Getting Sassy

Robyn Guthrie

by D.C. Brod

With her nearly broke and practically homeless mother about to land on her doorstep, Robyn Guthrie learns that desperation can play havoc with a daughter's scruples. Otherwise, why would she even consider kidnapping a goat and holding it for ransom?

Criminal acts don’t come naturally to Robyn, but she has an ally in her accountant Mick Hughes, a former jockey with a bum leg and dubious past. Figuring that it’s best to take from those who’ve taken from others, they target Bull Severn, the man who conned Robyn’s mother, Lizzie.

Bull’s Blood is a beautiful thoroughbred favored to win the prestigious Plymouth Million. But he won’t be able to race without the companionship of a very special goat, Sassy—and so Robyn and Mick hatch a scheme to kidnap the goat and bring home a hefty ransom.

Turns out kidnapping a goat isn’t easy, and matters soon escalate into something much bigger than Robyn anticipated. She’s got to figure a way out of trouble before she ends up sharing her small apartment with her aging, forgetful mother, her neurotic dog Bix, and a little black goat named Sassy.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

264 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

DC Brod, author of Getting Lucky, has written fiction most of her life, but didn't think she had a novel in her until she graduated from Nothern Illinois University with an MA in journalism. It was then that she decided if she could spend 120 pages discussing postal oppression of the radical press, she could write a novel. She was right.

"Caper fans will relish Brod's offbeat stand-alone thriller. Illinois freelance writer Robyn Guthrie can no longer afford to keep her elderly mother, Lizzie, in an assisted living facility. Desperate to come up with the cash somehow, Robyn considers a variety of illegal acts. In the end, she seeks to kill two birds with one stone by trying to retrieve a large amount of Lizzie's savings that were lost in a real estate scam from the con man responsible, Bull Severn. Fortunately, Robyn's shady accountant, ex-jockey Mick Hughes, has access to Bull and, more importantly, to Bull's prize possession, a racehorse called Bull's Blood. Mick, who has financial troubles of his own, takes seriously Robyn's half-baked notion of holding Sassy, a goat to whom Bull's Blood is emotionally attached, for ransom. Brod (Heartstone) expertly blends suspenseful action with characters readers will care for, in particular her sympathetic and plausible lead."
-- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

". . . In the end, though, what stands out most is the surprisingly affecting portrait of a woman caught in the midst of a parent's sad but sure mental decline."
-- Booklist

"Brod expertly blends suspenseful action with characters readers will care for, in particular the sympathetic and plausible lead."
-- Publishers Weekly on Getting Sassy

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a chance on a free Kindle book, figuring I wouldn't lose anything if it was no good. Plus I'm always looking for new authors, I'd never read anything by this author before, and I frequently disagree with best-seller lists about what constitutes a good book. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the story was, with interesting characters and a unique plot. The characters, especially the main character, Robyn, were well-developed and not the cookie-cutter stock characters so rampant in fiction today. There are some cliches, and some plot twists that require a willing suspension of disbelief, but otherwise Getting Sassy is an entertaining, fresh, compelling story. It's not highbrow literature, but it provides good reading and some thought-provoking points about what defines character and who we really are, if you're of an introspective bent. I'd read this author again--and even pay for it.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish I could give it 3.5 stars, it just wasn't quite up there with 4 stars. I enjoyed the writing, the insights, and a clever plot, but some of the details didn't ring true (I have spent time with a goat)and that was enough to distract me. Eliminate a few character cliches and improbable actions, too, and I could have gone with a higher rating. An enjoyable, quick read - and it was free on Kindle!

[Emily Hiltner · Rating 3 out of 5]

While still a good book, it hit much closer to home this time around, with aging parents and thoughts about their future a main theme. I thought it was also much less frivolous the second time around. that being said, I really like the way the author writes and how the character's inner thoughts often come out.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever and a bit whimsical. It was filled with great characters and a tad of nonsense, and you can’t help loving Sassy! I lived for 20 years in the Chicago suburbs so I enjoyed the locale, also worked in St. Charles where the author makes her home.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth it

I have to say I almost gave up after the first couple of chapters but then it really picked up and had me hooked!

