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Amhearst Mystery #1
Caught in the Middle
Amhearst, Pennsylvania was just the kind of place for new beginnings for brokenhearted reporter Merry Kramer. But she soon discovered that danger lurked behind the lilac tree when a dead body turned up in her car!
The trouble didn’t end there—gunshots, attacks, and a handsome new friend who might not be what he seemed. Surrounded by suspects, Merry would have to use all her investigative skills to keep from becoming front-page news—as the killer’s next victim.
The trouble didn’t end there—gunshots, attacks, and a handsome new friend who might not be what he seemed. Surrounded by suspects, Merry would have to use all her investigative skills to keep from becoming front-page news—as the killer’s next victim.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
4 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Gayle Roper
86 books90 followersGayle Roper rejoices every day that she gets to be a writer because she's in love with story. Even on the days that words rebel and have to be coerced onto the paper, there is nothing else she'd rather do. When readers like her work, it's like God says, "See? I knew what you were wired to do." When her books win awards like the Carol Award (Caught Redhanded) or the RITA Award (Autumn Dreams), the Holt Medallion (The Decision, Caught in a Bind, Autumn Dreams) or the Reviewer's Choice (The Decision), it's icing on the cake. And she gets to teach others how to write at conferences too. She spends a lot of time smiling. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America and is the best-selling author of Hide & Seek and more than forty other books.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 5, 2022
I was thrown off just a little as soon as I started this book because it’s written in first person POV, which I don’t think I’ve come across before in a Love Inspired. Not that I’m complaining. Merry is very likable and self-deprecating. Something else I’m not used to seeing in a Love Inspired. There was quite a bit of humor. Not laugh out loud, or even chuckle humor, but witty, bantering humor.
Merry is a journalist for the local paper, writing up mundane stories about Board of Education meetings and the like. After finding a dead body in the trunk of her car, Merry finds herself at the center of a murder investigation, and the killer seems to have turned his focus to her. Giving her the opportunity to write the biggest story of her life.
When her boss sends her to interview a local artist, she chafes at the thought. “A personality puff piece was the last thing I wanted to do now.” However, that interview introduces her to Curt, “a man in his early thirties who exuded energy, whose mass of curly dark hair was a far cry from the sparse gray I had anticipated.” Now, at this point you’re probably thinking Curt is the hero of the story and at the end he and Merry will have an HEA. It is a category romance after all. But no. Don’t get me wrong, he is the hero, as far as I’m concerned anyway, but by book’s end, while they’re squabbling like an old married couple, there is nary a kiss in sight, and certainly no declarations of love. Apparently their relationship will play out over the course of the series. Another thing I’m not used to in a Love Inspired!
The mystery was intriguing, with a couple of red herrings, and an on-the-edge-of-your seat chase through a steel factory. My only issue with the story was that when Merry realizes who is trying to kill her, it was quite obvious to me also, even though she doesn’t say his name. Then when he shows up immediately after, she only refers to him as the gunman, and doesn’t reveal his identity until the police close in on him. Which I understand as a narrative choice to keep the reader guessing, but I can’t imagine any reader not having already figured it out at the same she did.
But the fact remains, this is a delightful, amusing, suspenseful and engaging read, and I can’t wait join Merry in her next adventure.
Merry is a journalist for the local paper, writing up mundane stories about Board of Education meetings and the like. After finding a dead body in the trunk of her car, Merry finds herself at the center of a murder investigation, and the killer seems to have turned his focus to her. Giving her the opportunity to write the biggest story of her life.
When her boss sends her to interview a local artist, she chafes at the thought. “A personality puff piece was the last thing I wanted to do now.” However, that interview introduces her to Curt, “a man in his early thirties who exuded energy, whose mass of curly dark hair was a far cry from the sparse gray I had anticipated.” Now, at this point you’re probably thinking Curt is the hero of the story and at the end he and Merry will have an HEA. It is a category romance after all. But no. Don’t get me wrong, he is the hero, as far as I’m concerned anyway, but by book’s end, while they’re squabbling like an old married couple, there is nary a kiss in sight, and certainly no declarations of love. Apparently their relationship will play out over the course of the series. Another thing I’m not used to in a Love Inspired!
