Category: Mystery

Fiction, Mystery

Cold Killer by Tammy L. Grace

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  • Title: Cold Killer
  • Author: Tammy L. Grace
  • Series: Cooper Harrington Detective Series #4
  • Genre: Mystery
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • Main Character: Cooper Harrington
  • Other Characters: Dax, Ben, AB, Frank, Lindsay Adele, Gavin, Aunt Camille, Charley
  • Pets: Coop’s Dog Gus
  • Stars: 5

“In my defense, I was left unsupervised”

Just when I think I couldn’t enjoy this series more, Ms. Grace writes another great mystery. This one just may be my favorite in this series so far. That could be, in part, that I love a good cold case.

I always love to catch up with Coop, AB, Aunt Camille and of course, Coop’s furry faithful companion Gus. Coop is a lawyer turned Private Investigator who took over his uncle’s practice when he passed away. Coop is fun with all of his sarcastic t-shirts that he wears. When he has to be professional, he will just through a jacket over them. He gets really involved with his clients and won’t quit until he solves the case. Just a warning, I think I gain 10 pounds with every book just reading about all the food they eat. lol

In this episode, Coop’s client, Dax, was killed 25 years ago. The problem is that he’s back; he believes he knows who attempted to murder him and he wants Coop to confirm his identity and identify the person who tried to kill him 25 years ago. This is a fantastic narrative in which Coop tries to piece together the mystery surrounding a man who is thought to be dead while also reuniting a family that has been split up for 25 years. This book takes you in several directions to solve a crime. As Coop and AB search for persons who were around 25 years ago and probe their memory of possible events, they uncover a number of suspects.

While trying to prove Dax is who he claims to be and figuring out who wanted him dead, they also need to identify the person who is buried beneath Dax’s headstone. There is a family out there who is missing a loved one and they need to know what happened.

If you love a good mystery with a great cast of characters and a dog, you are going to love this series. If I ever need a private investigator, I want one like Coop. He doesn’t stop until he solves his case. He is loyal, honest and a great friend who also adores his famliy. Well maybe except for his mom. That’s another story you encounter while reading this series.

This book will keep the reader on the edge of their seat as the mystery is unraveled & secrets are divulged while a killer is finally discovered.

“Before coffee: judgmental & sarcastic after coffee: judgmental & sarcastic, but faster.”

Happy Reading,

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery

Dead Wrong by Tammy L . Grace

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  • Title: Dead Wrong
  • Author: Tammy L. Grace
  • Series: Cooper Harrington Detective #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • Main Character: Cooper
  • Other Characters: AB, Ben, Chandler
  • Pets: Coop’s Golden Retriever Gus
  • Stars: 5

“Don’t blame yourself, let me do it,”

This is the 3rd book in the Cooper Harrington Detective series. I am enjoying this series. I did like the book prior better, but this one is good. I really like Coop and all the T-shirts he wears with funny sayings. It really brings some comic relief. Gus is my favorite, but I am a sucker for a story with a dog.

Coop is contacted by Chandler, a college acquaintance. Chandler’s business partner has been killed under mysterious circumstances and he is the prime suspect. He swears he didn’t do it and he wants Cooper to prove his innocence and find the really killer. With all the evidence pointing to Chandler, this may be a tough one for Coop. Coop wants to believe his friend but as he keeps investigating even he may doubt his innocence.

Turns out there are quite a few suspects but no proof as to who could have done it. It is looking like Chandler has motive and opportunity which doesn’t look good for him. As Coop keeps digging, he undercovers some secrets which leads him in the direction of the killer. This one takes some twists and turns with plenty of surprises to find a killer. Could Coop find out that Chandler really is a killer or does the evidence send him a different direction?

Even though this series could be read out of order, I strongly recommend reading them on order so the reader can really get to know Cooper and the other characters. In each book we are learning more and more about Coop and his family. I really love learning more about the characters and Cooper’s relationship with his aunt. I keep thinking the author is going to write a romance with Coop and AB but there is still a part of me that really likes their friendship and could a romance ruin that. I guess time will tell. I am looking forward to the next book.

“When I die, the dog gets everything”

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery

Deadly Connection by Tammy L. Grace

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  • Title: Deadly Connections
  • Author: Tammy L. Grace
  • Series: Detective Cooper Harrington #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Location: Nashville, TN
  • Main Character: Cooper (Coop) Carrington
  • Other Characters: Annabelle, Ben, Callie, Aunt Camille, Avery, Billy, Sadie, Hildie, Kate
  • Pets: Coop’s Golden Retriever Gus
  • Stars: 5

“Before you give me your best shot, I recommend you read my return policy.”

The Cooper Harrington detective series continues with this book, which is even better than the previous. The reader gets a better understanding of who Cooper is.

Coop becomes concerned that something is amiss when Callie is very late for an appointment. Coop and Annabelle go to Callie’s home to check on her. When she is found murdered, they find themselves navigating a maze of deceptions, cover-ups, and lies in an attempt to find a killer. It’s complex because there are numerous suspects and no clean motive for her murder.

This mystery is the kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I found it impossible to put it down, and the mystery—especially the motive—was challenging to unravel. I am enjoying getting to know all the regular characters in the book. Even though, each book is a separate mystery and can be read out of order, I highly recommend reading them in order so you can get to know the characters. I love learning more about Cooper and what makes him tick. Cooper is a superb private investigator who is determined to see the case through to its conclusion. To solve crimes, Coop collaborates closely with the local police detective.

This book will keep the reader guessing all the way to very end. I can’t wait to read book #3.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery

Blackbird by Kay Bratt

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Title: Blackbird
Author: Kay Bratt
Series: Hart’s Ridge #9
Location: Hart’s Ridge, Georgia
Genre: Mystery
Main Character: Taylor
Other Characters: Caleb, Allison
Stars: 5

Kay Bratt is a master storyteller; she never lets you down. I have loved this series from the very first book and Blackbird is no exception. To fully understand the characters in this series, it is recommended that you read them in order.

In the small town of Hart’s Ridge, Taylor Gray serves as the deputy sheriff. She leads a hectic life juggling her family and her career. She has a strong work ethic and doesn’t give up until she obtains the information she needs. There are moments when her personal life and her work as a deputy can get blurred. She is kind-hearted and eager to assist when she can.

In the ninth episode of the Hart’s Ridge Series, Taylor is trying to help Allison, an abused mother, and her two children escape her abusive husband. What makes this so challenging is her mother’s constant interference. A mother’s job is to protect her children and instead Allison’s mom is hindering her escape. Will Allison be able to escape her abusive ex and her mom to find the family she has always wanted?

This book continues with a story that was introduced in book eight of the series. As you may recall, Caleb works as a deputy and is a collegue of Taylors. His wife Lydia was kidnapped from a local Walmart and presumed dead even though they never found her body. After talking to a local psychic, he just feels like something is off so he continues to search for answers in his wife’s disappearance. He needs to find her one way or another even if it confirms she is really dead.

This is a very dramatic and gut-wrenching book. The reader is drawn in by the author’s ability to make the characters appear incredibly genuine and like they are a part of the narrative. I was completely engrossed by the story and was able to imagine what each character must be going through. There wasn’t as much family involvement in this book as the others, which I missed, but I was utterly captivated by both of the stories. The plot was left open for the story to continue in book ten, which is scheduled for release in the summer of 2024.

The author draws inspiration for her writings from actual events, which is one of my favorite things about her. Even though it is fictionalized in the book, the author’s note at the conclusion tells you where she found inspiration for this story, so make sure to read it.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

The Bloodline by Robert J. Walker

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  • Title: The Bloodline
  • Author: Robert J. Walker
  • Series: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery Series
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Main Character: Jaques Tillery
  • Other Characters: Stuart, Denzel, Lieutenant Talbot, Keith Hatchet, The Captain, Shane
  • Stars: 5

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. I couldn’t put it down.

A woman sees a picture of of a man on the news and is convinced it is her son who was kidnapped decades ago when he was 12 years old. The authorities don’t believe her but a special Private Investigator does and decides to take her case to prove it. A current kidnapping has the same MO so he thinks the two may be connected in some way. As he researches these cases, he uncovers much more than he ever expected.

This book had great character development and the plot was great. It was fairly fast moving with a lot of detail. There were a lot twist and turns while the plot unravels as to what is happening and who is behind this. I had never read anything by this author before but I know I will read more. If you love a great suspense thrill and you don’t mind a little bit of bad language (the bad language isn’t a lot but there is some) you will love this book.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Midnight Abduction: A Small Town Reveting Kidnapping Mystery Thriller by Marie Wilkins

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  • Title: Midnight Abductions
  • Author: Marie Wilkins
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Takes Place:  Nevermore, North Dakota
  • Main Character: Nicole, Brad
  • Other Characters: Danny, Jessica, Blake, Kinder, Richard, Pam
  • Stars: 5

This is the first book I have read by this author and I could not put it down. It was exciting, suspenseful and & thrilling from the first page until the climax.

Nicole and Brad live in a small quiet suburban neighborhood with their two young children. They are happy, in love and appear to have everything they want in life. Then the unimaginable happens, their young daughter Jessica, doesn’t get off the bus after school. It is soon discovered that she has been abducted.  Brad’s brother, Blake, is a member of the local police department and appears to be more interested in how this affects their community rather than finding his niece. Nicole decides to enlist the help of the FBI. Nicole is determined to find her daughter, while at the same time, she trying to come to terms about something that happened in her past that she has even hidden from her husband. As her past comes back full circle will her family come together and find Jessica so they can heal and move forward!

Plan to lose some sleep when you read this book, because you will not be able to put it down. If you love a great mystery in a small town with 3-dimensional characters, you are going to love this book.

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery

First Victim by L.A. Larkin

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  • Title: First Victim
  • Author:L.A. Larkin
  • Series: A Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller #3
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Main Character: Sally Fairburn
  • Other Characters: Paul Fairburn, Scott Fairburn, Harper Fairburn, Fiona Austin, Joseph Austin, Detective Fred Clarke, Olivia Wiesner, Esme Lin, Salvador Sobrai, Niall Pickerd, Bob Kerns, Robin Kerns
  • Pets: A dog named Jax & a cat name Pajamas
  • Stars: 5

Sally Fairburn is back in another top-notch book by LA Larkin. This is the third book in the Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller series. I really like Sally, She is always on a mission to solve the crime, and she doesn’t stop until she gets the answers she’s looking for. She’s also a great mother, and there’s nothing she won’t do for her son, even if it means protecting him from his own father.

Sally is a former police officer and an amateur detective. Initially, she believed that police work was a thing of the past. However, when her former employer requests her return to the force as a detective in order to assist in the investigation of Joseph Austin’s murder and the attempted Murder of his wife, Fiona, who is left comatose, how can she resist. This her chance to prove herself. With two more murders, including their top suspect for the Austin murder, Sally is in a race against time to connect the dots. Not helping matters is the fact that her abusive ex-husband comes back to the Franklin Police Department and attempts to obstruct the investigation. Fiona, who is in a coma & is the sole surviving witness to her husband’s murder, may possess all the answers.

I can’t get enough of this series! It’s got everything you want in a good mystery: secrets, compelling characters, an amazing protagonist, and plenty of twists and turns to solve a murder with an ending you won’t see coming! It’s a must-read!

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery

Peril in the Poolhouse by Judy L .Murray

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  • Title: Peril in the Pool house
  • Author: Judy L. Murray
  • Series: A Chesapeake Bay Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Port Anne, Maryland
  • Main Character: Helen Morrisey & her Detection Club
  • Other Characters: Eliot Davies & his wife Allison, Detective Joe McAllister, Liz, Shawn, Tammi, Diane, Ronnie, Maggie, Britany, Craig
  • Pets: A Golden Retriever named Rocky & 2 cats Trixie & Watson
  • Stars: 5

This is the 3rd installment of the Chesapeake Bay Mysteries series and Ms Murray does not disappoint. Helen Morrisey once again finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and of course she has to try and solve it much to the chagrin of the handsome detective, Joe McAlister.

A haunted Bed & Breakfast, A party given by a State Senator Candidate and a dead body! What could go wrong! Despite the fact that the Victorian Mansion has been rumored to be haunted, Helen ultimately sold the property to Eliot Davies, who is running for the office of state Senator and his wife Allison. They’ve turned it into a Bed & Breakfast, and they’re getting ready to party. The party comes to a screeching halt when a dead body is discovered in the Pool House, with Allison standing over it. Of course, the main suspects are Eliot and Allison, so Helen is intent on proving that her friends could not have committed this murder. Did they do it and If they didn’t, then who did? When someone else dies, the conspiracy deepens to discover what the two victims might have in common. Is the past coming back to haunt them? Is this murder connected to a 50-year-old mystery? Helen and her world-renowned detection team are on a mission to discover the answer. But how will her involvement in yet another murder case affect her blossoming relationship with handsome detective Joe?

This is an amazing book! The Protagonist is genuine, a great friend, She loves her kids and she is funny. I just adore her detection club and the way she interacts with them as if they were real people. The term “detection club” is derived from Helen’s collection of Literary Amateurs Sleuths. Those who have read the preceding two books of the series are aware of her ‘Detection Club’. If you haven’t read them, then what are you waiting for!! I recommend that readers read the books in order to gain an understanding of the characters’ back story. It really helps to develop the relationship with the characters.

The author has a great way of building tension and pulling the reader in. What I like the most is that the book is full of twist & turns to solve the puzzle. Just when you think you have solved the mystery, she adds another twist that makes you rethink it. I must warn you, be prepared to lose some sleep because this book is hard to put down.

Real Estate Rule #3: It’s rare a buyer who wants to buy a haunted house”

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery

Mystery at the Lighthouse by Claire Harlow

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  • Title: Mystery at the Lighthouse
  • Author: Claire Harlow
  • Series: A Sparrow Haven Cozy Mystery #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Sparrow Haven
  • Main Character: Olivia Harper
  • Other Characters: Millie, Ethan, Detective Fred O’Malley
  • Pets: Olivia’s Golden Retriever Barkley
  • Stars: 5

This is the first book I have read by this author and I will be reading more. I really enjoyed this mystery. It’s a little different from what I’m used to reading. I’m used to mystery books, but rarely one that takes place more than a century ago.

Olivia, who lives in the small New England town of Sparrow Haven is the town librarian and an amateur sleuth. Mysteries has always fascinated her and her best friend, Milly. They always seem to be involved in some kind of investigation, much to the dismay of Detective Fred O’Malley. When some local teens find an old painting, it piques Olivia’s curiosity, so of course she has to find the secrets hiding beneath the brush strokes. Olivia, her Faithful companion, a Golden Retriever named Barkley, the hot new veterinarian, Ethan, and her best friend Milly solve a 100-year-old mystery with present implications. During their journey, they uncover family secrets that may be best left alone. Could uncovering the past get Olivia, Ethan and Millie killed!!

If you love a suspenseful mystery that takes you on a journey to past secrets that carry on to the present, then you will love this book. I read it in one sitting, which I rarely do. I just couldn’t seem to put it down. I had to find out how it ends and it definitly did not disappoint. The author just has a way of keeping the reader engaged and wanting more.

***I received this free ARC. This review is my honest opinion***

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Her Deadly Truth by L.A. Larkin

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  • Title: Her Deady Truth
  • Author: L.A. Larkin
  • Series: A Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller #2
  • Genre: Mystery, Thriller
  • Main Character: Sallie Fairburn
  • Other Characters: Detective Clark, Detective Lin, Richard Foster, Paul, Margie, Caroline, Matt, Lauren, Nicole, Becca, Daisy
  • Stars: 5

This is another great thriller by L.A. Larkin. The author has a way of twisting a story to keep you guessing till the end.

Sallie’s neighbor Caroline confides in her that she thinks her husband is trying to kill her. Sallie doesn’t want to get involved since she and her son were almost killed by the Poster Killer in book one.. When Caroline turns up dead, Sallie regrets not helping her friend so she tries to find evidence agains her husband, Matt to prove he killed his wife. Once again, Sallie’s snooping could get her killed.

When she starts receiving mysterious flowers and she feels she is being watched, she knows she must be getting close to finding out who killed Caroline. Could the Poster Killer, who is serving a life sentence know something! She may have to visit him in prison to find out. Then when one of Caroline’s friends is killed by a hit and run, the race is on to find a killer.

Ms Larkin keeps us guessing all the way to the end. It is fast paced with a lot of twists and turns to find a killer. I loved this book just as much as the first. The author knows how to keep the reader engaged and there is never a dull moment. If you love a thrilling mystery, with a surprise ending, you will love this series.

Happy Reading!