Lia Farrell

What a great start to a series. This Author’s debut novel contains exactly all the right ingredients needed to make a perfect cozy mystery.

Even if the reader wasn’t aware when they picked this up that is was set in the South, as soon as they start to meet and get to know the characters it would become apparent. The women and their mannerisms all reminded me of the Southern women I have encountered since coming to live in the US, and some even resembled family members which made me smile. Through a crisp writing style the Author brings their characters not only to life, but has them serving sweet iced tea to the reader as they progress through this book, and in this way it I found it very easy to connect with them and establish a relationship; even their gossip made me feel included in their everyday lives.

Although this is a cozy mystery, it is written in such a manner that it reflects its setting. There is no rushing to the climax, which when it comes is fast paced and packs a punch, but rather a slow and deliberate feel to the whole plot; rather like life in a small rural Southern town, slow, deliberate and with meaning in everything that takes place. So carefully has the Author worked at setting the scene for the plot that the reader is pulled into the town itself and made to feel part of a community where everyone knows everything about everybody… or do they? In the writing of the dog boarding and breeding side of the novel, it was plainly obvious that not only had the Author done extensive research into these subjects, but then taken the time to make them interesting enough to their readers as to not seem out of line with the rest of the happenings; this time was well spent as I found these parts of the book very interesting and not off-putting at all.

I would highly recommend this book to lovers of a good cozy mystery, and I will definitely be reading more in this series as they appear.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/01/23/review-one-dog-too-many-mae-december-1-lia...



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

… (altro)

What a great start to a series. This Author’s debut novel contains exactly all the right ingredients needed to make a perfect cozy mystery.

Even if the reader wasn’t aware when they picked this up that is was set in the South, as soon as they start to meet and get to know the characters it would become apparent. The women and their mannerisms all reminded me of the Southern women I have encountered since coming to live in the US, and some even resembled family members which made me smile. Through a crisp writing style the Author brings their characters not only to life, but has them serving sweet iced tea to the reader as they progress through this book, and in this way it I found it very easy to connect with them and establish a relationship; even their gossip made me feel included in their everyday lives.

Although this is a cozy mystery, it is written in such a manner that it reflects its setting. There is no rushing to the climax, which when it comes is fast paced and packs a punch, but rather a slow and deliberate feel to the whole plot; rather like life in a small rural Southern town, slow, deliberate and with meaning in everything that takes place. So carefully has the Author worked at setting the scene for the plot that the reader is pulled into the town itself and made to feel part of a community where everyone knows everything about everybody… or do they? In the writing of the dog boarding and breeding side of the novel, it was plainly obvious that not only had the Author done extensive research into these subjects, but then taken the time to make them interesting enough to their readers as to not seem out of line with the rest of the happenings; this time was well spent as I found these parts of the book very interesting and not off-putting at all.

I would highly recommend this book to lovers of a good cozy mystery, and I will definitely be reading more in this series as they appear.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/01/23/review-one-dog-too-many-mae-december-1-lia...



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

… (altro)

I enjoyed the story very much and thought the author gave us wonderful characters. What I liked the most about the story was the mystery surrounding the old house. It seemed to be the focal point of the story and it really fascinated me. I could see the house with shutters hanging off and stairs that creak beneath your feet. I could imagine cobwebs climbing down the walls as a lonely guitar was found that had long been forgotten.

Mae is a wonderful character and I was pleased to read of her upcoming marriage to none other than the dashing Sheriff Ben Bradley. I was a bit concerned that she wasn't quite over Noah. As a film crew comes to town to shoot at the old house, things really start shaking up. What is found under the staircase in a closet? Why are so many people interested in the previous sheriff? Ben has proven to be a great replacement as new sheriff but he has his hands full when a murder takes place. Prior residents of the town start to show up and this makes for a fun adventure of secrets and lies. It's hard to say who is telling the truth as the author delivers incredible character development.

I can't forget to mention Mae's mother who uses her profession as a reporter to dig into the murder and other shady goings on in the town. I felt sorry for Ben at times when he tries to keep Mae safe and his future mother-in-law from snooping around. This is one book that I really thought was cleverly written with subtle hints of who the guilty person was, but also has some surprises I didn't see comingTthis is the last book in the series and it comes to an ending that will please fans.

I received a copy of the book from The Great Escape Virtual Book Tours. The review is my own opinion.… (altro)

The book is a delight to read and I loved reading about the customs in the small villiage where the setting for the book is. I'm not familiar with voodoo except it always made me uncomfortable. There are certain beliefs they go by and seem a bit secretive . The author does an amazing job of giving readers details of what Voodoo is. It is a very old religion that is a way of life for some and their customs may make some people uncomfortable. They do honor their dead in a beautiful ceremony and the details were very intriguing. The book is well written and starts off with the mysterious death of a young woman. The decision to take in the mother dog and pups were heartwarming.I did sense that perhaps the dog knew her master was gone and felt a little down. The description of the dogs were so vivid I could picture them with their beautiful color and regal appearance.

Who is the young woman that has been found dead? The story is very intense and I loved the characters in the book. There are several suspects and lots of unanswered questions that keeps the story moving at a good pace. With an election getting close, Sheriff Ben Bradley needs to solve the case. Is the election somehow connected to the death that is being investigated? Strange signs pop up at Dory's home that warn her to stop investigating. Will Dory heed the warning, or continue to snoop around for answers?

Mae December is the sheriff's fiancé and I thought the authuor really made her a strong character. She sure does like to "help" with investigations. There are several characters in the book that are connected to the murder in some way and I really liked how the author made each one a strong possible suspect. There are many secrets throughout the book and the Voodoo Village is becoming quite a mysterious little place. The story weaves through several mysterious deaths and comes to an exciting end. I will be checking out the other books in this series, because the author really knows how to keep a story moving with very interesting characters .

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Great Escapes Book Tour. The review is my own opinion and I was not compensated for it.… (altro)