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Main Street Mystery #2
Dead Ends
The second title in the ‘Main Street’ series – a blast from the past has deadly consequences for the small town of Sutherton . . . - Fall arrives early in the High Country of North Carolina, but journalist AnnaLise Griggs is more concerned about one particular trio of visitors: Benjamin Rosewood, his wife Tanja, and their daughter, Suzanne, especially as AnnaLise and Ben have history. When two sudden and unexpected deaths occur, AnnaLise must protect herself and the place she loves as she is forced to confront how far a person might go to get – and keep – what they believe should be their own.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
208 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
12 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Balzo
31 books238 followersSandra Balzo is an award-winning author of crime fiction, including fourteen books in two mystery series--one set outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the other in the High Country of North Carolina. MURDER a la Mocha, the eleventh Maggy Thorsen Wisconsin coffeehouse mystery, will be released in January, and the series has been optioned for development as a TV series/film.
Balzo's books have garnered starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, while being recommended to readers of Janet Evanovich, Charlaine Harris, Joan Hess and Margaret Maron.
In addition to Twitter and her website, Sandy also hangs out at https://www.facebook.com/SandraBalzoM... and http://pinterest.com/sandrabalzo/
Balzo's books have garnered starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, while being recommended to readers of Janet Evanovich, Charlaine Harris, Joan Hess and Margaret Maron.
In addition to Twitter and her website, Sandy also hangs out at https://www.facebook.com/SandraBalzoM... and http://pinterest.com/sandrabalzo/
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 16, 2016
What should have been a simple trip home for journalist AnnaLise Griggs has turned into a nightmare. It is time for college to start and who shows up in Sutherton, North Carolina to start class, Suzanne Rosewood with her parents in tow. Her mother, Tanja and her father, Benjamin, the district attorney of Urban County, Wisconsin. AnnaLise and Ben have a bit of a past. A past she would love to forget. Now it has followed her home.
AnnaLise has errands to run and the Rosewoods all have plans so the visit is none to sweet but very short. That is until AnnaLise learns that Tanja has had an accident on the treacherous mountain road outside of Sutherton. The tragic accident turns out to be deadly. Then there is another death and AnnaLise just can't shake the feeling that these deaths are related. Her journalist instincts take over causing her to learn just how far people with go to get and keep what they believe is theirs.
Dollycas's Thoughts
When you think of Sandra Balzo you think of Small Towns - Big Crimes and that is the story she delivers.
The story is full of southern charm. The Woolly Worm Festival is right around the corner. Mama Philomena's restaurant serves up recipes like Corn Flakes Crunchy Baked Chicken, Grape Nuts Pudding and complimentary Chex Mix, the comfort food Mama (Phyllis) grew up on. And like any small town everyone knows everybody's business. Or do they?
The mystery is a delight, full of red herrings that keep the reader guessing as the clues all come together in unimaginable ways. Funny by the end everything makes perfect sense.
The twists and turns are not all in the story. The roads around Sutherton are crazy. I was gripping the book and holding on for dear life in several places. I would be a driver just like AnnaLise, timid, slow, mindful of the drop offs, but her mother and others that drive those roads daily tear up and now the mountain with ease.
Sandra Balzo is a gifted storyteller, her stories just flow with a perfect balance of what makes up a great cozy mystery. Quirky characters we love, a well-plotted story with just the right amount of humor, taking place in a picturesque setting with "cool mountains" and beautiful lakes and trout filled streams. Her stories are the perfect kind to escape into and I look forward to every trip.
AnnaLise has errands to run and the Rosewoods all have plans so the visit is none to sweet but very short. That is until AnnaLise learns that Tanja has had an accident on the treacherous mountain road outside of Sutherton. The tragic accident turns out to be deadly. Then there is another death and AnnaLise just can't shake the feeling that these deaths are related. Her journalist instincts take over causing her to learn just how far people with go to get and keep what they believe is theirs.
Dollycas's Thoughts
When you think of Sandra Balzo you think of Small Towns - Big Crimes and that is the story she delivers.
The story is full of southern charm. The Woolly Worm Festival is right around the corner. Mama Philomena's restaurant serves up recipes like Corn Flakes Crunchy Baked Chicken, Grape Nuts Pudding and complimentary Chex Mix, the comfort food Mama (Phyllis) grew up on. And like any small town everyone knows everybody's business. Or do they?
The mystery is a delight, full of red herrings that keep the reader guessing as the clues all come together in unimaginable ways. Funny by the end everything makes perfect sense.
The twists and turns are not all in the story. The roads around Sutherton are crazy. I was gripping the book and holding on for dear life in several places. I would be a driver just like AnnaLise, timid, slow, mindful of the drop offs, but her mother and others that drive those roads daily tear up and now the mountain with ease.
Sandra Balzo is a gifted storyteller, her stories just flow with a perfect balance of what makes up a great cozy mystery. Quirky characters we love, a well-plotted story with just the right amount of humor, taking place in a picturesque setting with "cool mountains" and beautiful lakes and trout filled streams. Her stories are the perfect kind to escape into and I look forward to every trip.
October 11, 2012
This novel finds our friend, AnnaLise Griggs staying with her mother, Daisy as scary medical tests loom before Daisy. To AnnaLise's mortification, while sitting in Mama's Cafe, her former lover, District Attorney Benjamin Rosewood enters with wife and daughter. While worrying about her affair being disclosed to her family and friends tragedy strikes...
Suffering a near death on a curve of the mountain, Daisy and AnnaLise hold on to their lives as their car hangs precariously close to the drop off as their car is hit, or was it. Having heard a gunshot shortly prior the accident, both ladies are incredibly confused. A village friend, Josh appears and reassures both that he has phoned 911. When the emergency crews arrive, they are surprised to see the ladies and running after a loose wheel, looking over the cliff, another car is found. Meanwhile, AnnaLise is shocked to find out that the wife of Rosewood has been killed as her car flew off the other side of the mountain, minutes before her accident...was it an accident or planned?
When AnnaLise's mother's front window is shot out the matter falls heavily into the hands of the Police.
I enjoy Ms. Balzo's writings. The book was a bit heavy with AnnaLise's emotions that made you feel you 'knew' the culprit, but, with Ms. Blazo's proven talent with twists and turns, you can be sure you are wrong. I was surprised and saddened by the culprit and reason for the crimes. A good read.
Suffering a near death on a curve of the mountain, Daisy and AnnaLise hold on to their lives as their car hangs precariously close to the drop off as their car is hit, or was it. Having heard a gunshot shortly prior the accident, both ladies are incredibly confused. A village friend, Josh appears and reassures both that he has phoned 911. When the emergency crews arrive, they are surprised to see the ladies and running after a loose wheel, looking over the cliff, another car is found. Meanwhile, AnnaLise is shocked to find out that the wife of Rosewood has been killed as her car flew off the other side of the mountain, minutes before her accident...was it an accident or planned?
When AnnaLise's mother's front window is shot out the matter falls heavily into the hands of the Police.
I enjoy Ms. Balzo's writings. The book was a bit heavy with AnnaLise's emotions that made you feel you 'knew' the culprit, but, with Ms. Blazo's proven talent with twists and turns, you can be sure you are wrong. I was surprised and saddened by the culprit and reason for the crimes. A good read.
June 2, 2017
This book was terrible. Stephen King says that good writing is real life with the boring parts left out. Apparently this book is not good writing. There were so many boring descriptions of her driving down main street, pulling in to a parking space, throwing key her bag, walking up the steps... blah. blah. blah.
I didn't get much of a feel for the characters beyond what was on the back of the book jacket and there was an overall lack of tension.
Why a 2 star review instead of 1? I read the whole book. 1 star is for when it's so bad I can't even finish.
I didn't get much of a feel for the characters beyond what was on the back of the book jacket and there was an overall lack of tension.
Why a 2 star review instead of 1? I read the whole book. 1 star is for when it's so bad I can't even finish.
February 21, 2018
The main character goes back home to care for her mother. Her former lover and his family arrive in town a short time later. Suddenly people start dying....his wife's tire is shot out and she goes over a mountain, his daughter is shot and all the evidence points to AnnaLise, the main character. Even her long time friend and police chief starts to wonder if she did it. An okay story.
March 26, 2020
I wanted to give this more stars, especially since it had characters with my last name! ;) However the writing style was awkward. Quotes from multiple people were in the same paragraph making it difficult to know who was speaking. Outside of that, the story held up and was a decent read.
March 9, 2020
What a plot! More convoluted than most other mysteries I've read.
October 3, 2014
Obtained: Through Goodreads First Reads
I hate it when I start a series and enter it mid-way; whether it is the second book in the series or the fourth book in the series. When I won Dead Ends from a goodreads giveaway and learned that it was the second book in the series, I felt a bit iffy about it. Then when I also first started reading Dead Ends, I automatically knew that the book was not for me.
To start with, the first few chapters were dull, long, and boring since I didn't know any of the characters and what was happening. I didn't know any relationships or how the relationships between the characters were unless otherwise mentioned. The vocabulary and words used was also a little too eh for my taste.
The writing in Dead Ends was also weird. When I read books, dialogues often begin and end with "...". That was not the case in Dead Ends. Dialogues begin and end with '...'; and excuse me for being petty, but I couldn't stand it since I wasn't used to reading books like that.
I have to give Sandra Balzo credit for her book's plot. If I could have ignored the writing, I would have somewhat enjoyed the story.
I hate it when I start a series and enter it mid-way; whether it is the second book in the series or the fourth book in the series. When I won Dead Ends from a goodreads giveaway and learned that it was the second book in the series, I felt a bit iffy about it. Then when I also first started reading Dead Ends, I automatically knew that the book was not for me.
To start with, the first few chapters were dull, long, and boring since I didn't know any of the characters and what was happening. I didn't know any relationships or how the relationships between the characters were unless otherwise mentioned. The vocabulary and words used was also a little too eh for my taste.
