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Green Marble Mysteries #3
For Keeps
When retired family doctor Sam Moore gets a call from the coroner to come to The Twin Sisters Inn to consult on a murder victim, he's puzzled. Why would Lou call him? He's retired now, and just wants to spend time with his beloved Rachel, his grandsons, and to work in his gardens.
Within days, the body count increases and Sam is a prime suspect, so he calls on a peculiar talisman—his brother Billy's glowing green marble—to whisk him back in time in search of clues before the killer strikes again.
Within days, the body count increases and Sam is a prime suspect, so he calls on a peculiar talisman—his brother Billy's glowing green marble—to whisk him back in time in search of clues before the killer strikes again.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2012
59 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Paul Lazar
42 books188 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. Author of 28 books, including three addictive mystery series, writing books, a romantic suspense series, and a new love story series, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com. Aaron has won 21 book awards for his novels and finds writing to be his form of "cheap therapy." Feel free to network with him on Facebook or his website; he loves to connect with readers!
Visit his website at www.lazarbooks.com.
more about the author:
Aaron Paul Lazar wasn’t always a mystery writer. It wasn’t until eight members of his family and friends died within five years that the urge to write became overwhelming. “When my father died, I lost it. I needed an outlet, and writing provided the kind of solace I couldn’t find elsewhere.”
Lazar created the Gus LeGarde mystery series, with the founding novel, DOUBLE FORTÉ (2004), a chilling winter mystery set in the Genesee Valley of upstate New York. Like Lazar’s father, protagonist Gus LeGarde is a classical music professor. Gus, a grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and thinks of himself as a “Renaissance man caught in the 21st century.”
The creation of the series lent Lazar the comfort he sought, yet in the process, a new passion was unleashed. Obsessed with his parallel universe, he now lives, breathes, and dreams about his characters, and has written eleven LeGarde mysteries.
One day while rototilling his gardens, Lazar unearthed a green cat’s eye marble, which prompted the new paranormal mystery series featuring Sam Moore, retired country doctor and zealous gardener. The green marble, a powerful talisman, connects all three of the books in the series, whisking Sam back in time to uncover his brother’s dreadful fate fifty years earlier. (THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BILLY MOORE; TERROR COMES KNOCKING, and FOR KEEPS) Lazar intends to continue both series, in addition to three contemporary new series including Tall Pines Mysteries, set in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, Paines Creek love stories series, set on Cape Cod, and Bittersweet Hollow romantic suspense series, set in Vermont.
Lazar’s books feature breathless chase scenes, nasty villains, and taut suspense, but are also intensely human stories, replete with kids, dogs, horses, food, romance, and humor. The author calls them, “country mysteries,” although reviewers have dubbed them “literary mysteries.”
“It seems as though every image ever impressed upon my brain finds its way into my work. Whether it’s the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly slate-green lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine, or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in mid-winter, these images burrow into my memory cells. In time they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured out on the page.”
Lazar lives on a ridge overlooking the Genesee Valley in upstate New York with his wife, mother-in-law, beloved Cavi-poo, Balto, Cavi-bichon, Amber, and four cats. He and his wife, Dale, now have seven grandchildren to spoil and they enjoy every second of it!
Visit his website at www.lazarbooks.com.
more about the author:
Aaron Paul Lazar wasn’t always a mystery writer. It wasn’t until eight members of his family and friends died within five years that the urge to write became overwhelming. “When my father died, I lost it. I needed an outlet, and writing provided the kind of solace I couldn’t find elsewhere.”
Lazar created the Gus LeGarde mystery series, with the founding novel, DOUBLE FORTÉ (2004), a chilling winter mystery set in the Genesee Valley of upstate New York. Like Lazar’s father, protagonist Gus LeGarde is a classical music professor. Gus, a grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and thinks of himself as a “Renaissance man caught in the 21st century.”
The creation of the series lent Lazar the comfort he sought, yet in the process, a new passion was unleashed. Obsessed with his parallel universe, he now lives, breathes, and dreams about his characters, and has written eleven LeGarde mysteries.
One day while rototilling his gardens, Lazar unearthed a green cat’s eye marble, which prompted the new paranormal mystery series featuring Sam Moore, retired country doctor and zealous gardener. The green marble, a powerful talisman, connects all three of the books in the series, whisking Sam back in time to uncover his brother’s dreadful fate fifty years earlier. (THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BILLY MOORE; TERROR COMES KNOCKING, and FOR KEEPS) Lazar intends to continue both series, in addition to three contemporary new series including Tall Pines Mysteries, set in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, Paines Creek love stories series, set on Cape Cod, and Bittersweet Hollow romantic suspense series, set in Vermont.
Lazar’s books feature breathless chase scenes, nasty villains, and taut suspense, but are also intensely human stories, replete with kids, dogs, horses, food, romance, and humor. The author calls them, “country mysteries,” although reviewers have dubbed them “literary mysteries.”
“It seems as though every image ever impressed upon my brain finds its way into my work. Whether it’s the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly slate-green lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine, or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in mid-winter, these images burrow into my memory cells. In time they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured out on the page.”
Lazar lives on a ridge overlooking the Genesee Valley in upstate New York with his wife, mother-in-law, beloved Cavi-poo, Balto, Cavi-bichon, Amber, and four cats. He and his wife, Dale, now have seven grandchildren to spoil and they enjoy every second of it!