The mystery was intriguing, with a couple of red herrings, and an on-the-edge-of-your seat chase through a steel factory. My only issue with the story was that when Merry realizes who is trying to kill her, it was quite obvious to me also, even though she doesn’t say his name. Then when he shows up immediately after, she only refers to him as the gunman, and doesn’t reveal his identity until the police close in on him. Which I understand as a narrative choice to keep the reader guessing, but I can’t imagine any reader not having already figured it out at the same she did.
But the fact remains, this is a delightful, amusing, suspenseful and engaging read, and I can’t wait join Merry in her next adventure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2014
Merry is a reporter in a small Pennsylvania town. One night, she arrives home to find a body in her trunk. Which means the killer starts coming after her. I loved this book just as much as the first time around. The Christian aspect is handled well, the story moves quickly, and the characters are lovable.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
March 26, 2018
I enjoyed this story of a young journalist who leaves her home town to get away from a relationship that's going nowhere and does her best to move on with her life. When she finds a dead body in the trunk of her car she becomes embroiled in the first of several mysteries and the lives of a number of folks in her new town.
I liked the heroine, who earned the description of feisty but wasn't obnoxious. I enjoyed her family, especially her younger brother. The people she worked with and the new friends she made were realistic and interesting. I thought the Christian aspects were handled well, without over-simplifying faith or our relationship with God. And the mystery did keep me guessing all the way through. So all in all it was a solid book. Though listed as a romance, there really wasn't any romance in this one, it was pretty straight suspense/mystery, if that matters to you. I'll probably read more by this author.
I have one minor quibble, though. When will authors learn that car trunks have glow-in-the-dark handles to open them from the inside, so kids can't get locked in and die? So if you're going to lock your conscious victim in the trunk you have to have it broken or removed somehow, you can't just ignore the fact that that handle will be there. It's like cell phones - people have them and you can't just ignore them.
I liked the heroine, who earned the description of feisty but wasn't obnoxious. I enjoyed her family, especially her younger brother. The people she worked with and the new friends she made were realistic and interesting. I thought the Christian aspects were handled well, without over-simplifying faith or our relationship with God. And the mystery did keep me guessing all the way through. So all in all it was a solid book. Though listed as a romance, there really wasn't any romance in this one, it was pretty straight suspense/mystery, if that matters to you. I'll probably read more by this author.
I have one minor quibble, though. When will authors learn that car trunks have glow-in-the-dark handles to open them from the inside, so kids can't get locked in and die? So if you're going to lock your conscious victim in the trunk you have to have it broken or removed somehow, you can't just ignore the fact that that handle will be there. It's like cell phones - people have them and you can't just ignore them.
March 7, 2024
It's been every bit of twenty years since I read these books, but I still remembered part of the denouement...and I had forgotten a lot, too. So, it was fun to re-read this one. Aside from needing a better editor, I enjoyed this as an easy-read to wind down before bed... Mostly. I did stay up too late reading this near the end!
Twenty years changes much. On this reading I felt more connected with the grieving family of the murder victim, the fiancé who was devastated, and with Merry (the MC), who had just exited a toxic relationship. Not that I've been in a toxic relationship of that magnitude, but it's much easier to spot good from toxic given some life experience (mine and others').
You must know that I read mysteries for the mystery and the wit of the characters. So, my only complaint (aside from needing a better editor for the remaining grammatical errors) is that the romance portion of this book, like far too many Christian and non-Christian romance novels alike, was unrealistically sped up.
The whole book takes place in four days and the man Merry meets on Thursday(?) as a total stranger ends up acting like a long-term boyfriend by Saturday. Nope. Not only am I not buying that, it feels like a red flag. Too much too fast. By which I mean, there is no way that two people who lead normal jobs/lives would know each other so well emotionally, even as friends, in three days. I know, because I have spent years building many deep friendships, and none of the deep ones worked that way in three days. Maybe three weeks or three months, and certainly in three years, but not three days. Why can't authors develop relationships at a realistic pace??
Otherwise, a fun read... I'll leave it on my shelf and revisit it in another decade or two to see how it holds up. ;)
Twenty years changes much. On this reading I felt more connected with the grieving family of the murder victim, the fiancé who was devastated, and with Merry (the MC), who had just exited a toxic relationship. Not that I've been in a toxic relationship of that magnitude, but it's much easier to spot good from toxic given some life experience (mine and others').
You must know that I read mysteries for the mystery and the wit of the characters. So, my only complaint (aside from needing a better editor for the remaining grammatical errors) is that the romance portion of this book, like far too many Christian and non-Christian romance novels alike, was unrealistically sped up.