The writing in Dead Ends was also weird. When I read books, dialogues often begin and end with "...". That was not the case in Dead Ends. Dialogues begin and end with '...'; and excuse me for being petty, but I couldn't stand it since I wasn't used to reading books like that.
I have to give Sandra Balzo credit for her book's plot. If I could have ignored the writing, I would have somewhat enjoyed the story.
November 3, 2016
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
When I first started this book, I felt like the characters were being thrown out at me all at once. Anyone that was associated with the main character were all mentioned in the first few chapters. It wouldn't have been so bad, but each character had more than one name that they went by and some were duplicates and it made it a little hard to follow who was talking and who was who. The book really took off in the middle when the murder investigation really started coming together. The story was very intriguing. The story felt like it was taking a long time to get where it was going but once it finally did the book seemed to just lay the mystery out for you in the lapses between the chapters instead of explaining everything.
When I first started this book, I felt like the characters were being thrown out at me all at once. Anyone that was associated with the main character were all mentioned in the first few chapters. It wouldn't have been so bad, but each character had more than one name that they went by and some were duplicates and it made it a little hard to follow who was talking and who was who. The book really took off in the middle when the murder investigation really started coming together. The story was very intriguing. The story felt like it was taking a long time to get where it was going but once it finally did the book seemed to just lay the mystery out for you in the lapses between the chapters instead of explaining everything.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2013
This is the second in the Main Street mystery series and I found it a quick read. AnneLise, a reporter who lives in Wisconsin is home in Suterton, NC on leave to help her mother who is having memory lapses. The arrival of her former paramour DA Benjamin Rosewood, his wife and daughter take her by surprise. Evidently Ben's daughter is a student at UMO, University of the Mountain. AnneLise, having ended the affair thinks he is trying to get her back. Having realized her mistake of having an affair withh a much older married man, she is trying to help her mother with her health issues and his arrival in her home town is not what she wanted. When Ben's wife's yellow Porsche is found at the bottom of a mountain gorge, there are plenty of suspects including AnneLise. This mystery while very short, keeps you guessing to the very end.
August 7, 2012
I really love a good mystery and Dead Ends was just that. There was a nice slow build to find out what the mystery was, which gave you time to get to know the players and then there was an explosion of possibilities- fantastic. I must admit until the reveal I was wrong about who the murderer was, I won’t say who I had it pegged on but it wasn’t correct. I really loved the realistic and comfortable setting as well as the well crafted characters. It was very easy to bond with AnnaLisa and her family/friends especially Daisy, which made the tense bits very effective. This was my first book by Sandra Balzo and I can see why she is an awarding winning author. I look forward to reading more of her work very soon.
September 23, 2012
Dead Ends is the second installment in Sandra Balzo's Main Street Murders series. While I am a big fan of her Maggy Thorsen series, this one just isn't quite as good though it is hard to pinpoint why. Maybe it's more of relating to the other character just a bit more. AnnaLise is shocked to see her former lover show up in her town with his wife and daughter. Not surprisingly, the wife is killed in a tragic car accident. Once it becomes obvious that it was murder, AnnaLise starts trying to figure who did it. She is also dealing with her mother whose memory is slowly starting to fade. This seemed to pick up right after the first book as AnnaLise is still on her one-month leave of absence and still insists that she'll be returning to Wisconsin.
August 26, 2014
Journalist AnnaLise is still waiting to learn of mother Daisy has early-onset Alzheimer's when her former lover, district attorney back in Wisconsin, shows up--with his wife and daughter. When a death follows, AnnaLise becomes a suspect, although the police chief is her best friend from high school. She's sure that she knows who the real killer is, but she has no proof. As more secrets are exposed, she and Daisy end up in danger.
February 27, 2016
Good characters and plot. Fun small town to which the main character returns for family reasons after living in the big city. Ends up in the middle of the deaths of family members of her former lover who she never expected to see in her hometown. Various suspects including the main character for a time although it gets resolved by the end.
August 26, 2020
This paperback book is interesting, mysterious, intriguing easy to read and a page turner. There is even some romance involved. Yes romance like a love triangle. The Wife, The Husband and the other woman and how does that affect the husband's family an the other woman's family?
I highly recommend the book. Will read again and have.
I highly recommend the book. Will read again and have.
August 13, 2012
I was lucky enough to win this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I like a mystery and this was a good one. A quick read featuring characters that were easy to like. It had a down home feel based on it's location that added to the book.
June 12, 2013
Another light summer read. This is one where you feel like you know the people and the place. What I call "quaint, quirky little town I'd like to live in" stories. I'll read more of these.
August 19, 2013
When I started this book, I didn't like it that much. But by the end was quite wrapped up with the characters. Now I just may have to read the first one!
Read
June 8, 2017Miniseries: Main Street Murders
February 6, 2016
this was just BAD!
this was a gift from a friend -- I always wonder where she picks up these books ....
this was a gift from a friend -- I always wonder where she picks up these books ....
January 6, 2015
Really enjoying this series.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews