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Catherine O'Brien Mystery #2
A Luring Murder
The irreverent detective is back, and this time she’s on vacation.God help us all.St. Paul, Minnesota Homicide Detective Catherine O’Brien and her loving husband Gavin are vacationing on one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. When a local is murdered Catherine is tapped to help the small town Sheriff until the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrives to take over the investigation.Catherine is surprised when her partner Louise and Diggs the forensic pathologist, whose crush on Louise is only dwarfed by his own genius, show up to assist instead of the BCA.Before long Catherine and Louise discover this sleepy little town has a dark side hidden beneath its placid lake charms. Somewhere in the tangle of cheating and deception is a motive for murder.
- GenresMystery
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Stacy Verdick Case
5 books204 followersStacy Verdick Case was born in Willmar, Minnesota. After a brief stint as a military brat, where she lived in Fort Sill Oklahoma and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, her family moved back to Minnesota.
Stacy currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul with her husband and her daughter.
Stacy is also the hosts of The Not Boring Book Show for MyTalk 107.1 FM.
Stacy currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul with her husband and her daughter.
Stacy is also the hosts of The Not Boring Book Show for MyTalk 107.1 FM.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 19, 2013
The irreverent detective is back, and this time she’s on vacation.
God help us all.
Catherine O’Brien is a petite St. Paul Detective whose hair is never right, wears clothes that are more masculine than feminine, lives on Starbucks coffee, thinks laundry, cooking and housework are punishments to be avoided at all times, and has a husband who loves her just the way she is.
Louise Montgomery is her partner who never goes home yet her hair and clothes are always perfect. She is tech savvy and hell on wheels literally. Every time Catherine gets in the car with Louise behind the wheel she braces herself against the dash and says a prayer.
Catherine and Louise have been given a little time off work. Louise is supposed to be recovering from a gunshot wound to her leg and Catherine is going on a little vacation with her hubby off of one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. But there is no rest for Catherine. A local is found murdered and the Sheriff asks for her help until the Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrives to take over the case.
Surprise, Surprise – instead of the BCA, forensic pathologist Digs shows up with Louise riding shotgun. It doesn’t take long before Catherine and Louise discover the dark side of this sleepy little town and realize they need to catch the killer before they wind up swimming with the fishes.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I have described Catherine and Louise as the Lucy and Ethel of police detectives and these ladies lived up to that description in the follow up to A Grand Murder.
The other characters the author has created are wonderful as well. Catherine’s husband Gavin is a real gem. Digs is totally head of heels for Louise. Sheriff Anderson is a true small town guy that sees good in all the folks he protects. He is having a difficult time believing one of them can be responsible for this crime. Mrs. Peterman is someone I wouldn’t want to mess with. Even a little canine is quite a character.
The setting at the by the lake resort adds all kinds of flavor including a Fish Fry Feeding Frenzy!
This book picks up where A Grand Murder leaves off without missing a beat. I devoured it in one sitting. Stacy Verdick Case had me hook, line and sinker from the first word until the very last!
God help us all.
Catherine O’Brien is a petite St. Paul Detective whose hair is never right, wears clothes that are more masculine than feminine, lives on Starbucks coffee, thinks laundry, cooking and housework are punishments to be avoided at all times, and has a husband who loves her just the way she is.
Louise Montgomery is her partner who never goes home yet her hair and clothes are always perfect. She is tech savvy and hell on wheels literally. Every time Catherine gets in the car with Louise behind the wheel she braces herself against the dash and says a prayer.
Catherine and Louise have been given a little time off work. Louise is supposed to be recovering from a gunshot wound to her leg and Catherine is going on a little vacation with her hubby off of one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. But there is no rest for Catherine. A local is found murdered and the Sheriff asks for her help until the Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrives to take over the case.
Surprise, Surprise – instead of the BCA, forensic pathologist Digs shows up with Louise riding shotgun. It doesn’t take long before Catherine and Louise discover the dark side of this sleepy little town and realize they need to catch the killer before they wind up swimming with the fishes.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I have described Catherine and Louise as the Lucy and Ethel of police detectives and these ladies lived up to that description in the follow up to A Grand Murder.
The other characters the author has created are wonderful as well. Catherine’s husband Gavin is a real gem. Digs is totally head of heels for Louise. Sheriff Anderson is a true small town guy that sees good in all the folks he protects. He is having a difficult time believing one of them can be responsible for this crime. Mrs. Peterman is someone I wouldn’t want to mess with. Even a little canine is quite a character.
The setting at the by the lake resort adds all kinds of flavor including a Fish Fry Feeding Frenzy!
This book picks up where A Grand Murder leaves off without missing a beat. I devoured it in one sitting. Stacy Verdick Case had me hook, line and sinker from the first word until the very last!
March 2, 2013
St. Paul Detective Catherine O’Brien finally gets to take a much-needed and deserved vacation with her husband, Gavin. Their first vacation in ten years and it’s to a Minnesota resort for fishing. When one of the town’s citizens is found dead, the local sheriff turns to Catherine for help.
Much to Catherine’s surprise and delight, her partner Louise shows up and together they conduct their own unofficial search for a killer. It’s not long before they find this small resort town isn’t quite as pleasant as they thought.