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 14, 2012
Sam Moore is buying plants for his garden when the phone rings. An old med school friend, now local coroner, wants him to see a dead body, and, for all that Sam’s a retired doctor, he definitely prefers the company of living patients.
Aaron Paul Lazar’s gentle prose brings the scents of a summer garden to life, together with rippling shade of forest and cool clear waters of lake. Characters are vividly real and welcoming too, with pitch-perfect dialog around the dinner table, a wonderful grandfather dealing with a two-year-old’s tantrum, and the awkward embarrassment of past secrets becoming public knowledge.
Sam’s long-lost brother plays an important part in this tale of course, since he provides the impetus for the series. The touches of paranormal as Sam interacts with him are beautifully portrayed and intriguingly told. Sadness, sickness and loss provide a deep counterpoint to the joy and love of familial affections, and there’s a powerful reality and sympathy in the telling making this a very moving novel.
For Keeps is third in Aaron Paul Lazar’s Sam Moore series. But the author has a wonderful way with memories and the past—new readers could read this book on its own and wouldn’t lose the thread. Warmth of garden, relationships, sunshine and honest hard work build together to a heartwarming mystery with gentle mystique, deeply honest sympathy, and the promise of joy abounding. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Aaron Paul Lazar’s gentle prose brings the scents of a summer garden to life, together with rippling shade of forest and cool clear waters of lake. Characters are vividly real and welcoming too, with pitch-perfect dialog around the dinner table, a wonderful grandfather dealing with a two-year-old’s tantrum, and the awkward embarrassment of past secrets becoming public knowledge.
Sam’s long-lost brother plays an important part in this tale of course, since he provides the impetus for the series. The touches of paranormal as Sam interacts with him are beautifully portrayed and intriguingly told. Sadness, sickness and loss provide a deep counterpoint to the joy and love of familial affections, and there’s a powerful reality and sympathy in the telling making this a very moving novel.
For Keeps is third in Aaron Paul Lazar’s Sam Moore series. But the author has a wonderful way with memories and the past—new readers could read this book on its own and wouldn’t lose the thread. Warmth of garden, relationships, sunshine and honest hard work build together to a heartwarming mystery with gentle mystique, deeply honest sympathy, and the promise of joy abounding. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Read
August 22, 2012Regardless of the subject matter, Aaron Lazar's smooth, utterly readable prose never fails to draw the reader in. For Keeps features retired doctor Sam Moore, who Lazar fans will remember from Healy's Cave and Terror Comes Knocking. All Sam wants to do is enjoy his free time relaxing in his delightful garden, enjoying his wife Rachel's superb cooking, and playing with his grandchildren. Sam, however, is a man that seems to attract drama, and in this story, he is drawn into a murder mystery that becomes more and more personal, threatening to undermine his sanity and destroy everything he cares about. Sam Moore is an exceptionally well drawn character. Existing fans of this series will enjoy the progressive story of Sam, as For Keeps goes deep into his psyche, revealing his long suppressed pain and a surprising number of secrets. For new fans, For Keeps provides enough backstory to enable this book to be read as a standalone novel.
Throughout the rapid plot development, Sam’s past is revealed slowly, and his emotional tension worked out without ever undermining his compelling integrity. Though Sam has more to hide than he indicates when he tells his friend Lou that he has no secrets from his wife Rachel, the reader nevertheless comes to empathise with him greatly as he uncover the events that threaten his world and the people he loves. The other characters in the story pivot around Sam, including Sam's wife Rachel, who is struggling with MS; the slightly inept and ever-hungry officer Ned Olsen; Sam’s daughter Beth and her prescient girlfriend Nellie; Sam’s daughter-in-law Maryellen, who struggles to cope with two wild young children while her husband, Sam's son, is off in Iraq. Clearly this is a world where family is of prime importance. The loving and realistic depictions of family life are part of what makes this novel so satisfying.
One of the things that links the family together is Sam's incredible garden. This is the hub of the Moore household, and there is enough rich loam, and ripe vegetables to make the reader’s mouth water:
Another strong theme that pervades the work is the sense of community. The characters’ lives are interwoven, and they interact and bump into each other in the diners and streets of the fictional East Goodland, New York – clearly a quiet upstate neighbourhood. This provides an effective way for the reader to get to know these characters, through the perceptions of the people they grew up with, went to school with, and worked with. We find out much about Sam’s integrity and warmth in the reactions of those who have known him a long time. There are also lots of fun referents for fans of Lazar’s other novels. For example, in one scene, Sam and Rachel listen to Gus Legard's radio show:
For mystery lovers, For Keeps won’t disappoint. There are plenty of deliciously gruesome twists and a fast-paced narrative that makes this book perfect for any reader looking for an engaging and quick read. The story includes a number of thread, including life-after-death, Satanism, the paranormal, domestic violence, and mental illness. Although Lazar pulls no punches with the plot – there is plenty of blood, cadavers, and no shortage of bad guys, somehow he manages to keep the work warm, leaving the reader energised, rather than drained by it all. Part of that is due to Sam, who is just so nice. This becomes obvious early on in the story as Sam sees to one of his former patients whose blood sugar is low. At times, the supernatural elements do stretch credulity, but because of the strength of the characterisation and the clean, rapid progression of the plot line, even a stoical, naturalistic type reader like me is willing to suspend judgement and just go with it. After all, it feels good. For Keeps is a beautifully written novel that will delight existing Sam Moore (and Aaron Lazar) fans, while drawing in new readers looking for a truly enjoyable mystery experience.