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be more humorous given the description. Instead, it's kind of a sweet story about a daughter trying to figure out how to pay for her mother's upkeep. It was a bit of a slow starter (the goat doesn't show up until almost the halfway point), but I'm glad I didn't dnf it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apologies in advance if the following sounds a bit disjointed, but I’m trying not re-hash the plot, nor give away spoilers.
Robyn, a freelance writer in her mid-40’s, has moved to the Chicago suburb where her 84 year old mother with onset dementia lives in a nursing home. A fair amount of the money set aside for her care has been lost in a crooked investment. Our heroine, and her accountant Mick (a former jockey), decide upon a plan to steal Sassy, the goat companion to a rich guy’s prize racehorse, splitting the proceeds. Meanwhile, Robyn has been assigned to do a profile of Erica, a new psychic in town. The plan was for her to sit in on a client’s séance, ask a few background questions, and crank out a piece. Instead, Robyn and Erica’s lives entwine towards the conclusion, where the heist doesn’t end up going according to plan.
I confess I had trouble accepting that mother and daughter weren’t at least a decade younger, though in the end that wasn’t a particular problem. Robyn is well drawn, being funny without a lot of over-the-top wisecracks. Her mother would be a disappointment for those expecting Sophia from the Golden Girls, or Grandma Mazur of the Stephanie Plum series; however, she holds her own, without being a mere prop. One item I thought particularly well done: a police detective who’d gone to see her mother gropes with the words to say why the woman’s statement isn’t all that useful, to which Robyn responds, “She has dementia, it’s okay to say that.” Mick quickly becomes the co-protagonist, and while he’s quite likeable, the edgy, awkward nature of their relationship struck me as a slight negative in the overall narrative. As a slight spoiler, I’ll say that it was frustrating that he goes in on the plan as he admits he needs the cash in a hurry, but we never discover exactly why. The author manages a good balance with the mystery of Erica’s character – is she (exactly) who she portrays herself as? Moreover, her storyline fits into the plot without seeming contrived.
On balance, I think this book might be better listened to than read, as Robyn’s lines are dependent upon delivery, not just content. Moreover, the narrator strikes the target tone in Erica’s scenes, creating a mysterious effect, though always dignified rather than drifty. My one quibble would be that Karen Savage reads very fast, although I was able to get past that after a while.
Verdict: I’m giving it four stars, as I was left looking forward to the sequel (“Getting Lucky”).

[Jenn Ravey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robyn Guthrie moved to Fowler, Illinois as a compromise. Her mother's dementia is getting worse, and the two tried living together and nearly killed one another, so Lizzie is in Dryden Homes, a really nice full-care center. The only problem is, at $5,000 a month, Dryden is expensive, and Robyn is just about out of money. Before she secured power of attorney for her mother, Lizzie invested with a con man who swindled her out of $50,000. Robyn hates the idea of moving Lizzie to a state facility, but is there an alternative?

Robyn is standing in line at the liquor store when she first thinks of stealing money as a viable option. That is, until she reaches the cash register and Marv, whom she sees once a week to buy her mother a bottle of Chablis. Ok, so maybe robbing the liquor store is out of the question.

When Robyn talks to her accountant, a former jockey who, rumor has it, has questionable associations, she doesn't get money, but she does get a date, and it just so happens Mick knows the man who conned Lizzie - Bull Severn. And Bull Severn has a racehorse who is only calm when he shares a stable with Sassy, a goat. And the wheels begin to turn...

I read DC Brod's second in this series, Getting Lucky, a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting Sassy is just as good and really fun. Robyn is in an impossible situation, trying to do what's best for her mom while low on means with which to do so. Lizzie is a firecracker, so the moments when her dementia creeps in are poignant. For such a strong woman, these moments bring Lizzie to her knees. Though they don't have the smoothest relationship, these two women love one another, and everything Robyn does is for her mom.

Then there's Mick and Robyn. Robyn can't understand what Mick sees in her, but there's chemistry between them, and I liked seeing their relationship develop. Neither has had great luck with relationships; their marriages each lasted something like 24 and 36 months, but they have fun together and fall easily into one another's company.

And Sassy. For a goat, Sassy is a pretty great character. Though the book is hardly slapstick, Sassy provided some comic relief and a whole lot of tension. Robyn isn't a criminal, after all; she's a writer, but you do what you have to do. Right?

