A Bad Day for Sunshine: A Novel

Darynda Jones

Apr 2020 · Sunshine Vicram Series Book 1 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones is back with the first novel in the brand-new snarky, sassy, wickedly fun Sunshine Vicram series—A Bad Day for Sunshine!

"Laugh-out-loud funny, intensely suspenseful, page-turning fun."—New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan

"A Bad Day For Sunshine is a great day for the rest of us."—New York Times bestselling author Lee Child

Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.

Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, strong cups of coffee—and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff—thanks to her adorably meddlesome parents who nominated her—and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter’s new school, plus and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.

But even clouds have their silver linings. This one's got Levi, Sunshine's sexy, almost-old-flame, and a fiery-hot US Marshal. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol's normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty—and find the kidnapper who's terrorizing her beloved hometown—without falling head over high heels in love...or worse?

Ratings and reviews

I like snark and sarcasm, I really do - or I thought I did until I had so much of it thrown at me that it started to get on my nerves. So, I suppose I should say that I appreciate some well-timed snark and sarcasm. What I found here is not that. When I first started reading, I was struck by the similarities between Sun and Auri and another mother-daughter duo from a beloved early 2000s television series. The difference is Lorelai and Rory were actually witty. The outcome here is that all that snark just translated into a wordy story of about 400 pages where very little happens. People walk around and talk a lot, but if there was much in the way of actual investigation, I missed it. Of course, I'll admit that I started skimming around the halfway mark due to the lack of anything to keep me engaged, so I could've missed it. The biggest issue with so much sarcastic dialogue that's meant to be funny is that it makes it really hard to take anything seriously - like the fact that Sun is supposed to be working on a missing person case - a missing teenage girl no less, and there is certainly nothing funny about that. A missing person, secrets in Sun's past, and even a kidnapped rooster should be plenty to propel a good story forward, but then we have the whole mess surrounding Sun's election to sheriff. I'm not sure why all that was necessary, but it's completely over the top and unnecessary. But then, that was just one more thing in a sea of things that rubbed me the wrong way. From what I've been hearing about this book, I'm pretty sure that I'm in the minority here, but it is what it is. For me, the book was scattered, and the most interesting thing about it was the rooster. There are unanswered questions that I'm assuming will be built upon in future books since this is the start of a series, but I didn't find anything in this one to convince me to read further books in this series.

This book was so freaking good! I never thought this author could outdo her Charlie Davidson series, but if it continues as this book did, she totally will! I loved every single thing about this story and I’m devastated that I have to wait so long for the next one. Sunshine Vicram just won an election she never entered. However, it gives her a chance to return to her small hometown where her parents live, along with the opportunity to dig further into a very personal case that hasn’t been solved for fifteen years. I absolutely loved Sun! She’s all kinds of fun and quirky and her sense of humor had me grinning as well as laughing out loud. While she’s tough, she’s not hardened and that’s exactly the type of heroine I can get behind. Her relationship with her daughter, Auri, is amazing. They are two peas in a pod - one pod being bigger than the other, obviously. They actually reminded me of my own relationship with my daughter, minus the bad-assery. ”Fine. Just remember, if you do have to cut a b--ch…” “I know, I know.” Auri slid the strap of her backpack over her shoulder. “Don’t leave any DNA evidence at the crime scene.” “Oh. Right. I was going to say don’t leave any witnesses alive, but that works, too.” There is a slew of other wonderful characters as well that help build this deliciously quirky town. I fell instantly in love with them all. I want to live in Del Sol! I want friends who know how to make the perfect cup of coffee and keep makeup secrets from me. I want to see a rooster on the loose, twins that defy science, a book club that may or may not be more than they seem, and a bootlegger gone straight. This has several mysteries and issues all running at the same time. They were beautifully laid out and intertwined into the story keeping the pace and action constantly moving. While the romance is a distant back seat, there is no lack of hot guys or even a potential hero. I’m sure I know what happened in the past (those things we haven’t learned yet) and how some of this is going to turn out. But even if someone flat out told me, I’d still want to read it because this book (which I know is a reflection of this series) is pure magic. Do I dare say that I enjoyed this one MORE than Charlie Davidson? Well, I did spend thirteen books with CD so I’ll wait until I’ve spent just as much time with Sunshine, a feat in itself as I abhor series. Yeah, I loved this one that much. Bring it on Ms. Jones. I’m up for years worth of Sunshine Vicram, Auri, and dare I hope, Levi.

This book was so freaking good! I never thought this author could outdo her Charlie Davidson series, but if it continues as this book did, she totally will! I loved every single thing about this story and I’m devastated that I have to wait so long for the next one. Sunshine Vicram just won an election she never entered. However, it gives her a chance to return to her small hometown where her parents live, along with the opportunity to dig further into a very personal case that hasn’t been solved for fifteen years. I absolutely loved Sun! She’s all kinds of fun and quirky and her sense of humor had me grinning as well as laughing out loud. While she’s tough, she’s not hardened and that’s exactly the type of heroine I can get behind. Her relationship with her daughter, Auri, is amazing. They are two peas in a pod - one pod being bigger than the other, obviously. They actually reminded me of my own relationship with my daughter, minus the bad-assery. ”Fine. Just remember, if you do have to cut a b--ch…” “I know, I know.” Auri slid the strap of her backpack over her shoulder. “Don’t leave any DNA evidence at the crime scene.” “Oh. Right. I was going to say don’t leave any witnesses alive, but that works, too.” There is a slew of other wonderful characters as well that help build this deliciously quirky town. I fell instantly in love with them all. I want to live in Del Sol! I want friends who know how to make the perfect cup of coffee and keep makeup secrets from me. I want to see a rooster on the loose, twins that defy science, a book club that may or may not be more than they seem, and a bootlegger gone straight. This has several mysteries and issues all running at the same time. They were beautifully laid out and intertwined into the story keeping the pace and action constantly moving. While the romance is a distant back seat, there is no lack of hot guys or even a potential hero. I’m sure I know what happened in the past (those things we haven’t learned yet) and how some of this is going to turn out. But even if someone flat out told me, I’d still want to read it because this book (which I know is a reflection of this series) is pure magic. Do I dare say that I enjoyed this one MORE than Charlie Davidson? Well, I did spend thirteen books with CD so I’ll wait until I’ve spent just as much time with Sunshine, a feat in itself as I abhor series. Yeah, I loved this one that much. Bring it on Ms. Jones. I’m up for years worth of Sunshine Vicram, Auri, and dare I hope, Levi.

About the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, certain they went away the better for it. She penned the international bestselling Charley Davidson series and is currently working on several beloved projects, most notably the Sunshine Vicram Mystery Series with St. Martin's Press and the Betwixt and Between Series of paranormal women's fiction. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.