Life Without Parole

Kate Conway Mysteries #2

by Clare O'Donohue

After the death of her ex-husband, things are finally returning to normal for Kate Conway—so normal that she’s gotten a little bored. Out of the blue, the television producer is offered a documentary gig about lifers in a state prison. Kate jumps at the chance. The only problem is that she’s also just been asked to produce a reality show about the opening of a new restaurant—one backed by Vera, her dead husband’s mistress. Reluctantly, she agrees to both.But when one of the restaurant’s investors is murdered and Vera is the chief suspect, Kate must ride a treacherous psychological edge, relying on the minds of death row killers to help her solve the case.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Murder Mystery, Crime

275 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Clare O'Donohue was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of four children. Her parents, John and Sabina O'Donohue, were both born in Ireland. They met in London and moved to the US and settled on Chicago's South Side where she was raised.

She always knew she wanted to be a writer and in fact wrote her first novel when she was 15. It was a mystery. After college she worked as a newspaper reporter and writing teacher before moving to LA and getting her first job in television. That was on the HGTV show, Simply Quilts. she had already been quilting for about five years, which was why the producer hired her, but she really got an education in quilting from that show.

http://clareodonohue.com/feed/

Reviews

[Lorretta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this through GoodReads Giveaway.

I have not read the first book in this series, so I read this as a stand alone story.

Kate is still recovering from the death of her husband who died just months after leaving her for his mistress. She is stuck in drudgery and has been content to live life on auto-pilot. However, she is starting to become annoyed with her stale life, current job as a tv producer for a budget makeover series when BAM! two things land in her lap to create some excitement.

She has been tapped to produce a show for a prestigious network featuring the construction, start-up and opening of a ritzy restaurant AND to intervew two prisoners that are sentenced to life for a prisoner series. She accepts both never thinking that the two shows would somehow intertwine.

Kate receives a rude awakening when she discovers one of the investors of the restaurant is the woman that her husband left her for, Vera. Vera continually tries to bond with Kate, and though Kate is reluctant to let her in, she admits Vera is really a decent person. It doesn't help that Kate's camera man and sound man both like Vera also. Kate decides to continue on with the show and meets Vera's new beau who is also an invester.

In prison, Kate interviews two prisoners: one that seems to have accepted his fate and has made a life within the walls, the other who claims he can't remember his crime, but says he must have done it.

As both series continue filming, Kate receives a call from Vera that she has found a dead body at the restaurant. Making the decision to call Kate first and waiting for her to arrive before calling the police is only the first of several mistakes. A little white lie to the cops starts a spiral of deceit and bad decisions, Kate talks to the prisoners about her dilemna, and one of the prisoner's reveals that he has info on another invester that has been linked to the mob. More intrigue ensues with double-dealing, not so surprising twists, and finally the conclusion.

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did because I started out really enjoying Kate. As the book progressed, she made so many dumb choices that I couldn't associate with the smart, scrappy Kate from the beginning of the book.

This is a quick read, good for a day off or layover.

And I'm sorry, but any woman that messes around with a married man has NO redeeming values.

[Claudia Hogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel follows Kate Conway, a lonely widow who is a freelance TV producer. It started off with her producing a home flipping show, which she doesn’t care for, but since her husband passed less than a year before, she wanted to take it easy.

When I was around the 2nd or 3rd chapter, something felt off to me. When I looked it up, o learned this was actually book 2 in this mystery series.

I kept reading anyways because Kate’s husband, Frank had an affair before his death and it got pretty ugly when it all came out. That storyline was enough to keep me interested.

Ultimately, Kate leaves the home flipping show and starts working on 2 different documentaries. One is on 2 inmates serving life sentences, the other is a reality show about opening a new fancy restaurant.

Surprisingly to Kate, the restaurant show turns out to be more interesting than she initially thought to was going to be….with some mysterious deaths happening within workers and investors.

There are so many twists and turns and so many people involved within the restaurant that it kind of made my head spin.

Maybe I was just getting tired when I finished, but the ending wasn’t a very good ending for me. I’m going to have to go back to the first book and catch up with what happened in the beginning to see how I really feel.

