Very Noir-ish--if Noir retired to Gulf Shores--and loaded with witty one-liners. Great action and characters with personality and with pasts. Made me want a Gibson and a fedora.

Even though I hadn’t read the first 6 books in the series previously, it didn’t make me enjoy this book any less. You are totally able to jump right in and enjoy the ride! It was entertaining, made you curious, and have fun getting to know the characters. I found myself smiling while reading multiple times. Don’t hesitate to read!

Thank you to the author, Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the seventh book in this series, and the first I have read by this author. No problem reading it as a stand-alone, it flows easily and the characters - and their banter - are engaging and humorous. The mystery however wasn't much of one, I knew about a third of the way through whodunnit. I did enjoy the dialogue and insight into a - to me - foreign world, but don't know that I would pursue reading more of the series, as I prefer my mysteries with a bit more suspense to them.

I read this as a stand-alone, having not read any of the previous novels in the series. It didn’t seem to matter and was easy to follow. I was hoping for more twists to be honest, but the story was more about banter and characters than an involved plot. It was an easy read and enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

My first book from this series and I enjoyed it.

The story features Jake Longly, his girlfriend Nicole, father Ray and the oddly nicknamed friend Pancake. Ray is a P.I. and when he sends Jake and Nicole to collect some papers he does not expect them to come across a dead body instead. What follows is funny and fast paced with entertaining dialogue and fun characters.

I enjoyed it all enough to make a note to go back to the beginning of the series and read the first six books!

Jake and Nicole are just supposed to be picking up some paperwork from a local realtor’s office for one of Ray’s private investigation cases. The simple task turns into a major problem when they wind up finding the dead body of Ray’s client—and the man has clearly been murdered. Despite his obvious reluctance to get involved in his dad’s business, Jake winds up working with Ray, Nicole, and Pancake to help the police figure out who killed their client. The realtor hired Ray because suspected that his business partner was stealing from the company. They’re easily able to prove that Ray’s client was right was right. Determining who killed him is the hard part.

UNBALANCED is a fun addition to the series, but I felt that the killer was too predictable. That being said, the crew was throughout with their investigation. Their involvement in the actual police investigation drove the plot forward. It was also nice to see Pancake get some more backstory and character development in this book. He’s always been a solid character, but he finally got some of his own story. As always, Nicole is my favorite character. And the frequent annoying interruptions from Jake’s ex-wife are always a delight. The majority of the novel is told from Jake’s first person perspective, but there are sections that are from other character’s third person point of view.

Unbalanced by D. P. Lyle is a highly recommended murder mystery and the seventh novel in the Jake Longly series.

"Ex-pro baseball player Jake Longly and his girlfriend, Nicole, are asked by Jake’s father, Ray, a private investigator, to pick up some papers from a realtor for his business." It's an easy errand that should have taken a few minutes but when Jake and Nicole arrive at the office they find the realtor dead by a single gunshot to the head. This thrusts Jake and Nicole into the investigation, along with Pancake, Jake's friend and Ray's associate.

As expected, the writing is great, the pace quick, and the investigation is detailed and interesting. The banter between the characters can be funny, lighthearted, and quick witted, which is entertaining, but it can also turn serious when required. The suggestive banter between Jake and Nicole is present in every book, but isn't too distracting and over-the-top in Unbalanced. The final denouement is a bit predictable but the investigation is an intricate, fun, and fast-paced journey.

Jake and Nicole are fully realized characters (from the previous novels I've read) and this time Pancake receives further character development. The books in the series can be read as stand alone mysteries I've read several books in the series but this was my favorite to date. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This is an easy book to read, entertaining and with very good characters and great language. However, there's too many repetitions, and the changing between first and third person POV is strange.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for an advance copy of Unbalanced, the seventh novel to feature former baseball pitcher Jake Longly set in Alabama.

I thoroughly enjoyed Unbalanced which is a fun read with a murder investigation attached. I won’t say a mystery as the perpetrator is easy to spot and the motive becomes apparent as the novel unfolds. I would doubt that the whodunnit is the point, more the hook to hang the wisecracking on. It made me laugh and passed in a flash as it is an easy read.

The novel (and the series) revolves around Jake Longly and his slacker persona. He dreads getting involved in his father’s cases as danger and mayhem tend to put in an appearance but his girlfriend, Nicole, loves it. Cue much humourous commentary as he gets involved and takes the verbal lumps that ensue over his attitude and efficacy. It is all relatable and as such the humour resonates.