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were so many things that I liked about this book that it's hard to know where to start. Let's begin with Robyn Guthrie, our hero, the comically pragmatic freelance writer that finds herself in a terrible situation; caring for her aging mother who has outlived her funds. Robyn is faced with a tough choice. She must either move her mother to a Medicaid assisted facility that horrifies her or find some way to come up with $5,000 a month for the rest of her mother's life. The story quickly becomes a question of what genuinely moral, law-abiding people are willing to do to protect those that they love. In Robyn's case, this will lead to strange alliances and a revenge that is legally incorrect, but morally right. And this is really what Robyn is all about. She's an everywoman, the forty-something professional that knows exactly who and what she stands for, even when she doesn't know how far that will take her. She's human; she knows she drinks more than she should, has a great relationship with her dog, but a complicated one with her mother, and isn't afraid to admit that dating may not be a complication that she needs right now. Her contentment with her own self makes us love her; Robyn has grit and confidence. All of her motives come from love and, occasionally, a delayed sense of self-preservation, which is something that I think we can all understand.

The plot does get wild and twisty as Robyn's moral compass gets tested. But Robyn is so solid that even when the plot gets outlandish, you somehow believe that it's possible, that these things can, and do, happen. And while you're more than a little bit glad that they're not happening to you, it does make for some fun light reading. And, I think that anyone that's dealt with a feisty older relative that needs care will understand how that just might lead you into a place where kidnapping a goat seems like it just might be the right thing to do if it will just make life a little more pleasant for the one you love. Love, not necessarily always like. Because it's complicated.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were so many things that I liked about this book that it's hard to know where to start. Let's begin with Robyn Guthrie, our hero, the comically pragmatic freelance writer that finds herself in a terrible situation; caring for her aging mother who has outlived her funds. Robyn is faced with a tough choice. She must either move her mother to a Medicaid assisted facility that horrifies her or find some way to come up with $5,000 a month for the rest of her mother's life. The story quickly becomes a question of what genuinely moral, law-abiding people are willing to do to protect those that they love. In Robyn's case, this will lead to strange alliances and a revenge that is legally incorrect, but morally right. And this is really what Robyn is all about. She's an everywoman, the forty-something professional that knows exactly who and what she stands for, even when she doesn't know how far that will take her. She's human; she knows she drinks more than she should, has a great relationship with her dog, but a complicated one with her mother, and isn't afraid to admit that dating may not be a complication that she needs right now. Her contentment with her own self makes us love her; Robyn has grit and confidence. All of her motives come from love and, occasionally, a delayed sense of self-preservation, which is something that I think we can all understand.

The plot does get wild and twisty as Robyn's moral compass gets tested. But Robyn is so solid that even when the plot gets outlandish, you somehow believe that it's possible, that these things can, and do, happen. And while you're more than a little bit glad that they're not happening to you, it does make for some fun light reading. And, I think that anyone that's dealt with a feisty older relative that needs care will understand how that just might lead you into a place where kidnapping a goat seems like it just might be the right thing to do if it will just make life a little more pleasant for the one you love. Love, not necessarily always like. Because it's complicated.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

So disappointed in this book, it started off with a bang and I loved it. Robyn tells the story in first person and has witty and funny thoughts. I thought it was going to be a winner.

She loves her mother so much but could not afford keeping her in the beautiful nursing home where she was.

At the beginning she used her mother's savings to pay for her mother's care but that was gone at the beginning of the book. She had to figure out some way of supporting her mother's care. Robyn was a freelance writer and ghost wrote one book. But her income did not come close to paying for the wonderful nursing home.

Since her mother's savings was gone, Medicaid would pay for her care but not at the nursing home that Robyn wanted. Robyn did check for another home and found one but it really didn't give its patients the proper attention or care.

So Robyn tried to hatch a plan for stealing the money. I still loved the character but I wanted to shout at her that this is not the way. It is immoral, and she would probably land in jail and her mother would end up at the not so good nursing home.

So, here I love the main character and her mother so much but not wanting the character to go any farther with her plans. Don't think I have ever read a book that put me in that predicament before. The writing is great and I would love to read more and would give her more stars if she had better behaving main characters. The mystery was a little convoluted but satisfactory. I did love Sassy, the goat and Bix her terrier without qualification.

So, this is a very strange sort of cozy, there is some mystery and I kept wanting to read it but I was so doggone frustrated with the main character.

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A review book for SFFaudio from iambik audio as part of their classic crime collection. Iambik is a new audiobook company from some of the people behind LibriVox.org. Iambik takes proven LibriVox narrators and proof-listeners and matches them with modern copyrighted novels. The audiobooks produced are then released as downloadable DRM-free audiobooks at a price point lower than you would probably imagine.

Book description: With her nearly broke and practically homeless mother about to land on her doorstep, Robyn Guthrie learns that desperation can play havoc with a daughter’s scruples. Otherwise, why would she even consider kidnapping a goat and holding it for ransom?

