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Jayden Morrow Mysteries #1
Crossed
Safe life in a small town just got dangerous.
Jayden Morrow moves to Grasshopper Hill, NC and becomes a private investigator expecting life to be safe. After dodging bombs in Iraq as an MP, cheating husbands and insurance fraud seem like a walk in the demilitarized zone. But when a young girl is found murdered at a local Christian rock concert, Jayden's military instincts kick in, and any hope for peace and quiet blows up in her face.
The case plunges her into the midst of a powerful church family. Hirshel Lightner, the head pastor, tries to crush her investigation. Even worse, Jayden finds herself attracted to Hirshel’s son-in-law, Adam--a man who could be the killer. If Jayden isn’t careful, she might be the next victim.
Jayden Morrow moves to Grasshopper Hill, NC and becomes a private investigator expecting life to be safe. After dodging bombs in Iraq as an MP, cheating husbands and insurance fraud seem like a walk in the demilitarized zone. But when a young girl is found murdered at a local Christian rock concert, Jayden's military instincts kick in, and any hope for peace and quiet blows up in her face.
The case plunges her into the midst of a powerful church family. Hirshel Lightner, the head pastor, tries to crush her investigation. Even worse, Jayden finds herself attracted to Hirshel’s son-in-law, Adam--a man who could be the killer. If Jayden isn’t careful, she might be the next victim.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2012
About the author
C.J. Graves
5 books14 followersAh, the dreaded profile--right up there with root canals and query letters. Let’s see…
I grew up poor, chubby, and fatherless in a small Pennsylvania town. (Ouch.) But none of this has stopped me from becoming super-wealthy, movie star-svelte, and happily married, living in a fabulous area of North Carolina. (Okay, some of this may be exaggerated.)
So what is the truth? What IS truth, for that matter? And how much does it matter for a fiction writer? Despite the deliciousness of these questions, they will have to be answered by greater minds than that of C.J. Graves. But here are a few bits of information that are mostly true:
-I have a B.A. in Interior Architecture and Design from the University of North Carolina.
-I lived in Japan for a couple years. Konnichiwa!
-I started out writing nonfiction, then screenplays, then novels--three different genres. (I may have writing ADD. Is there a Goodreads support group for that?)
-I like rolling on the floor with sweaty guys and hitting people. (I know what you’re thinking, but before you get all excited, I’m talking about mixed martial arts not BDSM!)
-In my previous life, I was a harried mother of twelve, living during the Victorian era. (I don’t know if this is true, but it seems a reasonable excuse of why I don’t have children and enjoy period movies.)
So this is me--kind of. How about you? If you like mysteries, dark romances, and/or paranormal YA, please try my books--Crossed, Belted, and Antichrist 16. Happy reading!
I grew up poor, chubby, and fatherless in a small Pennsylvania town. (Ouch.) But none of this has stopped me from becoming super-wealthy, movie star-svelte, and happily married, living in a fabulous area of North Carolina. (Okay, some of this may be exaggerated.)
So what is the truth? What IS truth, for that matter? And how much does it matter for a fiction writer? Despite the deliciousness of these questions, they will have to be answered by greater minds than that of C.J. Graves. But here are a few bits of information that are mostly true:
-I have a B.A. in Interior Architecture and Design from the University of North Carolina.
-I lived in Japan for a couple years. Konnichiwa!
-I started out writing nonfiction, then screenplays, then novels--three different genres. (I may have writing ADD. Is there a Goodreads support group for that?)
-I like rolling on the floor with sweaty guys and hitting people. (I know what you’re thinking, but before you get all excited, I’m talking about mixed martial arts not BDSM!)
-In my previous life, I was a harried mother of twelve, living during the Victorian era. (I don’t know if this is true, but it seems a reasonable excuse of why I don’t have children and enjoy period movies.)
So this is me--kind of. How about you? If you like mysteries, dark romances, and/or paranormal YA, please try my books--Crossed, Belted, and Antichrist 16. Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 19, 2012
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Originally I wanted to read this book because of the main character’s first name. Jayden is also my older daughter’s name. Tenuous connection to be reading a book on, but I’ve done worse. Mystery isn’t always my favorite genre, but this book was worth reading.
I loved the main character, Jayden Morrow. I felt she was well-fleshed out, human and believable. She’s a former Army MP with a tour of duty in Iraq under her belt. Instead of being the GI Jane with no heart that I was afraid she would end up being, I found her to be intelligent, sassy, and self-sufficient. Tough but she had her edges smoothed out enough to be believably female. The best part had to be the last fight scene.
The side characters that I hope we’ll be seeing in next installments are the two neighbors: Miss Mildred, the elderly neighbor, and the young girl Catie Conell. I want to see more of them, and I especially want to see how Jayden’s presence helps Catie grow into a stong future woman, which you see hints of in Catie’s Halloween costume. Another side character that I’d like to see more of is Max, but he could either stay or go. There wasn’t really enough heat between Max and Jayden to make me want hem to start or continue as a possible couple.
