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V. J. Chambers
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Skin and Blond (Blond Noir Book 1) Kindle Edition

by V. J. Chambers (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 1,999 ratings
Dark. Raw. Gritty. Blond.
from USA Today bestselling author V. J. Chambers

Ever since blond detective Ivy Stern got herself kicked off the police force for “sexual conduct unbecoming an officer,” she’s been slumming it as a private investigator. But she’s handling the fact her life is in shambles just fine, thank you very much. She manages to get up to open her office by the crack of noon every day, no matter how hungover she is or whose bed she woke up in.

When Miles Pike, head of homicide and her it's-complicated-ex-boyfriend, refers a distraught man to her, Ivy’s ready to get cracking. Her new client is frustrated that the police are treating what he thinks is clearly his sister’s murder as a run-of-the-mill missing persons case.

Well, Ivy’s good with murder. Real good. And this case has her intrigued. There’s no evidence that the victim has been killed, but she’s gone, leaving everything behind from her cell phone to her credit cards. Everything except her bed sheets.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Blond Noir Mysteries
  2. Print length
    312 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    November 8, 2014
  5. File size
    2.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00PEWC8RC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Punk Rawk Books (November 8, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 8, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 312 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 1,999 ratings

About the author

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V. J. Chambers

V. J. Chambers

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

USA Today bestselling author V. J. Chambers writes about obsession and danger. She pens thrillers, mysteries, and horror novels.

She writes fantasy and science fiction under the name Val St. Crowe and dark romance under Jove Chambers. (If you are looking for early work, including the Jason and Azazel books, look under Jove Chambers.)

She lives just outside Shepherdstown, WV, with her son.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
1,999 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and well-written. They enjoy the suspenseful storyline and believable characters. The writing is described as easy to read and well-paced. Many readers appreciate the edginess of the book, with adult situations but no graphic content. However, opinions differ on the humor - some find it relatable and fun, while others consider it too fast-paced and a bit repetitive.

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ReadabilitySuspenseful storyCharacter developmentWriting qualityPacingEdginessHumor
89 customers mention "Readability"77 positive12 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it interesting and a good first novel in the series. The characters are believable and well-developed.

"Enjoyed this book immensely, largely due to the fascinatingly flawed protagonist. Well written and with a twist you probably won't see coming...." Read more

"...author's kinky noir vision, but Skin and Blond was a fast-paced, gripping read." Read more

"A good book but too much emphasis on sex. Makes the lead character seem to be too sex crazed and easy which detracts from her credibility in life." Read more

"...It's a quick read with lots of oddball interests." Read more

83 customers mention "Suspenseful story"72 positive11 negative

Customers enjoy the suspenseful story. They find it an enjoyable mystery with a well-paced plot and many twists and turns. The author does a good job developing the characters and the story.

"...Well written and with a twist you probably won't see coming. Strongly recommend." Read more

"...The hard-boiled tale is equally dark and suspenseful and littered with strange bedfellows...." Read more

"...There are so many twists and turns in this story that you get sucked right in and just have to know how it ends." Read more

"...That makes the story interesting, but more as an excursion into noir than a criminal investigation. It's a quick read with lots of oddball interests." Read more

64 customers mention "Character development"47 positive17 negative

Customers find the characters interesting and well-developed. They describe the main character as smart, funny, and flawed. The characters and people in her life are vividly depicted.

"Enjoyed this book immensely, largely due to the fascinatingly flawed protagonist. Well written and with a twist you probably won't see coming...." Read more

"...She's a delightfully flawed, multi-faceted character, who pushes the definition of raunchiness to an extreme...." Read more

"...character seem to be too sex crazed and easy which detracts from her credibility in life." Read more

"...The characters are definitely unique, and for the most part completely unlikeable...." Read more

26 customers mention "Writing quality"22 positive4 negative

Customers find the writing quality good and easy to read. They appreciate the suspenseful story with interesting characters. The book is described as an adult thriller with well-written dialogue and editing.

"...Well written and with a twist you probably won't see coming. Strongly recommend." Read more

"...The writing is simple an direct, following a timeline through the action...." Read more

"...But I digress. V.J. Chambers is a wonderful author and I look forward to read even more of this author's work." Read more

"...how to draw you in and keep your interest with characters and dialogue that is superb...." Read more

19 customers mention "Pacing"19 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find the scenes engaging and fast-paced, with an exciting ending. The writing is straightforward and direct, following a timeline through the action. The story has a dark and intriguing plot with twists and turns.

