Murder Off U Street

Academic Mom Mystery, #2

by

Jacque Rosman

Frustrated by the police's lack of follow-up, Dr. Cara Knight looks into the suspicious deaths of two young women.

Murder Off U Street is the second book in Jacque Rosman's Academic Mom Mystery series and features Professor Cara Knight of the Virginia University Department of Social Work. Cara is surprised when one of her star graduate students gets into trouble at her internship with the Metro D.C. Police Victim Services unit. But when she steps in to help facilitate the situation, she finds there’s a whole lot more at stake than a student’s grade. 

Emily Vinter had fallen for one of the patrol officers at the department and, during a ride-along with her new boyfriend, provided counseling to the victim of a domestic disturbance complaint. Weeks later, when the woman turns up dead, supposedly by her own hand, Emily questions the ruling of suicide for a number of reasons. Setting up a meeting with the supervising staff at Victim Services to discuss the situation and re-establish the expectations and parameters for the internship, Cara arrives to find Emily distraught, certain she is going to be fired. The meeting was informative and discouraging, and Emily was nowhere to be found even though her backpack, laptop, and other personal items were still at her desk. Under the guise of performing a welfare check, Cara goes to Emily's apartment and finds her also the apparent victim of suicide. When the police refuse to dig into the coincidences and inconsistencies, Cara dives in to root out the truth behind Emily's death. 

I really enjoyed this story of the dedicated social work researcher, who is also the mother of two young children, one a particularly difficult toddler named Noah. She balances her family life with her teaching, research supervision, and part-time sleuthing well, though it is not easy. I liked how the author included how Cara and her husband Seth wrangled over who was going to have to sacrifice time in their schedules to cover all their bases, just like in real life. 

Uniquely for a cozy mystery, both "Cara the Professor" and "Cara the Mom" live very socially isolated lives. While "Cara the Mom" engages with other mothers after school pickup as their children expend some of their pent-up energy on the playground, she knows she is different and not quite one of the group. "Cara the Professor" works at a small satellite location 200 miles from the main campus of Virginia University. With few exceptions, her coworkers are pretty self-involved, and her students are absolute pills. Cara's closest woman friend is her mother-in-law, Barbara, who lives in Miami and visits infrequently, although she was present and involved in the previous book's mystery and resolution. Barbara has her quirks and self-indulgences, and as she's probably in her mid-60s, she's starting to slow down. She's an effective assistant at times, especially when the situation calls for a "Karen," a good conversationalist with interviewees, but physically, she may have peaked. Collectively, the Metro D.C. police are portrayed as an unpleasant, unhelpful bunch of jerks: antagonistic, argumentative, and dismissive.  

The plot really kept my attention from start to finish, and I read it in one evening. I enjoyed Cara's methods of questioning and responses to get her suspects to talk. She pursued practical lines of investigation without a bunch of wild goose chases. There are several good suspects to consider, but the final resolution completely took me by surprise. I look forward to the next installment in this series. 

While this book is the second in the series, it can easily be read and enjoyed without having read the debut novel; it stands well on its own. I recommend MURDER OFF U STREET to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy a sleuth who is juggling a home, children, and a career, an academic or social work theme, or a Washington, D.C. setting.

For this and other book reviews and giveaways, visit BOYS' MOM READS!

Waters of Destruction

Orchid Isle Mystery, #2

by

Leslie Karst

An intriguing murder mystery with an atmosphere-rich Hawai’ian setting!

Waters of Destruction is the second book in author Leslie Karst’s excellent and atmosphere-rich Orchid Isle Mystery series featuring two malahinis (newcomers) to Hilo, Hawai’i, retired transplants from Southern California, Valerie Corbin and her wife, Kristen. When one of the bartenders goes AWOL at the restaurant where she works, Sachiko asks Valerie, a former caterer, if she could fill in for a couple of nights until a permanent replacement is hired. But when the missing bartender is found dead, and Sachiko becomes the police’s number one suspect in his murder, Valerie agrees to snoop around among the restaurant staff for clues as to who really killed him. 

Valerie and Kristen have made the big move to Hilo, bought a great old home, and are in the delightful process of outfitting the kitchen, locating the perfect pieces of furniture at garage sales, and generally settling into their new life. They are a fun couple with both common and divergent interests, and they are wonderfully adept at coordinating with each other. Since the murder in the previous book, Kristen has come to terms with Valerie’s interest in getting to the bottom of the mysteries, especially to help out their new friends. 

The story is full of vibrant descriptions of the island and island life that are so vivid I felt I was seeing things firsthand, and I enjoyed the recipes featured after the story was over. I loved how the author included a glossary of the various Hawai’ian words and phrases that peppered the dialogue throughout the story at the end of the book. However, she did a great job with context or short explanations when a new word came up. 

While the eventual victim is missing at the start of the book, it takes a while for his death to be discovered. In the meantime, the author cleverly introduces the staff at the restaurant where he worked and the members at the rowing club where he was competing for the position on the team for an upcoming race, while Valerie carefully prods them for their opinions about the man. Her questions are to the point, but she always strives to be low-key so as not to alarm anyone or keep from appearing too interested in the answers. I enjoyed how she finally came to the right conclusions, and the final face-to-face between her and the murderer was intense but, ultimately, successful. It pays to make friends. I look forward to this couple’s further adventures. 

I recommend WATERS OF DESTRUCTION to cozy mystery readers, especially those who would enjoy a Hawai’ian setting or realistic LGBT representation. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

When the Actor Inspired Chaos and Bloodshed

by

Nicholas Litchfield

The riveting tale of an actor unwittingly drawn into an obsessed director’s dangerous vision for an action/adventure cult film.

