Skip to main content
Book Review
Reviewed: 21 January 2026

Stakeouts and Strollers

by: Rob Phillips

a mystery

  • Rating: full starfull starfull starfull starstar outline (4.0/5)

new dad, first case, big trouble

Charlie may not be the best private investigator, but he is definitely shaping up to be an awesome Girl Dad. It is obvious he is new to the the PI-game, but he can lean on his past as well as his boss. To say that Charlie was bumbling through is kind of an understatement. There is also a bit of luck, maybe more than a little, that keeps him alive. His boss, a former highly respected and decorated cop, is a great mentor, supporter, and butt-kicker.  Charles is also fortunate to have a supportive wife, Ryan. She is not thrilled about the possibility of Charlie getting hurt and leaving their less than a year old daughter, but she is still in his corner. I think the title may be a bit misleading to some.  While there is a baby, not a lot of baby strollers in the cases, which is a good thing.

This story is a quasi-cozy mystery as it has some tame violence compared to most cozy mysteries. No real red herrings, but definitely a lot of distractions. 

I really liked the characters. Baby whisperer, Grace. Fiesty and good with a Louisville Slugger, Friday. Strong, silent but “deadly”, Powell. Even bumbling newly minted PI Charles. 

The writing is very good. It’s rare that I highlight passages and share with others, but I did that with this book.

All that, and I didn’t mention the case/mystery. The main reason is that it took some time to get the primary case (see mention of distractions above). Looking back, I think I “forgave” this because one of the distractions was Ryan’s and Charlie’s lack of sleep, hence the baby whisperer, Grace. It is hard to think straight when there is a lack of sleep.

I spent at least a couple of nights fighting to keep my eyes open, anxious to see what Charlie got up to next.

Thank you to #StMartinsPress, #MinotaurBooks, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts

Happy Reading!

Release Date: 17-March-2026
NetGalley, Mystery

Plot Summary

Amateur private investigator and new dad Charlie Shaw gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to track down a young girl’s missing father in Rob Phillips’ award-winning debut.

Charlie Shaw is low on sleep. And cash. Otherwise, life is going pretty well for the ex-crime reporter: He’s happily married to his college sweetheart, he’s a first-time dad to the most adorable baby girl in existence, and he’s making ends meet as a rookie PI. But when Charlie meets Friday Finley, a frightened sixteen-year-old runaway on a stakeout-gone-wrong, his world gets a little more complicated.

Friday is looking for her estranged father Shawn, an unreliable alcoholic who left when she was young—and who also happens to be her only shot at avoiding the foster care system since her mother’s death a few weeks earlier. At first, Charlie believes the man is simply hiding out somewhere, avoiding his responsibilities as usual, but the more he investigates, the more unsettling—and dangerous—Shawn’s disappearance becomes. When his own family is threatened, Charlie realizes he’s in over his head, but can he back out now that he’s begun to care for Friday as his own?

A perfect blend of humor and high stakes, Stakeouts and Strollers is a heartwarming story of fatherhood, family, and what it really means to be a “Girl Dad.”