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A BAD DAY FOR SORRY St. Martin's Minotaur Nominated for six best first novel awards!*  tella Hardesty dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench shortly before her fiftieth birthday. Now she's juggling her sewing machine shop and a series of clients seeking help with their own problem husbands while fighting a powerful attraction to the local Sheriff.
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*NOMINATIONS
PRAISE "The Story: She owns a sewing shop, but what fiftysomething badass Stella Hardesty really does is dispense justice to abusive husbands and boyfriends, having discovered that "whuppin' ass wasn't so hard." TV Pitch: Put Cagney or Lacey in rural Missouri. Lowdown: Crime fiction hasn't seen a character as scrappy, mean, and incredibly appealing as Stella in a long time. A-" —Entertainment Weekly "Littlefield's amusing, sassy debut introduces Stella Hardesty, a widow and survivor of domestic violence, who owns a sewing shop in a sleepy Missouri town. On the side, Stella solves problems and metes out justice on behalf of battered women, like Chrissy Shaw, whose abusive bully of an ex-husband, Roy Dean Shaw, Stella keeps tabs on. After Roy Dean absconds with Chrissy's baby, Stella learns he's involved with local mobsters in a stolen auto parts ring. Chrissy sheds her victimhood to team up with Stella and do battle. After girding up their weaponry, the unlikely crime-fighting duo trick their way into the home of Roy Dean's mob boss, who they suspect has Chrissy's son. Stella discovers that no amount of preparation and righteous anger can prevail over pure evil, at least not without loads of trouble. Spunky, unapologetically middle-aged and a tad cantankerous, Stella barges bravely and often unwisely into danger." —Publishers Weekly "In her debut novel, Sophie Littlefield shows considerable skills for delving into the depths of her characters and complex plotting as she disarms the reader. Littlefield keeps the plot churning with realistic action that doesn't let up. She also allows the moral ambiguity of vigilante justice to enhance this story. The author taps into the growing frustration that courts and laws often can't stop domestic violence. Therefore, one can root that an abuser is being taught a lesson, even if the way isn't legal. Littlefield makes Stella's campaign understandable while not glorifying her methods. A Bad Day for Sorry's characters are believable. Stella's maturation to avenger rings true as does her lifetime of regrets. Her crush on the local sheriff also feels authentic as do his mutual feelings; of course, both are too stubborn to let the other know their heart's desires. Littlefield's exciting debut should be the start of an even more exciting series." —Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun Sentinel "Renegade justice takes a turn when a domestic-violence case becomes a kidnapping. Stella Hardesty is no lady. She owns a small sewing shop in the depths of Missouri, but she's also got a side job delivering her own special brand of justice to dealers of domestic violence. It's her way of giving back after a life with Ollie, her own death-do-us-part abuser. Having disposed of him years ago, she's managed to keep this little domestic secret and her side job from the watchful eyes of Sheriff Goat Jones. Too bad, too, because she wouldn't mind spending a little more time in the gaze of those eyes. Stella's got a routine down pat: five days a week peddling sewing goods to old ladies, the other two for extracurriculars. When she spots poor Chrissy Shaw, who suffers regularly at the hands of her loser husband Roy Dean, Stella makes a quick visit to Roy Dean and thinks she's taken care of the situation. But then Chrissy's two-year-old son Tucker disappears, with Roy Dean the obvious suspect. Preliminary investigations suggest that the story is far more complex than Stella ever imagined. In addition, Chrissy's quite a bit tougher than Stella figured. Will the two be able to team up and figure out where Tucker's stashed while staying under Goat's radar? First-timer Littlefield creates characters with just the right quirks who charm..." —Kirkus Reviews "Stella Hardesty's sideline business—delivering justice to men who abuse women—has earned her a reputation far beyond her home in rural Prosper, Missouri. By day she's the sole operator of Hardesty Sewing Machine Sales & Repair, started with her wife-beater husband, Ollie, before he died (after his head connected with the wrench in Stella's hand.) When Roy Dean Shaw gets a very pointed warning from handgun-toting Stella to stay away