# A Bad Day for Sunshine

By Darynda Jones · Sunshine Vicram, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/bad-day-for-sunshine-b09ca369/

Sunshine Vicram returns to Del Sol, New Mexico, as sheriff after her parents arrange an election she never meant to enter. She and her teenage daughter, Auri, are barely settled when a missing girl brings back Sunshine’s own memories of abduction. A stolen rooster and an old attraction add complications of very different kinds.

## What makes it funny?

Sunshine treats her parents’ election scheme as a future criminal case. Auri tries to defend the grandparents by downgrading their interference to a little maneuvering, while her mother starts imagining prison sentences. Their first morning shows how quickly a family conversation can turn into an argument that neither takes quite seriously.

### The comedy at work

Sunshine wants to present herself as a formidable new sheriff, but Auri can interrupt that performance with a patient remark. The daughter acts as a dry audience for her mother’s theatrics. Outside the family, everyday small-town complaints compete with the much darker work of finding a kidnapper.

### Try this if…

Readers in book groups recommend it as a funny mystery, and some emphasize its romantic-comedy flavor. It suits readers who want flirtation and mother-daughter repartee alongside an active crime investigation. Kirkus highlights the romantic tension with Levi as well as the mysteries.

### Good to know

The jokes accompany serious material: a missing teenager and the lasting effects of Sunshine’s abduction at seventeen. The opening also includes profanity, drinking and sexual jokes.

## What to expect

- Genre: Mystery
- On the shelf: Private eye & detective
- Kind of humor: Banter · Situational comedy
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Format: Novel
- Published: 2020

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/darynda-jones/a-bad-day-for-sunshine/9780349427164)
- Author commentary: [Author excerpt and introduction](https://darynda.com/blog/entry/say-hello-to-sunshine-vicram-a-bad-day-for-sunshine-is-here)
- Reader discussion: [Reader discussion](https://facebook.com/groups/bookrecommendations/permalink/7201354209939330)
- Review: [Kirkus review](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/darynda-jones/a-bad-day-for-sunshine)