Search
Search results
I Am Providence
9.0
Rate It
Book
An author's murder during an H. P. Lovecraft fan convention reveals dark secrets beneath the printed...
Horror crime
Lindsay (1786 KP) rated Open Season for Murder (Mac Faraday Mystery #10) in Books
Sep 8, 2017
Open season for Murder, Get you involved with a cold case from the beginning. You get brought in with a mysterious phone call to Mac. Who is the caller? We get all kinds of killers. We also get deaths at every turn. Why the Diablo ball?
Who wants Carlyle dead or anyone else for that matter. Brian Galestar, comes about and his he as suspects to Lindsey York death? Who wanted Lindsey York dead and Jasmine Simpson? Reva Saint Clair is around as well. Who killed Aston Piedmont?
You go for a ride with Mac and David on an adventure. We sure find out who good at solving mysteries around Spencer Maryland. Lauren Carr plots are good and you are invested throughout the book. There's a story inside the main story. You get captive into the story and you will not want to leave these charters from this series or any of Lauren Carr mysteries.
Lauren Carr is one talented writer. She brings you along to find out who the killer is. One thing I love about her mysteries is that you never know who the murderer is? I have read a few of her books already and reviewed a few of them. You are welcome to read my reviews that are part of this audiobook palooza. My reviews are Cancelled Vows, A Fine Year for Murder, Killer in the Band, The Murders at Astaire Castle, Candidate for Murder, 3 Days to Forever, Kill and Run, Old Love Die Hard, 12 To Murder.
Who wants Carlyle dead or anyone else for that matter. Brian Galestar, comes about and his he as suspects to Lindsey York death? Who wanted Lindsey York dead and Jasmine Simpson? Reva Saint Clair is around as well. Who killed Aston Piedmont?
You go for a ride with Mac and David on an adventure. We sure find out who good at solving mysteries around Spencer Maryland. Lauren Carr plots are good and you are invested throughout the book. There's a story inside the main story. You get captive into the story and you will not want to leave these charters from this series or any of Lauren Carr mysteries.
Lauren Carr is one talented writer. She brings you along to find out who the killer is. One thing I love about her mysteries is that you never know who the murderer is? I have read a few of her books already and reviewed a few of them. You are welcome to read my reviews that are part of this audiobook palooza. My reviews are Cancelled Vows, A Fine Year for Murder, Killer in the Band, The Murders at Astaire Castle, Candidate for Murder, 3 Days to Forever, Kill and Run, Old Love Die Hard, 12 To Murder.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Murder House in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Reading this book was a rollercoaster of emotions...
As far as the book itself, there were good things and bad things. Some of the good things included the rollercoaster mentioned above of feeling like patterson was just messing with my head, the fact that the characters were so clearly defined and constructed, and the plot itself.
Some of the not so good things included the violent descriptive murder scenes (which is one of the reasons I didn’t continue with the Alex Cross series. I quit after Kiss the Girls.). I understand those scenes were in there to make me hate the bad guy and desperately want him to get caught and go to jail, but I also wasn’t happy with how descriptive it was.
There was also a lot of overdramatic moments between some of the characters that made me want to roll my eyes, even in the heat of a very serious moment.
Lastly, Patterson is great at writing violence and murder, but not so great at writing subtley-blossoming romance between two unlikely characters. It felt awkward.
Overall I have mixed feelings about The Murder House. It was an excellent story, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who can’t handle a good murder scene. The writing isn’t phenomenal, but I also enjoyed 85% of my time spent listening to it. So make your judgement on how you tend to respond to violence and gore, and let me know what your face ends up looking like.
As far as the book itself, there were good things and bad things. Some of the good things included the rollercoaster mentioned above of feeling like patterson was just messing with my head, the fact that the characters were so clearly defined and constructed, and the plot itself.
Some of the not so good things included the violent descriptive murder scenes (which is one of the reasons I didn’t continue with the Alex Cross series. I quit after Kiss the Girls.). I understand those scenes were in there to make me hate the bad guy and desperately want him to get caught and go to jail, but I also wasn’t happy with how descriptive it was.
There was also a lot of overdramatic moments between some of the characters that made me want to roll my eyes, even in the heat of a very serious moment.
Lastly, Patterson is great at writing violence and murder, but not so great at writing subtley-blossoming romance between two unlikely characters. It felt awkward.
Overall I have mixed feelings about The Murder House. It was an excellent story, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who can’t handle a good murder scene. The writing isn’t phenomenal, but I also enjoyed 85% of my time spent listening to it. So make your judgement on how you tend to respond to violence and gore, and let me know what your face ends up looking like.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2470 KP) rated The Plot is Murder in Books
Jul 14, 2021 (Updated Jul 14, 2021)
Interesting Idea, but Doesn’t Quite Work
Samantha Washington is pursuing not one but two lifelong dreams. She’s opening a mystery bookstore in the town of North Harbor, Michigan. But just days before the store is supposed to open, she finds the dead body of Clayton Parker behind the store. Clayton sold her the building, but he almost sabotaged the sale. Meanwhile, she starts writing a mystery of her own set in England in 1938. Will she solve the murder? How will the real-life murder influence the fictional murder?
I’ve been intrigued by this series with the story inside the story idea for a while, and I’ve heard good things about it from many others. Sadly, it didn’t completely work for me. With two stories and two sets of characters to develop, I felt like both were a bit underdeveloped. The ending of the historical mystery was weak, and it featured some abrupt character growth. Meanwhile, the modern mystery featured lots of summaries that were told to us, keeping me outside. On the other hand, I loved both sets of characters, and I did feel the modern mystery came to a good resolution. I had no trouble keeping the different sets of characters straight once I realized how close both murder victims’ names were, and there was also an obvious break between the two stories each time we switched. I can understand why others love this series as much as they do, but I wish it had focused on one story and developed that one story better.
I’ve been intrigued by this series with the story inside the story idea for a while, and I’ve heard good things about it from many others. Sadly, it didn’t completely work for me. With two stories and two sets of characters to develop, I felt like both were a bit underdeveloped. The ending of the historical mystery was weak, and it featured some abrupt character growth. Meanwhile, the modern mystery featured lots of summaries that were told to us, keeping me outside. On the other hand, I loved both sets of characters, and I did feel the modern mystery came to a good resolution. I had no trouble keeping the different sets of characters straight once I realized how close both murder victims’ names were, and there was also an obvious break between the two stories each time we switched. I can understand why others love this series as much as they do, but I wish it had focused on one story and developed that one story better.
Goodbye to the Dead (Jonathan Stride, #7)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Detective Jonathan Stride's first wife, Cindy, died of cancer eight years ago, but her ghost hangs...
The Witch Squad
Book
Nineteen year old Mercy Habernackle is a witch gone off the rails. Causing problems with the law in...
Lindsay (1786 KP) rated Chris Crossed Murder (Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #4) in Books
Apr 5, 2023
Are you into murder mysteries? Then look at Lauren Carr's books if you want a cold case to unpack and enjoy. Then her latest series, "Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery," is an excellent series to get your fix or bite into.
My latest book, "Chris Crossed Murder," is filled to pack a punch from the very beginning of the book. Why would someone send a swat team after Chris Matheson and his daughter? Why do these family members think he is dead? We get twists and turns from the beginning of the book to every end.
The cold case starts to get hot, and Chris Matheson gets pulled into a hard case that he worked on nine years earlier. Who should be the text buddy that Chris Matheson gets? It starts with a dead body found with Chris Matheson's federal badge.
Every time I turned the page, I would try and guess, but we met the holiday gang. Who are they, and did they commit Sky Belmont murder? Who wants Chris dead? Is Dylan trying to figure out what Serra's stepfather is doing? Why? Dylan's parents wish to do something, or are they connected to Sky Belmont's murder?
There seem to be quite a few different murders going on. But who wants Chris dead, and why? The geezer squad is on it. There appears to be a romance in the air for a member and new family member named "Red"? This book set is on a winter night near Christmas.
My latest book, "Chris Crossed Murder," is filled to pack a punch from the very beginning of the book. Why would someone send a swat team after Chris Matheson and his daughter? Why do these family members think he is dead? We get twists and turns from the beginning of the book to every end.
The cold case starts to get hot, and Chris Matheson gets pulled into a hard case that he worked on nine years earlier. Who should be the text buddy that Chris Matheson gets? It starts with a dead body found with Chris Matheson's federal badge.
Every time I turned the page, I would try and guess, but we met the holiday gang. Who are they, and did they commit Sky Belmont murder? Who wants Chris dead? Is Dylan trying to figure out what Serra's stepfather is doing? Why? Dylan's parents wish to do something, or are they connected to Sky Belmont's murder?
There seem to be quite a few different murders going on. But who wants Chris dead, and why? The geezer squad is on it. There appears to be a romance in the air for a member and new family member named "Red"? This book set is on a winter night near Christmas.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Burial Rites in Books
Nov 5, 2017
Remarkable re-telling of an Icelandic murder case
Hannah Kent's detailed historical true crime story is fascinating, as she fills in the gaps about Iceland's last known case to end with the death penalty of a woman.
It isn't a murder mystery, more a fictional portrayal of Agnes Magnusdottir, who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer. It surrounds her last months kept in the home of a lawman and his family, as they grew closer to her and as she revealed more about the case to them. She confides in a young assistant priest, Toti, appointed as her spiritual guardian.
Here we find a rather ambiguous story about her so-called heroic employer, who seems to be more callous than what most thought about him. It is moving to read about the intense poverty she faced, and the loveless life she led, forcing people to behave in many different ways. There is a recurrent theme of jealousy throughout the book which shows what people are truly capable of. It is a battle for survival in a harsh, wintry landscape.
It isn't a murder mystery, more a fictional portrayal of Agnes Magnusdottir, who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer. It surrounds her last months kept in the home of a lawman and his family, as they grew closer to her and as she revealed more about the case to them. She confides in a young assistant priest, Toti, appointed as her spiritual guardian.
Here we find a rather ambiguous story about her so-called heroic employer, who seems to be more callous than what most thought about him. It is moving to read about the intense poverty she faced, and the loveless life she led, forcing people to behave in many different ways. There is a recurrent theme of jealousy throughout the book which shows what people are truly capable of. It is a battle for survival in a harsh, wintry landscape.
Midge (525 KP) rated The Colour of Murder in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Clever And Enjoyable
THE COLOUR OF MURDER is the first book by Julian Symons that I've read and I really enjoyed it. Though it is naturally a book of its time, I found it endearing and charming. The characters were fantastic and the book, for me, is reminiscent of a Patricia Highsmith or a Ruth Rendell mystery.
I thought that the story was captivating and engaging and extremely well structured, both leading up to the murder, as told by the accused, as he relates his account of events to a psychologist and in court, with the cases for the defence and prosecution. I loved that the style of writing was slightly different to the usual types of murder mysteries, although there was still a whodunit theme, as well as a look at the nature of justice. It held my interest from start to finish and the way in which Julian Symons brought everything to a conclusion was just fabulous. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
I thought that the story was captivating and engaging and extremely well structured, both leading up to the murder, as told by the accused, as he relates his account of events to a psychologist and in court, with the cases for the defence and prosecution. I loved that the style of writing was slightly different to the usual types of murder mysteries, although there was still a whodunit theme, as well as a look at the nature of justice. It held my interest from start to finish and the way in which Julian Symons brought everything to a conclusion was just fabulous. I loved it and it has left me eager to read more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
Fleeing a tragic accident, Ruby Proulx crosses from Canada to Old Orchard, Maine. She’s run there to meet her mother’s side of the family for the first time. They are about to reopen the family home as a resort for spiritualists, and the summer of 1898 will be make or break for them. But when her past catches up to her and a murder threatens her new home, will Ruby be able to solve any problems?
While I am not a fan of paranormal cozies (because I don’t believe in the things they are based on), I still found this a very fun debut. The characters are charming, and I fell in love with them. Even though the murder comes a little late, I still found Ruby’s introduction to Old Orchard fun, and there is plenty of conflict early on. When the murder does happen, the pace picks up and leads us to a logical conclusion.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-whispers-beyond-veil-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
While I am not a fan of paranormal cozies (because I don’t believe in the things they are based on), I still found this a very fun debut. The characters are charming, and I fell in love with them. Even though the murder comes a little late, I still found Ruby’s introduction to Old Orchard fun, and there is plenty of conflict early on. When the murder does happen, the pace picks up and leads us to a logical conclusion.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/09/book-review-whispers-beyond-veil-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.