Stakeouts and Strollers - by Rob Phillips (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Amateur private investigator and new dad Charlie Shaw gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to track down a young girl's missing father in Rob Phillips' 2024 Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Mystery Novel award-winning debut.

Charlie Shaw is low on sleep. And cash. Otherwise, life is going pretty well for the ex-crime reporter: he's happily married to his college sweetheart, he's a first-time dad to the most adorable baby girl in existence, and he's making ends meet as a rookie PI. But when Charlie meets Friday Finley, a frightened sixteen-year-old runaway on a stakeout-gone-wrong, his world gets a little more complicated.

Friday is looking for her estranged father Shawn, an unreliable alcoholic who left when she was young--and who also happens to be her only shot at avoiding the foster care system since her mother's death a few weeks earlier. At first, Charlie believes the man is simply hiding out somewhere, avoiding his responsibilities as usual, but the more he investigates, the more unsettling--and dangerous--Shawn's disappearance becomes. When his own family is threatened, Charlie realizes he's in over his head, but can he back out now that he's begun to care for Friday as his own?

A perfect page-turning blend of humor and high stakes, Stakeouts and Strollers is a heartwarming story of fatherhood, family, and what it really means to be a "Girl Dad."

Review Quotes

Library Journal's Debut of the Month!

"Stakeouts and Strollers is a fast-paced mystery with a tender side... With quirky characters and a fresh perspective, this book takes you on a great ride in a mango-colored Bronco." --Catherine Mack, USA Today bestselling author of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

"A fast-paced page-turner with equal amounts of dry wit and heart fueling PI Charlie Shaw and his determination to get to the truth, Stakeouts and Strollers reads like a twenty-first century Rockford Files, with a side of new-dad exhaustion increasing the humor and tension. Phillips's debut does not disappoint, and I'm already looking forward to more!" --Celeste Connally, USA Today bestselling author of All's Fair in Love and Treachery

"Rob Phillips is a talented new voice in mystery fiction. You're sure to have fun tagging along with brand new San Francisco private investigator Charlie Shaw, who's in over his head but bringing us along for an entertaining ride." --Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author of A Midnight Puzzle

"A sparkling debut... Humorous, heartwarming, highly entertaining. Send this one straight to the top of your to-be-read pile!" --Alan Orloff, Anthony, Agatha, Derringer, and Thriller award-winning author of Late Checkout

"Debut author Rob Phillips has broken the hardened private investigator mold with new-dad energy...Stakeouts and Strollers is a gritty page-turner that will charm its way into readers' hearts and leave them begging for more Charlie Shaw adventures." --Kristin Kisska, Agatha Award-nominated author of The Hint of Light

"Debut author Rob Phillips has triumphantly landed on the mystery scene with a brand new kind of private investigator in his clever, creative, satisfying new novel.... Suspenseful, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny. Stakeouts and Strollers is exactly the sort of mystery that the cozy genre needs right now, and I can't wait to see what Phillips comes up with next." --Katharine Schellman, author of Last Call at the Nightingale

"A wonderful debut, Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips blends page-turning action, witty dialogue, and endearing characters into the perfect traditional mystery cocktail... Highly recommended for all mystery fans!" --Victoria Gilbert, author of the Blue Ridge Library, Campus Sleuth, Booklover's B&B, and Hunter and Clewe mystery series

"With all the bowling pins Stakeouts and Strollers has up in the air, Rob Philips must have been a circus juggler in a previous life. The exhaustion of new parenthood, the worry over a new job, wry dialogue reminiscent of Robert B. Parker, a propulsive mystery--all in balance and constantly spinning. A spot-on debut." --Scott Lyerly, author of The Last Line

"A suspenseful read bursting with humor and heart... More than a fast-paced whodunit, Stakeouts and Strollers is a story about love, loss, and family." --Christina Estes, author of The Story that Wouldn't Die and Off the Air

"A pacy and entertaining read, often funny, definitely twisty, with characters and dialogue that sparkle... I can't wait to read the next one!" --Blake Mara, author of The Dog Park Detectives

"For fans of the Finlay Donovan series, Stakeouts and Strollers has some dangerous bad guys, some new parent humor and a whole lot of heart." --Eileen Doyle, President of Sisters in Crime, Connecticut

"Readers will hang on tight as Phillips's hilarious Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Mystery Novel takes them for a wild stroller ride. Perfect for fans of mysteries and mayhem." --Library Journal, starred review

"Phillips perfectly blends humor with page-turning suspense in his debut mystery... Readers will eagerly anticipate his next book." --Booklist

"Fast-paced fun." --Kirkus Reviews

"Satisfying...(with a dangling thread that lets us know there will be more). Recommended." --Sparkling Book Reviews

"[Phillips] is one to look out for if he keeps writing novels like this." --Red Carpet Crash

About the Author

ROB PHILLIPS grew up in the Dallas area, where he became an Emmy-winning sportswriter covering the Dallas Cowboys for print, radio and television. Rob and his wife are proud parents to a spunky senior King Charles spaniel and a lively young daughter, who's still waiting for her first stakeout. His debut novel, Stakeouts and Strollers, won the Minotaur Books/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Award.