from Chrissy, the wife he beats, Stella's job seems to be done—until someone takes off with Chrissy's 18-month-old son. Stella's concern for the missing child is great enough to involve Sheriff Goat Jones in the case but not before launching her own clandestine and well-armed search, along with a newly fierce Chrissy. Ass-whuppin' 50-year-old Stella is nothing if not inventive, from using high-quality sexual restraints on abusers to going toe to toe with some very bad Mafia types; she's ably backed up by Goat, a divorcee who sends Stella sexual vibes and winks at her vigilantism. Littlefield puts a new spin on middle-age sleuths in this rollicking, rip-roaring debut." —Booklist "Stella is obviously nuts, but the town's women love her. You will, too, in this wickedly funny book, especially during the passages where author Littlefield lovingly describes the mayhem Stella inflicts on pond-scum men. What's not to love? A one-woman vengeance committee, Stella oozes charm even as she brandishes guns, knives, pliers, and other instruments of torture. The dialogue is such dead-on Missouri that I'd almost swear Littlefield taped conversations between my rural Missouri kin. Violent, compassionate, and laugh-out-loud funny, this first novel is utterly unique, a can't-put-it-downer narrated in a brilliant, bristly voice. In an interview, Littlefield once disclosed that she'd written several unpublished novels, all rejected because their heroines were considered "too bland." Well, she's vanquished blandness here." —Mystery Scene Magazine "Expect the unexpected with Stella Hardesty, who's quite the intriguing character. She's 5-foot-6, overweight and out of shape. Since her 50th birthday has come and gone, menopause has kicked in as well, which doesn't help matters any. From Stella's opening remark, "Whuppin' ass wasn't so hard. What was hard was making sure it stay whupped," the reader can't help but be drawn into her world and wonder where it will all lead. Stella, who runs a sewing shop in Missouri, also helps battered women get rid of their abusive significant others. And lately it's been taking up a significant amount of her free time. When a young woman asks for help, Stella thinks her case will be pretty straightforward. But when the woman's husband disappears with her 2-year-old son, Stella is in a dogfight, trying not only to save the little boy's life but her own too." —(4 stars) Romantic Times "Try to picture a more pacific view of small-town Americana than this: a 50-year-old widow who runs a sewing-machine shop in Missouri. But Stella Hardesty will make you change your mind. Sure, she knows about sewing, but she also knows how to bring a cheating, abusive man to his knees—or to the hospital. Littlefield uses words, not drawings, but this is as graphic a crime novel as you'll find this side of the thriller subgenre. The story's compelling, the dialogue perfect—and Stella is one of the most memorable characters of this summer or any other." —Jay Strafford, the Richmond Times-Dispatch "Stella takes tough and ornery to new levels...an abundance of violence is leavened with humor and heart in this debut novel." —Hallie Ephron, Boston Globe "In some Valhalla where fictional characters brush shoulders—down some dirt road and up a hollow there—Sophie Littlefield's Stella Hardesty has bent elbows with James Crumley's guys. She's a nodding acquaintance with Daniel Woodrell's Dollys and Shades. We're talking hard-boiled country. In an age of "me too" books, Littlefield delivers a true original in Stella: an aging, tough-as-nails widower, part-time parole officer and earthy equalizer. Rich in atmosphere, fast on the draw and informed by a sly, knowing and crackling narrative voice that wraps a chummy arm around your shoulder, leans in close and tells you just how it is, A Bad Day For Sorry is the start of something fresh and special. This accomplished and assured debut heralds the arrival of a fearless new talent who promises to push crime and mystery fiction into exciting, uncharted territory." —Craig McDonald, Edgar®-nominated author of Head Games "A Bad Day For Sorry is an absolute knockout: dark, funny, smart, poignant and just plain outright damn exquisitely, stunningly, heartbreakingly, awesomely excellent. This is a debut you'll be tempted to buy extra copies of just so you can press them into the lucky hands of passing strangers and spread the joy. I challenge any crime writer alive today to read even the first page alone and not break down, weeping with envy. Littlefield ROCKS." —Cornelia Read, Edgar®-nominated author of The Crazy School "A Bad Day For Sorry is the perfect book for anyone who's ever been hurt and who wished they could pay it back as good as they got and then some. Stella Hardesty—widow, mother, sewing shop owner, and killer—is the answer to your prayers. Sophie Littlefield romps onto the crime fiction scene with a character so memorable - and so desperately needed - that I don't know how we managed without her before. A tour de force debut. Raise a glass of Johnny Walker Black to Stella Hardesty and her creator, Sophie Littlefield; the new tough broads in town." —Louise Ure, Shamus Award winning author of The Fault Tree and Liars Anonymous "Littlefield has a unique voice that will stay in your head long after you've finished this treasure of a book. Passionate, smart and very funny." —Tim Maleeny, award-winning author of Stealing The Dragon "In A Bad Day For Sorry, Sophie Littlefield offers up a winning heroine in Stella Hardesty, self-appointed defender of the abused and downtrodden women in her little corner of Missouri. Once a victim of abuse who remade her life in a single decisive moment, Stella combines all the best of a hardboiled shamus and your favorite aunt, as comfortable with a handgun as she is hand-stitching. Both her grit and her wit grow out of her honestly-earned grief. Littlefield has written a raw and honest book full of passion and pathos, with a dash of wry humor and a thread of potent redemption. A Bad Day For Sorry is a book I couldn't put down from a brash, exciting new voice in crime fiction." —Bill Cameron, author of Chasing Smoke "Sophie Littlefield has more stick than a cockleburr, as one of her characters might say (and does). Reading A Bad Day For Sorry, I felt like I'd just awakened from a fever dream in which Sophie Tucker was reading Deliverance aloud at gunpoint to a snarling pack of redneck drunks at an anger management class—or a cockfight—with the TV playing Survivor: Ozark Showdown in the background. Sophie—Littlefield, not Tucker—presents as sharply drawn and memorable a cast of characters as you will find outside Hannibal—Missouri, not Lecter. Her sense for backwater patois and the day-to-day life that animates it is spot on. This woman knows of what she writes—which is a little frightening, actually. Oh, and she's funny. Very. Pick up this book and enjoy the sweet f***ing irony, as one of her characters might say (and does)." —David Corbett, Edgar®-nominated author of Blood of Paradise "In her debut novel, author Sophie Littlefield strikes a deep chord with protagonist Stella Hardesty, a fifty-something, tough-talking, hard drinking, former abused wife, who dishes out her unique brand of justice with no regrets and no excuses. A Bad Day For Sorry is a wild ride that is funny and frightening, touching and tragic, all at the same time." —Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey mystery series and The Granny Apples mystery series "A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield begins with a four-paragraph prologue. If you don't continue reading after absorbing those few words, there is nothing that will compel you to read a good book! And the prologue is just the beginning of a fast-paced knockout journey into Stella Hardesty's world. It's at times so funny you'll laugh out loud. But there are other times when you'll suck in your breath at the turn toward darkness. Sophie Littlefield's heroine, Stella Hardesty, is a feisty, strong woman with a take-no-hostages attitude. She's ballsey, to put it bluntly, and that's a good thing. Stella Hardesty has known sadness, disappointment, humiliation, fear and a whole lot of hurt throughout the years. But the reason for all those problems is gone and it's just as well. The pain of her life took a lot out of her, but now she has a reason to help others. Stella owns a little sewing shop, but it's her sideline that is her passion. She's the guardian of battered women. Her methods are a bit different and she's not above giving out a little pain herself (just to get someone's attention of course). She's getting really good at her job and her reputation is growing. There aren't too many men who want to tangle with her. But when Chrissy Shaw asks for her help, the simple case of warning off an abusive husband turns ugly when her young son disappears. Stella begins to unravel clues into the child's disappearance that places her own safety in jeopardy. And if that's not bad enough, she's got a little itch for the sheriff and that's a no-no. If she gets too close to the law, there might be questions about the demise of her own husband. She doesn't want that to happen. Stella Hardesty is the anti-heroine that everyone will love and root for. She tackles, fearlessly, the evil that walks among us and gives abused women a new lease on life. I hope this is just the beginning of a new series because I want more of the fifty-year-old Stella. She's my kind of woman. Armchair Interviews says: A Bad Day for Sorry is a must read." —Andrea Sisco, Armchair Interviews "Stella Hardesty may best be described as a pistol, or pistol packin' mama. Her day job is owner of a sewing shop in Missouri. This country gal has another job, working as what may best be described as a behavioral modification consultant. Stella was a battered wife, who finally snapped. Luckily when she was brought to trial for the murder of her husband, she had many friends and neighbors come to court on her behalf. She was acquitted, and then began helping other women in her former situation. Using methods that would likely get her some jail time, she is able to convince most men that it is in their best interests to leave the woman they've been abusing alone. Usually it just takes one session, but occasionally there is a recidivist. Chrissy Shaw's no good husband Roy Dean is caught manhandling a woman at a local racetrack. Stella has another little talk with him, and though she's not convinced he really got the message, she's got to give him time to think things over. Sadly, Chrissy comes by and announces Roy Dean has disappeared, which is no great loss. However, he took Chrissy's adorable son, Tucker. Roy Dean isn't Tucker's dad, and doesn't give a fig about him, so Chrissy fears for her son. Stella noses around, and finds there are some evil people in their community. Some are homegrown, and some are mobsters from the big city. Stella has her hands full, and risks her life to help Chrissy. Chrissy steps up and helps Stella in a big way. They find Tucker, and suffer major injuries in his recovery. This was a very inspiring novel. Stella and Chrissy show what they are made of, and prove that a woman is nothing to be taken for granted. Resourceful and brave, you can almost imagine these women as pioneers, fighting off attackers, and doing what has to be done. I'm anxiously waiting the sequel." —Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine "The two things I absolutely love about Stella is that she has a mouth like a truck driver's and she takes no bullshit from anyone...A Bad Day for Sorry is a one-sit read. I couldn't read this book fast enough...Now if only I didn't have to wait so long for her next novel." —Cheryl's Book Nook "In Missouri, after several years of abuse from Ollie Hardesty and not believing in divorce, Stella took care of business. The widow opens up a sewing shop and could wear a T-shirt that says "I survived domestic violence the old fashion way by burying my spouse". Stella also believes she needs to help battered women like she was as a form of redemption for putting up with Ollie much too long and as an avenging angel dispatching retribution on these bullies. Stella keeps an eye on Roy Dean Shaw, ex mean ass husband of gentle mom Chrissy Shaw. When Roy Dean abducts Chrissy's two years old son Tucker, Stella decides this punk needs a permanent lesson in how to treat a lady. She affirms her feelings about this abusive moron when she learns he is part of the stolen auto parts mob. Chrissy, upset with his taking her infant, has had enough. As Sheriff Goat Jones watches Stella with his dreamy eyes, she hopes it is for her body and not her activity as she leads Chrissy into hell as they team up to take care of Roy Dean and his car ring associates to rescue the baby from the mob. This is an enjoyable jocular frolic as middle aged Stella takes on the world with no looking back as to whom she runs over when she does. She makes the tale work although the rest of the key cast members are fully drawn especially Chrissy and Roy Dean. The latter will soon learn what the wrath of a lioness is as she and her sidekick kick butt to rescue the infant. A BAD DAY FOR SORRY is a good day or three for readers." —Harriet Klausner, GenreGoRound Reviews "If you want to read about one of the most original characters in crime fiction, a fifty-year-old woman, a redneck with a heart of gold, who survived her own abusive marriage only to become a champion for other abused women, a caring mother and neighbor, then you need to pick up A Bad Day for Sorry, a thought-provoking story, with humor and warmth. You won't be sorry you gave Sophie Littlefield's debut a day in your life." —Lesa Holstine, Lesa's Book Critiques "[One] of the year's best debuts...fresh and sassy and an awful lot of fun." —David J. Montgomery, Chicago Sun-Times  |
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