H. G. McKinnis

Very entertaining fun read - highly recommend! I can't wait to see what the next books in the Las Vegas Mystery series are about!
The book starts out with the gruesome murder of a Las Vegas former call girl who lived next door to Helen, a middle aged woman suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness that stemmed from the loss of her husband Bobby.
When a severed finger arrives on her doorstep Helen is thrown into the middle of a murder investigation and suddenly her whole life is being examined.
She spends her days with her ever growing population of cats, talking to her dead husband, and hoarding things. The detective in charge of the case is convinced Helen knows something, but Helen can't remember what she saw!
The police fear she is the only witness so she is taken into custody so they can get her to get some medical help and to keep her safe whilst they try to figure out who butchered her neighbour.
After the detective and psychiatric doctor evaluate her, her sister, Pat Henderson, drives up from Phoenix with teenaged sons in tow to care for Helen and help the police.
Pat hasn’t seen her sister in years and is shocked at how bad her life has become since Bobby’s death ten years ago, the conditions Helen has been living in and she feels like she owes it to her sister to stay and help take care of her.
As the police delve deeper into the murder, they start to wonder if the reason Helen isn’t saying anything is because, not only did she see what happened, but she was involved so the underlying question is, despite her mental instability, is Helen a murderer?
The story revolves around both a detective mystery and a mental institution which gives it a nice change of pace having the story split between different settings and themes.
The look into mental illness shows not just what Helen is going through, but how it affects her family, friends, the medical profession and the community. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative of their family relationships, estranged and renewed, as well as Helen's own narrative through mental illness.
This was a fun easy read with a bit of a mystery at its core, better than i expected which is always a win for books that exceed expectations.… (altro)

This book was not at all what I expected. To be honest with this title I wasn't sure what to expect and went into it with a pretty open mind. I was intrigued the moment 'Bobby' came onto the scene in chapter 1. There is a murder mystery, but also a lot of laughs, and sadness. For me the underlying message was all about the importance of family and not giving up. Don't get me wrong, the murder/mystery kept me wondering right up to the very end. Highly recommended read that intertwines a lot of different genres.… (altro)

I would like to thank NetGalley and Imbrifex books for an ARC of "A Justified Bitch" by H.G. McKinnis for my honest review.
The genres of this book are Mystery and Thriller,Suspense, and General Adult Fiction.
H.G. McKinnis does an excellent job in describing the devastating effects of mental illness on a family.
The story starts when Helen Taylor, finds herself holding a finger and sitting near by her house, where a body has been found murdered next door. Helen lives in a delusional world with her cats and hoarding, and is very comfortable having conversations with her dead husband. When the police question her, she can't explain what she saw. The police take her to jail as a material witness hoping to get information. Helen hasn't showered and her hair is matted. While in jail, she becomes friends with two "jail mates" who own a beauty shop.
The police call Helen's sister Pat(Cleo), and ask her to come and try to get Helen to disclose anything pertinent to the case. Helen has not spoken to Pat for over ten years. Pat arrives with her two teen aged boys. She has the key to Helen's house, and when she opens the door she is horrified to see the hoarding conditions that Helen and her cats have been living in. Helen has a place where she goes and sells some of the things that she hoards.
Pat goes to buy clothes for her sister and get her out of jail. When she arrives at the jail house, a detective convinces Pat to bring her sister to meet with a Psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist convinces Pat that Helen should stay for at least six weeks and be on medication and counselling .
Pat and her two sons are staying at a hotel, and finds that her sons are finding ways to get into trouble. Pat is also trying to get Helen's house in order.
Helen finds a way to go AWOL, to get back to her job. While Helen is away from the health center there is another dead body found.
The author describes dsyfunctional, complex and complicated characters. Some of the teenage adventures are funny. The interactions with Pat and her sons is humorous at times.
Who is the killer? Is Helen involved? This is an intriguing, and enjoyable read with lots of action and adventure. I would recommend this entertaining book.… (altro)