Article first published as Book Review: For Keeps: A Sam Moore Mystery by Aaron Paul Lazar on Blogcritics.
Throughout the rapid plot development, Sam’s past is revealed slowly, and his emotional tension worked out without ever undermining his compelling integrity. Though Sam has more to hide than he indicates when he tells his friend Lou that he has no secrets from his wife Rachel, the reader nevertheless comes to empathise with him greatly as he uncover the events that threaten his world and the people he loves. The other characters in the story pivot around Sam, including Sam's wife Rachel, who is struggling with MS; the slightly inept and ever-hungry officer Ned Olsen; Sam’s daughter Beth and her prescient girlfriend Nellie; Sam’s daughter-in-law Maryellen, who struggles to cope with two wild young children while her husband, Sam's son, is off in Iraq. Clearly this is a world where family is of prime importance. The loving and realistic depictions of family life are part of what makes this novel so satisfying.
One of the things that links the family together is Sam's incredible garden. This is the hub of the Moore household, and there is enough rich loam, and ripe vegetables to make the reader’s mouth water:
Three foot high elephant-ear-sized leaves shaded the squash proliferating beneath. Sam stepped high to avoid trampling the vines. Leaning over to brush aside the prickly leaves, he ignored the overgrown fruits and chose a tender selection fo Middle Eastern squash, the cousa variety. His particular favorite was a light green-skinned beauty named Ghada. He selected four prime specimens.
Another strong theme that pervades the work is the sense of community. The characters’ lives are interwoven, and they interact and bump into each other in the diners and streets of the fictional East Goodland, New York – clearly a quiet upstate neighbourhood. This provides an effective way for the reader to get to know these characters, through the perceptions of the people they grew up with, went to school with, and worked with. We find out much about Sam’s integrity and warmth in the reactions of those who have known him a long time. There are also lots of fun referents for fans of Lazar’s other novels. For example, in one scene, Sam and Rachel listen to Gus Legard's radio show:
The piece Professor Legarde analyzed was particularly evocative, with searing melodies that sounded mildly Japanese and Spanish at the same time. Sam imagined a Japanese tea garden with a flamenco dancer poised on an ornate bridge. The next time he saw Gus in Wegmans, he'd have to thank him.
For mystery lovers, For Keeps won’t disappoint. There are plenty of deliciously gruesome twists and a fast-paced narrative that makes this book perfect for any reader looking for an engaging and quick read. The story includes a number of thread, including life-after-death, Satanism, the paranormal, domestic violence, and mental illness. Although Lazar pulls no punches with the plot – there is plenty of blood, cadavers, and no shortage of bad guys, somehow he manages to keep the work warm, leaving the reader energised, rather than drained by it all. Part of that is due to Sam, who is just so nice. This becomes obvious early on in the story as Sam sees to one of his former patients whose blood sugar is low. At times, the supernatural elements do stretch credulity, but because of the strength of the characterisation and the clean, rapid progression of the plot line, even a stoical, naturalistic type reader like me is willing to suspend judgement and just go with it. After all, it feels good. For Keeps is a beautifully written novel that will delight existing Sam Moore (and Aaron Lazar) fans, while drawing in new readers looking for a truly enjoyable mystery experience.
Article first published as Book Review: For Keeps: A Sam Moore Mystery by Aaron Paul Lazar on Blogcritics.
September 16, 2012
I was lucky enough to receive this novel to review from the author a few weeks ago. I don't get to read very many books which don't included werewolves and vampires so this was an excellent change of pace.
For Keeps is the third book in the Sam Moore Mystery series. Even though this is the third novel it works perfectly as a standalone. I never once felt lost or confused about the characters, like can sometimes happen in a series. The main character, Sam, is instantly lovable. He reminded me a little of one of my favorite old tv shows about a mystery solving priest.
Now being a retired Doctor, Sam thinks he is called to look at a dead body for his expertise. Instead that one body opens up a slew of tragedies all centered around Sam himself. At this point it is important to mention the paranormal aspect of the novel. Sam is able to comunicate with his brother who passed away when they were children. Somehow with the help of a very special marble Sam is able to not just talk with his brother but travel into the past.
In previous mysteries this traveling has helped Sam solve a few crimes. This time around Sam hopes to take it to the next level. He wants to go back in time and stop a tragedy. Is it even possible? There is only one way to find out.
Beyond the mystery and time travel this story has a raw emotional quality that is to rare in todays novels. Sam and his family try to cope with a terrible tragedy and suffer through the stages of grief in such a way that you can truly feel their pain.
This novel was a total win any way you look at it. Once I was a bout four chapters in I found it hard putting it down. :)
For Keeps is the third book in the Sam Moore Mystery series. Even though this is the third novel it works perfectly as a standalone. I never once felt lost or confused about the characters, like can sometimes happen in a series. The main character, Sam, is instantly lovable. He reminded me a little of one of my favorite old tv shows about a mystery solving priest.
Now being a retired Doctor, Sam thinks he is called to look at a dead body for his expertise. Instead that one body opens up a slew of tragedies all centered around Sam himself. At this point it is important to mention the paranormal aspect of the novel. Sam is able to comunicate with his brother who passed away when they were children. Somehow with the help of a very special marble Sam is able to not just talk with his brother but travel into the past.
In previous mysteries this traveling has helped Sam solve a few crimes. This time around Sam hopes to take it to the next level. He wants to go back in time and stop a tragedy. Is it even possible? There is only one way to find out.
