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Poppy Fields Adventures #2

Fields' Guide to Assassins

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Poppy Fields, Hollywood IT girl extraordinaire, accompanies her A-list mother to Paris, and why not? It’s PARIS!

What her mother doesn’t know is Poppy’s on assignment. Her mission? To help bankrupt a drug cartel. To do that, she must access encrypted account numbers, evade a drug lord with a grudge, dodge a Russian oligarch, and align herself with a man who looks like a Norse god. Oh, and there’s that plot—the one to launch a massive attack on the City of Lights.

If Poppy’s not careful, La Vie en Rose might just turn funereal black.



Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2018

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About the author

Julie Mulhern

52books1,578followers
Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders and the Poppy Fields Adventures.

She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean--and she's got an active imagination. Truth is--she's an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
Profile Image for LORI CASWELL.
2,762 reviews318 followers
October 14, 2018
Dollycas’s Thoughts

Poppy Fields is back and has traveled to Paris with her mother. Movie star Chariss Carlton is in town to shoot a movie and after Poppy’s trip to Mexico, she wants to keep her close. What Chariss doesn’t know is Poppy has been recruited to help break up a drug cartel. Her handler makes it sound like a piece of cake. Thankfully while living with her dad in Montana he taught her how to protect herself because the agency hasn’t given her 1 minute of training. Even with “Thor� (not his real name) as her bodyguard, her life was in danger the entire time. But who wants her dead, the guy whose plan she blew up in Mexico or someone related to her new mission?

Just like the first book in this series I was saying Wow! Wow! WOW! all the way through.

Julie Mulhern has done it again! She set the bar high with Fields� Guide to Abduction and she equaled or maybe even surpassed it in Fields� Guide to Assassins. These stories have a rapid pace and once you start reading they are absolutely impossible to put down. In Assassins, we follow Poppy, her friends, Thor, and the police around to all the tourist hot spots in the area trying to uncover the plot that may launch a huge attack. Poppy knows something major is going to happen but even after several attempts on her life, no one believes her.

Edge of my seat, yes, several times.

Ms. Mulhern descriptive talents are superb. I have never been to Paris but I could picture everything, I mean everything so clearly in my mind. The City of Lights and the dark underbelly of the city came alive.

Scary and breathtaking, yes, very much.

She also knows how to add her signature humor to the story in all the right places. The dialogue is quick and spectacular.

Laugh out loud, yes, more times than I could count.

With characters that leap off the page and situations that had my heart racing, Julie Mulhern has landed another book on my Best Reads of 2018 list. I cannot get enough of Poppy Fields! I truly cannot wait to see where her next adventure takes her! I just know she is finally going to get some training!!

Please write fast, Julie Mulhern!
Profile Image for ٳٱ❇.
924 reviews69 followers
July 16, 2019
Julie Mulhern excels in creating charmingly intrepid heroines.

This is the second book in the Poppy Fields series, and like the unflappable Ellison Russell of Mulhern's Country Club Murders series, Poppy is a sophisticated yet unaffected idealist who recognizes the absurd, and does not lose herself in arrogance. Yet Poppy is distinctly different from Ellison, and instead of 1970s Kansas City, Poppy's adventures take her all over the world. Ellison is wiser, has seen it all, and knows what she needs to be happy. Poppy is younger, more impulsive and idealistic, and is figuring out what she wants in life. I love that the author has created two strong, intelligent, poised women who are individuals, very different from each other, and not just bland carbon copies of stereotypical female strength.

Poppy is the famous daughter of movie superstar, but was raised mainly by her father, who taught her to be resilient and self-reliant. She is currently living as much of a life of luxury as she pleases, but remains unpretentious and very appreciative of everything in her life. In the first Poppy adventure, she shook things up in Mexico. The second book takes us to Paris, and involves residual drug cartel revenge, a suave oligarch and his slightly less suave son, suspicious banking activity, possible terrorist activity, a Thor lookalike ally, and Poppy's insanely glamorous actress mother Chariss.

I like the detailed Parisian environment, the characters were entertaining and fully formed, and the mystery was more of a thriller - we know who the bad guys are, but not exactly what is happening until the end of the book. The balance of atmosphere, humor, intrigue and relationship drama (with her Mother AND with romantic interests) was perfect.