The whole book takes place in four days and the man Merry meets on Thursday(?) as a total stranger ends up acting like a long-term boyfriend by Saturday. Nope. Not only am I not buying that, it feels like a red flag. Too much too fast. By which I mean, there is no way that two people who lead normal jobs/lives would know each other so well emotionally, even as friends, in three days. I know, because I have spent years building many deep friendships, and none of the deep ones worked that way in three days. Maybe three weeks or three months, and certainly in three years, but not three days. Why can't authors develop relationships at a realistic pace??
Otherwise, a fun read... I'll leave it on my shelf and revisit it in another decade or two to see how it holds up. ;)
May 7, 2021
This was alright for a light, quick read. The excitement at the end was a bit unbelievable (sure, come along on our stakeout, talk down a murderer from shooting themselves, etc.). I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn't remembered the killer from my previous reads at least a decade or more ago, bit that's hardly the book's fault. I do fault the author for being inconsistent at times. Merry's hair is said to be black and curly, but she describes herself as a brunette. She talks about seeing bright lights through her tall apartment windows and how the windows would look better with curtains but later she peeks out through the drapes at a suspicious noise. A little more proofreading would have gone a long way. And calling asphalt "macadam" (which turns out to be a completely Pennsylvania thing) drove me crazy.
One reviewer criticized Merry for being stupid about being locked in a trunk twice without using the yellow safety handle to escape. To that I say, remember that this book was written in 1997. Those didn't become a federal standard in vehicles until 2001. The age of this book should have been a given when Merry talks about the newsroom being "completely modern" and she sits down at her CRT to type her stories. Her brother "is a child of the times" because he uses email instead of the phone to keep touch with her.
TL;DR If you go into this expecting a light diversion from real life but don't intend to take anything too seriously, it's a fine read.
One reviewer criticized Merry for being stupid about being locked in a trunk twice without using the yellow safety handle to escape. To that I say, remember that this book was written in 1997. Those didn't become a federal standard in vehicles until 2001. The age of this book should have been a given when Merry talks about the newsroom being "completely modern" and she sits down at her CRT to type her stories. Her brother "is a child of the times" because he uses email instead of the phone to keep touch with her.
TL;DR If you go into this expecting a light diversion from real life but don't intend to take anything too seriously, it's a fine read.
December 18, 2020
Not really a great book, I wouldn’t recommend it. The characters were just blah, and Merry was especially an annoying woman. One of those stupid people you’d find in a horror film that always goes out alone to see what the noise in the dark woods is. There was literally no atmosphere in this book unless you want to count “snow”. There was snow. The lack of logic in this book really ruined it for me. How often do police take randos along with them to help out on police business, especially shootouts and the like. Yeah, never. This is a standard who killed who and who is trying to kill me and we'll figure it out in the end book, only without any interest in caring about the outcome at all.
September 7, 2020
I read this all the time as a teen, I enjoyed the story. Funny, when I reread this as an adult, I noticed the growth I experienced as a reader. I still enjoyed it as a lighter read, but I would see it as just that, a lighter read.
I do enjoy that Roper puts a lot more Christ-centered conversations in her books, its not a drop here and there, but a steady trickle throughout the pages.
II look forward to rereading the rest of the series. It's like a cup of tea in the middle of a stressful day. :)
I do enjoy that Roper puts a lot more Christ-centered conversations in her books, its not a drop here and there, but a steady trickle throughout the pages.
II look forward to rereading the rest of the series. It's like a cup of tea in the middle of a stressful day. :)
March 14, 2021
I didn't really enjoy the book, mainly due to Merry the main character who seems fairly wishy-washy. I also did not like the relationship with with either her old boyfriend, whom seems like a real piece of work, yet she never really seems to understand that. And, the new guy seems awfully controlling, and while she says doesn't like it, she keeps allowing him to do this. Made the entire book uncomfortable.
September 22, 2023
I read this forever ago in middle school and thought about it recently on a whim. I bought a used copy to reread and it was a good little mystery. The characters are fun and it’s Christian fiction, but in a realistic way so that faith is a normal aspect of life for Merry, our main character. She id getting over a total waste of space of an ex and moved to a new town to work as a reporter. She finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and meeting a nice new guy who’s an artist. Fun.