The story was interesting, with enough twists to keep me guessing up until the end. The only downside of it was that there needs to be some slight editting of the wording of the scenes. There’s one between Adam and Jayden towards the last 1/3 of the book where the word “you’re” is used instead of “your” a number of times. It wasn’t enough to throw me off completely from the book, but it would be nice to see that changed.
Originally I wanted to read this book because of the main character’s first name. Jayden is also my older daughter’s name. Tenuous connection to be reading a book on, but I’ve done worse. Mystery isn’t always my favorite genre, but this book was worth reading.
I loved the main character, Jayden Morrow. I felt she was well-fleshed out, human and believable. She’s a former Army MP with a tour of duty in Iraq under her belt. Instead of being the GI Jane with no heart that I was afraid she would end up being, I found her to be intelligent, sassy, and self-sufficient. Tough but she had her edges smoothed out enough to be believably female. The best part had to be the last fight scene.
The side characters that I hope we’ll be seeing in next installments are the two neighbors: Miss Mildred, the elderly neighbor, and the young girl Catie Conell. I want to see more of them, and I especially want to see how Jayden’s presence helps Catie grow into a stong future woman, which you see hints of in Catie’s Halloween costume. Another side character that I’d like to see more of is Max, but he could either stay or go. There wasn’t really enough heat between Max and Jayden to make me want hem to start or continue as a possible couple.
The story was interesting, with enough twists to keep me guessing up until the end. The only downside of it was that there needs to be some slight editting of the wording of the scenes. There’s one between Adam and Jayden towards the last 1/3 of the book where the word “you’re” is used instead of “your” a number of times. It wasn’t enough to throw me off completely from the book, but it would be nice to see that changed.
October 7, 2012
Giving three stars for a mystery is good. That was because I did like the main character, Jayden. She was strong and flawed and it was fun to be inside her head. If the point of the mystery is to figure out who done it I had it pegged from the beginning. Guess I can't say why as that would be a spoiler. Needless to say having a church hierarchy to look at gave me all the clues I needed. If this had been anything but a mystery and involved anything but a church I would have found it a delightful story.
November 10, 2019
Hi
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2012
CROSSED: A JAYDEN MORROW MYSTERY
by C. J. Graves
Perhaps it's been said before, but Jayden Morrow is the Kinsey Millhone for the next generation. Women in Jayden's generation have at least had the option of serving in the military. Even if they choose not to take on the life of a soldier themselves, they understand that women can and do just that. In the Twenty-first Century women exist who know how to rely on themselves and to work under pressure in a combat team. Knowing about women in active and daring roles means that someone like Jayden, a tough, no-nonsense, talk-straight woman, is believable. It is even funny seeing people prance and dance around Jayden with their little manipulative techniques, while she calls a spade a spade and forges ahead, hardly bothering with common pleasantries.
We get to know Jayden Morrow fast and leap into not only her life experience but her psyche. She is what we call a well-rounded character, and because she is suffering something like post-traumatic stress from her war-time experience, she is also struggling to find herself and is able to grow, despite the armour she has had to build around herself to cope with the battle zone.
In the story Jayden has turned to private detection after returning from a stint in Iraq. She takes on the task of finding what really happened when teen-aged Sara Richardson was killed on the grounds of the Light the Way Church, a mammoth organization, and whether the son of her clients, Eric Hall, is as guilty as the police are convinced he is. To find out, she tries to permeate the church hierarchy, running up against the formidable Pastor Lightner, who is not about to let a simple murder besmirch the reputation of his church. His barring her from the church campus forces Jayden to get creative.
As a reader, I liked Jayden right away. If she were a real human being and not a character, she might scare me witless; but as a detective heroine, she is great. And despite her tough exterior we know the vulnerable Jayden is there inside somewhere because we see her concern and protectiveness emerge for the vulnerable adolescent girls in the story who are in danger. Jayden is strong; she trains in karate. Jayden can fight like an Amazon. She uses her instincts and intuition to glean the information she needs. She lusts. She cries, and she can learn. I am looking forward to seeing a lot more of Jayden in the future.
And there is this wonderful little on-again off-again love story going on as a subplot that grounds us in the everyday reality of this character's life.
The other characters in the novel are well delineated, consistent and believable. C. J. Graves gives us just enough of the milieu of the organization and place of the Light the Way church complex and housing development to know our way around and get what is going on. We don't bog down in long descriptions or rabbit-track off into obscure corners that divert us from the plot that clips along at just the right pace.
