THE NEXT RIGHT THING is a PI tale written by an actual PI, in which smartphones track GPS bugs, but the woman who plants a tracker unit is arrested because a concerned citizen thinks she was planting a bomb under the truck. High tech doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have a good day!

THE NEXT RIGHT THING gets off to an entertaining start and we discover that Cammie the PI isn't legally allowed to do what amounts to a wiretap; she loses her licence and has to pay a fine. To make ends meet she takes work in a Vegas casino. A lawyer named Marc is hoping Cammie will track down his ex who stole from his firm and clients. Cammie would rather feed a stray cat than talk to him as they have unresolved issues. But Marc knows she's good, and perseveres. He persuades Cammie to work for his law firm; his engagingly serious young daughter Emily keeps issuing commands to make their lives greener and fairer. Marc has a second dilemma in that Gwen, his ex, was thought to be pregnant - it may be his child.

The story slows down however and addresses various family matters and only halfway through the book does Cammie take up the case of the elusive Gwen. She searches on line for nicknames, cars and sports Gwen liked, on the basis that the name may be false. Later she and Marc realise that their reunion has brought hidden feelings to light, but somewhat strangely they kiss in a beach cabin and proceed to discuss a Chagall painting. Cammie is later arrested for disorderly conduct at a rally with Emily and may lose her licence permanently. So when a moneymaking proposition is put to her, she's in the mood to listen.

This adult tale by Colleen Collins needs to decide whether it is a family romance or a PI story. When it concentrates on one or the other it is enjoyable but too much goes on for long stretches that doesn't contribute to either plot. The PI work tends to be more gadgets and less Sue Grafton, but maybe that's how the work is carried out nowadays. THE NEXT RIGHT THING is readable with good characters and settings, but I felt that given her background, the author should focus on the crime aspect in her next outing.