Multi-city murders make for a great time!
598176
I've read all three "The Actor's Guide to" books by Rick Copp, and this latest installment is certainly evidence that Rick keeps getting better and better with every book he writes. The humor is sharper, the twists are more harrowing, and the fun of it is like riding a roller coaster!

Greed opens a few short months where the second book ended with Jarrod watching himself in the horror movie he's sorry he ever made. When Jarrod gets an offer to star in a new play penned by a former sitcom writer for his show "Go to Your Room" he jumps at the chance, especially when he finds out he'll be opening in London!

The murderous mayhem of the play imitates life as someone in the cast ends up dead, and when Jarrod is considered a suspect it's up to him to find the real culprit and clear his name.

We travel from Los Angeles, to London, to Greece, to Mykenos for a thrill ride of witty humor and intelligent intrigue.

The best part, for me, of Rick Copp's books is the continued and deepining relationship between Jarrod and his partner Charlie, it's nice to see an important part of such a story take the front seat next to the murders, as it should be!

I hope to see more from Rick Copp in the near future, he's definately got my attention, and I'll be on the look out for more of his work.
4813245
This is One of the best crime books i've ever read! Beside of the fact that it takes place in my favourite city- London-  the book is highly entertaining, surprising and original. There never is a boring moment. It might be a clich but it was very hard for me to put the book down. I just wanted to see what happened next asap. I hope there will be a New book soon
2912192
Opening the pages of MURDER BY MOCHA is like stepping inside my favorite coffeehouse with friends there waiting and a few new faces to greet. The sights, sounds and smells are brought to life by the talented writing of author Cleo Coyle.

Readers who aren't coffee drinkers don't need to shy away from this tantalizing book and series. While there are references to coffee and all it's amenities; there is murder, mayhem, and suspense all wrapped up with a splash of romance, a dollop of humor and a lot of love for family and friends.

Clare Cosi is the manager and head barista of the landmark Village Blend coffeehouse in Greenwich Village. Clare's boss, Madame Dreyfus Allegro Dubbors (who is also her former mother-in-law) has gone into partnership with an old friend. Madame has agreed to use the Village Blend coffee beans to create a new java love potion, `Mocha Magic Coffee,' billed as an aphrodisiac.

The new product will be sold exclusively online at Aphrodite's Village, a popular website community for women. At the launch party, however, one of the website's editors is murdered. When tragedy continues to strike the website's Sisters of Aphrodite, Clare thinks the secret formula behind the `Mocha Magic Coffee' is the key and could be illegal.

Clare works to find the answers to the murders and save her beloved Village Blend's reputation at the same time. Can she uncover the killer before she becomes the next victim? The twists and surprises will keep you guessing.

To add to her mounting problems Clare's boyfriend, police detective Mike Quinn, is asking `that' question; her daughter, Joy, is home from Paris and closer than ever to Sergeant Franco; and a cold case involving a slain police officer has surfaced that implicates Madame.

Author Cleo Coyle has created a group of multifarious characters who are intriguing and likeable. She also introduces a group of eclectic minor characters who further add dimension to the story. As Clare undertakes to solve the murders, she also maintains her determination and loyalty to keep her family safe.

MURDER BY MOCH is the 10th installment in the Coffeehouse Mystery series and each new adventure just keeps getting more captivating. Readers are able to pick up any books in this series and not feel as though they are missing half the story. There's just enough back story to help new readers understand, while reminding returning fans of exciting past adventures.

An extra feature of the book is the coffee-making tips and recipes included at the end. The scrumptious recipes include such treats as `Aphrodisiac Brownies,' and `Roasted Rock Cornish Game Hens with Rosemary and Lemon Butter.'
138400
This is a heady mix of ghosts, murders and decades old robberies.  The heroine happens to be a cheeky ghost whose mission as a detective takes her and those among the living who can see her into dire circumstances.  The story zips right along and comes to a ending well worth the read.

Enjoy. I did!
1912275
Mutilated body parts in trash bags appear in Sweden. Inspector Irene Huss' investigation takes her to Copenhagen where the police investigated a similar crime some years ago. As Irene starts looking into the clues, more people are killed. The plot builds from there.
As a huge fan of nordic police procedurals, I have gone through most of the books available in English. After Henning Mankell, this is definitely the most talented writer in the field. Helene Tursten is in no hurry to give us quick clues to who might have done it. She takes time to build characters in an engaging fashion, taking us to crime scenes and to dinners. She introduces secondary and tertiary characters that are interesting and compliment the plot well.  The flow of the book is just right - details that the reader can remember and can relate to when new clues are introduced, characters that are interesting to read about, dialog is just right, and although the crimes are absolutely gruesome they are very believable.
After finishing this review, I am going to read the rest of Tursten's books!!
4142617
Another well written story in the Museum Mysteries!

