Take Four

by C.J. Shane

Logan Reid, resident of Tucson’s Iron Horse neighborhood, joins forces with visiting Canadian Gwilym Havard to stop assaults on jazz pianist Nina Perry and her band members, all of whom have become targets of a gun-toting killer. The heat rises when the shooter goes after each band member, and when Gwilym and Nina discover they have a growing attraction for each other. This cozy mystery with a big spoonful of romance, plus a real love of jazz, is a fast, page-turning and captivating read. Take Four is a stand-alone story and #1 in the Iron Horse Mystery series. And let’s not forget five year-old Charlie who really, really likes ice cream.

141 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2023

About the author

I'm an artist and a writer, and I alternate between writing and painting. My paintings are abstract landscapes in oil, and I also do mixed-media work. I write mystery-suspense: Letty Valdez Mysteries (4 in series), Cat Miranda Mysteries (3 in series), and Iron Horse Mysteries (5 so far).
Learn more and see my art here: http://www.cjshane.com/
I publish a monthly newsletter that covers Art, Books, and the Natural World. Sign up here: https://www.cjshane.com/contactnewsle...
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Reviews

[PugMom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good start to the Iron Horse mystery series which takes place in Tuscon's Iron Horse neighborhood. From the description it sounds like a traditional mystery but with a cozy mystery vibe. The characters are part of a tight knit community. The musical backdrop and the engaging, well-planned mystery make for a real page turner. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Tabatha Slagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! The relationships were believable and sweet. The story was plausible. I will definitely be waiting for more Iron Horse Mysteries. I especially loved Logan. He was easy to relate to on many levels. I am excited to see the characters continue to blossom.

[Diane Cowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the historic Iron Horse neighborhood near the University of Arizona, author C.J. Shane begins another exciting series set in the desert southwest.

A departure from Shane’s, Lettie Valdez and Cat Miranda book, TAKE4 hits the Jazz scene. After 2 members of Nina Perry’s quartet were shot, Nina enlists the help of her apartment dweller friends to identify and bring down the shooter.

As this is the first of the series, there is detailed character development that I appreciate. The female Jazz musician is notably joined by a young High School math teacher and their apartment manager who is a single father raising his son. An interesting twist is incorporating Frankie, who is a protagonist in the Lettie Valdez series.

Fans of southwest mystery and jazz will appreciate Shane’s incorporation of cultural detail as well as a broad knowledge of the jazz scene.

I was fortunate to be an ARC reader for this book,

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

C.H. Shane has gotten a good start on this new series. The characters are likeable and all so different. What is great is that despite the differences they get along and have formed their own little family.
So when one was in danger, the "father" of the group, jumped into action.
I like the way this series is headed as the group starts changing and evolving.
This first book is about a jazz band artist trying to live her life when her parents past shows up. I don't want to spoil anything but if you like mystery with friendship on the side, this is for you.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in a new series. This is the fourth or fifth book by C. J. Shane that I have read. She has three mystery series: Letty Valdez, Cat Miranda, and this one. I enjoy them all. This series is set around the Iron Horse district near the university in Tucson, Arizona and deals with a young father finishing his dissertation at the University of Arizona, a Jazz musician, and a shooting at a convenience store that doesn’t make sense at first. Logan Reid, an apartment manager, joins forces with Gwilym Harvard, an enterprising Canadian visiting during the Jazz Festival, to stop the assaults to resident Nina Perry and her bandmates.

I found this a great start to the series. It was well-written, plotted, and has solid characters. I enjoy the setting, I’m from the southwest and am very familiar with Tucson. The characters were real, none where putting themselves intentionally in harms way, and I could relate to them.

I did like the crossover to the Valdez series. It was plausible that the would reach out to Frankie.
I highly recommend this book if you like strong characters, minimal romance, and pets and children.

I plan on reading the next in the series when it comes out.

