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thephdivabooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so compulsively readable and addictive! I found myself thinking about the mystery of A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty whenever I wasn’t reading it. As journalist Harper McClain pursues a killer, the police throw up road blocks, and Harper finds herself the focus of a different sort of crime that is no less terrifying. This should be a top pick for mystery fans in 2019!
About the Book
This is the second book in a series featuring crime reporter Harper McClain, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone (though it does spoil a few things from book 1, so if you care about that, read them in order or at least be forewarned). Harper is a journalist in Savannah, GA, and the current book shows her on the outs with the police department due to the case from the previous book.
Harper is hanging out with her best friend Bonnie at The Library, a bar that Bonnie works at, when a call comes in about a murder. To their horror, they know the victim—Naomi Scott, a law student who works part time at The Library and was seen leaving the bar less than an hour before she was shot.
Though we don’t really see Naomi alive much in this book, there’s something about her that really shines through the story. Naomi is by all accounts, beautiful, compassionate, intelligent, kind, and hard-working. She’s a perfect example of a victim of a seemingly senseless crime, except that there was definitely something off when she left the bar. She was texting and then left early, and now no one can find her phone.
The suspect list narrows quickly to a few individuals, but it isn’t totally clear who is responsible. The current boyfriend with no alibi? The ex-boyfriend with motive but an airtight alibi? The owner of the bar who has an apparent drinking problem? The police have their number one suspect, but Harper has other ideas. In a highly charged political case, Harper and her boss put themselves out there to reveal the truth. But someone won’t let that happen!
Reflection
I absolutely loved Harper. She’s that perfect mix of incredibly strong but authentically vulnerable. Harper can shatter but pull herself together, but she feels everything. She is dogged, damaged, and passionate. She’s someone everyone will root for because she goes after what is right, even when it may not be what is best for her.
There’s another ongoing plotline about Harper’s personal life, with an ex-boyfriend (which honestly that had me right in my feels!) and with a potential stalker. The stalker plot was absolutely chilling. Harper starts reviewing all of the times she thought something wasn’t right but she brushed her instincts aside, and honestly I had goosebumps! And then story between her and Luke, well that was really something. It felt so authentic and emotional and raw. Very well-written!
I am confident this won’t be the last we see of Harper, and as the book ends we get a small hint of where the story may go next. I will be signed up to read it the moment the draft is done! Truly excellent work by Christi Daugherty!
I received a copy from Minotaur. Opinions are my own.
About the Book
This is the second book in a series featuring crime reporter Harper McClain, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone (though it does spoil a few things from book 1, so if you care about that, read them in order or at least be forewarned). Harper is a journalist in Savannah, GA, and the current book shows her on the outs with the police department due to the case from the previous book.
Harper is hanging out with her best friend Bonnie at The Library, a bar that Bonnie works at, when a call comes in about a murder. To their horror, they know the victim—Naomi Scott, a law student who works part time at The Library and was seen leaving the bar less than an hour before she was shot.
Though we don’t really see Naomi alive much in this book, there’s something about her that really shines through the story. Naomi is by all accounts, beautiful, compassionate, intelligent, kind, and hard-working. She’s a perfect example of a victim of a seemingly senseless crime, except that there was definitely something off when she left the bar. She was texting and then left early, and now no one can find her phone.
The suspect list narrows quickly to a few individuals, but it isn’t totally clear who is responsible. The current boyfriend with no alibi? The ex-boyfriend with motive but an airtight alibi? The owner of the bar who has an apparent drinking problem? The police have their number one suspect, but Harper has other ideas. In a highly charged political case, Harper and her boss put themselves out there to reveal the truth. But someone won’t let that happen!
Reflection
I absolutely loved Harper. She’s that perfect mix of incredibly strong but authentically vulnerable. Harper can shatter but pull herself together, but she feels everything. She is dogged, damaged, and passionate. She’s someone everyone will root for because she goes after what is right, even when it may not be what is best for her.
There’s another ongoing plotline about Harper’s personal life, with an ex-boyfriend (which honestly that had me right in my feels!) and with a potential stalker. The stalker plot was absolutely chilling. Harper starts reviewing all of the times she thought something wasn’t right but she brushed her instincts aside, and honestly I had goosebumps! And then story between her and Luke, well that was really something. It felt so authentic and emotional and raw. Very well-written!
I am confident this won’t be the last we see of Harper, and as the book ends we get a small hint of where the story may go next. I will be signed up to read it the moment the draft is done! Truly excellent work by Christi Daugherty!
I received a copy from Minotaur. Opinions are my own.
gingerellaj's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
A Beautiful Corpse is the second in the Harper McClain series and having enjoyed the first (and Daugherty's first crime novel), The Echo Killing, when Harper Collins offered me the opportunity to read the next one, I immediately agreed. The story picks up several months on from where the last one ended, and reveals how Harper is dealing with the fall out of everything that happened. She's yet again faced with a murder mystery and the challenge of how far she will or should go to unearth the details, including putting herself in danger once more. Thinking about it like that, I wouldn't be surprised if I'd gotten annoyed or frustrated with Harper but Daugherty has effectively conveyed Harper's journalistic and moral drive for discovering the truth that you're simply rooting for her! The sweltering heat of Savannah continues to be a well-described backdrop for the events. The mystery of her mother's murder when she was just a child continues to rumble on, with an interesting development revealed towards the end. I'm simultaneously eager for Daugherty to put me out of my misery to learn what happened to Harper's mother but equally, I enjoy being propelled by the unknown. This series is a real page turner and Harper once more endears me to her. I would again be keen to read the next in the series.
A Beautiful Corpse is the second in the Harper McClain series and having enjoyed the first (and Daugherty's first crime novel), The Echo Killing, when Harper Collins offered me the opportunity to read the next one, I immediately agreed. The story picks up several months on from where the last one ended, and reveals how Harper is dealing with the fall out of everything that happened. She's yet again faced with a murder mystery and the challenge of how far she will or should go to unearth the details, including putting herself in danger once more. Thinking about it like that, I wouldn't be surprised if I'd gotten annoyed or frustrated with Harper but Daugherty has effectively conveyed Harper's journalistic and moral drive for discovering the truth that you're simply rooting for her! The sweltering heat of Savannah continues to be a well-described backdrop for the events. The mystery of her mother's murder when she was just a child continues to rumble on, with an interesting development revealed towards the end. I'm simultaneously eager for Daugherty to put me out of my misery to learn what happened to Harper's mother but equally, I enjoy being propelled by the unknown. This series is a real page turner and Harper once more endears me to her. I would again be keen to read the next in the series.
teresaalice's review against another edition
4.0
I am really enjoying this series, and am looking forward to the next installment of the Harper McClain saga.
jane_kelsey's review against another edition
4.0
Harper is one hell of a woman and I loved her balls! She is the centre of this novel and she was perfect for it. It's a shame I did not realise when I picked it up that it was a sequel to another novel and now I'm too spoilt to read it because I adored Harper as a character, she was strong and fierce and vulnerable. Although the novel was a sequel, I didn't realise it until there was mention of previous events which did not deter from my understanding of this novel at all - I really appreciated that, and there was enough information there to understand what had happened in the past. The scenes with the hot detective were all that I lived for: angsty as hell. There was a lot of emotional baggage and mystery in that relationship alone so I am subscribed to this series because I need to know what happens on this hot front.
This is a mystery/crime/thriller so there is enough murder to satisfy me, with plenty of suspects to choose from and added plot twists. I did feel like I was ahead a lot of the time and could see these twists just before they came into view so they weren't really a shock to me and I kinda knew at some point kinda who it was and how it could've been done. Maybe I am just that good, or maybe that was the weak point of the novel. However, the writing was beautiful and the pacing was good, keeping me glued to the screen.
I will have to keep my eyes peeled for whatever Christi Daugherty will do next and this is one of those series that I need to follow. I am definitely hooked. Maybe I will even go and read the first book later this year once I will forget the details of this one.
This is a mystery/crime/thriller so there is enough murder to satisfy me, with plenty of suspects to choose from and added plot twists. I did feel like I was ahead a lot of the time and could see these twists just before they came into view so they weren't really a shock to me and I kinda knew at some point kinda who it was and how it could've been done. Maybe I am just that good, or maybe that was the weak point of the novel. However, the writing was beautiful and the pacing was good, keeping me glued to the screen.
I will have to keep my eyes peeled for whatever Christi Daugherty will do next and this is one of those series that I need to follow. I am definitely hooked. Maybe I will even go and read the first book later this year once I will forget the details of this one.
ladyreading365's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kawells's review against another edition
5.0
Just as page turning as the first book. I’ve already pre-ordered the third!
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
A solid 4 stars.
This is book 2 in the series, but there was enough information about the events in book 1 that it worked fine for me. Harper McClain is the crime reporter for the Savannah Daily News. She goes to the scene of a murder with her friend Bonnie, a bartender at the Library Bar. The murdered woman is the other afternoon shift bartender, Naomi Scott. Harper wants to solve the case, because she feels the police are pursuing the wrong man. She identifies another suspect, Peyton Anderson, son of the local District Attorney. The police tell her that Peyton has a rock solid alibi, but won't reveal the details. How she solves the murder of Naomi makes for an exciting mystery/thriller
One quote:
Heat--"When she stepped out of the newspaper office, the sun was fierce. Humidity hung so thick it left a white haze in the air, giving the gold dome of the City an oddly electric shimmer in the distance.
August was always brutal, but this year it seemed even worse than usual. It had been over 100 degrees for two weeks."
Thanks to Harper Collins UK for sending me this eARC through NetGalley
This is book 2 in the series, but there was enough information about the events in book 1 that it worked fine for me. Harper McClain is the crime reporter for the Savannah Daily News. She goes to the scene of a murder with her friend Bonnie, a bartender at the Library Bar. The murdered woman is the other afternoon shift bartender, Naomi Scott. Harper wants to solve the case, because she feels the police are pursuing the wrong man. She identifies another suspect, Peyton Anderson, son of the local District Attorney. The police tell her that Peyton has a rock solid alibi, but won't reveal the details. How she solves the murder of Naomi makes for an exciting mystery/thriller
One quote:
Heat--"When she stepped out of the newspaper office, the sun was fierce. Humidity hung so thick it left a white haze in the air, giving the gold dome of the City an oddly electric shimmer in the distance.
August was always brutal, but this year it seemed even worse than usual. It had been over 100 degrees for two weeks."
Thanks to Harper Collins UK for sending me this eARC through NetGalley
paprika411's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed reading this book. This is my first time reading Christi Daugherty and will not be my last. This book is definitely for those who love a good mystery and enjoy putting all the pieces together. I loved the main character Harper, the investigation journalist. Harper was a very independent and strong character and that made it easy to enjoy. I loved how the author interwove the newspaper and crime scene elements. I enjoyed following along with Harper as she followed leads throughout the city. The ending was also solid and transitions you for the next story in the series. I look forward to reading more! Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
windy_witch's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second book to the Harper McClain series, set in Savannah and follows crime reporter Harper as she gets involved in a murder case of a young law student.
I didn’t read the first in the series but I will go back and read this especially as I feel there will be a follow up to this novel.
I didn’t read the first in the series but I will go back and read this especially as I feel there will be a follow up to this novel.