If you are looking for a true-in-every-way cozy mystery, DEAD END STREET may not be for you. But, if you're looking for a bit of an edgier cozy, one that is a great read, then this is the book for you!

Author Sheila Connolly takes us back to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, PA. I really enjoy reading the Museum Mysteries because I live just about two hours from Philly, and Ive been there often. I love reading about places Ive been.

DEAD END STREET shows Philly at its best and worst, but it showcases Ms. Connollys skill as an author in the best possible way. The author has penned a story that contains just the right balance of mystery, intrigue, and action.

If you love mysteries that keep you guessing until the outstanding end, look no further, DEAD END STREET is the book for you.

Make sure to check out the back of the book for an excerpt from Sheila Connollys newest Count Cork mystery, A TURN FOR THE BAD!
1544363
The combination of crime and real people makes this book addictive. It's one of those cant put down novels. What makes it different is the clean way she crafted the combination of explosive street crime and tangled human emotions  that makes  the main characters real.  The books clean lines, and easy reading narrative reflects the story telling skill of the author. Looking forward to the next strike, I'm hooked!
587685
At the suggestion of a friend, I recently read `As The Twig Is Bent'.  When I read a novel, more than anything...I want to be entertained.  Although the subject matter is a bit grisly (a serial rapist/killer who stalks his prey on the internet), this book certainly delivered the entertainment I was looking for.  One minute you find yourself gripped by the lurid details of yet another vicious murder; and in the next moment you find yourself exhaling as you explore the private lives of Detective Matt Davis, his wife Valerie, and fellow detectives Chris Freitag and Rita Valdez.  I like the fact that the killer's identity was still unclear to me until quite near the end of the book.  The author does a good job of developing the main characters, to the extent that I felt a real connection with each one.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sharp-witted `police-talk' the detectives engaged in....the kind I've always liked in well done police books and movies.  This is a clever, well-written book that WILL entertain you!
2745191
Wonderful read, a two crime, mystery with enough twists to keep you guessing!!
205995
I truly enjoyed this delightful story about two middle-aged(+) sisters who decide to form their own detective agency in their small hometown.  Their very different personalities:  one a serious retired attorney with a keen grammar hangup; the other a homey, lovey sweetheart of a woman who wants to take care of everyone.  They take on a case  to find the missing brother for a woman who had developed a serious medical condition.  The man is accused of a double murder and has been on the lam since the day of the crime.  So while the sisters are looking for him so are the authorities - and maybe others???

The sisters find themselves in all kinds of quandaries, tight spots, and downright dangerous situations.  Add to this a butt-in-ski third sister who is just itching to be one of the investigators, or at least their interior decorator, and a new cute sheriff in town and, well, it's all a fun and good mystery.  Do yourself a favor, take a break from your busy life and read this book.  Have fun!
2860680
Life is good for Detective Max Larkin, hes riding on a high after solving an important rape and murder mystery (Miss Me?). Whats more, he is very happy with life, he has been asked to join the FBI, and to top it all, is in love with a wonderful woman.

As the book opens he is about to attend a TV interview in Chicago.

However, the interview doesnt go quite as expected, and he finds himself targeted by a killer who is out to kill everyone he loves. The killer is very clever, his revenge on Max is out there, on the internet, and there are dire consequences if Max doesnt play ball

As the grizzly death toll grows, the murders are carries out in unspeakable ways, egged on by the powers of the social media.

The author has paid great attention to detail, which makes this book not for the faint hearted. It has a gripping storyline, great characters, incredible attention to detail, and a plot which will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Although part of a series, the Detective Max Larkin crime thrillers can all happily stand alone.

I thoroughly enjoyed this no-holes-barred, exciting psychological thriller and would like to highly recommend it.
4874231
Think how much fun it would be if Grafton's Kinsey Millhone went to visit Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and they solved a crime together.  Jance has done it with her two leading characters!  After 15 Seattle-based (Jance's home) Detective-extraordinaire J.P Beaumont stories, and 9 Arizona-based (Jance's former home) feisty Sheriff Joanna Brady stories, our author has brought the two crime solvers together in a suspenseful and complex plot spanning both locales, with most of the action in Bisbee AZ.
Early on, "Rochelle Baxter", an aspiring Bisbee artist getting ready for her first exhibit, suddenly turns up dead.  As Sheriff Brady's team deploys, before long foul play is suspected.  Soon it turns out Baxter is really Latisha Wall, in the witness protection program of the Washington State Attorney General. Enter Beaumont, who is now a member of the AG's special homicide team - he's sent to "observe" the proceedings in Bisbee and protect the interests of the Washington case.  Of course, this goes over like a cement cloud with the whole Brady team and at first the hostilities between Jance's co-stars are pretty hilarious.  Then as the investigations proceed, and another murder crops up, together with some sinister implications of a mole having led to the witness to begin with, Brady and Beaumont unite out of mutual respect and form an effective team.  Some rather surprising developments at the end of the book, including a moment of pretty high romantic tension between our two leads, is plenty to keep even the skeptics entertained and turning pages rapidly throughout.
As icing on the cake, Beaumont's brief marriage to a woman hailing originally from (coincidentally) Bisbee is discussed and illuminated in considerable detail as a very intriguing human-interest sub-plot.  Reprised from Jance's (and Beaumont's) "Until Proven Guilty" is Anne Rowland Corley.  In "Partners", we get to learn all the background of this fascinating and unusual woman and what lead to the deaths she caused, including her own.
As yet another gem, the murder "weapon" turns out to be sodium azide, a horrible and deadly poison found in unexploded car air bags.  Jance uses her story to lobby for controlling this substance, which at the moment is totally uncontrolled and hence readily available for acts of terror.  She doesn't beat us over the head with this issue, but does create a compelling case for action, with a short plea in an "Author's Note" as an afterward that gets our attention.
We think this is one of Jance's greatest efforts.  The only worry is that it looks a little like a swan song, bringing together her great stars, her great locales, and weaving a story hard to put down.  Little wonder we hail this as a dream gift to the Jance fan club, which must number in legions anyway!  Those that haven't spent 24 or so books rev'ing up for this one may not be quite as enthused, but we suspect we speak for those same legions in telling Jance thank you again and again for this 5-star outing!
1128271
Excellent characters, fast paced action, (and a gross gross job!) Sadie cleans up crime scenes for a living.  When she's asked to clean up a gruesome murder-suicide, she gets more than she bargained for. Two ghosts, and a very real human killer. Suspenseful and fun.
2428742
Interesting characters with lively interactions. African and Boston locales - how do they connect? That is what presents the fun.
251027
Murder, murder everywhere seems to ring in the ears of all those in the Washington D.C. area. Terror floods the streets and parents warn their daughters to beware.  Fear is rampart! Just what is happening? Young women are found dead, raped,  and their spirits are crying out for justice.
Will their killer be caught?  There is  group, "The Alpha Team," a group of experts that come together to solve hard cases and bring to justice the guilty. A group that works along side the police, but not part of them, bringing much needed help. But will it be enough?

 This story has some weird characters in it, and for this story that is a good thing. The story really gets interesting as you learn that the murders are similar to killings from centuries ago by Thuggees, those who worshipped the black goddess, Kali.  The authors description of the interaction between the killer and Kali is sure to curl your hair. Creepy. However, you also learn that not all murders can be lumped up and blamed on one killer, no there is more underfoot than meets the eye.  The plot thickens.

I enjoyed this read, I liked the way the author brings the local into clarity and portrays the victims as real people with families and lives that were stolen from them.  Also bringing into play the creepy worship of darkness never hurts a good murder mystery, and the author definitely brought 'creepy' into play with the worship of this Queen of Darkness and her faithful follower. Yuck! Gave me the chills and definitely is part of the read I will remember for a while!  Our author also did a good job with the characters of the Alpha Team, the description and personality of each one was well defined and their job within the group easy to follow. That helped a lot in understanding how they were proceeding in cracking the case.

All in all a very good read, full of all the elements needed with characters that blended well in each part they played in the saga, allowing the story to flow smoothly and bring it to a satisfying conclusion. Very well done, great mystery read, even though it was  tad creepy.
781259
I enjoyed this book so much that I have since purchased the others in the series.  It's obvious that the author writes about things she is familiar with I.e. dementia, hospice, unrequited love,and families.  She puts everything together with fun, quirky characters who experience a gamut of human emotion.  Then,  of course, there are the mysteries and murders. There are 8 books in the series and I am eagerly awaiting number 9.  Great reads!
60164
I really liked this mystery! This first book in the series introduces detective Jackson Brodie- a likable, somewhat hapless chap in a mid-life crisis. He almost seemed to solve these mysteries in spite of himself. The book started with three separate story lines which were skillfully woven together over the course of the tale. The three mysteries take place in Cambridge, England and involve a missing toddler, a brutally murdered teenage girl and a woman who kills her husband with an axe. Jackson's own life story unwinds along the way, along with a cast of interesting and all too human characters. Although the crimes themselves were brutal, the story is told in a cynical and humorous tone which made it a very fun read. I will definitely continue with the next book in this series.