All Things Murder

Veronica Walsh Mystery #1

by Jeanne Quigley

Emmy-winning actress Veronica Walsh is accustomed to role-playing. Over her thirty-two year career on the soap opera Days and Nights, her character has been a businesswoman, wife (multiple times), mother, prison inmate and fugitive. None of that prepared Veronica for the role of real-life sleuth.

When Veronica cannot land a new part after the soap's cancellation, she returns to her Adirondack hometown for what she hopes is a temporary visit. No sooner does she arrive than Veronica finds herself in a swirl of turmoil, with her neighbor at the center. In the span of a few hours, powerful businesswoman Anna Langdon extends an invitation to Veronica to discuss a business proposal, ends a short romance with Veronica’s high school beau, threatens to evict one of her retail tenants and thwarts a deal to build a mall on local farmland. Veronica receives an unexpected welcome-home present when she finds Anna's body the next morning, the cast-iron skillet used to kill her lying at her feet. Soon Veronica is chasing leads with the help of friend Mark Burke and her former co-star Alex Shelby.

Twists straight from a soap script, including two leading men vying for her attention, entangle Veronica as she gathers clues. Will Veronica solve the case, or will the killer be as elusive as an acting job? And will she play the heroine or the damsel in distress?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction

275 pages, Hardcover

First published May 21, 2014

About the author

Jeanne Quigley is the author of the Veronica Walsh Mysteries and the Robyn Cavanagh mystery series. Unlike her fictional sleuths, she has never been a soap opera star or an accountant (though she was an accounting major for a few minutes in the spring of 1985), but she has worked for an educational publisher and in the music industry. A lifelong New Yorker, Jeanne lives in her native county.

Visit Jeanne at her website: http://www.jeannequigley.wordpress.com

http://www.facebook.com/jeannemquigley/

Reviews

[PennsyLady (Bev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Things Murder (Veronica Walsh #1)
by Jeanne Quigley

Barton, (a small village in the Adirondacks) welcomes the return of Veronica Walsh.
We meet a middle aged soap opera diva, arriving home from the recently cancelled Days And Nights.
Will this be a brief hiatus or is it time for permanent change?

As one would expect in a cozy mystery, our heroine is an amateur and her accomplices provide comic relief.
There are hints of romance and of course "daytime drama" in solving the mystery.
Alex Shelby, her former co-star, joins her small band of assistant sleuths.
He definitely brings elements of a daytime serial.
Murder solved, her adventures continue in Murder, by George.

Jeanne Quigley has provided an enjoyable debut novel.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, easy read in a warm, inviting setting. I do like having mcs with unusual occupations; in this case it was fun that the mc is a former soap opera star, home after her long-running show is cancelled. The reading flow was marred somewhat when too many characters were introduced; I was able to keep track of most of them but had to go back to check on a couple that I didn't recognize. (I still haven't figured out who one of them was supposed to be.) There were a couple inconsistencies, as well. Otherwise it was a good read, just about 4*, and I plan to try the second in the series.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

As a fan of cozy mysteries and soap operas, (I am an avid Days of Our Lives fan.) I loved this book!

Where do soap stars go when their shows are cancelled? Several find new roles to play and several like Veronica Walsh come home to regroup and start a new path in their lives. In Veronica’s case finding her neighbor dead puts a huge bump in her new path and it can derail her or she can use her years of soap experience and find the person responsible for Anna Langdon’s untimely demise.

Jeanne Quigley has created a great amateur sleuth in Veronica (Ronnie) Walsh and surrounding her with a great group of supporting characters. Having her former co-star come to visit was a brilliant idea. Who could create a better diversion while Ronnie tries to figure out who got rid of a woman so many people wanted dead? An actor that can make woman swoon and play any part Ronnie needs him play.

I can’t believe this is the author’s debut novel. She has definitely found her cozy voice and is a new author to keep our eyes on. I think this is going to be a very successful series and I can’t wait for the next installment.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soap opera actress Veronica Walsh loves playing the diva and loves her role on the show Days and Nights. When her show is cancelled, she’s devastated. With no other acting prospects on the horizon, she returns to her Adirondack hometown to visit with her mother and old friends. Her mother would be more than happy if she’d help her out in the family bookstore and return home for good.