Beyond the mystery and time travel this story has a raw emotional quality that is to rare in todays novels. Sam and his family try to cope with a terrible tragedy and suffer through the stages of grief in such a way that you can truly feel their pain.
This novel was a total win any way you look at it. Once I was a bout four chapters in I found it hard putting it down. :)
August 28, 2012
Here's a story you won't forget in a hurry.
What if I had done it differently? We’ve all asked ourselves that question at some point. But what if we could go back in time and do just that, thus changing the course of events? Would this guarantee a satisfactory outcome, or would we end up being worse off? It’s an intriguing question and one you can’t help pondering when you read Aaron Paul Lazar’s “For Keeps.”
The main character Sam Moore is a retired country doctor who’s an avid gardener. Lazar paints wonderfully vivid pictures and the one he paints of Sam Moore is no exception. You can visualize the doctor’s grubby hands and dirty fingernails as he ambles toward the house with the potatoes and beets his wife has asked him to dig up for dinner. She’s an excellent cook. He’s a considerate husband. They’re still madly in love after nearly forty years of marriage. They have a lovely son and daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren who Sam adores. They’re a model family living a normal life, except the events that unfold in this book are anything but normal.
These extraordinary happenings are all directly linked to Sam Moore and I found myself wavering between believing he was psychotic and thinking he was having a paranormal experience. Reading this book reminded me a lot of the movie “Black Swan,” which had me wondering if what was taking place was real or the fabrication of a disturbed mind. As with all well-crafted mysteries – film or fiction - you’ll have to wait until the end to figure this one out. Great read! Enjoyed it enormously.
What if I had done it differently? We’ve all asked ourselves that question at some point. But what if we could go back in time and do just that, thus changing the course of events? Would this guarantee a satisfactory outcome, or would we end up being worse off? It’s an intriguing question and one you can’t help pondering when you read Aaron Paul Lazar’s “For Keeps.”
The main character Sam Moore is a retired country doctor who’s an avid gardener. Lazar paints wonderfully vivid pictures and the one he paints of Sam Moore is no exception. You can visualize the doctor’s grubby hands and dirty fingernails as he ambles toward the house with the potatoes and beets his wife has asked him to dig up for dinner. She’s an excellent cook. He’s a considerate husband. They’re still madly in love after nearly forty years of marriage. They have a lovely son and daughter, and three beautiful grandchildren who Sam adores. They’re a model family living a normal life, except the events that unfold in this book are anything but normal.
These extraordinary happenings are all directly linked to Sam Moore and I found myself wavering between believing he was psychotic and thinking he was having a paranormal experience. Reading this book reminded me a lot of the movie “Black Swan,” which had me wondering if what was taking place was real or the fabrication of a disturbed mind. As with all well-crafted mysteries – film or fiction - you’ll have to wait until the end to figure this one out. Great read! Enjoyed it enormously.
October 2, 2012
At its heart, this is a love story between two characters with an established romance and partnership- Sam, the main character, a retired doctor obsessed with gardening, and Rachel, his amazing wife who has MS and is wheelchair-bound. There's a whole passel of secondary and tertiary characters, most of which seemed rather flat to me (that is to say, had interesting quirks but weren't compelling).
On the whole, Lazar does an excellent job of building place. He describes the color, tastes, textures, etc of everyone and everything so much that I expect the characters are old friends of his. It bogs down the pacing a teensy bit, but it's cool to be able to visualize a character so exactly. The mystery allows for some tension and pacing, more because they are baffling and brutal than anything else. Sam isn't a professional detective, so it's like having a normal person view into a world generally accessed through cops, detectives, CSI lab rats, etc in novels.
I enjoyed this as a quick, sweet read with few surprises but a nicely homey feel. The tension in the book is minimal, the bad guys not so bad (and not so believable, to me, but then I'm a Pagan who studied psychology in school). Rachel is a winner, as are Beth and Penelope, and Evan. I get the sense that there may be some Mary Sue-ing going on with Sam, but hey, I don't judge.
Overall, I'd recommend this for fans of general fiction- it's a supernatural mystery with time travel, but it's more about sorting out the important things in life than about solving any issues or saving the world.
On the whole, Lazar does an excellent job of building place. He describes the color, tastes, textures, etc of everyone and everything so much that I expect the characters are old friends of his. It bogs down the pacing a teensy bit, but it's cool to be able to visualize a character so exactly. The mystery allows for some tension and pacing, more because they are baffling and brutal than anything else. Sam isn't a professional detective, so it's like having a normal person view into a world generally accessed through cops, detectives, CSI lab rats, etc in novels.
I enjoyed this as a quick, sweet read with few surprises but a nicely homey feel. The tension in the book is minimal, the bad guys not so bad (and not so believable, to me, but then I'm a Pagan who studied psychology in school). Rachel is a winner, as are Beth and Penelope, and Evan. I get the sense that there may be some Mary Sue-ing going on with Sam, but hey, I don't judge.
Overall, I'd recommend this for fans of general fiction- it's a supernatural mystery with time travel, but it's more about sorting out the important things in life than about solving any issues or saving the world.
October 12, 2012
This review can also be found at Books For YA!
For Keeps is not your typical paranormal mystery novel about solving murder cases. It has more depth than that. It will take you on a emotional quest, along with Sam, as he try to defy the laws of physics, change the past and reunite with his only true love.