"...stomach this author's kinky noir vision, but Skin and Blond was a fast-paced, gripping read." Read more

"...The writing is simple an direct, following a timeline through the action...." Read more

"...The ending was fast paced and some what of a surprise." Read more

"...No glamour or special skills, just street level noir. Give it a shot..." Read more

10 customers mention "Edginess"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's edginess and creepiness. They find it an exciting thriller with many bedroom scenes. The adult themes are well-received, but some aspects of the story are predictable.

"...I'm going with the latter. Raw, edgy, on the edge of your seat moments of suspense...." Read more

"...While it is easy to see where some things are going there are so many twists and turns in the book you seem to forget the things you thought you..." Read more

"This does have quite an adult theme. Just so you know. The detective part of The book was great...." Read more

"I really enjoyed reading this book. It was edgy and creepy. I liked that the main characters are flawed and relatable. I highly recommend this author." Read more

13 customers mention "Humor"8 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the humor in the book. Some find it relatable and fun, with interesting characters. Others describe it as raunchy, funky, and not uplifting.

"...night stand turned stalker and numerous other one night stands, some comic relief and all in all a decent detective story." Read more

"This is one where I just hate the main character, she is a Drunk, Nympho, and the constant..." Read more

"If you like a smart, funny and very flawed main character then this book is for you...." Read more

"Loved this book. It !you guessing until the end. Lots of humor and suspense. The main character Ivy was really flawed but still likeable...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Pamela R
    5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed this book immensely, largely due to the fascinatingly flawed protagonist. Well written and with a twist you probably won't see coming. Strongly recommend.
    Helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Blonde on Blond
    Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Skin and Blond is a fast-paced tale of a damaged PI whose obsessive-compulsive behavior not only got her fired from her dream job on the police force, it makes her a pariah in legal circles, continues to put her at risk, and it plays her right into the hands of a serial killer. Ivy Stern is hired by a client with his own equally dark secrets, to find his sister's killer. She uncovers a string of unsolved murders, can she prevent the next one, without jeopardizing her own life?

    The hard-boiled tale is equally dark and suspenseful and littered with strange bedfellows. Ivy may be a blonde bombshell home-wrecker with the instincts of an alleycat, who likes her sex rough, but she's far from stupid. She's a delightfully flawed, multi-faceted character, who pushes the definition of raunchiness to an extreme. She is more cunning, than smart, and if she were a man we wouldn't think twice about her sleeping around and hard drinking. Add to the plot, the improbable: opposites attract. She's a raging nymphomaniac and her ex cop boyfriend, is an asexual virgin. Huh. It's a stretch to explain her at-risk behavior.

    Technical nuts: doughnuts is a compound word, not "dough nuts. The author's use of "blond" vs. "blonde" seems to be a typo, not deliberate. The only time she uses the word "blonde" correctly is: "...his frustration was better than a dumb-blonde joke... So I have blond hair." But male characters misuse the word "blond" too. Ralph says: "...you're pretty and blond..." and "The cute blond detective." Why did the author name the series Blond, as it is a linked (rare) English masculine gender noun, and Ivy is definitely a blonde all the way down to her roots.