Wealthy business woman and Veronica’s neighbor, Anna Langdon, has a business proposal to discuss with her. Veronica has no clue what it’s all about but when she goes to her meeting, she discovers Anna’s dead body. Veronica is more than stunned and wonders if it has anything to do with Anna’s attempts at stop a major developer from taking over their small town businesses.

Veronica can’t help but stick her nose in police business and search for the truth behind Anna’s death. With the help of her former co-star, Alex Shelby, and her childhood friend, Mark Burke, the threesome set out to catch themselves a killer without finding themselves to be the next victims.

Jeanne Quigley is a wonderful new voice in the cozy mystery genre. I devoured this book. It has it all – mystery, great characters, and a bit of romance too. I really appreciated that our heroine was an older character. There aren’t many of them around and Veronica was someone I could identify with (although I would never take any dangerous risks, I’m more boring – LOL). The romance was just the right amount – not too much, not too little and very believable.

I feel like I just spent the last couple of days in the Adirondacks. When a book can transport you to its location, its done its job. Needless to say, I will definitely be looking for the next book in this series. Excellent start!


FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the 2nd in this series while browsing our new bookshelves, so went into the stacks to get the 1st. I really enjoyed this book; the characters, the setting were well done. I LOVED that the main character is in her 50s and starting over.

Highly recommended.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 2nd book first and wanted to read this one. It was truly an enjoyable read.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veronica Walsh stars in a soap opera that is canceled after 32 years on the air. The jobs available to actresses "of a certain age" aren't attractive so she takes the opportunity to make an extended visit to her hometown for a little R & R. She no sooner get there and her next door neighbor is murdered. She decides to investigate with her TV husband and an old schoolmate tagging along.

The victim was not particularly well-liked so there is a plethora of suspects.

My nit picking: Page 112 shortly after the murder, Veronica sees a light in the victim's supposed-to-be-empty house. She debates who to call to report it. The police? Or the man she's dating? She doesn't call anyone; she goes to take a look. Groan. Next thing you know, she'll be running out on the treacherous cliff path, on a dark and stormy night, wearing only a filmy white chemise.

I've already read the second book in the series, Murder, by George, and the small-town feel was right on the mark. Since I prefer paper over digital, I was sorry to see that the third book in the series, Cast for Murder, is published by CreateSpace whose paperbacks are inordinately expensive. My library doesn't buy CreateSpace books either so the alternative is to read it on Kindle.

[A Holland Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun start to a new to me series. I really liked Veronica from the beginning. She was a believable character who fun to get to know. Not to mention her age as a breath of fresh air since most lead characters are not middle aged. The setting for the book was also nice and a place I would like to visit. I liked that the author gave me a few twists so that I did not figure out the killer until the end of the book. There was also a touch of romance in the book for more added enjoyment. All the makings of a good book - great character, nice setting, keeps you guessing, mystery and romance. Glad I was able to read this book.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

Veronica Walsh is a soap opera actress who returns to her Adirondack hometown when the series is pulled of air. Unwilling to answer calls that Hollywood is now sending her way (aka menopause commercials), she quickly gets involved in the solving of a crime when her neighbor (who is hated by almost everyone in the town) is murdered.

A nice little murder mystery in a quaint, small-town setting. This book was a great short read about murder with interesting characters and a bit of humor. The plot was not predictable and the characters had variety. This is a great beach read- something light and escapist.

[Heidi Brown - Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Jeanne Quigley for my autographed copy of this book. People who like mystery stories this book is for you. Men and women alike will come to like these characters in this book series. This book is definately a page turner. I really liked that you kept on guessing who did it, until the last chapter of the book. That makes this book extremely great. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book to all my family and friends male and female alike.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this cozy mystery from the library to meet the book challenge category of "set in your hometown/region". The slightly preposterous murder mystery takes place in the fictional town of Barton, in the Adirondacks - I'm guessing near Warrensburg or North Creek, roughly. Parts of it did remind me of home, but it wasn't good enough to draw me in to the sequels.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to see a character my age as the lead. Her reasons for investigating the murder of her neighbor were slim, but decent story.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read!

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a murder mystery. It is a run of the mill one, no twists or turns. Nothing to say oh my. It is her debut novel, so they may get better.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A soap opera murder mystery with a large cast of potential murderers. A lite read, and little sympathy for the murder victim. Not the best mystery, but ok after a sweaty day of yard work.