I really like Sam Moore' character. He's a caring brother, a loving husband, an understanding father and a really cool grandfather. He actually reminded me of my grandpa, the way he treated Evan and Timmy. I instantly feel at ease with his character.
The tension in the plot was a little bit low for my liking. I mean, it kept me guessing who the killer was and why he was doing it but after the culprit was identified, the tension stopped there. I don't know, maybe I was just expecting a more exciting revelation about the murderer. But the story was still great, though. And time travelling never ceased to amaze me especially if its about changing the present and saving someone very important.
To sum it all up, it was an enjoyable read. I'd recommend it to everyone who likes a hard-to-put-down mystery novel with a heartfelt love story.
For Keeps is not your typical paranormal mystery novel about solving murder cases. It has more depth than that. It will take you on a emotional quest, along with Sam, as he try to defy the laws of physics, change the past and reunite with his only true love.
I really like Sam Moore' character. He's a caring brother, a loving husband, an understanding father and a really cool grandfather. He actually reminded me of my grandpa, the way he treated Evan and Timmy. I instantly feel at ease with his character.
The tension in the plot was a little bit low for my liking. I mean, it kept me guessing who the killer was and why he was doing it but after the culprit was identified, the tension stopped there. I don't know, maybe I was just expecting a more exciting revelation about the murderer. But the story was still great, though. And time travelling never ceased to amaze me especially if its about changing the present and saving someone very important.
To sum it all up, it was an enjoyable read. I'd recommend it to everyone who likes a hard-to-put-down mystery novel with a heartfelt love story.
November 14, 2014
Wow! For Keeps by Aaron Paul Lazar is magnificent. I am constantly amazed by the characters, writing style and story lines that make up a Lazar mystery. Even when I figure out some of the intricacies of the plot, we all do in a good mystery, I am thrown a huge curve ball that changes my perspective on everything. In this book, I really did NOT want to like Ginger or Susan, but Sam did. And Sam made me see them in such a different perspective, that their transformation was a blessing. I'm not going to lie, as a Sam Moore Mystery fan, parts of this nearly ended me. I found myself talking to the characters, even the spiritual ones, trying to move this story in the direction that I wanted it to go. Instead, Lazar flipped the tables on me and I am super happy with the way he did it. I cannot wait to see where Sam takes me next, what he picks for me in the garden, what books he is reading and what songs are on the radio. They all seem like details, but its these details that I share with the characters that draws me even further into this world. Another amazing read!
August 15, 2012
Full disclosure: I got this book as an ARC for an honest review.
It is difficult to write a review about For Keeps without giving away spoilers. This book is the third in the Dr. Sam Moore series, but the first one I’ve read. I’m now going to get and read the other two.
Sam Moore is a retired doctor who is deeply in love with his family and his garden. When he is unexpectedly called upon to view a murder scene, he quickly becomes involved in much more than anyone expects.
There is a powerful element of the paranormal that is much more than just a plot device. The reader is presented with an ancient question, “What would happen if I could go back and change just one little thing in the past?”
Lazar deftly handles this question in a manner that will keep the reader drawn into Sam’s world as the protagonist tries to recover from losses without destroying his world.
It is difficult to write a review about For Keeps without giving away spoilers. This book is the third in the Dr. Sam Moore series, but the first one I’ve read. I’m now going to get and read the other two.
Sam Moore is a retired doctor who is deeply in love with his family and his garden. When he is unexpectedly called upon to view a murder scene, he quickly becomes involved in much more than anyone expects.
There is a powerful element of the paranormal that is much more than just a plot device. The reader is presented with an ancient question, “What would happen if I could go back and change just one little thing in the past?”
Lazar deftly handles this question in a manner that will keep the reader drawn into Sam’s world as the protagonist tries to recover from losses without destroying his world.
November 26, 2012
Dr. Sam Moore, retired physician, is drawn into a murder mystery by his friend, Lou, the county coroner in their small town.
As first one, then another murder happens, the link to Sam himself seems to suggest a dark and evil presence from the past.
But how many more people will have to die before Sam discovers what is happening?
How does a green marble with strange connections to Sam's childhood and his deceased brother Billy help Sam figure out the mystery? And how, when tragic events occur, will that same marble help Sam return to the past and correct the mistakes that have cost him everything?
An intriguing, time-traveling mystery, "For Keeps (Sam Moore mystery)" is a story about correcting mistakes, learning from the past, and starting over. Four stars.
As first one, then another murder happens, the link to Sam himself seems to suggest a dark and evil presence from the past.
But how many more people will have to die before Sam discovers what is happening?
How does a green marble with strange connections to Sam's childhood and his deceased brother Billy help Sam figure out the mystery? And how, when tragic events occur, will that same marble help Sam return to the past and correct the mistakes that have cost him everything?
An intriguing, time-traveling mystery, "For Keeps (Sam Moore mystery)" is a story about correcting mistakes, learning from the past, and starting over. Four stars.
April 18, 2015
How is it that I have just discovered Aaron Paul Lazar and For Keeps? This was a great mystery with touches of time travel that were made vivid and believable. Sam Moore is a retired doctor who gets pulled into a murder, becomes a suspect, and is surrounded by elements out of his control. Go along with him as his life is turned inside out, and enjoy the thrill ride as he works his way back to "normal". I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the element of the green marble that helps piece everything together! If you love a good story with real characters and elements of tension, humor, and love, this book is for you. This is book 3 in the Sam Moore mysteries so I better get reading on the others! Loved the story!