So far, a great series and one to continue!
Profile Image for Rosemary Standeven.
957 reviews48 followers
December 20, 2018
The world is going to hell in a hard-cart, but you can always rely on a Julie Mulhern book to cheer you up � and I really needed cheering up. I have loved her Country Club Murder books, and am now getting really into her Poppy Fields books.
Poppy Fields is an It girl, famous for being the daughter of a top Hollywood diva, who gets embroiled with a Mexican drug cartel (first book) and ends up becoming a US government undercover agent. This is her first actual assignment � in present-day Paris.
Just as Ellison in the Country Club murders has Mister Coffee to offer support when she needs it most, in this book Poppy has Consuela, the miniature pooch with the enormous personality (and Yip!) that she rescued from Mexico. Consuela is a great judge of character, and always backs up Poppy’s opinions with appropriate noises. Poppy also has a larger-than-life mother in Chariss Carlton (cf. Frances Walford), a best friend, Mia (cf Libba), and several handsome hunks ready to take care of her. I paired up ex-boyfriend, Jake with Hunter Taft (useful in a scrape, but not really soul-mate potential, especially since Jake broke her heart by faking his death), and new body-guard Mark (a.k.a. Thor due to his resemblance to Chris Helmsworth) with the eminently desirable Anarchy Jones. There is no romance yet between Thor and Poppy � but who knows in the future???
Of course, there are other gorgeous young men making a play for Poppy, but they seem to all be ‘persons of interest� to the US government � and hence targets for Poppy’s work. All the men in the book try their best to protect poor little female, Poppy, but time and again, she is able to clearly demonstrate, that she is more than capable of looking after herself.
The story tears around Paris at a fast pace, with nods to famous landmarks and haute couture, and always narrated with the wonderful wit that is a hallmark of Julie Mulhern’s writing. The tale involves crime, danger and terrorist attacks, but despite the seriousness of the action, you have the comfortable feeling, that everything will turn out all right with Poppy on the case.
I loved reading this book. It was feel-good fiction when I needed it most. Very highly recommended.
Profile Image for Lisa G. Hudson.
668 reviews45 followers
September 26, 2018
DANGER, DEATH, INTRIGUE!

Vacations normally embrace fun, shopping and relaxation. When you’re Poppy Fields, your vacations usually mean danger, death and intrigue! In Fields� Guide to Assassins (The Poppy Fields Adventures Book 2) Poppy is back and better than ever as bait to help bankrupt a drug cartel.

Growing up as the daughter of movie star Chariss Carlton prepared Poppy to be comfortable in the lifestyles of the rich and famous and given her access to people and places off limits to normal people. Living in Montana with her father taught her survival skills like riding horses, handling a weapon and target shooting. This background is the perfect blend to make Poppy into the multidimensional woman she is today.

Mulhern’s plot is exciting and intense and you will want to read it in one sitting. Her incredible descriptive writing makes me feel as though I’m right beside Poppy, touring around Paris, experiencing all the magnificent sights and sounds - chases and gunshots, with poor old Jake showing up at random times, having Mark (Thor) as MY bodyguard and while there is murder and mayhem all around her, Poppy acts as though she’s the female version of Bond, James Bond (the Original - Sean Connery - not those silly wannabes!) Bond has his super gadgets he uses for protection. Not our Poppy! She comes with a Hermès Toolbox Twenty-Six in bleu atoll draped over her arm. Contents? Wallet. Makeup bag. Gun. She’s unflinching, unflappable and the most unforgettable woman any man could ever meet! Poppy’s parting words at the end of the book are, “I can’t wait for what comes next.� I believe everyone will draw the same conclusion at the end of this book! I was provided an ARC of this book by the author. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence. I have also preordered a copy of this book for my own personal collection.
Profile Image for Kristen Freiburger.
480 reviews13 followers
December 4, 2022
Quick easy read. Will continue reading the series just to find out who “motorcycle man� is.
Profile Image for Toni.
1,460 reviews59 followers
August 9, 2019
Poppy Fields is working for an unnamed agency run by Mr. Brown. She is off on her first assignment, in of all places, Paris! Luckily her movie star mother is filming a movie in Paris and Poppy is staying with her at the Ritz.