Follow me on IG: @bookstobarbellsbabe

[Bridget Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I didn't read this two book series so I went to start the first book and realized I already read it 6 years ago. I do know I didn't love it but it wasn't horrible. After starting to read this book, I realized why I didn't love the first book. I don't think this author does anything wrong, I just don't love her style of writing just not my thing. I don't love the character development and the fact that there are so many with no real background on many of them just makes it confusing. It's just a fast quick read with not much development. Typically, I don't mind not having so much description but not this one. This author really isn't bad just not meshing with her. Not a bad two books series but you also don't need to read both back to back either.

[Lisa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fluff murder mystery! Some mysteries are jam-packed with unpleasantness- gory murders described in too much detail, bad language and bad behavior everywhere (as if to prove that murder is just one of many sins), and plots that are so convoluted that by the time the mystery is solved, I just have to trust it’s got the right culprit because I got lost in the twists, turns, and dead ends half a book ago.

This book had me engaged until the end, and I didn’t necessarily have it figured out. There’s a bit of cussing, but just to establish that our heroine can be tough. Looking forward to spending more time with Kate Conway.

[Jan Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Missing Persons, we met Kate Conway trying to do her job as a freelance producer of a show about a missing woman while her life is unraveling. In Life Without Parole, Kate is back and still trying to get past the loss of her husband. She is off her game and both shows she is working on turn out to have more drama than she could have imagined. Three murders help jolt the old Kate back into action.

[Jennifer Marra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clare O’Donohue might be my new favorite author. She has a way of being able to create multiple different plots in one short novel. Nothing is ever left unsaid and I’m never left wondering what happened to a certain character. Even though I love reading her novels, they end at the perfect moment and I’m completely satisfied at the end.

[ME · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this with a two week break in the middle for a trip to Italy, so some of the story got a little lost, but I enjoyed it, and still like Kate's voice a whole lot. There were some grammatical rough spots and I do wish a good editor would tighten things up, but it's really not a distraction. Looking forward to the next one.

[JB · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh. I read this because I read one of her quilting series and liked it, this one was only o.k. I kept getting Andres and Victor confused as they didn't seem to have any personality, Vera was a ditz, I don't know why Kate bothered with her, and the guys in prison didn't fit into the story at all. The cover is nice though.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Clare O'Donohue,
I love Kate Conway. It is time for her to kiss Vera good-bye. She only brings sad and conflicted memories of Frank. It is time for you to write one last book and finally find some happiness for Kate.
Yours truly,
A fan

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from goodwill thinking the story sounded interesting. I realized it was the second book in a series after I started but the story stands alone fine. It was fine. Sometimes hard to follow and I didn’t care a whole lot about the characters but I did like Kate.

[Brianna | briannas_books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very standard who done it mystery. I was entertained but not quite impressed by any of the story. It was super quick to read and kept my attention. Overall I like the story, just not as much as some of my other all time favorite mystery/thriller books that pack a punch.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

not bad.....may read another of Clare's...

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed both books in this series and I’m sad it’s over.

[Tammi Goerdt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great quick read! Keeps you entertain and wanting more. A good reminder of how an enemy can always be some a friend and the most dangerous, a protector.

[Susan Beyerle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Kate is a fun heroine - and well developed for a series book - so far...

[ajoyim · Rating 5 out of 5]

love, love, love!!!

[Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always like to read the stories in which a person that is not in the normal business of investigating falls into the position. In this case Kate Conway who is a television producer takes on a job to produce a show for the Business Channel. She accepts because she is offered a large amount of money. Unfortunately for her, when she shows up for the first day of shooting, her dead husbands mistress appears to be the one behind her hiring. From this moment on I was constantly asking myself "why are you doing this?" when it came to the actions of our main character Kate.
Kate takes on doing two producer jobs at the same time. In between taping at the restaurant, she's also shooting a documentary at the prison. Kate is a real homebody, especially since her husband died. She has a real hard time opening up to people and getting out of the house in general. When she discovers that Vera is going to be a part of her new job, I was surprised that she was willing to keep the job. But when Vera becomes a suspect in all the dangerous activities surrounding the murders, Kate becomes a shoulder to lean on instead of pushing her away. I kept asking myself if Vera had anything to do with the passing of Kate's husband as well.
The combination between the characters we get to see really keeps the story interesting. From the prisoners that are the focus of her documentary, to the people that are partners with Vera in the building of the new restaurant. But perhaps my favorite characters are Kate and her film crew. The closeness they have with each other from all the jobs they have worked on together really forms a sort of close-knit family. They call each other on their bullshit and great support for each other.
The story really begins to suck the reader in when Vera herself starts getting death threats and Kate decides to help her figure out who is doing it. There is always a constant feeling of suspense and thriller that leads to a somewhat strong ending, but the road there is full of twits and mystery.
I can see that this series can go a long way. Kate has a personality that will grow on you and I am really interested to see what she take on next.