January 13, 2013
The author has a great, engaging storytelling ability that grabs you from the beginning and won't let you go. The author has well-developed and real characters that you can identify with easily. In addition, this series has a slight paranormal aspect that I found to be quite interesting. Overall, I loved this story!
September 15, 2012
Very well written paranormal mystery. The characters are well rounded and deep, A green marble connects two brothers. One living. One dead. And allows time travel to unravel the motives for murderer.
November 26, 2020
Wow! This book took Sam Moore to a whole new level. The plot twists totally took me by surprise. When Sam gets blindsided by tragedy, he has to try to solve the mystery and set things right while contending with his own emotions, his past, his hard-to-control visions, etc, etc.
I was blown away by how well Lazar wrote Sam's inner thoughts as he loosens his grip on reality in the aftermath of unbearable loss. Very, very believable, heart-breaking but not shlocky.
A satisfying ending to a very good book.
I was blown away by how well Lazar wrote Sam's inner thoughts as he loosens his grip on reality in the aftermath of unbearable loss. Very, very believable, heart-breaking but not shlocky.
A satisfying ending to a very good book.
June 13, 2020
How does one describe this book, it is a mystery, paranormal element, family, secrets of the past, and a green marble. He is retired, loving his wife, his garden, the love and beauty of these comes thru to the reader.
The call to see a body, opens the tradegy of the past. Thru a green marble to go back, can a tragedy be stopped. Part of a series, it can be read alone.
The audio had great narration. Given for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
The call to see a body, opens the tradegy of the past. Thru a green marble to go back, can a tragedy be stopped. Part of a series, it can be read alone.
The audio had great narration. Given for my voluntary review and my honest opinion
September 19, 2012
Aaron Paul Lazar seems like a very nice guy, and his writing reflects this. His prose is easy and pleasant. His characters are nice. Even the murders aren't too nasty. As you might guess, this presents a bit of a storytelling problem: there is a severe lack of tension. Sure, people get murdered, even those close to the main character, Sam Moore, but Lazar's tone suggests that everything is going to be alright in the end. A compelling narrative requires real tension, a fear that something is at stake and could be lost forever. It's clear that this is simply not the case for Lazar's characters, who are too perfect, and who Lazar loves perhaps a little too much.
Sam Moore is a retired doctor married to a wonderful woman named Rachel, who has MS. I liked Rachel. Lazar doesn't sentimentalize her disease, and she provides some laughs when we first meet her. Sam's children are grown up, and his grandchildren are still kids. His tranquil retirement is interrupted by a call from a longtime friend, Lou, a police detective, who wants Sam to come check out a body. Sam, juggling gardening supplies and plants, can't quite figure out why, until he sees the woman, a weekend fling from his distant past. Next to her strangled body is a phone book with Sam's name circled. He needs to figure out why.
Helping Sam out is a green marble that holds the spirit of his brother, Billy, who seems eternally trapped as a five-year-old. Billy sometimes communicates with Sam by whisking him into the past and showing him clues. Sam himself can never interact with these memories; he can only observe. Billy serves mostly as a plot device. His object is to keep the plot moving forward, and, really, the plot could not move forward as it does without Billy's interventions. There's not really a human connection with Billy. He seems more like a thing from above, the author's tool, and sometimes it's not very clear why he vibrates so intensely in Sam's pocket except to remind the reader he's there.
This is book three in the Sam Moore Mysteries series, but you don't really need to have read the previous books to understand this one. Lazar helpfully explains everything, and he also provides a plot synopsis of book two, Terror Comes Knocking. That this is called a mystery is misleading. There aren't enough characters to throw the reader off the scent of the real killer. In fact, the identity of that killer is obvious fairly early on, and details about this killer are also obvious far before they're revealed. The capture and unveiling of the killer happens way too easily. This seemingly clever person gives up without a fight, and even goes so far as to give away more details of their scheme without batting an eye. But, really, uncovering the murderer is not Lazar's ultimate goal.
A time travel element comes into play over halfway through the novel, and this is introduced only to right all wrongs. I said before that Sam can only observe when Billy takes him into the marble, but eventually Sam can do more than observe. He can act and he can change events. That Billy has the ability to transport his brother through time and that Sam can actually affect the time continuum is not something that is questioned or discussed. Lazar writes movingly in an article about the death of a character he loves, and it's clear that the time travel element is meant to undo that tragedy.
I think the problem is that Lazar loves his characters too much. They're based largely off himself and his own family, and this likely motivated him to change the rules of Billy's marble. It seems unfair that a family that is perfect and has everything any family could possibly need can also go back in time to correct things when something bad happens. Why should the Moore family have access to such an ability when other less fortunate families could use it more? Why have it at all? It's a part of real life that things can't be undone, as much as we might wish they can be.
I could see the makings of a good story in the early chapters, and Lazar's storytelling shines at other moments as well, such as the aforementioned death of a loved one. There's just no shades of grey here. The villains are vile and one-dimensional, and the good guys are angelic. Sam is such a nice guy, and he spends his entire day gardening. Every night he feasts on a luxurious meal prepared by Rachel, and now and then they host their children and grandchildren, though we don't really get to know them. Andy is in Afghanistan at the start of the novel. Beth is a lesbian, and we meet her new partner, Nel, towards the end of the novel, and she is far more angelic than the rest of the characters combined. This is all sweet, it really is, but it's difficult to connect with on a human level.
Sam Moore is a retired doctor married to a wonderful woman named Rachel, who has MS. I liked Rachel. Lazar doesn't sentimentalize her disease, and she provides some laughs when we first meet her. Sam's children are grown up, and his grandchildren are still kids. His tranquil retirement is interrupted by a call from a longtime friend, Lou, a police detective, who wants Sam to come check out a body. Sam, juggling gardening supplies and plants, can't quite figure out why, until he sees the woman, a weekend fling from his distant past. Next to her strangled body is a phone book with Sam's name circled. He needs to figure out why.
Helping Sam out is a green marble that holds the spirit of his brother, Billy, who seems eternally trapped as a five-year-old. Billy sometimes communicates with Sam by whisking him into the past and showing him clues. Sam himself can never interact with these memories; he can only observe. Billy serves mostly as a plot device. His object is to keep the plot moving forward, and, really, the plot could not move forward as it does without Billy's interventions. There's not really a human connection with Billy. He seems more like a thing from above, the author's tool, and sometimes it's not very clear why he vibrates so intensely in Sam's pocket except to remind the reader he's there.
This is book three in the Sam Moore Mysteries series, but you don't really need to have read the previous books to understand this one. Lazar helpfully explains everything, and he also provides a plot synopsis of book two, Terror Comes Knocking. That this is called a mystery is misleading. There aren't enough characters to throw the reader off the scent of the real killer. In fact, the identity of that killer is obvious fairly early on, and details about this killer are also obvious far before they're revealed. The capture and unveiling of the killer happens way too easily. This seemingly clever person gives up without a fight, and even goes so far as to give away more details of their scheme without batting an eye. But, really, uncovering the murderer is not Lazar's ultimate goal.
A time travel element comes into play over halfway through the novel, and this is introduced only to right all wrongs. I said before that Sam can only observe when Billy takes him into the marble, but eventually Sam can do more than observe. He can act and he can change events. That Billy has the ability to transport his brother through time and that Sam can actually affect the time continuum is not something that is questioned or discussed. Lazar writes movingly in an article about the death of a character he loves, and it's clear that the time travel element is meant to undo that tragedy.
I think the problem is that Lazar loves his characters too much. They're based largely off himself and his own family, and this likely motivated him to change the rules of Billy's marble. It seems unfair that a family that is perfect and has everything any family could possibly need can also go back in time to correct things when something bad happens. Why should the Moore family have access to such an ability when other less fortunate families could use it more? Why have it at all? It's a part of real life that things can't be undone, as much as we might wish they can be.
I could see the makings of a good story in the early chapters, and Lazar's storytelling shines at other moments as well, such as the aforementioned death of a loved one. There's just no shades of grey here. The villains are vile and one-dimensional, and the good guys are angelic. Sam is such a nice guy, and he spends his entire day gardening. Every night he feasts on a luxurious meal prepared by Rachel, and now and then they host their children and grandchildren, though we don't really get to know them. Andy is in Afghanistan at the start of the novel. Beth is a lesbian, and we meet her new partner, Nel, towards the end of the novel, and she is far more angelic than the rest of the characters combined. This is all sweet, it really is, but it's difficult to connect with on a human level.
January 3, 2013
People are being killed. Specifically, people close to your heart. Some from the past and some from the present. The only common denominator that the victims have... is YOU. Does that mean anything?
For Keeps is the story of Sam Moore, a retired family doctor who suddenly found himself in a middle of a baffling chain of murders. Thankfully, he has his dead brother Billy’s magical green marble to help him. Sam flits from one period in the past to another in order to solve the mystery, which will either prove his innocence from the crime, or confirm that he was, indeed, at the center of it all.
I finished reading For Keeps in less than 72 hours. Beat that! Could have been faster if I had nothing else to do but read. Still, it was a nice refuge for me after a long day of keyboard-smashing and dishwashing. No pun intended.
The Language
The words used by Aaron Paul Lazar were simple and easy to understand. There was no need to go back and forth from one page to another, over and over again, just to comprehend what you were reading. You can take a break from reading and when you come back, it is as if you never stopped.
The Plot
For Keeps has a very intriguing plot, a page turner which will keep you guessing until you’re left with roughly fifty pages before the ending (where the revelation occurs), and keep you guessing more since there’s still around one-fourth of the book to read even after the crime had been solved.
The Ending
I’m very particular with how a story is brought to an end, as this is what leaves an impression on its readers. Honestly, I did not like the ending that much. What happened was something each one of us would hope for, but at the end of the day, in reality, things rarely turn out the way it did in this book. It’s the ending fairytales are made of. ;)
The Score: 8/10
Overall, I still recommend the book, if you are looking for an exciting read. I’m hoping though that I can also read the other two books in the Sam Moore series to be able to grasp the entirety of the story (Although it was stated that the books do not come in particular order, if I’m not mistaken.). Again, the ending could have been better. ;)
For Keeps is the story of Sam Moore, a retired family doctor who suddenly found himself in a middle of a baffling chain of murders. Thankfully, he has his dead brother Billy’s magical green marble to help him. Sam flits from one period in the past to another in order to solve the mystery, which will either prove his innocence from the crime, or confirm that he was, indeed, at the center of it all.
I finished reading For Keeps in less than 72 hours. Beat that! Could have been faster if I had nothing else to do but read. Still, it was a nice refuge for me after a long day of keyboard-smashing and dishwashing. No pun intended.