[Gaiainc · Rating 4 out of 5]

More 3.5 than 4. A lot of names. A lot of characters. It wasn’t always easy to figure out who was who. Perfectly fine mystery. Likely will borrow the next in the series.

[Randi Buslik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, a bit silly here and there. A quick who dunnit

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise I would review it. The copy reviewed was an advance uncorrected proof, and there may be changes in the final product.

Veronica Walsh has spent thirty-two years starring in the soap opera Days and Nights. Now that’s over and the only job offers she’s getting are old people medication commercials. Now might be the time to take an extended vacation in her quaint hometown in the Adirondacks. Barton is the kind of place where they still have small businesses, many catering to the tourist trade.

But there’s a threat on the horizon–a developer is about to put up a new mall, with all the big chain stores. Until Anna Langdon, owner of the “All Things” store and landlord to many of the other businesses, comes up with her own plan to scotch the deal. When Anna turns up dead the next morning, the developer would seem like an obvious suspect, but Anna’s heartless business tactics and fairly ruthless personal life turn up several other possibilities.

Veronica comes into the picture because she was next door at the time the murder was committed, Anna was going to meet with Veronica about a mysterious business proposition, and Veronica’s mother owns a business that rented its space from Anna. Plus, having gotten so used to the drama of soap operas, Veronica can’t help snooping around.

It helps that she’s enormously popular with the villagers, as a hometown girl made good. She’s also ably assisted by history professor Mark Burke and not so ably by her old co-star Alex Shelby.

As the first cozy mystery in a projected series, this book needs to introduce a sizable cast of quirky characters, as well as providing a mystery plot. I got confused several times as some of the minor characters tended to blend together, and I had to reread to figure out who they were supposed to be. The most notable character was Alex, since he wore his narcissism on his sleeve, and his reason for being in the area was suspicious enough to rouse my attention.

The mystery is not so much solved, as that Veronica has the solution dropped in her lap; though it does rely on her previously established good auditory memory.

I found the book only so-so, but people with an interest in the Adirondacks area may find it more captivating. Since this is a first novel, there’s plenty of room for improvement in later installments.

A quick note: Since this book is published by Cengage, the final product is likely to have end note content not available in the uncorrected proof, such as book club discussion topics.

[Toni Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first installment of a mystery series based on protagonist Veronica Walsh, a long-time soap opera star whose soap has just ended. It definitely falls into the cozy mystery category.

At loose ends, Veronica goes home to Barton, New York, a quaint town in the Adirondacks. Her mother owns a bookstore there, and is happy that her daughter has returned home. Author Jeanne Quigley doesn’t waste any time advancing the plot once Veronica arrives. She’s barely arrived at her home in Barton when she overhears neighbor Anna Langdon unceremoniously dismissing Tim Peterson, Veronica's high school crush. Windows are open, and Veronica can hear Tim and Anna's conversation. It turns out that Anna, a woman possessing all the warmth of Cruella de Vil of "The Hundred and One Dalmatians," has just ended an affair with Tim, who is separated from his wife.

Veronica then visits her mother and friends on Orchard Street, where the bookshop, a coffee shop, a florist, a bakery, a card shop, and Anna's "All Things" high-end store are located. Anna owns all this property and rents it to the shop owners. Veronica once again overhears Anna, this time threatening to evict the card shop if its owners can't make their rent payments promptly.

Yet Anna becomes the town's apparent savior that evening when she offers to buy a local farm for significantly more than a mall developer has offered for it. This occurs at a town meeting called to stop the mall from being built. Everyone -- especially the Orchard Street shop owners -- are thankful that the farmer has agreed to sell his property to Anna. But what can "the worm of Orchard," as a couple of elderly women call Anna, have up her sleeve? She’s certainly not known for helping anyone but herself.

As Anna leaves the meeting, she asks Veronica to meet her at her house for breakfast the next day. Anna says she has a proposition to discuss with Veronica. So it's Veronica who discovers Anna's body the next morning -- her head bashed in by a cast iron skillet. Veronica can't keep herself from trying to figure out who killed Anna. There are lots of suspects -- Anna excelled at alienating people -- and Veronica ends up being helped by Mark Burke, a longtime friend and history professor at a local college.

This is Quigley's first novel. It's fairly well-written and the plot is OK. The characters are somewhat sketchy in the beginning, but they become more real as the novel progresses. I think anyone who likes soap operas and perhaps small-town life in upstate New York would like this book. It was OK, but I doubt I'll read the second book in the series.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author pulls you in right away, from the very first paragraph. She makes even the most unlikeable characters sympathetic, giving even the murder victim one redeeming quality---she is determined to not let anything bad happen to “her” village (the main character’s hometown), despite the efforts of one of the villagers and an out-of-town developer. Her motives may not be entirely altruistic, but the end result is the same so the locals are perfectly happy letting her take care of their problem for them.

Having been born and raised in a small town myself, and still living in a small town (okay, the county seat of about 12,000 people, but that’s still small for around here) it was easy to get into the story. The atmosphere, the people, and all the drama that comes with small town life was very believable, and I could even recognize a few of my own hometown’s residents in the Bartonians.

There were several hilarious scenes where Veronica got herself into some possibly sticky situations and had to get herself out of them because her so-called backup was nowhere to be found, proving her resilience and ability to think quickly on her feet, which should come in handy on her future adventures.

The ending was a total surprise; just when the author had me convinced I knew who the killer was, I got blindsided by the critical clue that tied it all together. There aren’t too many authors who are able to put one over on me anymore; I grew up on Agatha Christie mysteries and got used to spotting red herrings ages ago (sometimes not recognizing the significance of them until the end, but I could still tell one when I saw it). Any author who is able to keep me guessing till the end of the book is going to make my favorites list, and this author just made the top ten. I look forward to reading more of her work!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I enjoy Jeanne Quigley's All Things Murder? Yes, for the most part!

Veronica Walsh is the heroine and amateur-detective in All Things Murder. Before Walsh lost her job--on a soap opera, the soap was CANCELED and replaced with a talk show about FOOD--she was happy and successful and doing exactly what she wanted. Life was GOOD. Everything was just-right. True, she never found 'true love' and married. But her character had SIX HUSBANDS. So she never really felt she was missing out all that much. Between her character, Rachel, and herself, she'd pretty much experienced all that life has to offer--good and bad. But she begins to feel lost AND OLD within a few weeks of being out of work. So she heads to her hometown, and considers restarting her life there.

What she finds is that she did NOT leave the drama behind. For soon after her arrival in town, her next-door neighbor is murdered. And she is the one who finds the body. She didn't know her well, but, just in the few days before her neighbor's murder (Anna is the victim's name), Veronica witnessed PLENTY of drama. Without anyone spilling anymore gossip, Veronica already has a handful of suspects: people with motive and/or opportunity to have killed Anna...

Like many cozy mysteries, this one mixes in a little bit of romance. (The romance didn't overshadow the mystery, in my opinion.)

I like this one. It is a light read, not that heavy or complex. It was fun too. I liked meeting all the people who lived in the town. Some characters were quite interesting, and, I'd like to see more of them in the future.

Overall, I liked this one. If the second one was available, I'd want to read it!

[Katreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Things Murder by Jeanne Quigley
The First Veronica Walsh Mystery

For 32 years Veronica Walsh starred in the soap opera, Days and Nights, but when the show is cancelled she realizes roles are more difficult to come by for an almost 54 year old actress. She decides a change of scenery is what she needs, so Veronica moves back to her home town in the Adirondacks. The slower pace of her charming town soon proves dangerous.When her neighbor is murdered and Veronica finds the body, she decides to start sleuthing. She has the help of a childhood friend and now her former co-star, buy will these two male cohorts create more problems?

I don’t seem to run across many books that feature middle aged women. There are several starring senior citizens while the majority seem to feature 20 and 30 year olds. I’m pleased to say that All Things Murder fills this void, giving us Veronica Walsh, a woman of mature years who has had a lifetime of experience, but isn’t ready for retirement yet. The book also brings to light the sad truth in society when it comes to women of a certain age, but it does so with grace and humor. Neither does it hammer this state of affairs into readers’ heads. Instead, we have a funny, intelligent woman who, in searching for the next chapter in her life, finds comfort in her own mother and childhood home, the possibility of two suitors, and murder!

Jeanne Quigley deftly pens this mystery providing an enjoyable stay in the Adirondacks with a fun cast of characters.