Review written for www.tarasharp.com

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The secret to O’Donohue’s Kate Conway character is that she is the antithesis of O’Donohue. The author writes with an energy and vivaciousness that the protagonist lacks. Conway is alone in life, settling into a disturbing trend of inertia and curt to the point of being rude. Even her appearance is downtrodden and dowdy. That she is getting over the sudden death of her husband who she discovered was cheating on her is a decent excuse.
In the second of the Kate Conway series, we find our heroine disgusted with her recent free-lance television production and yearning for a program with a little more sustenance. When she hooks up with a program that wants her to interview two former death-row inmates, their sentences reduced to life without parole, she heads to the penitentiary immediately with her camera and recording crew in tow.
Simultaneously she receives a call wanting her to take on a second job, taping a series about up-and-coming restaurants that are opening in the area. When she finds out that the woman her husband was cheating on her with is one of the investors, and then discovers the rest of the motley crew that are involved with the project, including a local mobster and his wife, she probably should have listened to that inner voice that initially said no, but hey a girl has to pay the rent, right?
Inevitably problems come up with both film locations that indubitably are linked together by a thread; Kate has to figure out which group is lying more than the other without putting her job, and perhaps her life, on the line.
In typical O’Donohue fashion, we are led through a trail of lies and deceit, red herrings and dead bodies in this modern-era cozy and brilliantly woven tale of corruption, unrequited love and life in general, with or without parole.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

We first met Kate Conway, free lance television producer in Missing Persons, her soon to be ex-husband was killed and she was the prime suspect. Of course, she didn't do it.

In Life Without Parole Kate is actually a little bored as her life returns to "normal". Then she is offered two new jobs. One is a documentary about prison inmates sentenced to life without parole and the other is a reality show about a new restaurant.

She accepts both jobs and works out a schedule. Things go awry when one of the investor's in the restaurants is murdered. Then become even poor intense as she digs deeper in to the minds of the prisoners. Can what she learns from these death row killers help her solve the murder mystery?

Dollycas's Thoughts
I adore the way Clare O'Donohue writes. These stories are of the edge of your seat variety, face paced, exciting and can't put down.

Kate Conway knows her job and she does it well. She gets in the heads of both the investors and the prisoners. There are a lot of mind games happening here giving this story some unexpected psychological elements.

Clare O'Donohue is writing what she knows as she has worked in television. Her experience helps draw some awesome characters and plausible plots. The dialogue rings true as do the relationships, even the most unlikely friendship between Kate and Vera. In my review of Missing Persons I said I felt like I was watching a television drama and almost forgot I was reading a book. The same is true in this installment.

Kate Conway continues to develop at a perfect pace. With her chosen profession the material for future stories is endless. That makes this reader very happy.

[JeniReadABook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first experience reading one of Clare O'Donohue's books. I actually got this book for free as a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I entered to win the book because the premise sounded interesting. My curiosity was piqued when I saw that there was a lot of interaction between the main character and some prisoners serving life without parole sentences. Although this isn't the first Kate Conway novel, it works well as a stand alone book. Not reading the previous book did not detract from this book at all.

I don't read a lot of mysteries, in comparison with some of the other genre's I read, but I do like them. I enjoy the change of pace now-and-then. I found O'Donohue to be a good writer. She did a great job of explaining who the characters were and their interactions with one another were entertaining. Her story was fast paced and easy to read. One of my favorite parts of the novel was how O'Donohue had cleverly captured the busy lifestyle of Kate by showing her working on two different projects at once, all while attempting to work through the grief she was experiencing since her husband's recent death.

I did enjoy this book, although I'm not sure if I enjoyed it enough to read more of O'Donohue's other books. I have such an extensive list already of books I'd like to read, that this author just didn't excite me enough. It wasn't poor writing or even a boring story. It just wasn't quite good enough to keep me coming back. I don't regret reading the book though, and it didn't take long to read. If you want a quick light read, I suggest you give this one a try.

http://jenireadabook.blogspot.com/201...

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Kate Conway mystery picks up after the painful, complicated death of Kate's husband, which took place in the first book. It's seven months later and she's fooling herself into thinking she's recovering. My heart aches for the rather brittle, but likable Kate as she deals with her grief and her boredom with her job as a reality show television producer.
She's been doing decorating and makeover shows and becoming more jaded with each one. So she jumps at the chance to do something different, interviewing men serving life sentences in prison—life without parole. The two men lined up for the first documentary episode are murderers whose death sentences were commuted. Kate is to show the TV audiences how they deal with the fact that they will die in prison. She is excited to talk to two people who don't care about throw pillows or paint chips.
Another show lures her by offering her lots of money and promising to work with her schedule. This one will have her film the investors and participants in a new, hip restaurant as the build-out is finished and the place opens. When Kate finds out who is behind the job offer, she almost backs out. The further she gets into the lives of these people, all of whom are hiding something, the more reservations she has. When one of them is murdered, she tells herself that finding the killer will make good television. But she finds she's not quite as hardened and cynical as she thinks she is.
I can't say enough good things about this novel. It's deeper and more serious than a lot of mysteries and a super read.

Reviewed by Kaye George, author of “Choke” for Suspense Magazine

[Jessica at Book Sake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life Without Parole was only okay for me. The book was well-written with interesting characters, but I didn’t quite understand the main character’s actions at times. I realized later that this book is part of a series and I haven’t read the first one, Missing Persons. I would suggest reading that first to get some background on Kate, the split from her husband and the circumstances surrounding it. I had a tough time understanding the relationship between Kate and Vera (her ex-husband’s mistress). I kept asking myself how anyone could protect a woman who ruined your marriage, even if it’s the right thing to do. I just felt like there needed to be more background on that. Otherwise, I really liked the bits about the prisoners and how Kate utilizes their knowledge to help solve her own case and prove Vera’s innocence. I thought it connected the two stories really well. Aside from needing to read the first book in the series, my only complaint is that I didn’t think there were enough twists and hardly any that surprised me.

I obviously would recommend reading the first book in series before attempting to read this book. There are some very complex emotions going on in this book that I think reading the first book would sort out a little better. 3 stars for Life Without Parole.

Reviewed by Brittany for Book Sake.

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life Without Parole is the second book in the Kate Conway mysteries by Clare O'Donohue. I found this series because I was looking for a female detective series taking place in Chicago, as I have read every book in the V I Warshawski series.
Kate Conway is a 37 year old widow (subject of book 1) and tv producer. In this book, she takes on two shows at once: one about the life of prison inmates and the other about the start up of a trendy restaurant. All seems well enough until the restaurant manager turns up murdered and Kate's friend Vera is the number one suspect.
The book is a page turner and manages to intertwine the two cases nicely. I like Kate. In the first book she was a grieving widow who happen to stumble upon another murder case. In this book, it's obvious to me that her years working in crime shows have made her into a novice detective. She is spunky, has an edge, and is young enough that should the author continue, she should be around for awhile.
I also like her cast of characters- Vera, Andres, Victor, and Ellen- her well meaning but pushy sister. I am interested in the direction this series takes i.e. will Kate ever get remarried and look forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out.

[Anuj Davé · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Kate Conway series and although I didn't read the first one, it wasn't hard to catch up on Kate's backstory or the regular cast of characters. Kate is working on two assignments; one is a documenary about prisoners sentenced to life without parole and what life is like for them knowing they will never get out, and the other is a reality show about the opening of a new restaurant. The two things that complicate Kate's jobs are the fact that she is tempted to break the unwritten rule to not care too much about prisoners she is interviewing for the documentary, and the fact that one of the restaurant investors happens to be Vera, Kate's late ex-husband's mistress who is now suspected of murdering one of the other investors. In an unexpected twist, it turns out that the prisoners end up helping her solve the murder case with their unique insights into the mind of a criminal.