July 28, 2018
I don't often give a book 5 stars, but this whoodunit was worthy of it. Crisp dialog, a likable main character, and just enough (or few) clues to keep the reader guessing makes the story a must-read for mystery fans.
March 25, 2020
I love reading suspense romance and this one is a clean one. It was really well written and a fun read. There are several other volumes and I am in the middle of reading them but this one was great.
May 17, 2010
"Caught in the Middle" is a humorous mystery. However, since Merry had no common sense, I didn't enjoy the novel very much. The great majority of the danger she was in came from her doing stupid things--like antagonizing someone who just admitted to killing someone in a fit of anger. And Merry often knew that what she was doing wasn't wise and went against common sense, but she did it anyway.
The mystery also wasn't very difficult to figure out. Merry had to actually be told the answer, and then the author tried to get cute and kept having the characters refer to the guy hunting her as "him" rather than by name, as though it was some big secret that she wasn't going to let the reader in on. I found that annoying.
I also didn't like the "hero." Merry had just freed herself from a verbally abusive jerk boyfriend only to pick up a "nice, wonderful Christian guy" who did things he knew annoyed her, always ordered her around like she had no brain (and she had a brain, just no common sense), didn't listen to her, and was otherwise just as bad as her last boyfriend. I did like that she didn't follow his orders, but the problem was that sometimes they were sensible ones, and he never learned that ordering her around would backfire.
Finally, there were some problems with the suspense scenes. For example, Merry was wearing a thick scarf wound 1.5 times over her neck but was quickly almost strangled to death. It's hard enough to strangle someone without thick padding in the way.
All that said, if you're into cheerfully get-herself-into-trouble heroines with spunk, you'll probably enjoy this novel. It's otherwise well written, it just happened to hit all my pet peeves.
Merry and several other characters were Christians, and it was portrayed as a part of their lifestyle. Merry prayed for help, mused about how she ought to be trusting God instead of worrying, and so on. The end got a little preachy, though, when two characters lectured each other about how they really needed to forgive and let go. While true, neither had asked for the other's opinion.
There was no sex. I don't recall any bad language. Overall, it was humorous, clean reading.
The mystery also wasn't very difficult to figure out. Merry had to actually be told the answer, and then the author tried to get cute and kept having the characters refer to the guy hunting her as "him" rather than by name, as though it was some big secret that she wasn't going to let the reader in on. I found that annoying.
I also didn't like the "hero." Merry had just freed herself from a verbally abusive jerk boyfriend only to pick up a "nice, wonderful Christian guy" who did things he knew annoyed her, always ordered her around like she had no brain (and she had a brain, just no common sense), didn't listen to her, and was otherwise just as bad as her last boyfriend. I did like that she didn't follow his orders, but the problem was that sometimes they were sensible ones, and he never learned that ordering her around would backfire.
Finally, there were some problems with the suspense scenes. For example, Merry was wearing a thick scarf wound 1.5 times over her neck but was quickly almost strangled to death. It's hard enough to strangle someone without thick padding in the way.
All that said, if you're into cheerfully get-herself-into-trouble heroines with spunk, you'll probably enjoy this novel. It's otherwise well written, it just happened to hit all my pet peeves.
Merry and several other characters were Christians, and it was portrayed as a part of their lifestyle. Merry prayed for help, mused about how she ought to be trusting God instead of worrying, and so on. The end got a little preachy, though, when two characters lectured each other about how they really needed to forgive and let go. While true, neither had asked for the other's opinion.
There was no sex. I don't recall any bad language. Overall, it was humorous, clean reading.
December 28, 2012
CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE by Gayle Roper is a delightful, light-hearted read. Normally the heroine of a murder mystery is a strong, independent woman. It was rather fun to see this story unfold through the eyes of a young lady dubbed by her brother as "Marshmallow Merry."
When news reporter Merrileigh Kramer picked up her car from the automotive repair shop in Amhearst, Pennsylvania, one treacherous winter evening, the last thing she expected to find was a body in her trunk. Nor would she have ever dreamed she'd find herself the target of a killer.
Having come to Amhearst to discover who she really was after a long dead-end romance with a narcissistic fellow back home, she soon finds herself the unwilling recipient of the rather suffocating chivalry of a more others-focused gentleman. Hating the very thought of acting like the main character of a cheesy Gothic novel, the poor girl's determination to solve the mystery and land the story of a lifetime keeps putting her in the thick of life-threatening circumstances--to the consternation of her would-be protector.
In addition to murder, this book deals with the issues of jealousy, unbridled temper, abuse and suicide. But the humor Ms. Roper sprinkles throughout makes the medicine of her message go down easily. If you are looking for something outside the usual formula of the typical romantic suspense novel, then this is a nice little book to try. I'm looking forward to reading the second in the Amhearst Mystery Series, CAUGHT IN THE ACT.
When news reporter Merrileigh Kramer picked up her car from the automotive repair shop in Amhearst, Pennsylvania, one treacherous winter evening, the last thing she expected to find was a body in her trunk. Nor would she have ever dreamed she'd find herself the target of a killer.
Having come to Amhearst to discover who she really was after a long dead-end romance with a narcissistic fellow back home, she soon finds herself the unwilling recipient of the rather suffocating chivalry of a more others-focused gentleman. Hating the very thought of acting like the main character of a cheesy Gothic novel, the poor girl's determination to solve the mystery and land the story of a lifetime keeps putting her in the thick of life-threatening circumstances--to the consternation of her would-be protector.
In addition to murder, this book deals with the issues of jealousy, unbridled temper, abuse and suicide. But the humor Ms. Roper sprinkles throughout makes the medicine of her message go down easily. If you are looking for something outside the usual formula of the typical romantic suspense novel, then this is a nice little book to try. I'm looking forward to reading the second in the Amhearst Mystery Series, CAUGHT IN THE ACT.
June 13, 2015
The first book in the Merry-Curt Romance saga proves to be a very good read. Merry is a newspaper reporter and discovers a dead man in her car. Somehow she gets wrapped up in the mystery - maybe because someone is trying to kill her! In the mean time, she meets ex-jock and aspiring painter, Curt. Curt is one of the sweetest men anyone would ever meet! Why Merry gets so angry with him for trying to protect her is beyond me. I would love to have a knight in shining armor!
The suspense:
Okay, let me just say that I think the author was trying to keep us guessing to the very end of the book. But it was SOOOO obvious! I knew almost from the beginning. I've a feeling she was trying to make us think it was curt at first. But since Curt is the hero in the story, I'm not sure why she even tried. All the "the gunman" instead of saying the person's name really was a bit silly since it was so obvious.
Though the violence is minor compared to other suspense books, I'm going to call this graphic violence in the Amazon questions because the author went into pretty gross detail about one thing that happened in this book.
The romance:
Like I said, Curt was a sweetheart. This romance actually takes place over four books. We get to meet the sweetheart of a man in this book. there were some especially good scenes - like his blow up when he finds out what Merry did late one night. His blow up was mild compared to what it would have been had the circumstances been different...I actually thought Merry had that one coming and that curt let her off pretty easy...
The suspense:
Okay, let me just say that I think the author was trying to keep us guessing to the very end of the book. But it was SOOOO obvious! I knew almost from the beginning. I've a feeling she was trying to make us think it was curt at first. But since Curt is the hero in the story, I'm not sure why she even tried. All the "the gunman" instead of saying the person's name really was a bit silly since it was so obvious.
Though the violence is minor compared to other suspense books, I'm going to call this graphic violence in the Amazon questions because the author went into pretty gross detail about one thing that happened in this book.
The romance:
Like I said, Curt was a sweetheart. This romance actually takes place over four books. We get to meet the sweetheart of a man in this book. there were some especially good scenes - like his blow up when he finds out what Merry did late one night. His blow up was mild compared to what it would have been had the circumstances been different...I actually thought Merry had that one coming and that curt let her off pretty easy...
October 26, 2011
This is not my usual genre that I read, but I was given a box of books and this one was in it so I read it. It had a good story line about a woman who witnessed a suspect fleeing the scene of a murder and when he found out, he came after her. With lots of twists, turns, and of course romance, this little book kept me interested enough to finish it.
August 4, 2008
I thought this book was really good! Had no clue who the murderer was and want to read the others in the series!
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June 13, 2014My copy is Hardback, 240 pages with the copy shown on paperback. [ An affordable Library copy---cost twenty-five cents.] A quick enjoyable mystery. My quarter well spent.
December 6, 2013
Loved! Funny, first person narrative, with a good mystery.
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September 2, 2013#2 caught in the act
#3 caught in a bind
#3 caught in a bind
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews