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Mackenzie Cross Paranormal Mystery #1
The Consequence of Murder
The gruesome discovery of a mummified corpse wakes up something inside investigator Mackenzie Cross. Seeing and hearing things that just don’t happen in Antioch, Georgia, she finally accepts that the very angry ghost of the dead woman is demanding Mackenzie find out who murdered her.
Under ordinary circumstances, she would turn to her best friend, sheriff’s deputy Veronica Birdwell, but not only is Mackenzie unsure how to bring up a very real ghost, she is uncomfortably attracted to Veronica, who is straight and off-limits. She also has another case involving a cheerleader, a blackmailing preacher and a rattlesnake—life is already too complicated to risk love.
Under ordinary circumstances, she would turn to her best friend, sheriff’s deputy Veronica Birdwell, but not only is Mackenzie unsure how to bring up a very real ghost, she is uncomfortably attracted to Veronica, who is straight and off-limits. She also has another case involving a cheerleader, a blackmailing preacher and a rattlesnake—life is already too complicated to risk love.
292 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2014
1 person is currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Nene Adams
16 books26 followersThe author of the classics The Sunne in Golde and Black by Gaslight and the critically acclaimed Flowers of Edo: A Ghost Story, Nene Adams left behind eleven years working in the newspaper and marketing industries in the U.S., to live and work in a small village in the Netherlands with her partner, Dutch artist Corrie Kuipers. Through her fascination with the nineteenth century and earlier times, she found inspiration in the modern world as well.
Nene Adams is the author of many published and online novels and stories. Her novels Barking at the Moon and The Consequence of Murder are Golden Crown Literary Society Award Winners. She is the Royal Academy of Bards 2006 Hall of Fame Author and the winner of 2012 Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nene Adams passed away from a heart attack on October 3, 2015, after a long illness. Her work brought, and will continue to bring, much pleasure to readers of lesbian fiction.
Remembering Nene Adams, 1966-2015 by KG MacGregor
Nene Adams is the author of many published and online novels and stories. Her novels Barking at the Moon and The Consequence of Murder are Golden Crown Literary Society Award Winners. She is the Royal Academy of Bards 2006 Hall of Fame Author and the winner of 2012 Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nene Adams passed away from a heart attack on October 3, 2015, after a long illness. Her work brought, and will continue to bring, much pleasure to readers of lesbian fiction.
Remembering Nene Adams, 1966-2015 by KG MacGregor
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 1, 2016
4 1/2 Stars. I stumbled onto this book by accident. Never heard anything about it, but have heard of Adams, so I thought I'd give it a chance. And boy I really enjoyed this.
Mackenzie Cross' job is to find things for people, and when the police find a body in her office wall, Mackenzie's life is about to get interesting. At first little things begin to happen. Shes seeing shadows and a woman out of the corner of her eye, then her things seem to be swapping places on their own. Soon Mackenzie realizes the ghost of the dead body from her office is haunting her. And the ghost won't leave her alone until Mack finds out what happened to her.
I'm a big fan of LesFic paranormal, and I've been enjoying a good mystery lately, so to put those two together, this book was just perfect for me. The setting in the deep south was great, the people, the food, it really felt authentic. The characters were likeable, and the book even included a light, sweet, romance.
The murder mystery was interesting. The actual murder took place in the 50's, so Mack had to approach this like a cold case. I enjoyed how Adams used the past and infused it with the current, to present the clues of the mystery. Plus, there was enough excitement to keep the pages turning. Just overall, a well written and enjoyable story.
If you are a mystery/crime fan I would definitely recommend this. Even if you are not big on the paranormal... everything else besides the Ghost, was normal, so I would still recommend this.
I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in this series, as well as Nene Adams' other books.
Mackenzie Cross' job is to find things for people, and when the police find a body in her office wall, Mackenzie's life is about to get interesting. At first little things begin to happen. Shes seeing shadows and a woman out of the corner of her eye, then her things seem to be swapping places on their own. Soon Mackenzie realizes the ghost of the dead body from her office is haunting her. And the ghost won't leave her alone until Mack finds out what happened to her.
I'm a big fan of LesFic paranormal, and I've been enjoying a good mystery lately, so to put those two together, this book was just perfect for me. The setting in the deep south was great, the people, the food, it really felt authentic. The characters were likeable, and the book even included a light, sweet, romance.
The murder mystery was interesting. The actual murder took place in the 50's, so Mack had to approach this like a cold case. I enjoyed how Adams used the past and infused it with the current, to present the clues of the mystery. Plus, there was enough excitement to keep the pages turning. Just overall, a well written and enjoyable story.
If you are a mystery/crime fan I would definitely recommend this. Even if you are not big on the paranormal... everything else besides the Ghost, was normal, so I would still recommend this.
I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in this series, as well as Nene Adams' other books.
August 31, 2021
4 stars
This was a well written paranormal crime solving story. Granted it was predictable as hell but it was entertaining nevertheless.
And even though I generally don't like ghosts, this one, while scary, was well used to further the plot so I can't complain.
Mackenzie was sometimes oblivious as hell and prone to draw quick conclusions based on next to no evidence but overall a good and likeable main character.
I also have to mention the (in my Czech opinion) insane amount of churches involved and their importance to the community in the story. Is it like that really in the USA? Like is it really such a big part of daily life/social circles of people in rural America? Are pastors basically local celebrities? Because to me it seems crazy that everyone cares about some form of Christianity that publically (I was raised to consider faith in god(s) a deeply personal and internal thing so I'm not used to it being such a public spectacle, for lack of better words). And the rattlesnakes didn't help, those are just plain weird.
This was a well written paranormal crime solving story. Granted it was predictable as hell but it was entertaining nevertheless.
And even though I generally don't like ghosts, this one, while scary, was well used to further the plot so I can't complain.
Mackenzie was sometimes oblivious as hell and prone to draw quick conclusions based on next to no evidence but overall a good and likeable main character.
I also have to mention the (in my Czech opinion) insane amount of churches involved and their importance to the community in the story. Is it like that really in the USA? Like is it really such a big part of daily life/social circles of people in rural America? Are pastors basically local celebrities? Because to me it seems crazy that everyone cares about some form of Christianity that publically (I was raised to consider faith in god(s) a deeply personal and internal thing so I'm not used to it being such a public spectacle, for lack of better words). And the rattlesnakes didn't help, those are just plain weird.
April 8, 2020
Lots of twists and turns in this little doozy. I liked it.
December 6, 2014
I had no idea if I'd like this book or not when I started it. I've heard the author's name over the years but never read any of her work. Well, now I'm looking forward to picking up some of her other books.
This book had a good mystery (although I figured the entire thing out waaaaaay before the folks in the book did), a nice romance, and a lot of good humor. I loved the characters, even if I do wish the couple in the story had talked a bit more to each other.
All in all, a very enjoyable book.
This book had a good mystery (although I figured the entire thing out waaaaaay before the folks in the book did), a nice romance, and a lot of good humor. I loved the characters, even if I do wish the couple in the story had talked a bit more to each other.
All in all, a very enjoyable book.
October 28, 2020
4.5*
This is my first Nene Adams and definitely not my last. I have no idea how or when I got this but I'm glad I did. Cross is an in-your-face personality who hasn't got a clue when her crush has the hots for her. But that's not the point of the story. It's the mystery that stands first and foremost, with teh characters slipping into the plot and forming all kinds of links, good and bad.
I'm even happier that the romance (or rather the romantic element) remained low key and subtle. Well balanced, well put together and enough that I just couldn't wait to read the next chapter.
I hope there is going to be a lot of these Cross mysteries!
Highly recommended
This is my first Nene Adams and definitely not my last. I have no idea how or when I got this but I'm glad I did. Cross is an in-your-face personality who hasn't got a clue when her crush has the hots for her. But that's not the point of the story. It's the mystery that stands first and foremost, with teh characters slipping into the plot and forming all kinds of links, good and bad.
I'm even happier that the romance (or rather the romantic element) remained low key and subtle. Well balanced, well put together and enough that I just couldn't wait to read the next chapter.
I hope there is going to be a lot of these Cross mysteries!
Highly recommended
January 29, 2018
A woman gets involved in a murder investigation when a dead body is found in the wall of her office.
I found this book quite interesting, but the mix of romance / paranormal / detective stories was a bit too mixed up for my liking.
I found this book quite interesting, but the mix of romance / paranormal / detective stories was a bit too mixed up for my liking.
January 30, 2018
I didn't remember there was a paranormal element in the story... (yeah I know it's in the name of the serie, but I think I zapped over it)
So I was taken aback when the "paranormal element" was introduced. It's was pretty cliché but in a not too bad way, mainly because the main character, while being sometimes terrified/horrified/queasy , decided she had enough and got mad at the abuse she receives from it. And her reactions were funny.
For the romance part, it was mostly possible/realistic, a bit sad and a lot fun.
I am not sure I will read it again but it's a nice moment
So I was taken aback when the "paranormal element" was introduced. It's was pretty cliché but in a not too bad way, mainly because the main character, while being sometimes terrified/horrified/queasy , decided she had enough and got mad at the abuse she receives from it. And her reactions were funny.
For the romance part, it was mostly possible/realistic, a bit sad and a lot fun.
I am not sure I will read it again but it's a nice moment
August 23, 2024
Who knew a small town could have so many churches and so many dirty secrets? There are so many churches and pastors that I thought I would need a table to keep track of them all.
This was fun to read. The blurb tells us pretty much all we need to know. There are misunderstandings, a budding romance, a ghost who wants her murder solved, and some humor. It was both exciting and entertaining.
This was fun to read. The blurb tells us pretty much all we need to know. There are misunderstandings, a budding romance, a ghost who wants her murder solved, and some humor. It was both exciting and entertaining.
December 26, 2021
◇Investigator Mackenzie Cross and sheriff’s deputy Veronica Birdwell. A case involving a cheerleader, a blackmailing preacher and a rattlesnake—life is already too complicated to risk love.
💫 I liked this one. Mackenzie and Veronica had good chemistry. And the story was really well written and built. The pace was good and the twist was so wicked, I loved it.
I almost wanted to slap that cheerleader, she was such a workload. And don't get me started on that preacher and his snake conspiracy theories about purification. Like boy, that shit is dangerous. That moment when the so-thought to be straight is not actually straight... well, that's why I don't enjoy toaster-oven romance, such assumptions are the main reason why life is weird. That ghost moment between the MCs, it was cute.
Ps: In the beginning, that ghost was such a bitch. I almost thought she was going to hurt Mackenzie. Since I enjoyed the first book, I am definitely checking out the sequel, "Burn All Like", though the synopsis is not so sharp. But whatever, I already bought the copy.
💫 I liked this one. Mackenzie and Veronica had good chemistry. And the story was really well written and built. The pace was good and the twist was so wicked, I loved it.
I almost wanted to slap that cheerleader, she was such a workload. And don't get me started on that preacher and his snake conspiracy theories about purification. Like boy, that shit is dangerous. That moment when the so-thought to be straight is not actually straight... well, that's why I don't enjoy toaster-oven romance, such assumptions are the main reason why life is weird. That ghost moment between the MCs, it was cute.
Ps: In the beginning, that ghost was such a bitch. I almost thought she was going to hurt Mackenzie. Since I enjoyed the first book, I am definitely checking out the sequel, "Burn All Like", though the synopsis is not so sharp. But whatever, I already bought the copy.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews