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A review by mackenzierm
Grounds For Murder by Betty Ternier Daniels
3.0
Jeannie is being hounded by an incredibly persistent realtor to sell her precious farm following the death of her husband a few months ago. When that realtor ends up dead after borrowing Jeanie’s car, it becomes clear that this mystery client who wants to buy her farm won’t take no for an answer. There’s plenty of land for sale in the surrounding area, so why does this client want Jeannie’s land so badly? Jeannie joins forces with Derek, an off-duty cop posing as a journalist, in a quest to get to the bottom of this situation.
GROUNDS FOR MURDER is the first book written by Canadian author, Betty Ternier Daniels. It is set in rural Saskatchewan, approximately a two-hour drive from Saskatoon. The setting is well written and easily visualized.
Jeannie is a sixty-year-old widowed woman, living on her own following her husband’s death, and continuing to work on her farmland. I enjoyed Jeannie’s narration as the MC of this book – it was so refreshing to have an older main character compared to other books I’ve read lately and I can’t say that it is very common. Jeannie is a stubborn woman who is set in her ways, but she’s strong and written realistically. She comes off a bit overbearing towards her friends, family, and tenants, believing her way is the right way, so this obviously causes tensions amongst her and the other characters. It never seems that Jeannie is doing anything maliciously, simply performing ‘good deeds’ that don’t always translate well.
I found the plot to be very intriguing and was invested in seeing the characters’ investigation to find the culprit of this whodunnit as well as the reason why this was all happening. The writing style feels a bit scattered and clumsy but not terribly so. I am excited to see how this author’s style will progress and grow with future books!
The romance angle felt forced and awkward, and to me, wasn’t wholly necessary to the story, nor did it really add anything.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, ECW Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.
GROUNDS FOR MURDER is the first book written by Canadian author, Betty Ternier Daniels. It is set in rural Saskatchewan, approximately a two-hour drive from Saskatoon. The setting is well written and easily visualized.
Jeannie is a sixty-year-old widowed woman, living on her own following her husband’s death, and continuing to work on her farmland. I enjoyed Jeannie’s narration as the MC of this book – it was so refreshing to have an older main character compared to other books I’ve read lately and I can’t say that it is very common. Jeannie is a stubborn woman who is set in her ways, but she’s strong and written realistically. She comes off a bit overbearing towards her friends, family, and tenants, believing her way is the right way, so this obviously causes tensions amongst her and the other characters. It never seems that Jeannie is doing anything maliciously, simply performing ‘good deeds’ that don’t always translate well.
I found the plot to be very intriguing and was invested in seeing the characters’ investigation to find the culprit of this whodunnit as well as the reason why this was all happening. The writing style feels a bit scattered and clumsy but not terribly so. I am excited to see how this author’s style will progress and grow with future books!
The romance angle felt forced and awkward, and to me, wasn’t wholly necessary to the story, nor did it really add anything.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, ECW Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.