Although I was not familiar with this series, it was easy to distinguish each character. The serial stalker/killer was a great hook into the story as you can't help but wonder if the TV personality is really just blowing a love-struck fan's attentions out of the water or if she really is in danger. Tensions build as the messages and gifts begin to take on a more threatening note. Who can Megan trust; her co-workers?; her intern assistant? the police? As the pieces of information about the stalker begin to take shape, Ray, Nicole, Pancake and Jake realize they are dealing with much more than they anticipated and they will do anything to keep their friend Megan alive.

Jake, a former MLB pitcher turned restauranteur (and son of a PI) and Nicole are in California for the filming of Nicole's screenplay (yay!). The trip should be all about Nicole but when her friend Megan confesses to having a stalker and asks for help, well, they have to step in. Jake's cohorts Pancake (a very large man) and Ray (of mystery) join them and then the game is afoot. While the issue- stalking- is serious, Lyle brings in humor, especially in the dialogue between the characters. I've enjoyed this series, which I've described as being sort of a cozy (but not), in the past and this is no exception. Know that it will also be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast entertaining read.

I like this writing style; light and funny, but it gets a little over the top with all the food. What I don't like, is when the action is dependent on incredible stupidity. But this is an easy book to read, and very entertaining.

This book is hilarious, but I should have realized I'd read the first book in the series years ago as Jake seemed so familiar to me! This time he's helping his friend Megan keep her celebrity status without being stalked by a stranger with notes that become increasingly violent. He leaves no trace of his existence so he'll be hard to catch. Megan's intern worries for her but there seems to be nothing they can do. When things get dicey, we realize Jake's got his hands full but fortunately he's smart and witty so we know he'll get the job done! It's just a fun read that will appeal to anyone who loves a good stalker story!

Never Bring A Rock To A Gun Fight... Unless You're A Former MLB Starting Pitcher Turned Private Eye. Full confession here: These books have seemed interesting enough over the years, and they've been at the right price points often enough ($2.99 or less, and likely free) that I'd actually picked up the entire series before this book... and never read any of them. So even while I already had the previous four books in this series in my library, this was the first book in it - or from this author at all - that I had actually read. And it totally works as a standalone, as long as you don't mind commentary that references the previous stories in ways that absolutely spoils many of them.

So far as this book itself is concerned, it was a fun tale full of quite a bit of banter between Jake Longley and his friends and colleagues, with a bit of "oh, crap, our friend is in trouble in a way that we might be able to help with" thrown in. So even while many of the characters are PIs, this isn't a case they are getting paid for. And it is a stalker case, with only the last few chapters having any real, direct action. Which is actually where the title of this review comes in. Early in the book - possibly when Jake is first introduced, that early - it is mentioned that Jake often travels with baseballs both in case he runs across fans *and* to use as a weapon if the need arises. Well, in our finale... he doesn't have his baseballs with him. So he gets creative, in ways that even by that point in this book - even if it is your first book in this series - you've come to expect. Very much recommended.

Jake Longly and Nicole are back in tense, fast-paced page turner as they seek to protect Nicole's friend, Megan, a local broadcaster, from a diabolical stalker. Spiked with sassy dialogue and entertaining, lovable characters - who wouldn't love Pancake? - it's a tense, clock ticking tale. Loved it from beginning to end.
Roxanne Dunn
Author, Murder Unrehearsed & Murder Undetected.

This book was provided to me compliments of #NetGalley for my honest opinion.
This is the fifth in an established series, my first read though. This was enjoyable enough I’d read the others.

The OC is the fifth book in the Jake Longly series. I usually don't like to read a series out of order, but this book piqued my interest so I picked it to read. The author fills in the backstory enough that the book can stand on its own. Jake's major league baseball career was cut short by injury and he now owns a restaurant on the Gulf shore of Alabama. In the OC, Jake and his girlfriend Nicole head to California for the filming of Nicole's screenplay. When they arrive in the OC they discover that Nicole's friend Megan, a local TV reporter, has an anonymous stalker. Megan doesn't seem too concerned, but her intern and now Jake and Nicole decide she needs to take it more seriously. They call their friend Pancake who works with Jake's dad as a private investigator to help track down the stalker.

Lyle has a nice, breezy writing style that is perfect for a vacation/beach read. The characters are fun with plenty of witty repartees. The light breezy feel does not take away from the seriousness of being stalked. The stakes are high and the crime is taken seriously. The answers are found through actual investigative work which is always nice. I did anticipate who the culprit was but it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book. My only quibble with the book is that I felt it was unnecessary to constantly mention how much Pancake eats. Otherwise, I enjoyed it and finished it in two days.

I think it would be a good read for fans of Janet Evanovich and Stuart Woods.