So far: I am about an hour into the book, which is 10 hours long. I have always liked Karen Savage's reading and the story is grabbing me so far, perhaps because it is so timely. Running out of money to keep your mother who has Alzheimer's in proper care is a nightmare that most of us don't want to consider. We feel sympathy for the heroine, especially when she considers and eschews various schemes for getting cash because they are unethical.

Review to come on SFFaudio.

[Joan Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up Getting Lucky and read it in two days, I had to find Getting Sassy. I thought I'd be disappointed. Getting Sassy starts off a bit slower than Getting Lucky, but it did not disappoint. (I read them backwards. You should read Getting Sassy first).

The main character, Robyn Gutherie, is delightful. She thinks and does things that are funny. I found myself laughing out loud as I read and wanting to read passages to friends. Robyn may do things I wouldn't consider, but don't all characters in fiction? I loved that she asked herself questions I might ask if I found myself in her situation.

She cares about her mother and is willing to rob banks or commit other crimes to keep her mother in a comfortable assisted living facility. She's a person with compassion as well as curiosity. What a great series character!

The plot is fast and holds your attention. She does not get bogged down in detail as so many writers do. Instead she gives you just enough.

I don't want to give anything away, but Getting Sassy is worth your time. It's well written and fits the criteria for a cozy mystery.

The good news is when you finish this jewel, you've got Getting Lucky to look forward to.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robyn is a lady in her40's struggling to pay for her mothers assisted living expenses. She says only her mom & her dog depend on her, but she's only disappointed one of them. One day she starts contemplating robbing someone to keep her mother where she is at. Instead of dismissing it out of hand she starts thinking how to get back at one of the people who robbed her mom of her savings. Kidnap a goat of course! What could go wrong........

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short, fun, light read, I really enjoyed this book. It had just enough action/adventure/suspense to keep it interesting while still being a light read. The characters are very well developed- the reader feels like she knows thing about the main character, Robyn. It's somewhat of a goofy story but good!

[Bobbi Bullard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It's fun and flirty, the storyline keeps you engaged. I'll look for more books by this author.

(By the way, it's definitely not fine literature.)

So now I've looked for more books by this author. Seems my library doesn't carry them. If I want to read more I'll have to buy them. That's a disapointment.

[Genta Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It's lighthearted and doesn't try to take itself too seriously. The plot was enjoyable, the characters were fully realized, the situation just implausible enough to ring true.

Payback and revenge cover the love story that lies at the heart of Getting Sassy. It's a fun read that kept me entertained.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quirky book. Brody's heroine has a problem that will unfortunately become common as the Boomers age--having your retired parent outlive his or her retirement funds. However, Brod exploits this situation, making it humorous instead of tragic. Recommended.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much potential! I mean kidnapping a goat! With an ex jockey/accountant! But this book read like a romance novel. A crime novel is not supposed to read like a crime novel. That's rule number one. The book was really strange in a boring sort of way. And it just wouldn't end!!

[Laurie Kazmierczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the journey....towards the end of the book, I simply could not put it down....compelling story with realistic characters and situations....I could readily identify with Robyn, even though the beginning had me questioning her scruples♫

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It does have language, which if I had a paper copy of the book I would've crossed out, and it needed better proofreading, and editing, but it does have a good storyline. Suspenseful. A little emotional near the end.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good fun read about a would-be thief who needs to keep her mother in a specialized nursing home, get back what was stolen from her mother, and maybe, have a little romance. Mixed in, of course are a couple bad guys. Light-hearted, well-written, enjoyable.

[Terri A. Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun read. Nothing ultra spectacular, but I like stories and it was entertaining enough :)

[Joni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you ever wonder what you would do if you really, really needed some money for someone you loved? How far would you go? This is a cute read, well written, light mystery with some good laughs.

[K.d. Lassiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Especially the relationship between mom and daughter. Easy, fast moving enjoyable. Lots of cleverness in the writing, not just plot.

[B.T. Jaybush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pace not always even, but character is irresistible and overall plot keeps you going. Definitely going to move on to Brod's next "Getting" book.

[Jenine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the psychology, liked our protagonist and her crotchety mother. Liked that we didn't meet the goat for a while.

[Christine Koch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story

[Bernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting Sassy review

Getting Sassy is a somewhat unusual book written by author D.C. Broad. It's a funny mystery. It started a little slow for me.