Unbalanced is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Honestly. Jake's father Ray has once again gotten him involved in a mess of a case without meaning to-Ray didn't know that Jake and Nicole would discover a dead body at the office where Jake was meant to drop off papers. Fans of the series know that this will be lively, funny romp that's more about the characters than it is about the mystery (although that's pretty good too). Among other things, Ray's associate (and Jake's old pal) Pancake finds a bit of potential romance with Brooke, the detective assigned to the case. The banter is zippy (know that sometimes a bit too zippy) and the plot moves briskly. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read fans will welcome and those new to the series will enjoy as well.

I found this book to be enjoyable for the most part. The spice is implied and the characters are well developed. I love a good who done it situation and this book delivered just that! I would definitely read more by this Author. Also for the record I very much enjoyed that one of the characters name was Pancake!

Cute book, fun to read. Kind of simple - didn't like the name "Pancake" for some reason. Made me think of YA books, maybe.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC e-book copy for my enjoyment.

In the 7th book of the series, All the loveable characters are back - Jake, Ray, Pancake, Carla, and Nicole.

The owner of a real estate agency is having Ray (Jake's Dad) and Pancake investigated an embezzlement case involving the co-owner of the agency. Ray sends Jake and Nicole to pick up some papers at the real estate office. When they arrived, the owner is found dead. All signs point to the co-owner who was best friends with the owner for years. As Nicole and Jake investigate the murder, Pancake finds himself falling for the police officer involved in the case.

The killer was pretty easy to figure out and that was rather disappointing. I prefer a little more suspense in my mysteries.

I have not read any other books in this series, however, once I picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down!Ex-pro baseball player Jake Longly and his girlfriend, Nicole, are asked by Jake' s father, Ray, a private investigator, to pick up some papers from a realtor for his business. Sounds like it would be a normal and easy errand, right?
WRONG!!!
When they get to the office, they see a dead body with a single gunshot wound to the head. Half of the novel is told from Jake’s POV, with a lot of light-hearted humor thrown in as well. The case was good & truly kept me guessing the entire time, to the point where I had no idea who did it! I loved the characters in this & the plot was well paced & kept me engaged the entire time.
Thank you to NetGalley & the author for this ARC!

Jake and Nicole stop by realtors office to pick up some papers for his father. But they find far more than papers, waiting for them when they find one of the owners dead in his office. But started out as a simple favor for his father brings Jake and Nicolle smack into the middle of a murder investigation.

Well, Jake is set for a relaxing life, he can’t help but find himself getting involved in solving this case. Gang figure out what happened to a man who was generally beloved by everyone, or is the killer seeking to foreclose on their investigation.

I actually really enjoyed the siding of this book. After all, who doesn’t enjoy, putting the top down and driving around town and beautiful weather? Well, Jake might want to see him like he’s laid-back, he really does have a knack for investigating with his girlfriend. And enjoy enjoyable series with a great mystery.

This book was quite good. I found it difficult to get into, I was not particularly invested in the story until about halfway through, when it started to get good.
I predicted the ending, right from the start.
I found no attachment to the characters to be honest.
This book is one of a series, and I may read the others, but would not be fussed if I didn’t.

It was certainly readable.

Unbalanced is funny, thrilling and fast paced. I personally thought it was a bit predictable, but I do see why people like Lyle's stories. I don't really know how to feel about it. I enjoyed reading it, but I also thought the plot was a bit flat and not really very original or creative. Even though I personally wouldn’t want to read it again, I also don't want to discourage people from reading it, so that's why I chose to rate this a balanced 2.5/5 stars. Have fun if you do decide to read it! :)

Thanks to NetGalley and D.P. Lyle for providing me with an ARC!

A very lighthearted and easy book to read! Will all honesty, i have never heard of this character before nightgalley, so i wasn’t aware this book is a part of a series, however it was really easy to follow the characters and understand the dynamic between them. I feel like reading this book is like taking a little break from everything that might just add to the heaviness of the day. It was genuinely very enjoyable and fun. Liked it! 4/5 stars

UNBALANCED by D. P. Lyle is book number 7 in the Jake Longly series of mysteries. Jake, his girlfriend, and his Dad work with the police to solve the murder of a real estate agent. Unfortunately, my preview copy was archived well before the publication date (early February vs early August) with no indication that was to be the case. This series is described as "Perfect for fans of Carl Hiaasen and Janet Evanovich" and the reviews I have read are fairly mixed so I am going to give this title (which sounds like it has potential to be a fun thriller) a neutral 3 star rating.

A fast paced cozy filled with red herrings that will have you laughing at times. Love the setting! The characters are very realistic. I must get the series and read the previous ones. A keeper!