Trapped by Revenge

Shelby Nichols, Book 5

By: Colleen Helme

Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

How does a mind reader get framed for murder?

Working for a mob boss might have something to do with it.

Join Shelby in this fast-paced mystery thriller, where proving her innocence and catching a killer will take more than her mind-reading skills.

She'll have to rely on friends from both sides of the law to clear her name.

Even then, she finds that her quick wits might not be enough to save her from becoming entangled in a sinister plot of revenge.

Can she find her enemy before she ends up in jail for a murder she didn’t commit?

Get this book and find out.

USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Colleen Helme offers a clever mix of mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and pause-resisting adventure in the highly acclaimed Shelby Nichols Adventure series.

©2013 Colleen Helme (P)2014 Colleen Helme

Best noveel so far in a great suspense series!

Trapped by Revenge, Volume 5 in the 10 novel Shelby Nichols Adventures humorous suspense modern detective series, has even more intense suspense than the earlier novels without sacrificing any of the humor/fun. Shelby is charged with first degree murder and her cop friend "Dimples" Harris is unable to help. Another major character, a newspaper reporter, is added the fabulous stable of characters. Shelby's lawyer husband plays a bigger role than in earlier series novels. Shelby's friend Ramos, a mob hit man and enforcer, continues to play a major role. Author Colleen Helme continues to demonstrate that great character development, intense suspense, and laugh-out-loud humor go together well. Wendy Tremont King narrates beautifully.

I love this series and wish more people had the great fortune to listen to it.

The most exciting and breathtaking adventure yet!

In Trapped by Revenge, the darkest and most thrilling Shelby Nichols adventure yet, our heroine is in deep trouble. As usual, through no fault of her own, Shelby is the first on the scene of a murder… and not just any murder, the murder of a private detective, and he’s got her name on his notepad!

With a series of twists and turns, an exciting subplot that runs throughout this adventure and Shelby winding up in jail for murder, this book will keep you listening for hours on end.
The narration by Wendy Tremont King is spot on as usual. Wendy IS the voice of Shelby Nichols, and characterizes our mind-reading soccer mom turned detective and consultant perfectly. Wendy’s forte, in addition to expertly capturing Shelby herself, is expertly and believably capturing the voices, inflections and intonations of the other characters in the story. She is particularly good at voicing the different male characters, such as husband Chris, Hit Man Ramos, and mobster turned maybe not so bad mobster after all Uncle Joey.
Colleen Helme is undisputedly at the top of her game once again with Trapped by Revenge. This thrilling ride through Shelby’s life features a crooked judge, a man on death row about to be executed, and a detective in the police dept. determined to nail Shelby for murder.

This complicated and complex piece will captivate you and leave you breathless for more as you make your way through the story. The action builds to a crescendo near the end of the book, when we finally find out if Shelby will end up on death row or go free, whether the falsely accused man will be executed, and if the crooked judge will be caught.

Throughout the book, there is a new developing relationship between detective “Dimples” Harris and Billie-Jo the investigative reporter who is on her own mission.

So there is a lot going on in this book, and you will love every minute of it, and be glued to your speakers or headphones for hours and hours of non-stop action, wry comedy, and the thrill ride of Shelby’s latest adventure.

This is the 5th installment in the Shelby Nichols adventure series and I would recommend this book to anyone that loves an adventure, loves a good detective read, and especially is a fan of Shelby Nichols or for that matter Colleen Helme. The more books Colleen writes the better she gets. The characters are deeply realistic and expertly depicted. The characters are so well portrayed that you will feel as if you actually know them. Shelby is a very good person, a very moral person, and she feels very badly when she has to tell lies to protect her mind-reading secret. She is deeply in love with her husband Chris, and must resist temptation with a sizzling hot hit man that has fallen for her. So you’ll encounter a lot of dilemmas and a lot of difficult and realistic choices that Shelby encounters as she goes through this exciting life of hers.

A long time ago I stumbled onto Carrots, the first book in the Shelby Nichols adventure series. While normally not the kind of book that I would listen to or read, Carrots drew me in. Colleen’s wonderful and talented descriptive writing captivated my attention and my imagination and has never let go.

Great serious full of humor and mystery

I continue to enjoy the development of characters and the laughter this series offers. The heroine is lovable, smart and try's very hard to do the right thing. Must try one of the books in this series!

A cute story wiith some good laughs

What did you love best about Trapped by Revenge?

I love how funny the lead Shelby can make a crazy problem seem so real.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I love how I really want to know how Shelby and Ramos interact

Which scene was your favorite?

When she finds the body and is freaked out (rightfully so!) Not acting like its no big deal.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I can hear YOU!

Any additional comments?

A light FUN read. and that is sometimes Exactly what you need.