With a Mexican drug Lord after her, Poppy realizes that the first two attempts to kill her were probably delivered by hitmen paid off by Javier Diaz. Of course, her mother who feels like her own privacy has been invaded by these threats forces Poppy to get a bodyguard. Mr. Brown enlists Mark Stone a lookalike for the movie version of Thor to come to Poppy’s aid.

The addition of Stone to the cast was brilliant. I was unimpressed by the ex-boyfriend Jake who does make an appearance here and there but it is the brilliant Mr. Stone who makes this book sing. I was praying he wasn’t going to be one of the first victims. Usually, when I really like somebody, they get killed off. Luckily, that wasn’t the case here.

There were a lot of twists and turns here and even a mysterious helper who came to Poppy’s aid. And she has no idea who he is. I am so hoping that fact is revealed in the next book in the series.

Poppy is smarter than she gives herself credit for. She is not just a pretty face and she wants to prove herself to Mr. Brown that she is capable. I think she may have to brush up on her Krrav Maga skills to get ready for her next assignment.

I like this girl. She has spunk. And spunk is what makes this book top notch.

Highly recommended.
1,378 reviews16 followers
July 19, 2019
I had to buy this second entry in the series as soon as I finished the first one. This one is just as exciting with drama and humour. The plot in this one is a little less complex but executed very well. Poppy Fields, is in Paris on assignment. Using her natural access to the rich and famous she creates opportunities to access incriminating information. Handsome men, exciting situations and danger fill out the story. I can hardly wait to read the next book.
Profile Image for Sandi Blaylock.
264 reviews4 followers
January 12, 2019
WOW!!!!!!!

Totally different from her other books. I looooooooove it. Poppy Fields is an adventure. I know I'm doing this out of line but just bought the first one. As always Julie your writing takes me away. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Profile Image for Sandra.
3,238 reviews11 followers
November 17, 2024
Another highly entertaining adventure with Poppy as she dodges assassins in Paris. I love how competent she is and how everyone under estimates her. I am liking new partner 'Thor', especially how he is not impressed by Chariss and how he seems to respect Poppy's abilities. I am hoping he will be a love interest cause I was worried the love interest would be Jake and I think what he did to Poppy was unforgivable. It seems obvious to me who her guardian angel is and if I am right - poor, poor Poppy.
Profile Image for Doward Wilson.
752 reviews13 followers
November 14, 2018
Meet Poppy Fields (yes it's her real name), a Hollywood "Golden Girl Extraordinaire." Her mother is a top Hollywood actress and her late father was a Special Forces expert who taught his daughter self defense moves and how to shoot a gun with deadly accuracy.

After escaping her drug cartel captors in Mexico, Poppy has agreed to work undercover for a nameless agency who needs her entree into the world of wealth and privilege that she has. This time she travels to Paris to stay with her movie star mother who is filming her newest action adventure there. Poppy is out to get close to a banker who appears to be laundering money for the cartel. She needs to get his pass codes and access his computer to get the information needed to bankrupt the cartel. As she literally falls over a Russian oligarch's son, life gets more complicated than it already is. After attempted kidnappings and shoot outs, Poppy is convinced that the drug cartel lord who abducted her in Mexico is trying to end her life but there appears to be another faction chasing her as well. Who are these new players in the "Game of Shoot Poppy?" With the help of a new bodyguard assigned to keep her alive, Poppy takes on the drug cartel and meets a terrorist threat head on, while mending family matters with her mother.

This is another on the edge of your seat while laughing out loud book. The characters are wonderfully developed and lifelike. The action is nonstop and the plot's twist and turns will keep you guessing right to the climatic ending. A must read for cozy and adventure fans alike. I am impatiently awaiting the release of the third book in this series.
Profile Image for Roxx Tarantini.
564 reviews4 followers
September 9, 2019
Great read!

"Poppy attracts trouble like carrion attracts vultures.�

"As far as I could tell, that look was her first genuine expression of the morning � and it said she’d like to kill me.

"She’d have to get in line."

Poppy's first bona fide assignment for Mr Brown takes her to the familiar streets of Paris. In a city she knows like her own back yard, she puts that knowledge to use as she works against time to stop a nefarious plot.

