Review of The Murders at Astaire Castle

Review of 
The Murders at Astaire Castle

written by Lauren Carr

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

Intrigue and fun are the words that describe this whodunit novel by Lauren Carr. She takes mystery to a different level that one gets entertained while trying to find out who or what is doing the killings in this tourist town.

‘The Murders’ is the right beginning of the title. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose count, as I did. The chain of events will come to a conclusion that the reader will understand, after Ms. Carr’s main character Mac Faraday and his support team, including Gnarly his German shepherd, uncover the villain.

The crimes are gruesome and non-link able as one may think. They do have one link and that is the personage that had lived and died at Astaire Castle. Is a ghost, a werewolf, a wolf man, a man or a woman the culprit? You’ll have to buy the book to find out.

Ms. Carr’s writing is fun to read if you like having an animal take over the scene. In this novel, likable and unlike able animals take over most of the scenes other than the investigative police work .

Your emotions will be played with in a good way and you’ll have a hard time picking out the criminal, because it’s a shape shifter according to a wolf man. There are also low key love entanglements. Ms. Lauren Carr draws you in; like I just did.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Carr/e/B001JP4F0Q/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1360868874&sr=8-2-ent

Review of Playing with Poison

Review of

Playing with Poison

By Cindy Blackburn

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

The one behind the eight ball has the ability to end the game when playing straight pool or for you Europeans pocket billiards. In Playing with Poison, the sleuth protagonist Jessie has the ability to end the game on a positive note by calling the right pocket.

However, she is put behind the eight ball, figuratively speaking, when a friend’s lover stumbles into her apartment unannounced. He says Jessie’s friend’s name and drops dead on her couch.

The novel starts with that shocker, but continues on, in a light hearted and humorous pace, as Jessie and her new detective friend Captain Rye proceed to find the killer. Of which, Jessie Hewitt, aka Adele Nightingale novelist, is one. How ridiculous, she mentioned to Rye, who has taken her couch away as evidence.

There is a cast of characters who wanted the dead-man dead, but only one did it. Jessie, who won’t let the police do their job, runs them all down to the anguish of Captain Rye.  Sarcasm and sexual intrigue enter into their conversations and non-conversations relating to the case.

Ms. Blackburn’s, first in a series, novel pleasantly entertains as her sleuth investigates using Jessie talk. The language of her romantic novelist character Jessie Hewitt is witty, direct at times and sarcastically on cue. Dialogue is what propels this mystery forward.

It’s interesting, that when Jessie misses putting the eight ball in the pocket, the crime is solved by her and her new acquaintance Wilson Rye, at the same time, from different points of view.  The ending is not what you’d expect. You’ll have to read it to find out.

Ms. Blackburns’ link www.cueballmysteries.com