A View to Die For

To Die For #1

by Richard Houston

The story is not your typical murder mystery. The sleuth is not a detective, private eye, or lawyer. He's an ordinary guy with an extraordinary dog.

Jacob Martin is trying to make the best of a divorce and mid-life crisis when he gets a call at two o’clock Sunday morning from his mother. His sister has been arrested for the murder of her fourth husband, and his father is near death. Thus begins an adventure that takes Jake and his golden retriever from their Colorado retreat to a backwater town in the Missouri Ozarks where they search for cold-blooded killers, a cache of gold coins buried by Jesse James, and the love of a beautiful nurse.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Animals, Dogs, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Amazon

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 2012

About the author

Richard is working on his third career. His first was as a carpenter and roofer for twenty years while working his way through college. With a BS in Math he spent the next twenty-five years as a successful software engineer by working on the Space Shuttle at both Vandenberg AFB, and Johnson Space Center. He then went on to start Master Mind SofTools where he developed software for fortune 500 companies.

After taking early retirement in 2007, he moved to Warsaw, Missouri and built a home on the water with a view to die for. Richard now devotes his time to raising his great-grand daughter and writing. He is currently working on the second novel in the Jacob Martin series.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A View to Die For by Richard Houston is the first book of the To Die For mystery series. This series is a bit of a cozy mystery in which the main character is not a detective or law enforcement but gets roped into helping out his family solve a crime anyway.

Jacob Martin knew it was not good news when he gets a 2am phone call from his mother in another state. Sure enough it seems that Jacob’s sister has been arrested so he packs up himself and his faithful companion, Fred and sets out to head across the country to come to the rescue.

After arriving Jacob finds out that his sister is being accused of her husband’s death which she claims someone murdered his after trying to sell some old coins. Jacob soon finds himself chasing down a killer and avoiding danger himself.

A View to Die For wasn’t too bad of a little mystery read. The characters were likable enough with that small town vibe. Although I did kind of expected Fred, the dog, to play a part in the snooping but no he’s just a faithful companion brought along for the ride. I didn’t find it all that hard to figure out the whodunnit myself either but in the end I still enjoyed this one.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Anastasia · Rating 1 out of 5]

A View to Die For by Richard Houston is the first book in the To Die For series. Jacob Martin, a writer and handyman, is called to help his sister Megan who has been arrested for the murder of her fourth husband. I don't like to give a bad review but I was disappointed with this book and found it boring. I loved the cover and I thought Fred, the dog, would have played a greater role. Instead the characters were totally unlikable. Jacob and his sister Megan seem to spend most of their days drinking and feeding Fred McDonalds, beer and burnt food. Jacob seems to have no idea in caring for Fred, never giving him other food and constantly leaving him in hot cars. Megan is always crying poor but when lent money, wastes it on expensive wine and having her hair styled. Jacob comes across quite weak and wimpy and seemed too afraid to stand up to anyone and all the bathroom breaks for him and Fred distracted from the mystery. Not the type of book that I enjoy

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not for me, I love a good mystery. But I did not love this book.

Jake's sister, Meg has been accused of murdering her husband Mike, who just happens to be husband number 4. The media have been calling her the Black Widow.

On his way to bail her out, he winds up waking up in hospital after he, himself has gotten into an accident. The police believe that both Jake and Meg are involved in the death of Mike. So in order to clear their names, Jake has to do some detective work.

I really am not a fan of giving negative reviews but this space here is for me to say what I think. You may not agree, but all my reviews are MY thoughts, are MY opinions.

I caught myself dozing off at one point, while sitting in my computer chair reading this. For me I found this book to be well boring, it was only as I neared the end that things seemed to pick up and hold my interest. Which is funny because the start had my attention but it just flat-lined. I also found it to be rather odd, and all over the place.

I have to wonder what is with all the McDonald mentions? Like one could play a drinking game and get incredibly wasted before you even hit the halfway point. Yes I get it Jake loves eating there, cheap menu. But do you have to feed Fred it all the time, does he ever get any puppy food? Another thing, I have never read a book before that mentions going to the bathroom, as much as this book does. Be it Jake, or stopping for Fred to do his business or anyone else.

Yet again I will say, these are my thoughts. This story has a lot of potential to be interesting, but for me it just never cut it. I never enjoyed it, but you might. Not my cup of tea. There was a little twist I hadn't seen coming. But over all, I give it 2.5 stars.

[G.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dog on the cover is what prompted me to pick up this book. It had been quite a while since I had read a sleuth story. Yet, while I liked it, the blurb led me to believe the dog would do a lot of work, but aside from eating hamburgers, drinking beer, relieving himself, and being a good doggy, I can't say he had much to do with the detective work. So if you pick up this book thinking you'll have a field day with a good sleuth dog, you may be a bit disappointed.

That said, it was an entertaining read. The characters were well developed; however, I am not sure I'd like to have any of them as friends, except maybe the protagonist, who had a heart as big as his sister's house. I couldn't have taken his mother's and father's remarks or his sister's behavior as well as he did. I think I would have told them to go to hell and would have left them with their problems. It's great to be a nice brother or son but not to the point of turning into a mat. Maybe that is why he drank so many beers. I mean, there wasn't a day he wasn't drinking beer, can after can and relieving himself so often.

Over all, I liked the story. For me it did the job. I usually read science fiction and urban fantasy. I can't honestly say if it is something people who usually read the genre would like so I would recommend it even if only for a change of scenery: A view to die for and a breath of fresh air.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading "A Book to Die For," and giving it 2 stars, I said I wasn't going to read anymore books in this series. I wish I had stuck to my commitment. I gave this one a try mainly because I was looking for a dog story, but this series isn't about a dog. It's about abusing a dog, abusing alcohol, and irresponsible personal finance. I read 40% of this one and did something I very rarely do. I gave up. Fred is fed a diet consisting almost totally of McDonald's burgers and beer. He consumes beer to the point of having hangovers even though alcohol makes the top 10 list of almost every compilation of dog poisons I've ever seen. He was left in a closed hot car to the point of dehydration and almost to the point of death. He runs around in the woods with no flea and tick prevention and probably no heartworm protection either. This is plain and simple dog abuse and the author doesn't even seem to be aware of it although he did say that he could have been arrested for leaving Fred in the hot car. Both the descriptive material and dialog in this book are boring and repetitive. I abandon it and give it one star with no guilt whatsoever. Frankly, I don't care who killed Mike!!

[Henry Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional murder mystery, with an unlikely hero, a canine sidekick, a sister as murder suspect, an assortment of odd characters, and much local color. Protagonist Jake Martin (nickname Porky) is an unemployed software engineer and McDonalds regular who gets by on odd jobs, drinks an enormous amount of beer, and suffers from a shrinking bladder and failing eyesight. He’s generous, well-mannered, an aspiring novelist, and obviously smart—not exactly the hard-boiled sleuth one might expect in a mystery. He does not work alone. Always with him is Fred, his beloved golden retriever, the smartest dog since Lassie, who serves as a sort of assistant detective, early warning system, clue-finder, and ice-breaker. Jake comes to his sister’s aid as soon as learns she’s in a jam, suspected of murdering her husband in a black widow insurance scam. In the course of his investigation Jake is stalked, run off the road, hospitalized, and loses his vehicle, money, and Visa card. The murder motive is connected with the Jesse James lost fortune myth. His investigative techniques include surveillance camera sabotage, illegal entry, computer hacking, and violation of federal laws concerning personal privacy. Jake’s job is to put together all the pieces. The book is well written and edited, fully polished and professional. The dialogue is realistic and differentiated by character. Jake and Fred make a fine pair of detectives. No downers and much wry humor. Altogether, this is a fresh take on the mystery genre and a splendid novel. Highly recommended.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bleh. Don't believe all the 5 star reviews--this was average at best, and all the bathroom and McDonald's references annoyed me so much I am knocking off another star for that. I have never read a book where there were so many bathroom scenes! It added nothing to the story. And poor Fred the dog deserves a better diet than McDoubles all the time. I found a lot of the so-called "hacker" stuff pretty silly and unbelievable.

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is another notch on my effort to read book 1 of all the 53 series of mystery + dog books that I have identified The book was ok, and I will attempt to say why I think it was only ok to me. What may be of interest is that it will be my 500th review of a 'dog' book I have posted on Goodreads. Maybe I should have chosen another book to have that honor...

The book does have a very nice picture with a Golden Retriever on the cover, so it does have that going for it.

The story seemed to just ramble too much for me.

My assumption on the murderer was right, and as I am not that good of a mystery solver, that is probably not a good sign.

While the dog was along for the ride, his part was subtle as it came to the mystery. I was impressed with that subtle part though. Overall I would say the dog was not a significant player. All the McDonald's hamburgers the dog was fed through the book made me cringe a little.

I think others have mentioned that maybe we didn't need to know every time our main character opened another beer and the type of beer. Lucky one was not a bud light so we didn't have to have off-topic subjects come to mind.

The main character acts like a guy and notices things about ladies like a guy, and it is possible some women may not appreciate that. I found the lady character he slept with to be a little out of the blue.

Each paragraph is separated with more space than usual to make the book appear at some desired size and I felt like it was a bit of a cheat, like when you buy a food item in a big box and the bag of food inside only fills up a little more than half the box.

So overall, not really a bad book, I wasn't bored, but wasn't in a hurry to go back and read more. It would not be high on my list to go out and read more in the 'To Die For' series.

[Catherine Astolfo · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two huge reasons to read Richard Houston’s first novel, A View to Die For, and their names are Jake and Fred. The protagonist, Jacob Martin, is witty, generous, sensuous, sweet - the sort of man females absolutely adore. But he’s a man’s man too, with an appreciative eye for women as well as a healthy love for the females in his family. He’s handy, smart, loyal, and brave. In fact, Houston builds many fabulous, complex characters in this book, even a dog, who became a "person" in my imagination. I was in love with Fred all the way through! The plot is layered, with great twists and puzzles and unexpected outcomes. I know the author is currently writing a sequel and I can’t wait. I want Jake and Fred back in my life! Plus I have a feeling that Richard Houston will develop into a best-selling author as his writing matures. Get to know Jake and Fred now, so you won’t be left behind in the future.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't realized that I had read two other books in the "to die for" series. The cover is dominated by a large, shaggy dog, not like the Disney classic, just a big furry canine. Anyway, that's Fred who does not have a point of view and it's just a big, lovable pet. The cast of characters are definitely not the kind of people I usually hang around with, and I had sympathy for the hero, amateur detective, since he WAS able to think logically. I understood why he moved away from his family! Anyway, very twisty Turny plot with plenty of red herrings, and a fun dog!

[Cynthia Rielley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this last night. Fast read, really engaging. Good plot, nice pacing. Main character is like able, others are not but in a good way. Lots of good character development. Great first read from Mr. Houston.

[Genine Franklin-Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many editing-correctable errors, annoying wimpy main character. But, a dog, so . . .

[Deacon Tom F. (Recovering from a big heart attack) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just an ordinary book. The cover reminded me of a marketing scam because the dog is a supporting character. I was expecting more canine involvement.
Plus, a failed attempt to be clever, Fred feeds the dog hamburger and beer on a regular basis.

The sister is just has way too many problems--not an engaging character at all.

A mixed up storyline with lots of typos. I am glad it was free. I do not recommend.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best way to describe this book is, "Meh." The characters are well-developed and are definitely not run-of-the-mill, cookie-cutter characters out of central casting for a mystery. There are some twists and turns, which are nice.
But there are some weaknesses. First, there are times when the narrative drags. Houston included minutiae that doesn't factor into the story (e.g., Jake installs spyware on a computer, it gets detected by someone, but we never learn who or what the significance is supposed to be; the subject is never addressed again). Houston goes includes a LOT of bathroom breaks ... why? TMI and unnecessary. Jake and his dog appear to be addicted to McDonald's, and the whole family is in need of an alcoholic's intervention. The book appears to be proudly sponsored by McD's and Coors.
Second, the dialogue is at times stilted. The goofy awkwardness is more suited to teen or young adult fiction. And though well-developed, some of the characters are annoying -- downright not likable. Meg is spoiled; money drains through her fingers like water. Mom is an unremitting nag that sets your teeth on edge. Jake has the same morality as Fred around a female in heat. And you want to cuff Kevin on the back of the head. Jake and Meg both come across as deadbeats who live beyond their means, they're frequently down to their final dollars w/ their cards maxed out -- but they always find a little more money to spend unwisely. Again, annoying.
Finally, and most disappointing, is the end. It's as if Houston grew bored and just decided to rush the ending. The flow is choppy and disjointed. After all the minutiae and trivial details that did not contribute to the narrative, Houston just resolves the story, clumsily ties up loose ends in a hurry in a way that leaves the reader thinking, "Huh? Wha-?" Some of the resolution did not make sense to me. I didn't follow the rationale or logic in the motives or flow on the part of some of the crooks.
There were parts of the book that were good. The Everyman quality of the main character (not a PI or detective) is a nice change. There are some twists. But it is clearly a first book by an author (albeit, an author w/ potential), w/ some beginner's mistakes.
And the way the ending is thrown together diminishes the enjoyment significantly.
Bottom line assessment: Meh.

[Shawn Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story layered with plenty of dynamic ingredients. I really enjoyed the POV (written in first person), and appreciated that he was just your normal guy caught in the midst of a complex mystery well over his head. The writing was humorous and proficient, the relationships well-defined and enjoyable. The mystery itself was illusive until the very end, and so it was hard to put down for any length of time. The atmosphere was one to get lost in, and this story definitely had its hooks in me from the outset. Loved the mention of the Knights of the Golden Circle! I'll be looking for more from Houston!

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My vote for best cover

I may be too critical because I am familiar with the towns and counties that are in the book, and a lot of liberties were taken. We actually have a drug unit called the MUSTANG Taskforce. The dog was the best part of the book. Sister's who have champagne tastes, but borrow money to pay bills, do not buy $45. Bottles of wine, then drink several bottles. Not in the real world. Mother is the worst harpy of the year, and really had me stop Reading the book several times.

[Beth O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, light mystery.

Generally, I read more convoluted and intense novels but I need a light mystery now and then to relax my brain cells. I particularly liked A View to Die For because it had Fred as a main character and I am an avid dog lover. The story line kept me reading and enjoying the adventure enough to look forward to reading others in the series.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part I found this a good read. I was fairly well written, but I got tired of the guy tolerating the bad behavior of everyone around him. It seemed everyone in the book got away with treating him badly. There were also a lot of loose ends that never went anywhere. There were a couple interesting twists.
I am not sure I would pick up another of his books.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one had promise but it fell short for me. I think I only kept up with it as I needed something set in Missouri for a challenge. Jake, a freelance author and a bit down on his luck, gets the call to head home to help his sister Meg who has been first accused of killing her husband before the lawyer he hired help to have the charges dropped as her husband killed himself in an accident. However, Meg doesn’t believe he killed himself. She believes he found a cache of historically important gold coins hidden by Jesse James on their vast water-side property.

In spite of himself, Jake packs up Fred, his dog and heads to Missouri to help his sister. He’s run off the road and hospitalized before he gets there. Oddly enough the cops immediately begin to blame him for the accident (as it’s near his brother in law’s fatal car accident) then accuse him of being there to help his sister cover up her crime. Jake is perturbed by those accusations and his tattooed, highly pierced teenaged nephew, Kevin adds to the annoyance. Before long, a dead body turns up on their property and Kevin’s been jailed for drug charges and the theft of a gold coin along with his wealthier but equally ne’er do well friend. Jake has to clear everyone’s name and find out who killed his brother in law.

Like I said, it had potential but some of the crime details really felt like the author’s only research was to watch cop dramas. Once the dead body shows up, he and his sister are immediately charged with the murder. Detectives don’t immediately do that because it starts a clock. Make them persons of interest yes, interview them yes but arrest them without collecting any evidence, unlikely.

Many other reviews have commented on the fact that there are a ton of bathroom stops in this and the fact he feeds his dog nothing but McDonald’s and beer (which yes doesn’t sit well with me either). It’s not helped that Meg and Kevin are both utterly unlikeable. For instance, she’s constantly accusing Jake of not liking his nephew yet he’s never said that. This one just didn’t hold my interest.

[Terrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was poorly written. The story line was horrible and the characters were very shallow. The idea of a man feeding his dog McDonalds hamburgers was a good diet for dogs made me want to call the SPCA.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 11/24

[Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t get past the constant reminders of how broke everyone was. So I couldn’t finish it.

[Carol A. Ewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story

This book had a twisted plot, which is good for a mystery. There comes a problem when it is hard to follow. Another problem comes when the reader can see clues to the mystery but the hero cannot.
For me, there was one more problem, just too much beer and consequential pending involved.

[Eric Copeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. That's two reviews in a row that I've started with that word, but they come from very different places. "Sing Backwards and Weep" earned a "wow" because while Mark Lanegan died in 2022, at a relatively young age, it's amazing that he made it that long, considering the abuse and risks to which he subjected himself during his life.

"A View to Die For" earns a "wow" because I can't believe even this one ever made it to print -- and I'm unlikely to seek out any of the other eight (yes, you read that right: EIGHT) books in Richard Houston's "To Die For" series.

This was a book group read, and the blurb actually seemed like it might be pretty good. The blurb was wrong. This was also a "local reads" book for my library (we're in the Kansas City area, and apparently Houston lives in the Lake of the Ozarks area in mid-Missouri), which piqued my interest. Fortunately there are lots of other Missouri and Kansas City writers who are good (Gillian Flynn and Jim Butcher are among my favorites, though I believe both of them have relocated to other places by now), because Houston is not.

I suppose this counts as a "cozy mystery," since the main character is an amateur detective who kind of falls into a murder investigation. He's actually an unemployed software engineer (though his computer skills don't seem to be much more stellar than the average teenager's), who's called home from Colorado because his brother-in-law is dead and his sister is being accused of murdering him.

The actual plot of the book has to do with rare gold coins that may or may not be connected to Jesse James and a host of not-very-likable characters who are mixed up with the situation in one way or another. But leaving out that thin plot, which is really just something that's mentioned every now and then, the book is more about how many times Jake Martin and his dog can stop at McDonald's for McDoubles, how many beers they share (yes, the dog helps him drink his beer and the beers are always Coors, because Colorado, you know -- all Coloradans drink Coors beer), and how often they TAKE A LEAK. Oh my, soooo much urination in this book. We used to joke when watching "24" (you know, "I wonder when Jack Bauer ever has time to pee?") but believe me, in "A View to Die For," you won't ever wonder when that happens because the author mentions it (or does more than mention -- actually DESCRIBES it) every. Single. Time.

To help propel this narrative, there's plenty of dialogue that sounds as if it were written by someone who hasn't carried on a normal conversation since George H.W. Bush was in office. Especially laughable are the parts where a character curses; the attempt at off-color language sounds like a fourth-grader who is just trying out dirty words for the first time. Most of the time it's fairly mild terms like "bastard" and "S.O.B.," which in my experience sound a little bit quaint, and when an actual four-letter word is employed in the dialogue, it lands with a "clunk." There were at least two scenes where the characters supposedly yelled at each other -- but I didn't realize it until afterward when the author described how upsetting the screaming match was. The dialogue certainly didn't portray anything more than a heated discussion.

And characterization? What characterization? Aside from the main character and his McDoubles, Coors, and peeing, there's the sister, who burns every breakfast she cooks; their mother, who never met anything she couldn't criticize; the waitress at the local diner, whose breast falls out of her top and is put back in place without even a blink; the nephew, who for some reason always calls Jake Martin "Uncle Martin," with no explanation for why he addresses his uncle in this unusual way; the nephew's best friend, who uses drugs and hates his stepdad; the best friend's mom, who's beautiful despite being married to the awful person who is the aforementioned stepdad, and who flirts shamelessly with this visitor from out of state; and the list goes on. The characters never really have more than one or two traits to identify them, which makes for some pretty two-dimensional storytelling.

What next? Oh, the absolute WRONGNESS of so many details. I'm willing to overlook some things (though who spells out Interstate Seventy or Highway Seven? Sociopaths, that's who), but in the internet age it's inexcusable to call 1970s-era stuntman Evel Knievel "Evil Kinevil" -- you spelled BOTH NAMES WRONG? REALLY? And just a few pages later he makes reference to "the old Charlie Pride song of 'Daydreaming of Night Things in the Middle of the Afternoon.'" First off, the song is called "Daydreams About Night Things," and Charley Pride spelled his name with an "ey," not an "ie." But the spelling of Charlie/Charley is less important when you realize that the song was actually sung by Ronnie Milsap. Really, sir! If you're going to be specific, be correct; if you're not going to be correct, be vague.

As a Missourian, I was also troubled by the fact that Richard Houston, supposedly a Show-Me Stater himself, has a very dim view of his neighbors. The people who live in the area where the book takes place are usually spoken of in dismissive and derisive terms. Of course, there are some unintelligent and backwards people in central Missouri, but I'm pretty sure that's the case everywhere, rural and urban.

I couldn't understand why this book's average rating was four stars until I looked at some of the reviews. The good reviews all seem to be only two or three lines long, while the poor reviews are several paragraphs long. That indicates to me that the good reviews were probably fakes to boost the overall rating.

And one more thing: If you're lured in by the gorgeous dog that's on the cover of the book, don't bother. Fred, Jake Martin's golden retriever, spends most of the book eating McDoubles, "watering the trees," lapping up the Coors poured out for him, and silently listening to the inane questions posed to an otherwise empty room by his master.

[Betty Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great who dunit!

I have this a four star rating because some parts were a bit predictable, if not for that it would have been five stars. The book is filled with action, suspense, grief, forbidden love and much more. Jake and his sidekick, Fred go on an adventure to prove his sister is not a murderer. Along the way they face danger, have some laughs and become quite the pair as non-professional sleuths. The story has many twists and turns and as soon as you think you've figured out who is the true murderer, along comes another possibility. I was kept guessing until the very end. Truly a great book!

[Dawn Emsen-Hough · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book really disappointing. Being a avid crime reader and a dog person and loving books that involve the clever antics of dogs, I was really looking forward to this. The dog just turned out to be a companion that the main character had alongside him continually and the I neither found the plot encouraging nor the writing style comparable to books I've been reading of late. I was also put off by the continual downgrading of women throughout the book and I'm not overly sensitive to that so it has to be quite significant for me to reference it. Not a book for me I'm afraid.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I liked the story. But had a real problem with the mother and sister and how they treated Jake. And Jake obviously loved his dog Fred, but he sure didn't take proper care of him. The drinking most of day and all night was too much and the obsession with eating at McDonald's was over the top. When I started I thought I would be reading the entire series. Now I have to wait a while to read more, if I decide to try another one.

[Debra Ritchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book! I never figured out who did it or why they did it till the end. It kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed this book. Anyone who likes a good mystery will love this book.

This book keeps you on your toes. I never figure it out till I was on they last page and they told me. If you enjoy a good mystery you will love this book!

[Susan Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy mystery

I enjoyed the humor, family interactions, and animals included with this good mystery. The main character is so generous I thought he was naive. But, his sister surprised me by actually coming through at the end, and redeeming herself, somewhat. Many thanks to the author. If you like cozy mysteries with animals, you might enjoy this.

[Lori Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary

Summary

This book was interesting from the beginning .It kept me right into the book from beginning to the end.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves murder mystery books.