Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips @robphillipswrites @robphillipswrites.bsky.social @alaskadan @blackstonepublishing @blackstonepub.bsky.social #StakeoutsAndStrollers

the setup…
Charlie Shaw could use some sleep. He’s the father of 6-month old baby girl Callie and is married to Ryan who is a marketing executive, all living in a tiny home in San Francisco. Charlie is a former newspaper crime reporter now working as a rookie private investigator for a former decorated police detective. He’s on a stakeout that goes all kinds of crazy where he ultimately connects with sixteen-year old Friday Finley who is looking for her father Shawn. Against his boss’s advice, Charlie decides to work on the side to help Friday with her search and ends up in a world of crazy trouble.

the heart of the story…
Charlie is witty, a little snarky and a devoted father and hubby. While he’s inexperienced as a PI, he has good instincts and a quick brain. Things go sideways a lot in the search for the deadbeat Shawn and he manages to work himself out of some serious jams because of those instinct. There are a lot of hilarious moments as that title and cover promise but also a very serious plot line and mystery. His beloved sunflower yellow Bronco he calls Mango felt like another character, too.

the narration…
Dan Bittner is perfectly cast as Charlie, capturing his spirit and wit. He delivered a great performance.

the bottom line…
This turned out to be exactly what it promised with that title and cover. I had such a good time and loved its unpredictability and was nicely surprised by the mystery and suspense. I sure wouldn’t mind seeing all of these characters again.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 16, 2026
• Narrator: Dan Bittner
• Audio Length: 8 hours, 38 minutes
• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

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(Thanks to Blackstone Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)