The mystery keeps you guessing throughout the book. The victim is not well-liked, which means there are many suspects to choose from. Even the local deputy had a reason to want this man dead. The story is filled with deception, betrayal and a stray dog that seems attached to Catherine’s husband. This isn’t how the O’Brien’s planned to spend their vacation.
This is the sequel to the author’s first book, “A Grand Murder” and it picks up right where the first one left off. Although I enjoyed “A Grand Murder”, I enjoyed this even more. The friendship between Catherine and her partner Louise is the best part of this series. They remind me of Thelma and Louise, but these two are on the right side of the law. I can’t wait for the third book!
FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
Much to Catherine’s surprise and delight, her partner Louise shows up and together they conduct their own unofficial search for a killer. It’s not long before they find this small resort town isn’t quite as pleasant as they thought.
The mystery keeps you guessing throughout the book. The victim is not well-liked, which means there are many suspects to choose from. Even the local deputy had a reason to want this man dead. The story is filled with deception, betrayal and a stray dog that seems attached to Catherine’s husband. This isn’t how the O’Brien’s planned to spend their vacation.
This is the sequel to the author’s first book, “A Grand Murder” and it picks up right where the first one left off. Although I enjoyed “A Grand Murder”, I enjoyed this even more. The friendship between Catherine and her partner Louise is the best part of this series. They remind me of Thelma and Louise, but these two are on the right side of the law. I can’t wait for the third book!
FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
November 26, 2012
I loved A Grand Murder, the first book in this series. At the end of that book our heroine Catherine is going on a (well deserved) vacation.
Verdick Case hadn't planned on writing a story that takes place during that vacation, but when it turned out many fans of A Grand Murder wanted to know what happens on that vacation, she decided to give them what they wanted and A Luring Murder was born.
And I can tell you I'm glad Verdick Case wrote this book because it is so much fun!
I love Catherine. she's grumpy, tough and says things most people only think. Still Verdick Case manages to make her a very likeable character who you want to root for. I also loved the banter between Catherine and her partner Louise and the interaction between Catherine and her husband.
The murder mystery is very cool as well. There's a good build up in the investigation, with clues being found, suspicions being raised and more death to add to the mystery.
The setting of a little lake side town really works well in this story and adds to the atmosphere. I could picture the town and its inhabitants with ease.
So I can advice this book to anyone who loves a fun and suspenseful murder mystery. I will certainly keep an eye out for the next Catherine O’Brien book, be it planned or written because Catherine's fans demand a certain story to be told.
Verdick Case hadn't planned on writing a story that takes place during that vacation, but when it turned out many fans of A Grand Murder wanted to know what happens on that vacation, she decided to give them what they wanted and A Luring Murder was born.
And I can tell you I'm glad Verdick Case wrote this book because it is so much fun!
I love Catherine. she's grumpy, tough and says things most people only think. Still Verdick Case manages to make her a very likeable character who you want to root for. I also loved the banter between Catherine and her partner Louise and the interaction between Catherine and her husband.
The murder mystery is very cool as well. There's a good build up in the investigation, with clues being found, suspicions being raised and more death to add to the mystery.
The setting of a little lake side town really works well in this story and adds to the atmosphere. I could picture the town and its inhabitants with ease.
So I can advice this book to anyone who loves a fun and suspenseful murder mystery. I will certainly keep an eye out for the next Catherine O’Brien book, be it planned or written because Catherine's fans demand a certain story to be told.
December 12, 2012
The story is set in Minnesota, although it is not clear in which part of Minnesota because there is at least one reference to "up in Saint Paul." I believe that most of the state south of the Twin Cities is farming country, and would be less likely to be the location of a fishing resort. In addition, St. Paul is smaller than Minneapolis, so if the protagonist detectives are supposed to be members of a big-city police department, why didn't the author make them from Minneapolis?
The book has clearly never been proof-read, much less edited. It is full of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors that detract significantly from the overall quality of the book. There are also at least two different font sizes used at seemingly random locations.
In one inconsistency, the protagonist comes upon her husband napping in a well-described hammock. On the very next page, the hammock becomes a cot, then changes back into a hammock in the same paragraph.
The book has clearly never been proof-read, much less edited. It is full of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors that detract significantly from the overall quality of the book. There are also at least two different font sizes used at seemingly random locations.
In one inconsistency, the protagonist comes upon her husband napping in a well-described hammock. On the very next page, the hammock becomes a cot, then changes back into a hammock in the same paragraph.
December 31, 2012
Redeeming qualities are hard to find in this poorly written novel. The main character, Catherine, spends the entire book in a jealous haze of her partner, a spiteful anger tirade against townsfolk that don't automatically appreciate her detecting skills, and painful renditions concerning the state of her shoes. Not only is she mean to dogs but she seems to rarely appreciate her marriage. Her only redeeming qualities are her tenacity to solve the murders and her loving husband. Combine this with poor grammar and lack of proofreading and the reader is left wondering we should care. Overall she is not worth getting to know better.
March 16, 2013
if you enjoy mysteries with a bit of humor in the form of puns - this is a great book for you!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews