Lee Alvarez works for her family’s company, Discretionary Inquiries, a company that deals mostly with software piracy. Lee and her brother, Richard, love pulling together the clues that are easily missed by others. But when her mother, the CEO of the company, tells Lee to follow the husband of a friend believing the guy is cheating on his wife, Lee can’t understand why she was assigned to something so outside the realm of what she does. It doesn’t help when she finds the guy’s dead body.

It took me a bit to get into this book—I don’t know Spanish and was lost at the use of some phrases which were more heavily thrown into conversations at the beginning of the book. Lee is half Spanish and her it’s her uncle’s first language. But I found I liked Lee and the fact that she just can’t let go of something she’s been told to walk away from. And I definitely came to like her family, especially her mother after a certain incident.

It’s kind of easy to guess early on the actions that had dead guy found where he was at, but not as easily to guess the who or why.

I enjoyed it enough to download the next book. ( )

I loved this book! One of the characters reminded me of myself...always finding trouble. All of the characters were very interesting and well developed. The ending was a complete surprise for me, but once it was revealed, it made perfect sense. If your looking for a great mystery,, give this one a try. You won't be disappointed ( )

Murder Is A Family Business is book one in the Alvarez Family Murder Mystery series.

Liana Alvarez (Lee to her friends) isn't your typical female, for one, she's a P.I. who investigates computer technology theft and yea, sometimes other stuff, like the case her mother put her on to find out about a cheating husband. Feeling like the job is beneath her, she takes in on anyhow as a favour to her mother's friend, whose husband is suspected of cheating. However, before she can say boo, Mr. Porter Wyler, real estate kingpin, is dead and the case takes on a whole new meaning.

Lila Alvarez is Lee's mother and partner in the private investigator business, in which her husband started in hopes of nabbing computer thieves. She is the cliched type of aristocrat who is used to getting her own way in everything, and continues to ride her daughter for answers, running the agency with a tight fist, she doesn't take no for an answer.

Together, alone with Lee's brother, Richard, her Uncle Tio and her cat, Tugger, she sets out to uncover the intrigues that surround, what was supposed to be a routine man cheating on woman deal, to learn the real truths behind the manifestations of all those involved.

I really enjoyed Lee's personality and character. She is witty, comical and not the damsel in distress type of lady. She strives for perfection in order to please her mother and the memory of her father. You will find yourself chuckling over the antics and situations she gets herself into, she continuously seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the investigation turns deadly and involves her life, she pumps up her efforts instead of running from the ordeal ahead.

I found the twists and turns in the plot to be enjoyable, even if I did figure out the culprit long before the book ended. Now I had to read it to see if I was correct, and that was part of the charm with the story, the predictability of the character's involved didn't hinder the plot nor the story. I enjoyed the tidbits of information dispersed throughout the pages on San Francisco and Silicon Valley, I hadn't expected that and it was refreshing to read. I liked Lee, she was as strong woman and I was thankful for such, sometimes authors make the main character a helpless, hapless victim that needs to be "saved", I loved that Heather Haven did not do this to Lee Alvarez, it would have seriously dampened the plot.

The only downfall to the book were some scenes seemed to continue longer than they should or could have. I would've liked to have read a bit more about Richard, but I'm sure he will have more of a backstory in the books to follow. I quite enjoyed this new series and I think Heather Haven has found a successful and fresh approach to murder/mystery suspense novels. I look forward to reading more in the months ahead. ( )

Heather Haven's writing is AWESOME! Yep. Awesome! She blends lots of mystery and suspense with humor and greatastic characters. It's quirky and it's twisty, and it's one that I am so happy to have had the chance to review.

Liana "Lee" Alvarez is put on the case of the cheating husband, and man, she's NOT dressed for the occasion. She's used to being in the office helping with the techno stuff. But, she can't turn down her mom's friend in a time of need. So, on a pouring down rainy day, dressed in heels and intent on investigating, Lee heads to San Francisco to the gather the clues of the cheating hubby. When she's forced to take cover in the phone booth near the warehouse where she's investigating, she finds a lonely little kitten who looks more like drowned rat. She takes him home and enlists the aid of her Latino uncle in kitten sitting while she sets out to solve the crime of the murdered cheater. But, what happens when she goes to give her statement and finds
that SHE is a suspect, since she was the last known person at the scene of the crime?

I had so much fun following Lee around, gathering clues and piecing the puzzle together. I was a little sad when the turns twisted and she ended up in the hospital. But, between her and her fun loving brother, that sadness was quickly replaced with thrills as the crime was coming full light. Awesome!

I highly recommend this book with 4 star praises. It's the start of a series that is SURE to be a hit selling one, and a series that I can't wait to collect and read more about this Latino WASP investigator! Well done, Heather! ( )