For readers who enjoy mysteries with feisty, proactive protagonists, Crossed is just the book. I highly recommend it.
by C. J. Graves
Perhaps it's been said before, but Jayden Morrow is the Kinsey Millhone for the next generation. Women in Jayden's generation have at least had the option of serving in the military. Even if they choose not to take on the life of a soldier themselves, they understand that women can and do just that. In the Twenty-first Century women exist who know how to rely on themselves and to work under pressure in a combat team. Knowing about women in active and daring roles means that someone like Jayden, a tough, no-nonsense, talk-straight woman, is believable. It is even funny seeing people prance and dance around Jayden with their little manipulative techniques, while she calls a spade a spade and forges ahead, hardly bothering with common pleasantries.
We get to know Jayden Morrow fast and leap into not only her life experience but her psyche. She is what we call a well-rounded character, and because she is suffering something like post-traumatic stress from her war-time experience, she is also struggling to find herself and is able to grow, despite the armour she has had to build around herself to cope with the battle zone.
In the story Jayden has turned to private detection after returning from a stint in Iraq. She takes on the task of finding what really happened when teen-aged Sara Richardson was killed on the grounds of the Light the Way Church, a mammoth organization, and whether the son of her clients, Eric Hall, is as guilty as the police are convinced he is. To find out, she tries to permeate the church hierarchy, running up against the formidable Pastor Lightner, who is not about to let a simple murder besmirch the reputation of his church. His barring her from the church campus forces Jayden to get creative.
As a reader, I liked Jayden right away. If she were a real human being and not a character, she might scare me witless; but as a detective heroine, she is great. And despite her tough exterior we know the vulnerable Jayden is there inside somewhere because we see her concern and protectiveness emerge for the vulnerable adolescent girls in the story who are in danger. Jayden is strong; she trains in karate. Jayden can fight like an Amazon. She uses her instincts and intuition to glean the information she needs. She lusts. She cries, and she can learn. I am looking forward to seeing a lot more of Jayden in the future.
And there is this wonderful little on-again off-again love story going on as a subplot that grounds us in the everyday reality of this character's life.
The other characters in the novel are well delineated, consistent and believable. C. J. Graves gives us just enough of the milieu of the organization and place of the Light the Way church complex and housing development to know our way around and get what is going on. We don't bog down in long descriptions or rabbit-track off into obscure corners that divert us from the plot that clips along at just the right pace.
For readers who enjoy mysteries with feisty, proactive protagonists, Crossed is just the book. I highly recommend it.
November 20, 2012
A murder on church grounds. Two young people in the congregation involved...one dead and one the accused. Could Eric really have murdered his girlfriend? All evidence pointed to him, but his parents knew it wasn't so, and they hired a private detective.
Jayden, an army veteran, was the one hired to solve the case and to free Eric's name. She had been asked by her sister to investigate and to try to find the real killer. And boy was Jayden ruthless...if you had her on your tail, you were not going to get away with anything. :)
CROSSED is a little slow at first, but don't give up. The characters get interesting and are perfect for the storyline. Jayden definitely was different in her own way and Miss Mildred will warm your heart. Ms. Graves did a splendid job with description....you will feel like you were right there on the scene with her detailed and wonderful images. Some of the characters from Light the Way church were odd and a bit out of character for church members, but all in all the story flowed nicely. Finding out who the real murderer was turned out well even though at one point it became obvious. :)
The ending was gripping and a page turner as you feared for Jayden in the clutches of the murderers....yes plural...more than one.
If you can see yourself through some of the scenes, this book is a great mystery with a good storyline, clever plot, humor, and a few twists. 4/5
This e-book was given to me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Jayden, an army veteran, was the one hired to solve the case and to free Eric's name. She had been asked by her sister to investigate and to try to find the real killer. And boy was Jayden ruthless...if you had her on your tail, you were not going to get away with anything. :)
CROSSED is a little slow at first, but don't give up. The characters get interesting and are perfect for the storyline. Jayden definitely was different in her own way and Miss Mildred will warm your heart. Ms. Graves did a splendid job with description....you will feel like you were right there on the scene with her detailed and wonderful images. Some of the characters from Light the Way church were odd and a bit out of character for church members, but all in all the story flowed nicely. Finding out who the real murderer was turned out well even though at one point it became obvious. :)
The ending was gripping and a page turner as you feared for Jayden in the clutches of the murderers....yes plural...more than one.
If you can see yourself through some of the scenes, this book is a great mystery with a good storyline, clever plot, humor, and a few twists. 4/5
This e-book was given to me free of charge by the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2013
This was a good find. Good private detective fiction with a twist.
First paragraph
“You don’t look like a soldier.” “I’m not a soldier,” I said, knowing it was a lie. I glanced down briefly at the girl while balancing myself on the ladder with my knees. How old was she? Eight, nine, ten? I could guess a child’s age about as accurately as they could guess mine. To a kid, anything over twenty is old and over forty is ancient. At least twenty-nine was still a long way from ancient. “But you used to be,” she said. “Did you ever shoot anybody?”
Graves, C.J. (2012-04-10). Crossed: A Jayden Morrow Mystery (Jayden Morrow Mysteries) (Kindle Locations 47-51). C.J. Graves. Kindle Edition.
First paragraph
“You don’t look like a soldier.” “I’m not a soldier,” I said, knowing it was a lie. I glanced down briefly at the girl while balancing myself on the ladder with my knees. How old was she? Eight, nine, ten? I could guess a child’s age about as accurately as they could guess mine. To a kid, anything over twenty is old and over forty is ancient. At least twenty-nine was still a long way from ancient. “But you used to be,” she said. “Did you ever shoot anybody?”
Graves, C.J. (2012-04-10). Crossed: A Jayden Morrow Mystery (Jayden Morrow Mysteries) (Kindle Locations 47-51). C.J. Graves. Kindle Edition.
October 15, 2015
Really enjoyed the characters and this would have been a rare four star for me if not for errors. A book with such potential deserves a careful proofing. Here are some examples:
Folders were described as VANILLA , although later in the book folders were correctly described as MANILA.
There was a reference to a VANILLA envelope, also.
The plural of Richardson is Richardsons, not Richardson's.
"About a month EARLY, I purchased two boxes....." - early should have been EARLIER.
"I'm not saying YOUR some kind of baby...." YOU'RE is the contraction for you are.
Folders were described as VANILLA , although later in the book folders were correctly described as MANILA.
There was a reference to a VANILLA envelope, also.
The plural of Richardson is Richardsons, not Richardson's.
"About a month EARLY, I purchased two boxes....." - early should have been EARLIER.
"I'm not saying YOUR some kind of baby...." YOU'RE is the contraction for you are.
May 2, 2013
I loved the main character Jayden Morrow, army vet, martial artist, and recently credentialled PI, she's got lots of moxie. Her sister asks her to solve a crime revolving around members of her church. One family's daughter is the murder victim and the other family's son is the suspected killer. The suspected killer's family thinks he is wrongly accused. Jayden is enlisted to solve the case. Lots of fun characters, twists and turns, and a sense of humor. From my Kindle subscription.
January 4, 2013
I like the strong feminist character protrayed by the main character and the funny dialogue that she has. This story has an interesting twist at the end which was quite unexpected. Even though I would prefer if there can be more in-depth understanding of Jayden's character, this is still a book that I enjoyed.
April 27, 2014
I loved reading 'Crossed'. The story line was very good. I love a good thriller/mystery and this book rocks. The humor throughout had me laughing out loud. Jayden is such a great lead. She's so feisty. Her smartass personality is awesome.. The characters were a great mix of people. A well written book. A definite must add to your tbr list.
May 14, 2013
A Iraq Veteran becomes a Private Investigator upon returning to civilian life. In between catching workman's comp fraud and taking Karate classes our hero is hired to solve a murder that some people would rather she left things alone.
January 31, 2015
Engaging protagonist that is capable without being presented as a super heroine. Compelling story and easy to read. Not what I would call a "clean" mystery. There is some violence, but less than most modern mysteries. The romance, sex and language is low.
July 1, 2016
Eventful Crime novel
Great fast-paced story with the right amount of mystery. Characters were well thought out and storyline was very good. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out the ending but was off-base with this one!!
Great fast-paced story with the right amount of mystery. Characters were well thought out and storyline was very good. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out the ending but was off-base with this one!!
October 11, 2012
Quick little mystery.
Interesting protagonist: Female Iraq war Vet.
Interesting protagonist: Female Iraq war Vet.
June 12, 2013
The book was ok. I mean, amazon is so full of pseudo authors, (myself included) that it is refreshing to find something that's actually readable
January 31, 2015
Good
the murder mysteries that happened to young people in a church that many liberalism views and members who were kill.
the murder mysteries that happened to young people in a church that many liberalism views and members who were kill.
February 4, 2015
Good read
I would give this five-star rate held my interest from page one. WILL READ MORE OF HER WORK GOOD STORY
I would give this five-star rate held my interest from page one. WILL READ MORE OF HER WORK GOOD STORY
February 10, 2015
Good Story !!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great female lead. Loved the comedic style. Definitely a good read. I'll put this author on my list.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A great female lead. Loved the comedic style. Definitely a good read. I'll put this author on my list.
January 22, 2016
Great
I was really into this book when I ran into an editing problem. These things, while throwing me for a loop, really change my feelings about a book. Hire a better editor!
I was really into this book when I ran into an editing problem. These things, while throwing me for a loop, really change my feelings about a book. Hire a better editor!
October 10, 2012
just ok
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews