Murder Under the Bridge met all my criteria for an excellent book.
353166
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a friend of the author and I read a first draft 9 years ago. I just read the finished copy and I am so impressed with the changes.  I read alot of mysteries and I loved this book.  The characters were interesting and unusual.  The sense of 'place', something I look for in a mystery book, was excellent.  i was sorry there was no map so i could see where the different towns/settlements actually were but maybe in the next printing. The story was gripping and along the way, I learned alot about Palestinian culture and food in addition to learning about the political struggles that are going on in that part of the world. When I read mysteries, I look forward to increasing my knowledge as well as being captivated by the story. Murder Under the Bridge met all my criteria for an excellent book.
4253636
I loved this book.  It held my interest from start to finish.  I consider myself a true crime aficionado, and I would rate this one with some of the best I've read in a really long time.  The victims in this one are the most innocent of victims which makes the story all the sadder, but Ms Pence managed to tell a great, well balanced, easy to follow account of a tragic event.
2775740
This book has everything: superb plot, realistic dialogue and a connection with the reader that makes a novel worthwhile. I have purchased the author's first book and am planning to read it next.
1894852
I enjoyed this book immensely. It's a well-written novel with a likable heroine, colorful characters, sexual tension as well as racial tension, and the story builds to an exciting climax. The last hundred pages or so had me  on the edge of my seat. Best of all, all of my guesses as to who the  murderer was turned out to be wrong. I highly recommend this book and think  it would make a terrific movie.
3060128
I rarely read works of fiction.  Almost all my reading is history or biography.  Nevertheless, I recently finished reading Enough Rope by P.L. Doss.  This is a mystery story, and I really enjoyed it.  The plot was excellent and filed with several possible culprits.  I was completely fooled until the very end to find out "who done it."  Looking back, enough clues were dropped that a more astute mystery reader than I could have figured it out.  However, I did not.  That makes for a good murder mystery.  I would recommend this book to anyone and am looking forward to the next book by this author.
1626207
I loved this book.  The storyline immediately drew me into this very cleverly written book.  It starts off at Los Christianos in the Canary Islands where a murder is committed.  Most of the book is set in Yorkshire and several murders follow.  They all have one thing in common a set of roman numerals are found on or at the scene of the murders.  D.S. Greg Woods and a new member of his team,  Maria Barnes, are involved alongside others with the investigation.  An absorbing plot unfolds  making for a very exciting read.  I look forward to reading the second and third part in this trilogy. An excellent read,  thank you to the author,  Angie Smith.
493016
I was delighted to win a copy of Deadly Connections through Goodreads. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it well-written, and it kept me guessing and suspicious of everyone throughout the book. The characters were entertaining and there were lots of plot twists. I raced through the book and never guessed who was the murderer. I've already purchased the book for some friends, and I look forward to reading more books by the author.
932207
Scott Pratt's "Blood Money" is a mystery with murders and excellent legal interplay through Joe Dillard, attorney. Pratt's characters are well developed and each one brought out in me a whole range of feelings that drew me into the story. I found myself feeling and understanding the emotions and the struggles of each character.

It's unusual to feel a warmth in a murder mystery thriller, but Pratt's writing style created that for me. His details, whether about his characters or the locales they are in, also held my attention througout.

Of course Blood Money has many twist, turns and surprises throughout, but I easily predicted one of the character's death. The end was a complete surprise.
1131690
This book covered all my criteria. Reading this I felt as though I was there. The characters were real and the story line believable.
1414903
Super book - the physically unappealing - even annoying - hero displays admirable character traits, sensitivity, courtesy, directness that make him lovable almost from his first appearance.  The other characters, especially Robin, Strike and the designer Some are also well drawn and show their own characters, for good or ill, that give the story a compelling roundedness.  Galbraith/Rowling drops clues with an expert casualness, neither dwelling on nor reverting to them, keeping me on high alert the whole book for fear of missing an important clue, and giving the story the absorbing suspense we look for in a murder mystery.  She picked a very good genre for her "second career."
2420435
Everything You Want Me to Be is an excellent example of a mystery novel where the story and characters are just as enjoyable as discovering who actually committed the murder. This was an incredibly fast paced story. I inhaled the majority of the novel in just a few sittings, which is quite unusual for me. The narrative was very engaging, creating that wonderful page-turner, reading experience.

As the title of the novel suggests, the main character attempts to be a social chameleon, becoming whoever other people want or need her to be. She is an amateur actress so the theatre plays a major role in this story as both a plot device and, more importantly, a thematic motif. In her mind, she is simply acting as she weaves a web of lies throughout her life.

The novel moves away from the traditional detective investigation format by including multiple perspectives and timelines. The novel follows the lead detective, but also switches between the perspectives of both the murdered teenage and her teacher, with flashbacks throughout the prior year. These characters were all well rounded and fleshed out in their respective chapters. The author did a great job developing the character motivations so that their actions felt realistic and believable. The affair was was particularly engrossing to read. I became absorbed in the fatal downward spiral of destruction between these taboo lovers.

With a limited cast of characters, the list of murder suspects was relatively short, causing the mystery itself to be somewhat simplistic. That being said, the author was very clever and still managed to throw me off the trail with plenty of red herrings. While not particularly ground-breaking, this is a solid mystery novel.

Overall, I was impressed by this Mejia's writing, characters and storytelling abilities. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

I requested this ARC from Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As always, my opinions are my own.
1162764
With very descriptive, detailed writings; passages that flowed very well and kept on topic combined with an ending that was satisfying and fit the story, I feel 5/5 stars is the perfect rating for this murder mystery.
3610260
I am not an aficionado of murder mysteries. They tend not to hold my interest very long. So, when I began reading Meeting Murder, I had my doubts that I'd enjoy it. Skepticism aside, I sat down and began to read. To my great surprise, a couple hours in, my reservations about reading a murder mystery vanished and I had a difficult time putting down the book.

The author did a fantastic job of drawing me into the world of the main character, Laurie Kilcannon, a meeting planner for a major pharmaceuticals company. She brought me behind the scenes to the back room discussions, jokes and ridiculous demands that occur with the staffers; the people who plan and execute the bloated, stodgy retreats that drug reps attend. Throwing in a plot involving executive politics, a drug launch and an animal rights organization, there were some truly interesting and fun characters.

Then one of them died. Of course someone died. It's a murder mystery, but the nature of the murder and the character of the deceased drew me in and I needed to keep reading. From that point on, the book barely left my hands. One page flowed effortlessly into the next and I became thoroughly engrossed in the characters, the story, and, of course, the mystery.

I recommend this book to anyone. If you're anything like I am, you'll find it to be a remarkably well written, enjoyable, and smartly-crafted story, and you'll want to know what happens next for the main characters.

I'll be keeping my eye on Katy McDermott. She may have made a mystery reader out of me.
973400
This book kept me engaged every minute.  The plot, characters and concepts blend together in a seamless way that is totally believable.  The writer's knowledge of the subject matter is very clear.  Looking forward to the next one.
3067653
I chose this book on the recommendation of a friend in my book club reading group.  Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down, reading late into the evening.  It was interesting from the very beginning to the very end.  It was a little bit suspense, a little crime novel, a little historical, a little horror with good character development.  I was drawn into the story from start to finish.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written crime mystery.  There is nothing about the book that I didn't like.
2160139
The title I  chose  is exactly what I like in a murder-mystery book, and nobody does it better than this author.  There is lots of action.  The ending was very meaningful for me.
38929
My Sister's Grave has all the elements required for a good book -- a great plot, an intriguing mystery, a little courtroom drama, pet dogs, people you love and people you hate, and a smattering of violence -- and it was all well written and exceedingly well done.  Bottom line -- it's a great read that keeps you glued to the page.  You can't wait to get to the end, but you're sorry when it's over.  I hope that Dugoni writes additional books with these same characters -- if he does, I will read them all.