The Language
The words used by Aaron Paul Lazar were simple and easy to understand. There was no need to go back and forth from one page to another, over and over again, just to comprehend what you were reading. You can take a break from reading and when you come back, it is as if you never stopped.
The Plot
For Keeps has a very intriguing plot, a page turner which will keep you guessing until you’re left with roughly fifty pages before the ending (where the revelation occurs), and keep you guessing more since there’s still around one-fourth of the book to read even after the crime had been solved.
The Ending
I’m very particular with how a story is brought to an end, as this is what leaves an impression on its readers. Honestly, I did not like the ending that much. What happened was something each one of us would hope for, but at the end of the day, in reality, things rarely turn out the way it did in this book. It’s the ending fairytales are made of. ;)
The Score: 8/10
Overall, I still recommend the book, if you are looking for an exciting read. I’m hoping though that I can also read the other two books in the Sam Moore series to be able to grasp the entirety of the story (Although it was stated that the books do not come in particular order, if I’m not mistaken.). Again, the ending could have been better. ;)
October 17, 2012
I found this book to be a quick and mostly enjoyable read. The book opens with Sam being called to a murder scene where he recognizes the victim as an old fling from spring break. Soon Sam is a suspect in the murder and unfortunately there's more death to come.
Sam is a likeable character who is completely devoted to his wife, Rachel. Rachel is bound to a wheelchair because she has MS. Rachel is a very level headed character who is both sweet and realistic. They have two children, Andy and Beth. Andy is the father of two rambunctious boys and has been away at war. Beth is a single mother who is gay. I enjoyed the variation of the characters and the well developed backgrounds.
After the murder of his old fling, Sam feels the green marble in his pocket glow with warmth. The marble is his connection to his brother Billy. Billy passed away as a child but now is connected to Sam by the green marble. Whenever he needs to see the past, Billy is able to whisk Sam away to see details needed to help him figure out what is going on in the present.
I found the time travel element to interesting. However, I almost immediately knew who the killer was because of the time travel. It was easy to figure out though the reason why the person killed was not.
There were several ups and downs in the story which kept my interest. In the end there were 3 murder victims, each one more devastating then the last. After the third murder Sam is so upset that he winds up in the hospital under a doctors care. While his family and the doctors try taking care of him all he can think about is going back in the past to change what has happened.
I found the time traveling and the changing of the past to be a little too far fetched. It was interesting to see how each travel backwards changed the future but I thought it lessened the credibility of the story to a point.
In all I enjoyed the book. It was a quick, light, and fun read.
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Sam is a likeable character who is completely devoted to his wife, Rachel. Rachel is bound to a wheelchair because she has MS. Rachel is a very level headed character who is both sweet and realistic. They have two children, Andy and Beth. Andy is the father of two rambunctious boys and has been away at war. Beth is a single mother who is gay. I enjoyed the variation of the characters and the well developed backgrounds.
After the murder of his old fling, Sam feels the green marble in his pocket glow with warmth. The marble is his connection to his brother Billy. Billy passed away as a child but now is connected to Sam by the green marble. Whenever he needs to see the past, Billy is able to whisk Sam away to see details needed to help him figure out what is going on in the present.
I found the time travel element to interesting. However, I almost immediately knew who the killer was because of the time travel. It was easy to figure out though the reason why the person killed was not.
There were several ups and downs in the story which kept my interest. In the end there were 3 murder victims, each one more devastating then the last. After the third murder Sam is so upset that he winds up in the hospital under a doctors care. While his family and the doctors try taking care of him all he can think about is going back in the past to change what has happened.
I found the time traveling and the changing of the past to be a little too far fetched. It was interesting to see how each travel backwards changed the future but I thought it lessened the credibility of the story to a point.
In all I enjoyed the book. It was a quick, light, and fun read.
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
October 3, 2012
To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to expect from the book and was pleasantly surprised. I am not really the biggest fan of mysteries and was very glad that this book is anything but a typical mystery. At the beginning, I can't quite explain why, it seemed like the writer was trying too hard to impress. The writing style took some time getting used to. However, the plot is fast paced and action packed and right from the very first page, the author dives into the story, revealing chunks of background information as we go along. The characters were great; one problem I had with the book was that they characters were, perhaps, too developed, if there is such a thing. Sam was too likable and a bit unrealistic, but maybe that's just me. I loved the element of time travel. Anyone who has ever lost someone can relate to that feeling of helplessness and urge to bring back whoever's lost, it's a feeling that just haunts you. And to be able to go back in time and stop a tragedy is a fabulous idea.
Read the full review here: http://peskypiksipesternomi.blogspot....
Read the full review here: http://peskypiksipesternomi.blogspot....
November 18, 2020
Rose
Engaging with just enough humor that makes this story delightful. Easy to understand and follow. Great characters. Awesome settings. Aaron Lazar can keep you reading for a very long time.
Engaging with just enough humor that makes this story delightful. Easy to understand and follow. Great characters. Awesome settings. Aaron Lazar can keep you reading for a very long time.
December 2, 2020
A keeper
This was a unique and intriguing story which kept me wanting to turn the page. You will not be disappointed!
This was a unique and intriguing story which kept me wanting to turn the page. You will not be disappointed!
December 5, 2020
Good Story Though A Bit Predictable
This was a good story but it wasn't filled with what I would call nail biting suspense. The story was a bit predictable
This was a good story but it wasn't filled with what I would call nail biting suspense. The story was a bit predictable
January 22, 2021
I think this would have been more exciting if he had woken up in the clinic at the end of the book.
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