patterson and Janet Evanovich had a love child... meet Jessica James.

She knew she'd have to defend her thesis.
But she didn't think she'd be defending her life.

Is the professor's weird note the final nail in her coffin?
Is the hot art dealer putting the moves on her for real? Or is he the killer?

And why is the Russian janitor forging masterpieces in the broom closet?

Armed with only her quick wit and the secrets at the bottom of her book bag, Jessica had better find answers before her degree gets buried six feet under and her along with it.

You'll love this murder mystery with a twist because it's a perfect mix of suspense, humor, and romance that will keep you turning the pages.

Get it now.

WINNER of the 2017 Independent Publishers Award for BEST MYSTERY-THRILLER

"Edgy, thrilling, and captivating." —The Chicago Tribune
"Witty and engaging. Jessica is instantly likable." —Kirkus Reviews
"Very funny, yet profoundly dark." —Reader's Magazine

BOOKS IN THIS SERIES

WOLF

COYOTE

FOX

JACKAL

VIPER

COTTONMOUTH

COBRA

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you are looking for some grit, thrills and chills this summer, look no further, the Jessica James Series is the Must Read series of the summer."--The Baltimore Sun

"Very funny, yet profoundly dark." --Reader's Magazine

"Edgy, thrilling, and simply captivating." --The Chicago Tribune

"A work of brilliance." --The Virginia Gazette

"A witty and engaging whodunit, with a "cowgirl philosopher" who's part V.I. Warshawski and part John Wayne. Crackling with energy." --Kirkus Reviews

"A thrilling and suspenseful mystery, its every page jam-packed with action...masterfully builds suspense with its relatable protagonist and bold subject matter." --Forward Reviews
"A cast of characters who charm us from beginning to end.... a fun romp of a read through mystery and mayhem." --MysteryBook World Live

"Fast paced and full of fascinating characters... Jessica is a heroine readers will root for."--BookLife Prize for Fiction

"Nobody tops Kelly Oliver for delivering fast-paced narrative, quirky characters, and a plot as twisty as a bucking bronco--all of this leavened with Oliver's trademark wry humor."--Caroline Taylor, author of Loose Ends and The Typist
"A sparkling and wise debut novel." - Bestselling Author, Charles Salzberg

"A suspenseful, well-paced debut." -- Bestselling Author, Debra H. Goldstein

"Intriguing, authentic, and genuinely amusing suspense yarn."--Bestselling Author, Samuel Marquis

"A rollercoaster of a ride. Exquisitely not put downable!"--Tracy Whiting

Review

" A sparkling and wise debut novel."
~Charles Salzberg

" A suspenseful, well-paced debut."
~Debra H. Goldstein

"Intriguing, authentic, and genuinely amusing suspense yarn."
~Samuel Marquis

"A rollercoaster of a ride. Exquisitely not put downable!"
~Tracy Whiting

"A cast of characters whocharm us from beginning to end.... a fun romp ofa read through mystery and mayhem."
~MysteryBook World Live

"Fast paced and full of fascinating characters... Jessica is a heroine readers will root for."
~BookLife Prize for Fiction

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XB97RTP
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kaos Press (February 24, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 24, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3473 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 319 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #183,849 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #62 in Teen & Young Adult Law & Crime Fiction eBooks
- #599 in Noir Crime
- #606 in Crime Action Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
3.8 1,646 ratings

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Kelly Oliver

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Kelly Oliver is the author of three award-winning bestselling mystery series and dozens of nonfiction books.

Kelly grew up in the Northwest—Montana, Idaho, and Washington states. Her maternal grandfather was a forest ranger committed to saving the trees, and her paternal grandfather was a logger hell bent on cutting them down. The only thing they agreed on was Canadian rye whiskey. On both sides, her ancestors were some of the first settlers in Northern Idaho. She went from eating a steady diet of wild game shot by her dad (and playing drums with their hooves) to becoming a vegetarian while studying philosophy and pondering animal minds at Northwestern University where she got a PhD in philosophy. Competing with peers who’d come from private schools and posh families “back East” her working-class backwoods grit served her well. And much to her parent’s surprise, she managed to feed and clothe herself as a professional philosopher before giving up academia to become a mystery writer.

Her Jessica James Mysteries are contemporary suspense featuring a former Montana barrel racer become philosophy graduate student. Sound familiar? If James Patterson and Janet Evanovich had a love child, meet Jessica James. The Jessica James Mysteries have won the IPPY Award for BEST Mystery, The Silver Falchion Award for BEST Suspense, the Mischief and Mayhem Award for BEST Mystery, the E-Lit Award for BEST Suspense, and the New York Book Award for BEST Crime Novel.

Her cozy historical mystery series, The Fiona Figg Mysteries are set in WW1 and follow plucky file clerk turned spy Fiona Figg from London to Paris, Vienna, New York and Cairo. The first, Betrayal at Ravenswick, won a Reader's Choice Award for Historical Mystery. The second, High Treason at the Grand Hotel, was chosen by Mystery Tribune Magazine as one of the most anticipated mysteries of January 2021. Chaos at Carnegie Hall is the first in the spin-off series The Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mysteries, where Fiona gets a new side-kick. Other books in the series include Covert in Cairo and Mayhem in the Mountains.

Kelly is also the author of The Pet Detective Middle Grade Mysteries, including Cub Reporter, Treasure Hunter, and Geocacher. The Pet Detective Mysteries have won a Reader's Choice Award for Children's Mystery, been a finalist for a Silver Falchion Award for Children's Mystery, and won a New York Book Award for BEST Children's Book.

When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly is emerita Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Kelly's nonfiction work includes over 100 articles and over twenty books, including: Hunting Girls: Sexual Violence from The Hunger Games to Campus Rape (which won a CHOICE AWARD for Outstanding Title). She has been featured on ABC news, CSPAN books, and various radio programs. To learn more about Kelly and see cute cat pictures, visit her website KellyOliverBooks.com

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3.8 out of 5

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Seraphia

Talk About Trouble, Trouble, Trouble!

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2018

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Meet Jessica James. Hopeful grad-student, but life just keeps throwing her lemons and tons of...accidents. She's living in the Philosophy Department at Northwestern University in the Chicago, and let's just say...it's not a great place to be living. If she gets caught, she's in a world of trouble. Well, her night takes a bit of a bad turn. Her friends come by to have some fun, do a little of this and when a security guard comes to check things out...well...things get crazy. In the bathroom, lying in the bathtub is the very person that Jessica was just wishing was dead. Her advisor, Professor Wolfgang “Wolf” Schumtzig. Things just went south for Jessica fast and to add to things...she finds her thesis on his desk and apparently he was planning on sinking her dream of finishing grad school. Then there is Dmitry Durchenko. All he wants is to live a normal life as a janitor but there is just one small problem. These mobsters want some paintings that were stolen and he's the supposed link. They'll do whatever it takes to get them back, and the Professor just might be caught up in all of this. Get ready! Because Jessica and her friends are on the case and it won't be long before it all comes together and the truth is revealed.
Wolf: A Jessica James Mystery by Kelly Oliver is a fun, well-paced mystery novel. Jessica James honestly sounds like she might be cursed with all of the accidents that she has, but honestly, that's not the case. She probably just has a bad streak of bad luck that follows her around. I mean...a high heel slipping out from under her and getting doused with hot coffee AND tea?! She has some fun and interesting friends though. But they are all in on helping her figure out what all is going on and getting in a few laughs in the process.
I truly enjoyed this story and I have few to zero issues with the storyline. I have to admit that I was a bit puzzled about Jessica thinking that the police might consider her a suspect because of the note the Professor writes in her thesis. I honestly chalk it up to a knee-jerk reaction, because the Professor has dated his rejection for several months from the present day.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I enjoy a good mystery novel and this book with the murder of the Professor, the paintings that the mobsters are after, and the antics of the characters come together to give this book a fun feel while giving the reader a mystery to solve. The author does a good job of keeping me guessing as to who did it, too. For me, that is a huge plus because if I can figure it out too quickly I feel cheated. Haha! But this book, in my opinion, is a win.

7 people found this helpful

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Phil Bolos

Great for young adults

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2020

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WOLF: A Suspense Thriller (Jessica James Mystery Series Book 1) by Kelly Oliver is a young adult murder mystery based around events happening to a young woman on a college campus. Jessica James is a young college student from Montana who has a knack for stumbling into trouble, both physically and metaphorically. While working on her graduate thesis, she figures out that her professor really doesn't think very highly of her and wants to throw her out of the program. She tries to buckle down and work harder, but her friends convince her to blow off some steam and relax with them by getting high. They end up at the professor's office and, when they go in, discover his dead body. Quickly, what started as college drama turns into a murder mystery as Jessica needs to solve the murder before the situation gets any worse.
As a whole, I really did enjoy this read. As I stated, I think this is clearly meant for younger readers as the plot never went as deep as I thought it could have. There were also some questionable choices made by the characters that conveniently moved the story along but would make no sense in real life, but this is fiction so why not. The characters could have been more strongly developed, but since this is the beginning of the series the author has plenty of room to continue to flesh things out. The narrative moves at a steady pace which helps to keep the reader interested throughout. I think younger readers will enjoy this along with anyone who enjoys murder mysteries or the young adult genre.

One person found this helpful

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Ron K

Characters who cried wolf

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2019

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Wolf by Kelly Oliver attracted my attention because of its cover. Following the title, the cover informed me that this was a Jessica James mystery. Jessica James? Jesse James? The Amazon page claimed that this was a witty suspense thriller. The elements were there that led me to believe this would be a fun read. I purchased the novel for USD 0.99 although it is listed on Amazon at USD 4.99. The novel might be far more interesting to fans of Russian art, Russian culture, Russian expat culture, the Russian mob, and Russian slang than it was to me. I felt it dragged along with occasional contrived interjections of forced humor. Most of the humor was of the double innuendo sexual type which I felt was added later in the novel’s development during the editorial or revision process. If a reviewer with interests in all things Russian gave the novel four Amazon stars, I could understand that. But several things kept me from giving such a high rating.

This is a story of art theft and art forgery. Dimity’s father, back in Russia, collected paintings. He bought many at auction and there is a probability that they were stolen. Dimity’s father, the Oxford Don is a Russian gangster. He abused Dimity’s mother and caused Dimitry to become much closer to his mother than his father. Anton was a cold father and respected loyalty above all things. When Dimity’s older brother, Sergei, betrayed his father, Anton demanded Dimitry kill his brother. Dimitry’s mother encouraged him to run away from the abusive family relationship. She gave Dimitry a substantial gift of cash and two of her husband’s paintings so Dimitry could relocate himself in a new location with a new identity.

Dimitry moved to New York where he got a job as a lowly janitor. He lived well and had established a family. He even had a grown daughter, Lolita, who, unknowingly to Dad, had a flourishing business running poker games. Lolita knew that Dimitry lived well because of his paintings, all copies of the two paintings he had stolen. He sold the copies as originals and supplemented his janitor’s salary well.

Original paintings disappear. There is a murder of a not-very-well-respected professor. There is a cabal to distribute date rape drugs to innocent sorority sisters. Photographers would memorialize the subsequent sex fun. There are characters who discover their real mothers and fathers were not the ones they grew up with. And there are surprises as characters seem to evolve into better forms than their former selves as a result of all this casual violence. One character stands out by not standing out. Jessica, despite her prominence in the title, doesn’t seem to be a part of many significant actions. Other characters use her as a hub for exchanging information about what is going on in the other subplots of the novel.

This novel reminds me of a bag full of plot ideas. The bag is shaken well and spilled. As each plot idea is selected and recounted, the search is on for a transition device to the next plot idea. One idea involved an underground gambling operation run by Jessica (yay, she gets mentioned) and Lolita, daughter of Dimitry. I felt I had read this sequence before. I had even seen the movie. There is a gambler who shows up with a painting to put up as collateral. The types of gamblers in this novel are a mirror of the characters in the more famous novel. The vocabulary and slang of poker are like another novel I have read but they appear without any definition. Readers unfamiliar with poker will not know what is going on. “…Jessica was dealt big slick, an ace and a king, and came out shooting. But on the river, she still had only an ace and a king, and the Pope raised by $1000. Jessica was pot-committed, and so far the flop looked innocent enough, …” (Kindle location 3298). What?

The element that annoyed me most about the novel was the way characters many times did not speak with each other, they recited sayings and parables. The most annoying exchange occurred when Dimitry was going on an important trip to a destination he would not disclose to Lolita. She can see he is upset and asks. His reply is “A man must risk going too far,” he said, “to see how far he can go.” (Kindle location 2772). That answer might serve as an excuse for the domestic abuse slap that could follow. There are many, many instances of Russian wisdom employed as a substitute for dialogue. “Her mother was right when she said, “The city is full of big stack bullies either buying the blinds or giving air, who turn every decent hand into a bad beat.” (Kindle location 1153). “Daddy, as you always tell me, a wolf is not beaten for being grey, but for eating a sheep.” (Kindle location 1801). “And conveniently upon Wolf’s death, he sends off a book manuscript on the ear and the eye,” she said, opening one eye.” (Kindle location 1967). I was happy to find this last example because I could understand it. Although I believe it has been modified in the interest of humor. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… Unless it is flesh-eating bacteria.” (Kindle location 2909).

As a reader without a personal interest in all things Russian, I could only give this novel three Amazon stars. There are lots of stories here and there is a generous sprinkling of humor. But the stories are not well connected, and the humor is forced.

58 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Brenda Powell

Great read!

Reviewed in Canada on March 4, 2020

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It was a great read. Lots of interesting characters and a great mystery!

Sue Thomas

Philosopher's Revenge

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2019

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Being a philosopher herself Kelly Oliver shares her views and values on existence, able to get into the minds of her characters. Her descriptions of Art and surroundings gives the readers imagination a jolt of colour that keeps the pages turning through Jessica's adventures, spiced with humour on a serious subject.

Jayjay

WOLF

Reviewed in Australia on March 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a great mystery with many twists and turns. At first I thought I was in the wrong demographic in that it was for a younger age group but it soon reeled me in even though I'm 75. I enjoyed it.

Jo-Ann C.

Fun to read

Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

This was a great who dunnit novel. Jessica is an awkward, clumsy and sweet character that happens to fall into the crazy plot, and manages to solve the crime. A few good twists, and some interesting characters makes this a fun mystery to read.

Anne O'Brien

Terrible

Reviewed in Australia on January 20, 2020

Verified Purchase

One of the worst books I’ve ever read. Too much Russian and philosophy, which most people (myself included) don’t understand. Main character is not relatable or likeable. Who on earth writes the heroine as a bubbling idiot?

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