You'll be on the edge or your seat with each chapter, this is truly an escapade you won't want to miss. Another great read from Mulhern that I can highly recommend!
Profile Image for Bookgyrl.
1,336 reviews23 followers
June 10, 2020
It has been a while since I read the first in this series (TBR...) but when I started it immediately all came back. Poppy is in Paris with her actress mother and staying at the Ritz. She has been given an assignment (in book 1) but when there are several attempts at her life she is given a bodyguard (Mark Stone - called ' Thor' by Poppy for his likeness to Chris Hemsworth).

After that it is one adventure after another. Jake, her ex-lover and also an agent - is also in the mix and who is that guy on the motorcycle who shows up to save Poppy several times?

The story reads quite easily although the plots are filled with lots of names of baddies. I have already bought number 3 and will put it a bit higher on the TBR list.
42 reviews4 followers
October 6, 2018
Enjoying this series!

I don’t know French so having so many French phrases that I didn’t know how to pronounce made it a bit less enjoyable for me. My own fault of course! Poppy is a great main character!
Profile Image for Rachel J.
67 reviews
September 25, 2018
Mulhern combines humor and action deftly and perfectly. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down. Poppy is my hero!
Profile Image for Gretchen Archer.
Author21 books821 followers
September 26, 2018
Wonderful, Mademoiselle Mulhern! Loved Paris, loved death by stemware, and love this series. I can't wait to see where Poppy and Consuela--little dog, big attitude--go next.
Profile Image for Luther Salonen.
8 reviews
October 28, 2018
Yum, Yum, Yum

Delicious characters. Great action. I hope the mystery man is who I think it is. Can't wait for the next adventure!
Profile Image for Marcia-Lee Finocchio.
604 reviews6 followers
February 11, 2019
Poppy Fields superhero!

Another entertaining story involving Poppy, Thor, Jake and terrorist in Paris. Great storyline, characters and plenty of action! A really great reading!
Profile Image for Brenda Hymes.
89 reviews4 followers
August 8, 2019
Do I love Poppy and her adventures? Oui oui!!!!! these books are un-put-downable. The situations that Poppy gets into and how she devises ways to get out keep me hanging by a thread. I love the introduction of "Thor" and love the interaction between them!
Keep the adventures coming Julie!
Profile Image for Sabrina.
666 reviews4 followers
February 2, 2019
Fun read

I can not wait for the continued adventures Awaiting Poppy, Thor, Jake and all the wonderful characters Ms. Mulhern brings to life. A must read !
Profile Image for Michele.
137 reviews
September 9, 2019
Love the way this author creates a storyline and rolls it out with flourish! Reading them all!!!!!
Profile Image for Anne.
450 reviews8 followers
January 13, 2019
Another perfect story from one of my favorite writers. I just love Poppy’s spunk. It’s hard to relate with the lifestyle but I’d like to try it to get some real perspective! I’m looking forward to the next adventure.
Profile Image for Cindy.
565 reviews5 followers
June 29, 2019
I love this author. I think she is my new favorite. Just finished this book and it was great can't wait to read the next one in the series.
Profile Image for Missi Martin (Stockwell).
1,051 reviews25 followers
February 1, 2019
I couldn't put Fields' Guide to Assassins by Julie Mulhern down !! I just LOVE Poppy !!! Here you have a "spoiled rich girl" whose mom just happens to be a famous actress but underneath it all, she (Poppy that is...) is anything but what everyone thinks she is.

And we get to hang out in Paris with Poppy and her mom !!! While her mom is there filming a movie, Poppy is there to meet a private banker and uncover secrets she doesn't even know that she is seeking. Poppy is trying to make the world a better place by bringing bad guys to justice, unfortunately not very many people know this and the ones that do don't believe that she can and are trying to keep her safe. Luckily for everyone concerned, Poppy is getting good at her job....or lucky, depends on who you ask.

While in Paris Poppy is assigned a bodyguard that looks like Thor....she confuses the two quite often which will have the reader laughing out loud. Poppy and Mark seem to work well together and it's a good thing because not only is the leader of a drug cartel still after her ( You have to read Fields' Guide to Abduction ) but it seems that half of Paris is as well.

Poppy and Mark leave a pile of dead men throughout Paris but Poppy will do whatever it takes when there are terrorist threats on landmarks in the area and one of them is where her mother is shooting her latest film. Even though her and her mother have a strained relationship, they come together when it counts !!!

I fell in love with the first book in the Poppy Fields Adventure series and this second one just added to the love !! I could not put it down, there was so much excitement and hidden gems of humor that had me tearing through the pages. I was slightly disappointed when I finished but knowing the third book is coming out soon, helped lessen the pain......
Profile Image for Gayle B.
372 reviews
January 6, 2019
Poppy is assigned a body guard after the first attempt on her life, by the agency she is working for. She describes him as looking like Chris Hemsworth and in her mind, calls him Thor. Well sometimes she slips and calls him Thor out loud.

The problem with Poppy, is she doesn't really like being told what to do even if it's to keep her out of trouble. So with the drug lord's men after her, and after uncovering information on possible terrorist attacks, Poppy is once again in deep trouble. Jake, her ex boyfriend who also works for the agency, keeps popping in and out to help her. She doesn't seem to want his help. There is an unidentified person that rescues her several times. She never sees his face, as it is always covered in some way. No one can tell her who it is. They all say they don't know. Hmmm.

The story is very fast paced, lots of interesting characters, and lots of humor. I love how the author inserts humor in the most unlikely situations. I really did laugh out loud several times.

We are left with wanting to know more about what is going to happen with "Thor", Jake and the unidentified guardian angel.

Great ending which will lead us into the next book..I hope.
Profile Image for Karen.
300 reviews10 followers
June 16, 2021
After Poppy's been shot at and an attempted kidnapping she still goes out to the store because her friend promised her a new Toolbox 26 handbag. When her friend told her they could do it another day she replied "Don't be silly, nothing bad ever happens at Hermes". And that is why I love this series. Poppy may look and act like a rich airhead but she's now in training to become a spy. The Mexican drug lord from the previous book is still after her and bad things are happening in Paris where Poppy's gone to join her movie star mom. I really like how Poppy thinks on her feet and manages to get herself out of some scary situations and I like the appearance of a mystery man who keeps popping up, helping her out and then disappearing. These books are medium length but there's a lot of action packed in them.
Profile Image for Crazy for Books (Stephanie).
1,856 reviews231 followers
August 5, 2023
Sometimes, this is what I hate about listening to a series back to back. Poppy was asked at the end of the last book, what she knew about money laundering and she said "very little," but answered with a pretty clear example considering she was an economics major and she also knew that the cartel had been using the resort to launder their funds. Then John Brown asks her the same question in this book and she said "not much" and he proceeds to explain it to her. I don't know why the question needed to be asked again. It's almost like the author didn't remember she'd already used that question before and if she didn't where's her editor?

And what's with the constant stumbling? Poppy had tripped and fallen, hurt her hand, twisted her ankle so many times. It's crazy.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
1,737 reviews10 followers
March 6, 2022
This is the second in the Poppy Fields Adventures by Julie Mulhern. I own the book but listened to this on audio from the library.

I enjoyed the story but still not liking Mia. I have more compassion for poppy’s mother in this installment. Also, Andre has grown and shows his support of Poppy. The story is farfetched but entertaining. Looking forward to the next in the series.

The descriptions of Paris and the Parisians were spot on. Thanks for the trip back there.
The narrator did an excellent job which only enhanced the story for me.
Profile Image for Brenda.
1,468 reviews
October 2, 2018
An excellent way to spend a day while keeping a smile on your face...Fields Guide to Assassins.

Poppy Fields is in Paris with her movie star mother, Chariss Carlton. Secretly working undercover, Poppy and her bodyguard, Thor aka Mark Stone, find themselves dodging bullets and bombs from assassins hired by drug cartel head Diaz who Poppy bested in her previous adventure in Mexico.

Non-stop action, well described tours of Paris, and characters you love to spend time with make this another hit by Julie Mulhern.
Profile Image for Sheri.
1,672 reviews23 followers
April 23, 2019
Ahhhhh! I LOVE Poppy and Consuela. And Paris. Julie Mulhern does such a fantastic job with her characters. Their development is wonderful. She creates such memorable characters that they jump off the page and seem so real.

I want to travel the world with Poppy. The situations she finds herself in and the way she's able to extract herself from them are wonderful to read. I laugh out loud, cheer her on and thoroughly enjoy reading this series.

The big question is Thor.. Or Jake?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews

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