[VaLinda Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait for the next one. I read this in one sitting. Enjoyed the day lights out of all of the characters, the plot was not new, but it was fun to figure out. Veronica, a diva soap opera star (Think Erica Kane's antics on All My Children), TV show get's cancelled. What is she to do now? No prospects, since she is of a "certain" age and don't want to do those reverse mortages, pill popping and no way is she going to do any of those memopausal commericals, decides to go home and figure things out. She not home 24 hours before a murder is committed. The witch of the west (that's the name I call her) has been killed and many wanted her dead. So, does she solve the murder, help her mom run the bookstore, fight city hall from building a mall downt the road, which would affect all of the local small shops, fall in love with one of the two guys after her, or what? You know what she decides to do, solve the murder. Come on, the woman was killed next door to her, she's got to figure it out because it could have been her.

[Doward Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The show is canceled! Life is over! Meet vivacious Veronica Walsh, Soap Opera Diva and a woman of a certain age. After 30 plus years starring in Days and Nights, the show is cancelled, her agent retires and work is non-existent. Returning to her family and hometown in the Adirondacks to reevaluate her life, Veronica falls quickly into the turmoil of small town life and progress. When the impending sale of the local apple orchard to a big developer leads to the murder of her next-door neighbor and wealthy businesswoman landowner, Veronica is sucked into the investigation. Old friends and neighbors are suspects and Veronica has heard and seen too much out her windows to sleep safely. With the help of an old college professor friend, her ex-costar and friends Veronica's retirement is a new soap opera with a real murder. The characters are delightful and fully developed. An ex-soap opera diva as our sleuth is unique and totally entertaining. This cozy adventure is a must read for both mystery and soap opera fans alike.

[Armand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from a GoodReads giveaway. I really enjoyed Jeanne Quigley's "All Things Murder". I was actually surprised to see it was her debut novel. It felt like the work of an author with years of experience under their pen. It's a modern mystery that feels like a classic. Reminds me of Agatha Christie, in a very positive way. The author does an excellent job of creating a small town filled with distinguishable characters. I started off slow but ended up reading the majority of the book today. I would definitely recommend this mystery to any fan of the genre. I'd also like to thank the author, Jeanne Quigley for giving me the opportunity to read and enjoy an advance copy of your novel, "All Things Murder". I look forward to reading your future works.

[Dianne Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veronica Walsh is a soap opera star whose show gets cancelled. Because she is "of a certain age" she isn't being offered anything else so she returns to her small hometown to recharge her batteries. While there her neighbour gets murdered and she decides to investigate, with the help of her former co-star and a childhood friend.

This was a cute book but I found there were too many characters so it was really hard to keep them straight. I eventually gave up trying and just decided to enjoy the mystery. I was fine until the ending. The murderer came completely out of left field. There was never a hint that this person had any problems. It didn't feel right somehow.

That said, I will try the second book in the series because the writing was good.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is going to be a fun cozy series. I like that the protagonist is a "retired" soap opera star, sure it was a forced retirement since her show went off the air. She is a bit older, probably in her 50's so she has a different outlook on life.

The mystery is well written because I didn't figure it out until nearly the very end. There are several potential killers, all with good reasons to kill Anna, but only one could be the culprit.

and of course there is a love story in the making which will be nice for Veronica because while she may have been married 6 times on her soap, that doesn't make for real life romance. We'll see how this storyline progresses in the next book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her long-running soap opera is cancelled, middle-aged actress Veronica comes back to the Adirondack tourist town where she grew up, only to find her neighbor murdered. Anna was a wealthy, ruthless woman and a lot of people had motives for getting rid of her. So many people she likes may be involved that Veronica conducts her own investigation, and convinces the handsome professor at the local college to help. To her surprise, her "husband" on the soap opera shows up to visit, and also dives into the role of detective.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this debut cozy!

Out of work “soap” star Veronica Walsh, along with a delightful cast of supporting characters, had me flying through the pages of this charming mystery at the speed of sound. Veronica was such a likeable protagonist—kind, caring, and solicitous of others. The author did a great job describing the quaint town in the Adirondacks where the murder occurs, and where Veronica connects with old friends and finds her heart again, all while solving a murder. You can bet I’m looking forward to Veronica’s next adventure!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent Jeanne Quigley's first book All Things Murder to review and I am so glad this book found it's way to my table. This was a very good cozy that drew me in from the first line! I grew up watching soaps with my own mother so the idea of a Soap Star loosing her job after 30+ years and finding her way was really intriguing. I enjoyed seeing how the drama unfolded in the normalcy of the small town life. I also loved that the main character was over 50!