I did enjoy this story as my introduction to the series and the author and look forward to reading more as new titles are published. For summer reading, this would be a good book to take along to the beach or on vacation.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) This is the 2nd book in the Kate Conway series. Kate is adjusting to life without her husband, but is becoming desperately bored with filming home improvement shows. She gets the opportunity for two new jobs; one is a documentary of prisoners that have been sentenced to life without parole and the other is for a business show on a new restaurant opening, backed by her unlikely friend Vera. She finds herself strangely drawn to the two lifers she is interviewing, while she deals with the bickering group of egos for the restaurant shoot. When one of the principals ends up dead and is found by Vera, she calls on Kate in a panic. In order to help Vera, Kate finds herself depending on her two lifers to help figure out who may be responsible. But she may have placed her trust in the wrong place and put both herself and Vera at risk of ending up dead. The race is on to solve the crime before someone else ends up dead. We see more of Kate's vulnerability in this book, but she still has a tough and smart presence.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Kate Conway mysteries by Clare O' Donohue. They are well-written, smart mysteries and I'm never able to figure out the ending. Kate is a freelance TV producer, and unlike other mystery books where the heroines seem to stumble on murders, Kate's involvement in these cases makes sense. She's not a Nancy Drew wannabe, but rather a smart, savvy, producer with a critical mind who is adept at interviews. In this second book in the series, Kate is working on a documentary about prisoners serving life terms in prison, and a business segment on the opening of a new restaurant.
O' Donohue does a fantastic job taking readers inside the minds and lives of prisoners, and showing how Kate must tap into the mind of a murderer in order to help a friend who is being framed for a crime she didn't commit at the restaurant. This book will have you reading late into the night!

[Elizabeth "Eli" Olmedo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clare O’Donohue’s Life Without Parole is an intriguing and edgy page-turner. This is not your typical novel with “good” and “bad” characters. On the contrary, all of them are guilty of something, ranging anywhere from lying to the police and obstructing justice all the way up to murder. No one in this book is quite what they seem. The challenge is figuring out what they are trying to hide.

Kate is an interesting character to follow. In spite of her cold and abrupt outlook on life, deep down she has a soft spot for people as proven by her attempt to help her ex-husband’s lover. O’Donohue also has a way of making even the most flawed character sympathetic — even the killers serving life sentences. I would recommend Life Without Parole to mystery and suspense fans.

Copy received via NetGalley from the publisher.

[(Lonestarlibrarian) Keddy Ann Outlaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Kate Conway mystery and I'm sorry to say I did not enjoy it as much as the first one. In the first one, Missing Persons, the sleuthing related directly to Kate since when her husband died, she was both suspect and amateur detective. In this novel, Kate is producing two reality tv shows, one about a ritzy start-up restaurant, the other about men in prison. When one of the restaurant's investors is murdered, this time around the blame falls on Vera, Kate's frenemy. I often have this problem with mystery series where I enjoy an author's first book or two in a series and then become bored with subsequent books, so maybe it's me. Sometimes when that happens I give up on the book but I did finish this one, rooting for both Kate and Vera.

[Sunni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, what a disappointment. After her first Kate Conway mystery I couldn't wait to read this. The author introduced so many interesting characters and I figured after doing such a great job setting the stage in her first book, this one would develop these characters further while weaving them into an interesting mystery. Wrong on both counts. There is no depth to this book at all, and the mystery is just plain dull. It felt more like a check list of characters, Q & As, and clues to get through. The restaurant and jail settings were also flat.

[Stven · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author has shaped this story for readers with short attention spans. I'm through 48 pages and 11 chapters. It's all a little too flip for my tastes, too. The most interesting things I have to report about this book are that: a) it's one of TWO books I brought home from the library that day with the cover showing the back of a brunette in a red coat in the snow, and b) thanks to the obscuring library "M ODONOHUE" label on the spine, I pulled the book off the shelf genuinely expecting its title to be "Life Without Paris."