Dru’s Short Musing:
A newly minted private investigator’s first case though solved, spirals into a second case that brings danger to himself and his new client.

This well-written and non-stop action-packed drama introduced us to Charlie Shaw, his wife, his boss, his baby daughter and his new client, Friday Finley who he met on a stakeout. She’s looking for her father and Charlie agrees to help and get caught up in corruption and crooked cops. The author did a great job in weaving intrigue, humor, suspense, and heart in this multi-plot storyline that had me immersed in all that was happening quickly becoming a page-turner that I could not put down until all was said and done. The mystery was nicely executed with a few red herrings that kept me in the game. When I thought I had a handle on the situation at play, the author changed directions all to enhance my reading pleasure. Boasting an eclectic cast of characters and engaging dialogue, this was a terrific read, and I hope the exploits of Charlie and his friends will lead to a series.

Genre: Cozy Mystery w/an edge
Release: March 17, 2026
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

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.”

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.