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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
i think i'll just stick to reading agatha christie when i want a cozy mystery because this was painful to read
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel is the debut novel in The Oakwood Mystery series. Charlotte “Charley” Carpenter owns Old Hat Vintage Fashions in Oakwood, Ohio (wonderful state). Charley is joining the Agathas Book Club to garner more customers (a higher end clientele) for her shop. But Charley does not enjoy the ladies in the group or their endless gossip. It seems someone else shares Charley’s opinion. Serena Wyndham is found on a mattress under a bridge. The killer staged the scene, but why? Charley is curious about the murder and does some snooping around. Then a second victim, Lisa Summerfield is found. She is also from the Agathas and her murder is reminiscent of a book the club read recently. Whoever is murdering these women knows the Agathas Book Club members and the books on their reading list. What does the killer have against the Agathas? Charley is determined to get answers and make sure the culprit pays for his crimes.
The Book Club Murders is easy to read and has a nice small town setting. I had high hopes for this book (a mystery about mysteries), but I was not entertained. The Book Club Murders, unlike regular cozy mysteries, contains foul language and sex (neither of which are needed). Ms. Nagel overplayed the sexual attraction between Detective Marcus Trenault and Charley (steamy, sizzling). It was over-the-top and annoying. I wrote down “We get it. She dislikes Marc but is attracted to him.” This book was turning into a “bodice ripper”. An example is “attraction burned as bright as ever” (cliché and not the only one in book). The first murder occurs in chapter one which makes for a long book. I wish authors would lead into the murder. If it happens too early in the book, the readers quickly loses interest (and skips to the end to see if they correctly identified the killer). The author is a descriptive writer and provides minute detail on what seems like every little thing. Charley was not a likeable character. She is extremely nosy, determined, and has attitude issues. It is Charley’s way and get out of the way if you do not approve. I give The Book Club Murders 2.5 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). The mystery may seem complicated, but it can easily be solved. There is a good twist, but, if you are a regular mystery reader, you will see it forthcoming. The idea was good, but I was not partial to the finished product. There is an excerpt for The Antique House Murders at the end of the book.
The Book Club Murders is easy to read and has a nice small town setting. I had high hopes for this book (a mystery about mysteries), but I was not entertained. The Book Club Murders, unlike regular cozy mysteries, contains foul language and sex (neither of which are needed). Ms. Nagel overplayed the sexual attraction between Detective Marcus Trenault and Charley (steamy, sizzling). It was over-the-top and annoying. I wrote down “We get it. She dislikes Marc but is attracted to him.” This book was turning into a “bodice ripper”. An example is “attraction burned as bright as ever” (cliché and not the only one in book). The first murder occurs in chapter one which makes for a long book. I wish authors would lead into the murder. If it happens too early in the book, the readers quickly loses interest (and skips to the end to see if they correctly identified the killer). The author is a descriptive writer and provides minute detail on what seems like every little thing. Charley was not a likeable character. She is extremely nosy, determined, and has attitude issues. It is Charley’s way and get out of the way if you do not approve. I give The Book Club Murders 2.5 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). The mystery may seem complicated, but it can easily be solved. There is a good twist, but, if you are a regular mystery reader, you will see it forthcoming. The idea was good, but I was not partial to the finished product. There is an excerpt for The Antique House Murders at the end of the book.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Easy read for a light quick mystery.
Before i get into my review, I am going to state I do not think this is a cozy. It is on the fringes, but had a few F* bombs, there was sex that was sort of behind closed doors (perhaps a smidge more explicit than you would normally find) and just didn't read like one to me.
Despite that, the book is good and I did not suspect the right person as the killer. We are led down some paths that don't lead to the killer (but the author does a great job of letting you think that person might be the one!) . I liked the premise of the book club trying to solve the murder, or at least a few of them. Of course i liked that the book club read only mysteries in tribute to Agatha Christie since that is my favorite genre.
There is a budding romance between Marc and Charley (Charlotte), but they have their moments showing their true selves to each other. Marc is jealous of the relationship between his mom & Charley and Charley's dad before her passing. Charley has her own issues too.
Overall a good book and worth reading.
Despite that, the book is good and I did not suspect the right person as the killer. We are led down some paths that don't lead to the killer (but the author does a great job of letting you think that person might be the one!) . I liked the premise of the book club trying to solve the murder, or at least a few of them. Of course i liked that the book club read only mysteries in tribute to Agatha Christie since that is my favorite genre.
There is a budding romance between Marc and Charley (Charlotte), but they have their moments showing their true selves to each other. Marc is jealous of the relationship between his mom & Charley and Charley's dad before her passing. Charley has her own issues too.
Overall a good book and worth reading.
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this mystery but I did feel that there was a bit too much violence and sex for a cozy. Charley owns a vintage clothing store in small town Ohio and belongs to a mystery book club. When murders start happening around town that are similar to the books the club is reading she works with the police in solving the crimes. Since this is the first book a lot of characters are introduced. The mystery was good with lots of suspects and twist and turns. The reader is given a chance to solve it. I was not a fan of the romantic side plot. There were no surprises there and there is some light sex. I probably will read the next one since I enjoyed the mystery.
This is the first in a new series and debut cozy mystery for Leslie Nagel. I thought this was a terrific book. I was hooked from the first pages and kept turning pages until the very end. The story is well written and has a well crafted plot and mystery. I was kept guessing as to the identity of the killer until the end. I thought the characters were well done. At first I wasn't a fan of Marc's but as the story progressed he grew on me and I liked how the romance between him and Charley developed. The only warning I would give is that there is profanity peppered throughout the dialogue. I know language is something that makes a difference to some readers so if you are offended, this might not be the book for you. I wasn't bothered by it but thought I would just point that out.
A full review will be posted on my blog closer to release date.
I was provided an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion and the thoughts expressed are my own.
A full review will be posted on my blog closer to release date.
I was provided an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion and the thoughts expressed are my own.
This mystery really engaged me. I loved the characters and the story moved along at a nice clip. I felt that I was coming in at the middle of their lives, which is a good thing! I loved discovering different facts about the characters along the way. Nicely written and engaging. I will certainly read the next books in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for my review.
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *
Charley Carpenter, owner of a vintage clothing store is desperate for her store to be a success. Her beloved father has incurred multiple strokes and when caring for him was more than she could do, she hired a live-in caretaker, Lawrence. She opened her business two years ago and needs to turn a profit. She decides, with coaxing from her best friend, to join a book club called the Agathas. The Agathas are made up of the towns elite women, therefore, potential customers. To her joy, it is working. To her dismay, most of the women are pretentious snobs. Charley will tough it out though for her bottom line.
When a body is found murdered and staged, Detective Marc Tenault is called in to lead the investigation. Charley and Marc have history, bad history. But she has also harbored a crush on him since high school. When a second body is found and Charley makes the connection that the staged scenes are right out of her book clubs reading list, her and Marc must team up, because it looks like one of the Agatha's is doing more than reading about murder..
I really enjoyed this book. Charley is a great heroine, feisty, stubborn and she won't back down. She was smart but flawed, like any good cozy sleuth should be. I also liked her best friend, Francie. She was spunky and up for anything. I had mixed feelings about Marc. sometimes he was likable and sometimes he was an arrogant jerk. The author tried to explain his bi-polar behavior, but it just didn't sound believable.
The mystery was fantastic. You think you get it figured out, then twist. Then another twist. I kept flipping through suspects and didn't have it completely figured out until reveal. It was great. I love that! And the murder plot made sense and the murders were complicated enough that it wasn't at all vanilla.
I would definitely recommend this book to any cozy mystery readers out there!
Charley Carpenter, owner of a vintage clothing store is desperate for her store to be a success. Her beloved father has incurred multiple strokes and when caring for him was more than she could do, she hired a live-in caretaker, Lawrence. She opened her business two years ago and needs to turn a profit. She decides, with coaxing from her best friend, to join a book club called the Agathas. The Agathas are made up of the towns elite women, therefore, potential customers. To her joy, it is working. To her dismay, most of the women are pretentious snobs. Charley will tough it out though for her bottom line.
When a body is found murdered and staged, Detective Marc Tenault is called in to lead the investigation. Charley and Marc have history, bad history. But she has also harbored a crush on him since high school. When a second body is found and Charley makes the connection that the staged scenes are right out of her book clubs reading list, her and Marc must team up, because it looks like one of the Agatha's is doing more than reading about murder..
I really enjoyed this book. Charley is a great heroine, feisty, stubborn and she won't back down. She was smart but flawed, like any good cozy sleuth should be. I also liked her best friend, Francie. She was spunky and up for anything. I had mixed feelings about Marc. sometimes he was likable and sometimes he was an arrogant jerk. The author tried to explain his bi-polar behavior, but it just didn't sound believable.
The mystery was fantastic. You think you get it figured out, then twist. Then another twist. I kept flipping through suspects and didn't have it completely figured out until reveal. It was great. I love that! And the murder plot made sense and the murders were complicated enough that it wasn't at all vanilla.
I would definitely recommend this book to any cozy mystery readers out there!
There is much to enjoy about this debut, though I would classify it less as a cozy mystery and more as a romantic suspense. The mystery is extremely well-crafted and kept me guessing right up until the very end. We get the best of both worlds with the amateur sleuth as well as police procedural. The romance – whew – the chemistry is through the roof, and the author does a fantastic job creating a tangible electricity between them. The characters are fun and vivid, and at a certain point you like all of them so much you don’t want the killer to be any of them. And then for a while you like so few of them that you hope the killer is EACH of them lol. I really enjoyed the characters that made up the police department, at least those we encountered in this investigation, and I love Frankie and her husband as my favorite secondary characters. Oakwood, as far as small towns go, is quirky and cute and full of potential for future murders books.
On the flip side, The Book Club Murders is a lot steamier than most cozy mysteries I’ve read – a genre that can be typically trusted to be “clean fiction”. Prevalent – and strong – profanity also proved disappointing to me in this one; again, not something I am used to finding in a cozy mystery. The intimate scenes weren’t explicit enough to be offensive, but the language crossed my own personal level of tolerance.
Bottom Line: While The Book Club Murders is a skilled debut full of vibrant characters and an intriguing plot, classifying it as a “cozy mystery” may be a bit of a stretch. It has all the right elements for a fantastic thriller or edgy romantic suspense, but few of the beloved elements common to cozies. Additionally, I didn’t quite follow some of the lead detective’s motivations – professionally or personally. Be that as it may, Leslie Nagel has great talent and knows exactly how to craft an edge-of-your-seat mystery that will keep readers turning the pages until they’ve read the last word.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower
On the flip side, The Book Club Murders is a lot steamier than most cozy mysteries I’ve read – a genre that can be typically trusted to be “clean fiction”. Prevalent – and strong – profanity also proved disappointing to me in this one; again, not something I am used to finding in a cozy mystery. The intimate scenes weren’t explicit enough to be offensive, but the language crossed my own personal level of tolerance.
Bottom Line: While The Book Club Murders is a skilled debut full of vibrant characters and an intriguing plot, classifying it as a “cozy mystery” may be a bit of a stretch. It has all the right elements for a fantastic thriller or edgy romantic suspense, but few of the beloved elements common to cozies. Additionally, I didn’t quite follow some of the lead detective’s motivations – professionally or personally. Be that as it may, Leslie Nagel has great talent and knows exactly how to craft an edge-of-your-seat mystery that will keep readers turning the pages until they’ve read the last word.
(I received a copy of this book in exchange for only my honest review.)
See my full review at Reading Is My SuperPower