    Skin and Blond is Book 1 of 3 in the Blond Noir Mysteries Series. I don't know if I can stomach this author's kinky noir vision, but Skin and Blond was a fast-paced, gripping read.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Gail
    3.0 out of 5 stars Beware of sexual content
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A good book but too much emphasis on sex. Makes the lead character seem to be too sex crazed and easy which detracts from her credibility in life.
    Helpful
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  • Alan M. Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars A dark and intriguing tale
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A broken heroine struggling through life while trying to come to grips with her inner demons while doing her job as a private detective. There are so many twists and turns in this story that you get sucked right in and just have to know how it ends.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kayak Jay
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read
    Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The story is great and dares the reader to track the clues with the detective to identify the killer. The writing is simple an direct, following a timeline through the action. The characters are definitely unique, and for the most part completely unlikeable. The main character is an alcoholic nymphomaniac with social issues and a background of problem with the local Irish mob. Her ex boyfriend is borderline autistic and doesn't like to be touched. Her primary client is manic and carried on an incestuous relationship with his sister, who has gone missing. Her new administrative assistant is bubbly, and approaches normal. The style of writing focuses more on the relationship between the people than on the murder investigation. That makes the story interesting, but more as an excursion into noir than a criminal investigation. It's a quick read with lots of oddball interests.
    Helpful
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  • Kris
    2.0 out of 5 stars Terrible Main Character, Stupid, Sex Nympho Slut, Drunk..EX Cop .PI
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is one where I just hate the main character, she is a Drunk, Nympho, and the constant
    wallowing in angst over the lousy person she is but doing nothing to change her ways got so
    VERY OLD, over and over repeats about her lousy life, of which she caused to be lousy...
    I wanted a Strong Women PI handling her cases, but not here this one is a mess and Not a very
    good PI and I would say she got fired from being a Cop because she sucks at being a detective.
    She is shocked over and over because someone LIED to her... she does stupid crap that puts her life
    in serious danger, and she can't fight her way out of paper bag for goodness sakes, she's a whimp.
    She is drunk nearly every night, and a big time slut sleeping around with anyone...
    The story line kept going over and over the same things, her day at work, her night
    getting drunk and having sex with anyone she can find available. The same day over
    and over again... The actual Murder case was good, if you had a PI worth a crap it
    would have been a very good book... She does solve the case but only because
    she stumbled into the answer... not because she was good at what she does.

    SO if your looking for a Mystery where your going to like the main character, well this is not it...
    I can't even feel sorry for her.. I can only feel frustrated the entire time I am reading because this
    women is so darn stupid...
    One GOOD thing is, it does have an ending, Not a cliffhanger that is the only reason I gave it
    two stars instead of one.
    Not recommending this one folks... not reading anymore either, even if they are free..
    Too frustrating for me...
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Daphne Fandango
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow wow wow!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Loved this book, can’t believe it was free on kindle but am so glad it was! Usually free books are a bit meh but not this one. It was gripping - I could not wait to see what happens and was itching to get time to read just so I could get to the end of it and find out! Defo on the lookout for more by this author, but also as a result of this book finding out I also enjoy detective novels now, who knew 😁
    Report
  • Ronald N D
    4.0 out of 5 stars A different kind of book. Very interesting none the less.
    Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Our blond femme fatale, to put it bluntly, is addicted to sex. One night stands, with no strings attached. Somehow, between trysts, as a private investigator, she manages to take on a missing person's mystery, and in the process of trying to solve it, gets beat up, involved with a second missing persons case, drinks gallons of booze, gets blackout drunk occasionally, wakes up in "who knows" bed, having done "who knows what". And all the time trying to explain herself. Her cop former boyfriend is A-sexual, is still in love with her, and she with him. A strange arrangement, he is willing to share her around (somewhat) so she can find what he can't provide. All the sex scenes, thankfully, are reasonably tame and therefore don't make this into a pornographic read. Otherwise my star count and description would have been markedly different. So, at the end of the day, this is one crazy dumb book, but for some reason very enjoyable. You just keep reading on if only to find out what crazy dumb thing she's going to get into next. That she's not stupid becomes obvious as the story unwinds, as there is actually some pretty good deducing going on in the background. The book ends exceptionally well (I think) with our heroine somehow surviving. I will not provide a single word about the ending, but suffice to say " it's the icing on the cake". It's definitely an adult book that I'm sure you'll find pretty freekin' good.
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  • manny rothman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Skin and Blond
    Reviewed in Australia on September 16, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Was a great book with good action and a good story with good humour and a good ending.
    Looking forward to the next book
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  • Dean Owen
    4.0 out of 5 stars The noir blond
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 16, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I liked this very much, I expected the story to be the usual down in the dumps cop story, where the world is against you for that one mistake. The story was quite different, in that the blond wasn't dumb but did make mistakes, which like in life, we all do but she got the DONE in her own way, with a few sexual conquests along the way, albeit drunk sex.... overall a entertaining read that captured your attention enough to keep you reading to see what was going to happen....
    Report
  • Katielou
    3.0 out of 5 stars mystery
    Reviewed in Australia on August 5, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    An interesting read
    Report

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