When the Actor Inspired Chaos and Bloodshed is Nicholas Litchfield’s riveting story of a struggling Hollywood actor cast as the “career-making” lead in a South American director’s upcoming action/adventure film. Enticed by his agent’s claims that this is sure to be his break-out role and the director’s early successes, actor Dominic Graves soon finds himself heading to Uruguay, anticipating 10 weeks on set in a beautiful seaside location. However, the amenable location may end up being the only promise fulfilled of the entire experience. 

Dominic Graves is a 31-year-old, five-year veteran of the Hollywood scene, but with only a handful of B-movie credits to his name, his signature megawatt smile is starting to dim. His agent, Bernie Finkelman, a horrid and abusive old man with rumored ties to the Mafia, is no longer an active advocate for Dominic’s career and has sold him a few “bill of goods” jobs in the past, so he’s understandably wary. However, Dominic, who has earned a reputation for hard drinking and carousing while on a project, starts drinking on the flight to Uruguay and takes some of his worst, self-destructive habits with him into this new opportunity, negatively impressing the other members of the cast and crew. Ignatio Martinez, the vision-driven and cliché-spouting director, only contributes to Dominic’s troubles with pre-dawn to late-night workdays, no downtime, and numerous unnecessary takes of scene after scene after scene. Add in a leading lady with a history with the director and desperate for a big career, who clings to whomever she currently deems most beneficial to her goal, including her new leading man, and the filming becomes a nightmare. Scores of unhappy film industry professionals are trapped working on a project that quickly begins to look like it will ever see distribution. 

The plot is well-paced, with an absolute gem of an opening that guaranteed my continued reading. Dominic is an engaging character, and I couldn’t look away as he immediately began making a series of unfortunate behavioral choices and what he experienced once on set. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of film creation were interesting, and the discussions around the practical aspects, especially the safety concerns for those involved, were fascinating. The suspense built steadily, and I had a constant, fearful anticipation of what would happen next and whether or not Dominic would even survive principal photography. 

I recommend WHEN THE ACTOR INSPIRED CHAOS AND BLOODSHED to readers interested in tales of filmmaking gone awry. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

See this and more reviews on my blog, Guatemala Paula Loves to Read.

Red Kingdom

Fairy Tale Retellings, #2

by

Rachel L. Demeter

A wonderful enemies-to-lovers medieval romance and fairy tale reimagining.

Red Kingdom by Rachel L. Demeter is the second offering in the author's Fairy Tale Retellings series and features the elements of the Little Red Riding Hood story. However, this is assuredly a grown-up fable of danger, suspense, adult situations, and a well-done enemies-to-lovers slow-burn storyline, and definitely not one to share with the kiddies. 

Princess Blanchette Winslowe is a wonderful heroine. Her upbringing has kept her ignorant of the truth of her father's cold, harsh reign, and she is completely taken by surprise when his knights, led by Sir Rowan Dietrich – the Black Wolf – stage an insurrection. She begins the story naïve and sheltered, though compassionate and kind, but is abruptly forced to face a reality she never even suspected existed. The character experiences great growth and development as she discovers the truth about the state of her homeland and the people her father was meant to safeguard and nurture. 

Sir Rowan, formerly a friend and supporter of Blanchette's father, had been committed to wresting control of the kingdom from King Bartholomew without harming the innocent prince and princess of the castle. Still, unbeknownst to him, some of his soldiers had plans to take their rage and revenge out on anyone in the household. He's a principled man, valuing honor, justice, respect, and upholding the lord's responsibility for caring for the people of the land. 

Together, Princess Blanchette and Sir Rowan are dynamite with a long, slow-burning fuse. 

The author's storytelling drew me right into their world and I practically inhaled this story – it was so good. The shocking opening attack on Winslowe Castle literally changed my plans for the evening; I had to keep reading! The immediate tension, vivid descriptions, and the palpable terror of the characters make for intense and compelling reading. While the plot changes to the relationship between the two main characters, the story's mesmerizing nature continues. 

I recommend RED KINGDOM to romance readers who enjoy fairy tale retellings, a medieval time period, and an enemies-to-lovers storyline.

 I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.

Beneath the Broken Oak

by

Lori Altebaumer

Excitement and suspense from its adrenaline-inducing beginning to its surprising conclusion.

Beneath the Broken Oak by Lori Altebaumer is an exciting and suspense-filled story set in West Texas. It is told in dual timelines that will keep readers turning pages as fast as they can. Indeed, there were twists in the plot that had me gasping out loud! 

The story’s main protagonist, Jodee Trevaine, is with the Texas A&M Forest Service and is in the small town of El Hueso to check out an ancient live oak, which, if trees could talk, could definitely tell a tale. A simple restroom break at a truck stop proves to be a life-changing event for more than one reason, including a chance encounter with a man from her past, a child’s abduction, and a vicious attack.

 The plot unfolds in dual timelines and from multiple points of view, each with their own storylines of building suspense and secrets. But perhaps my favorite aspect of the book was the mysterious, other-worldly cowboy who makes timely appearances just when he’s needed the most. 

However, it is the author’s writing style that really made this book special for me. Her use of language made for compelling reading, with vivid descriptions that piqued my interest in what she was saying beyond the gripping tale, as well as tantalizing foreshadowing of what was yet to come in the story itself. I couldn’t put this book down, wanting to see what would come next and next and next. 

I recommend BENEATH THE BROKEN OAK to readers of Christian fiction, mystery, and suspense. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.