A Fine Year for Murder cover art

A Fine Year for Murder

A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 2

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A Fine Year for Murder

By: Lauren Carr
Narrated by: C.J. McAllister
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About this listen

After 10 months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect...except in the middle of the night when, in the darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica's past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.

When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family while visiting family at the winery near-by, and suppressed the memory.

Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?

©2017 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2017 Terri Lynn Zaleski Cosy Crime Mystery Police Procedural Fiction Murder Suspense

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Listener received this title free

In this story we find the source of Jessica's nightmares. Murphy has been dodging flying fists for four months. A chance remark from Dallas, starts the ball rolling. This is a great mystery, we catch up with old characters. I love these stories.
C.J. McAllister narration is excellent

Great Mystery

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This is a superbly written book, which might initially seem to be a simple horror thriller but emerges to be far more than that. Nothing 'simple' here. The characterisations of the main protagonist, including a couple of dogs, is cleverly insinuated. Conversation is realistic, sometimes trivial and away from the plot itself, just like real life. There is a large cast, both in the small town but also in the family left behind, including the lazy, fat Bassett hound, Newman, and the house security, housekeeper scum research assistant AI Nigel and his inventor, brother Tristan. The whole is a convoluted mystery thriller and very amusing as situations develope, extend and unravel. Not just one mystery here - there are several and each laps against the next. This really is a plot of many parts which keeps the reader guessing, gasping and, often, giggling. Not quite the usual horror thriller but never over the top comedy, either. Great combination.

Narrator C.J.McAllister adds to the fun with a great reading, pace perfect to the story and with good individual and easily recognisable voicings of the characters. His conversations are natural, the people living, real. I especially enjoyed his performance as Nigel.Altogether, a different and very enjoyable book and I will definitely be looking out for others written by Lauren Carr or narrated by C.J.McAllister.
Recommended especially to all who don't mind losing the plot sometimes. My thanks to the rights holder of A Fine Year for Murder, who generously and freely gifted me a copy without any expectations of return, via Audiobook Boom. It surprised me and I loved it.

Idle hands, the Devil's playground.

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Not only is the character a manipulator but the author is also a master manipulator of the plot, keeping the listener hooked with all the twist and turns the story takes and I just loved it. This is book two in the series and although you don't need to listen or read the books in order, I would recommend that what ever order you listen to them in that you just listen to them, they are that good. This book focuses more on Jessica's family history but that doesn't mean the author skimps on the action or humour. This book doesn't contain as many of the extended family as the first book (characters from some of the authors others series, which are worth a listen also) but with so much going on and Jessica and Murphy's character development they weren't really missed. The characters that did make it were wonderful and had me laughing out loud, such as the couch potato dog, the computer butler and the Texan journalist. The mystery was interesting and took a lot of different directions that I was kept guessing what what was going to happen next throughout the whole book. This author has definitely jumped up to if not the top then very close to my favourite author list.
Jessica perfect life is distributed by nightmares that have her lashing out and hitting her husband while she is sleeping. Did she witness something during her childhood that she is unconsciously trying to remember? Dallas investigative reporter new story has the three of them returning to her childhood memories and her father's adopted family home. A family was brutally wiped out one summer evening and as Jessica memories come back to her, she realises her ten year old self was a witness along with her cousins. The more she learns the more she wonders did she ever really knew the people she called family. With Murphy and Dallas by her side can they uncover the hidden secret of what really happened that night?
I liked the narrator and thought he really help to bring the characters to life in my mind, I especially liked the void he used to voice the computer butler.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A master manipulator

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Listener received this title free

Newly wed Jessica and Murphy have an unusual dilemma to solve: Jessica's nightmares are causing her to hit, scratch and even bite him during her sleep - even on their honeymoon. The reason behind the nightmares relates to an incident Jessica witnessed several years before, the memories of which she has suppressed, though snippets of the incident - a murder - are coming back bit by bit.
After speaking to Dallas Walker, it seems that Jessica may have witnessed the Pine Bridge Massacre, a story Dallas (as an investigative reporter) is revisiting. They decide to return to the scene of the crime to see if, indeed, these memories of Jessica's may hold the key to the mystery. Hopefully, if Jessica can get to the root of the problem causing her nightmares she will see an end to them too.
So, with Spencer (or is it Candy) the dog in tow, they head to Pine Ridge where very odd characters (I'm talking about you, cousin Celestino) and a haunting lady in white sees them dice with many dangers as they seek to solve the crime.
There are plenty of twists in this tale that throws the case up in the air several times and kept me listening long into the night. Another reason for my attentiveness has to be down to the great narrator who really brings everything to life and maintains a great pace of suspense and high stakes with some funny, light-hearted moments to balance things out.
A new-to-me author whose back catalogue I can't wait to explore.

A well-paced, twisty mystery

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