"A" is for Actress (Malibu Mystery Book 1)

By: Sean Black, Rebecca Cantrell

Narrated by: Madeline Mrozek

Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best seller, Rebecca Cantrell and international thriller sensation, Sean Black, comes the first novel in a fast-paced, funny new series that's perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton.

After a decade spent in the glare of the Hollywood spotlight as the star of kids' TV show Half Pint Detective, Sofia Salgado has had enough. Desperate to build a life outside showbiz, she quits acting to do something that everyone around her - including her family - thinks is plain nuts. Get a real job.

They think she's even crazier when she announces that she's going to become a real detective, instead of playing one on TV. She's convinced the technical consultant from her TV show, Brendan Maloney, to take her on in his detective agency, but can accident-prone Sofia hack it?

©2015 Sean Black & Rebecca Cantrell (P)2016 Sean Black & Rebecca Cantrell

Easy to listen

If you are looking for something easy and fun this is a hoot. Give it a try

good story

I enjoyed the mystery and I like the main character and her boss, but honestly the rest of the cast waa annoying, from the "sexist little brother" partner to the BRAT twins and pushy stage mom. I will try one more in the series but if the kids are going to be a feature then I'm out. I read to relax and brats are not relaxing, destruction and violence in kids is not cute

LOVE IT!

It is an enjoyable mystery devoid of sex, yea!!!! The premise of the book is unique and interesting.Sophia is a very intelligent woman and portrayed as very competent. There is funny banter with her co-worker Aiden.
The comedy centers around a starlet who quits her successful acting job as a PI to training for a real PI job.

A crazy ride through Hollywood

In A Is for Actress by Rebecca Cantrell and Sean Black, Sofia Salgado has left a promising career in the television and film industry to become a private investigator. She joins up with Brendan and Aiden Maloney, a father and son team of former LAPD officers. They get hired to set a “honey trap,” in which Sofia tries to seduce a reality show producer in order to get evidence of potential infidelity for a divorce filing. Then, the next day, the man’s body washes ashore Malibu Beach, making the police suspect the wife. Melissa thus turns to the Maloneys for help, and Sofia gets involved in her first murder investigation.

Sofia discovers detection is a risky job. For one thing, she runs into a sexist reality star who gropes her, earning a knee to the groin as a reward. She also meets up with a suspicious masseur. Soon after, she has someone try to run her off the road. Besides all this, very few people take her seriously as an investigator after her acting career.

This book has an interesting plot, but it gives its solution rather abruptly, and I found a few issues that were annoying. This authors seem to be eager to prove their deep knowledge of Los Angeles streets, communities, and institutions with frequent mentions of areas within the area and freeways. As a native Angelino, I recognized the accuracy of these descriptions, but they were unnecessary, and this got to seem excessive. Further, references to Angelino culture seemed stereotyped. Another thing that got a little annoying was the numerous references to contemporary pop culture and current events. Not only did this get tiresome at times, but it will serve to make this book too dated to follow in just a few years.

The audiobook is performed by Madeline Mrozek, whose good job narrating helps to redeem the negative details of the book. The book is told in the third person from Sofia’s point of view, so Mrozek seems to be speaking for Sofia, which she does well.

Despite my criticisms, A Is for Actress was an enjoyable read. The final showdown was fun though highly unrealistic and silly. I don’t expect to read any more books in this series, but I am glad I read this one. I give this 3 stars.

Funny, Good, and Exciting

What other book might you compare "A" is for Actress (Malibu Mystery Book 1) to and why?

If you like the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Then you will like this book. It definitely has the same humor,with the who done it theme, and same adventurous fun as Stephanie Plum.

4 stars

Narrator sounds like an online tutorial
At times it gets a bit exhausting to listen

A Is for Asshat: Malibu Mystery, Book 1

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."


A funny, quirky novel featuring a former child star turned P.I. Sophia has more adventures in one investigation than seems possible.

The narration was excellent, the humor shines through.

Great 1st in series!

**This review is for the audiobook on Audible.**

"A" is for Actress (Malibu Mystery, Book 1) by Sean Black & Rebecca Cantrell, narrated by Madeline Mrozek is a great intro to the Malibu Mystery series. (I'll let you read the plot description on your own, rather than go over again what has already been said. Many of the reviews here focus more on the storyline, so I'm going to do things a little different and focus more on the narration for my review...just an fyi.) I actually did things backwards and started with books D & E. Oops! I enjoyed them so much that I decided to go back to the beginning and start with book A. I'm glad I did; it's good to have laugh out loud moments, and in this series there are plenty....all statring on page one! The characters and situations are funny, which definitely make for an enjoyable listen!

Narrator Madeline Mrozek puts on an outstanding performance from start to finish. She is my favorite narrator, as I'm sure many of you feel the same. Here's why she's #1 in my book:
1. Her pace and volume are perfect - I never have to make changes or speed adjustments while listening. (I listen in the Audible app almost 100% of the time.)
2. Her portrayal of the characters and events are so much fun - she really brings them to life! I always seem to forget I'm listening to an audiobook! She makes me feel like I'm watching a movie.
3. The voices she uses are sooo good, and she never messes up! It's crazy! The best part is that she perfectly stays in character throughout the series, so when I start a new book, I feel like no time has been lost....like I'm back hanging out and talking with old friends.

Madeline Mrozek makes my overall listening experience that much better. When faced with the decision to read a book or listen to it on audio, if Mrozek is narrating, I will choose audio 100% of the time. She has a way of turning something good into something great. Think of it like this...ice cream is good, right? Sure, it is. But, when you put caramel on top, it becomes great. Yessss! Well, Ms. Mrozek is like the caramel, whipped cream, and cherry on top of my ice cream. :-) I'll choose a 🍨Mrozek 🍨 Sundae 🍨 any day of the week to plain old ice cream. :-) Like the sundae, her performance is always 5 stars!

Overall, I give the audiobook "A" is for Actress (Malibu Mystery, Book 1) by Sean Black & Rebecca Cantrell, narrated by Madeline Mrozek 4 out of 5 stars. It's funny, engaging, and entertaining. I recommend this book and series to those who enjoy mysteries and humorous reads that are fast-paced and action-paced. I plan to start the second in series ("B" is for Bad Girls) soon, and yes, it will be on audio!

Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. Happy listening! :-)

Good Start

Although it is 1st book in series, there will be interest in the continuing of the series.

grandma loves grandkids, quilting and audio books.

I've found a new series! It's fun and clean. I look forward to the next book!