A Fine Year for Murder by Lauren Carr

by Carol2 Comments
A Fine Year for Murder is the second in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. From the first, we know that Jessica has nightmares, and this time around we learn why. Once again, the coincidence that bring everyone into the investigation seems a little forced. Jessica and Murphy attend a family dinner where investigative journalist Dallas Walker is describing a cold case she is investigating that is known as the Pine Bridge Massacre – a brutal killing of a family. Jessica realizes that she witnessed the death of the young girl but has been suppressing the details causing her violent nightmares. What are the chances, really, first that Jessica was a witness to the massacre, and that a family member's girlfriend happens to be investigating it? But let's just ignore that and get on with the rest of the book. I thought the mystery was well done. I liked how Carr blended the "real" clues with Jessica's memory. The family at the winery, Jessica's adoptive family as...
Read More

Kill and Run by Lauren Carr

by Carol3 Comments
The mystery in Kill and Run was good. Carr lets you think you know who the bad guy is, right up until you're wrong. Everything tied together, although some of the coincidences were a little tough to swallow. I don't know why I thought this was going to be a cozy mystery, because it's got a harder edge than that, which is not surprising considering Murphy is with NCI and a member of an elite secret force called the Phantoms. The tone of the narrator made it seem more like a thriller and less cozy, too. It does have a bunch of quirky animals, though, which is a cozy trait and the amateur sleuth - Jessica - who puts herself in dangerous positions. There are a lot of characters in this. From Murphy and Jessica's families to the military folks, it's a lot to keep track of. I listened to the audio, I guess print and ebook versions have a cast of...
Read More

Guest Post by Lauren Carr, author of A Fine Year for Murder (with giveaway)

by Carol3 Comments
An Author By Any Other Name …. By Lauren Carr (aka Jack’s wife, Tristan’s Mom, Marilyn Mayhem, and Beast Master) Occasionally, I receive an email from an author terrified of using Facebook, the Internet, or any social media for fear of friends and relatives identifying them. Once, I received an email from an author afraid to promote his upcoming book. “I have relatives out there who I don’t want to find me,” he said. I’m certain there’s a great story behind this, but he refused to tell me. I was surprised when I first started conducting workshops in using social media to discover that many writers are terrified of promoting their books online for fear of their friends and family finding out that they’re published authors. So, I offer this solution: Use a Pen Name! Read on to learn about my not-so-secret identity. My husband has been the financial director at our church for over twenty years. Yep, this mystery writer, who spends her days researching...
Read More

Book Blitz: The Murders at Astaire Castle by Lauren Carr

by CarolNo Comments
Book Excerpt: Prologue November 2002 – Astaire Castle, top of Spencer Mountain, Deep Creek Lake, Maryland Shivering, Rafaela turned up the fan for the heater in her old Plymouth. The weather channel was calling for snow. With an eye on the storm clouds heading straight for Spencer Mountain, she picked up the speed a notch. Her car bumped along the worn road cut through the trees and rock to take her to Astaire Castle. The notion of being trapped at the castle by a winter storm made her curse the day she had accepted the job as housekeeper at the Astaire estate. The young illegal immigrant thought her prayers had been answered by landing the job at the luxurious estate. Not only was it prestigious to work in a castle, but lucrative since Damian Wagner was paying almost twice her normal hourly wage. What a gem to put on my housekeeping resume! To be hire by only one of the world’s most famous authors of...
Read More

A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr

by Carol5 Comments
Earlier today, you got to read a bit about Mac Faraday's life from his point of view. My first meeting with him and Archie Monday, his girlfriend was in A Wedding and a Killing. At #8 in the series, it worked fine as a stand-alone for me, although I may have enjoyed it a little more had I known the characters longer. I find that with a lot of series books, they work on their own, but they work better as a whole. I have to admit that when I saw this was touring, I decided to read it because I enjoyed Lauren Carr's  guest post in May, "My Mother Isn’t a Psychopath, She’s a Mystery Writer," so much. It was funny and true and gave me high hopes for her stories. A Wedding and a Killing was a quick read and I really like Mac. He's a good guy, a little gruff around the edges, but a hear of gold,...
Read More

Meet Mac Faraday: A Character Guest Post by Lauren Carr

by Carol1 Comment
Today I'm happy to welcome Mac Faraday to my blog. Mac is the detective in Lauren Carr's new book, A Wedding and a Killing. Meet Mac Faraday by Lauren Carr Archie told me that I had to write this article for some blog (What’s a blog anyway?) for a friend who loves mysteries. So, where do I start? I guess I should start at the beginning. It all started a few years ago. Truthfully, it started much before that, but for me, it started a few years ago. One day, I came home from working eighteen hours on a case as a homicide detective in Washington, DC, to find that my wife of more than twenty years had thrown my stuff out in the yard. That was when I found out that she was leaving me for her lover, District Attorney Stephen Maguire. The next thing I know, I’m living in a third-floor walk-up apartment while Christine is living in the three-bedroom, two-bath home that...
Read More