Great series

This is a great little discovery. Enjoying them. Good narrator as well. Would recommend reading or listening to them

Great Serie

a other fun book that ties in beautifully withe the prior books. Narration is spot on , Wendy King just nails it. Gangsters, crooked judges, bigoted police detectives, are just a few of the twists and turns. FIVE STARS!

Loved it

Shelby had me laughing like a loon or anxious over her safety. The characters are so real! What a writer!

Couldn't Stop Listening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would. In fact, I already have recommended. Shelby is growing so much as a character. When reading a series of books, I love having a character change and become more confident in themselves and their abilities. And Helme makes it happen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love Ramos and Shelby and how well they work together. I have greatly enjoyed how their friendship and partnership has developed over the series.

Any additional comments?

This book was such a fun audiobook that I finished it in 2 days. I couldn't wait to get back to "Trapped by Revenge" every time I had to put it down. I can't wait to see what Colleen Helmes has in store for Shelby.

These mysteries are always great fun.

When I want something suspenseful, funny, and romantic, I download another Shelby Nichols book. Colleen Helme never lets me down. Of course, narrator Wendy King makes it all work.

Loved it!

4.5 stars.
My Initial Reaction...
Trapped by Revenge was the best Shelby Nichols book thus far! Shelby's landed herself in the worst mess yet and I really wasn't sure if she'd manage to get out of it.

The Narration...
I've teased that Wendy Tremont King isn't very good at Mexican accents (and she's not). But in Trapped by Revenge, I discovered that she does country very well! Plus, she continues to give solid performances for all the characters and I really love her for Shelby. I can't imagine anyone else narrating this series at this point!

The Characters...
I still really love Shelby. She's just so genuine! She may lie plenty when dealing with people - since she has to cover up her ability to read minds - but Shelby doesn't lie to herself. She knows when she's wrong or has done something she shouldn't and owns it! I just wish she felt guiltier about her interaction with Ramos... but I guess it's okay to flirt and lust a bit, as long as she continues to know she loves Chris and will remain faithful to him, right? It would break my heart if Shelby ever did cheat on Chris, though.

I've always liked Shelby and Chris's relationship - it's refreshing to read about a couple in love after years of marriage and two kids. And Chris has only grown in my esteem over the course of the series. He started off not knowing how to deal with the Shelby and her new abilities, but by Trapped by Revenge he fully appreciates her abilities and supports her strength. He's her rock and support, just like a husband should be. Sure he wants to keep her out of trouble, but he doesn't stifle here either.

Ramos and Shelby's relationship changed a bit in the last book and I was nervous about how they would progress. They are openly flirtatious - so much so that Uncle Joey suspects they're having an affair - and I wish it were toned down a bit. But ultimately, I think Ramos respects her and her marriage too much to REALLY try anything. I have to say I enjoy their flirtations, as long as they keep it at that.

Uncle Joey is great as usual. I know he's supposed to be this mob boss bad guy, but I never feared him and by this point I would really be sad to see him get in trouble. He cares deeply about Shelby and I think he's a good guy to have in her corner (as Trapped by Revenge really shows).

It was also nice to be back with Dimples (Detective Harris) in Trapped By Revenge. I missed him in the last book and in Trapped By Revenge he really proves what a good friend he is.

A new character was introduced too - Billy Jo. Billy is a reporter and has a thing for Dimples. She's a good investigator, really country (at least in the audio version) and I like her a lot! I hope we see more of her in future books - I think she adds an interesting dimension to the story.

The Story...
In Trapped By Revenge Shelby's landed in the worst mess of all. She goes to visit a private detective for Uncle Joey and when she gets there he's dead. Worse yet, he's written her name on a piece of paper. Shelby is able to grab the paper, but it doesn't do her much good, because quickly the evidence framing her as the killer escalates. Uncle Joey thinks a judge is involved and Billy Jo recognizes a similar MO between her case and another one she's working on. No matter how you look at it, things are not looking good for Shelby.

I loved seeing the way Shelby had so many people working to help her - if you had doubts about Uncle Joey's intentions toward Shelby before, they're gone now. But regardless of how many powerful people she has on her side, the evidence isn't looking good and Colleen Helme didn't pull any punches. Poor Shelby is going through it and you really don't know when or if she'll get off!

Concluding Sentiments...
I loved Trapped By Revenge and cannot wait for Deep in Death to come to audio!

Awesome as always.

I just love these books. They're brilliantly written and the narration by Wendy is so good that when I hear her voice it's Shelby I hear.
Shelby at Uncle Joeys request goes to meet a private investigator Sam Kilpatrick but things get bad for Shelby when she becomes accused of murder. Who could possibly want to frame Shelby? So her Lawyer husband Chris, Uncle Joey and Ramos all work hard to prove her innocence before she's charged with a crime she didn't commit.

A brilliant series!

Another exciting mystery for Shelby to solve! With the very talented Wendy Tremont King bringing the wonderful characters to life.