First in a new series. This is the fourth or fifth book by C. J. Shane that I have read. She has three mystery series: Letty Valdez, Cat Miranda, and this one. I enjoy them all. This series is set around the Iron Horse district near the university in Tucson, Arizona and deals with a young father finishing his dissertation at the University of Arizona, a Jazz musician, and a shooting at a convenience store that doesn’t make sense at first. Logan Reid, an apartment manager, joins forces with Gwilym Harvard, an enterprising Canadian visiting during the Jazz Festival, to stop the assaults to resident Nina Perry and her bandmates.
I found this a great start to the series. It was well-written, plotted, and has solid characters. I enjoy the setting, I’m from the southwest and am very familiar with Tucson. The characters were real, none where putting themselves intentionally in harms way, and I could relate to them.

I did like the crossover to the Valdez series. It was plausible that he would reach out to Frankie.

I highly recommend this book if you like strong characters, minimal romance, and pets and children.

I plan on reading the next in the series when it comes out. I was given an advanced reader's copy and am not required to leave a positive review.

[L.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt almost like a cozy mystery in a sense as it had a community of folks coming together to solve a mystery, with just a side of romance. It was a fairly straightforward mystery, with an interesting amount of detail of the local area and of the character’s backstories.

Logan and Nina, neighbors in the same apartment building, witness a mysterious shooting against a friend of theirs, who coincidentally plays in a band with Nina. When threats to Nina appear and another friend is injured, Logan knows they need to solve the mystery before anything worse happens. Along with Nina, Gwiliym, a visiting Jazz club owner and other friends, they join together to find out what’s going on and who might be responsible.

I admit that in the beginning I thought that Gwilym and Logan might make a nice couple, it was not to be, and their romantic fortunes went other directions. I haven’t read any of the author’s other mysteries, and even though there was a character from one of the earlier ones, this book stands entirely on its own and you don’t need to have read the others to fully immerse yourself here. A quick read!

[Kara Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and I’m excited to see that it’s the first in a new series set in Tucson, Arizona. I’ve really liked the author’s other books set in the same area; a character from one of the other series even makes a brief appearance, lending an investigative hand. This book started a little slow, but I quickly became attached to the characters as they were introduced. The book revolves around a historic home that has been converted into apartments and the various residents who have become a little family. One resident is part of a jazz group that performs locally and as it becomes obvious that the group members are being targeted, the graduate student who is the apartment manager and a Canadian visitor join forces to solve the situation and protect the remaining group members. There’s a bit of clean romance and I’m eager to see what happens in the next book. I was provided an arc, but these opinions are my own.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick mystery read with an element of romance and an adorable five-year-old. An apartment manager, father of that five-year-old cutie, joins forces with a visiting Canadian when someone assaults the members of a jazz band, including the manager's friend and a resident of the apartment complex. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the Iron Horse neighborhood of Tucson. I'm a jazz lover, so that drew me in, as well.
The complex houses an assortment of fascinating characters. I look forward to the next book to learn more about them. The author introduces characters from another series, something I found quite compelling.
My only issue is the author was a bit heavy with backstory at the beginning of the book.

[Kristan Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming into this story not knowing what to expect I enjoyed the tight knit community depicted. Taking place in the Iron Horse community each character was very well represented. Sunday potlucks were my favorite parts of the book. The way each person was concerned with each other was very touching. The only thing I would change about this book is how each ethnicity was described most of that was not needed in the story. I understand what the author was doing building up to the reason why someone was shot. This short story was quick and enjoyable.

Thank you for the arc read copy looking forward to further works by CJ Shane.

[Pamela Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start to a new series by gifted author C.J. Shane that kept me engaged and intrigued from the first word to the last with likeable characters I want to know more about and a page-turning mystery with a touch of romance set in the Tuscon area of the American Southwest. I really liked apartment manager Logan Reid and enjoyed his dynamic with the Casa Pacifica residents and others from the Iron Horse Neighborhood especially jazz pianist Nina, visiting Canadian Gwilyn and his five year old son Charlie who loves ice cream. Can't wait to see what happens next with Logan and the gang. I received an advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers are dropped straight into the story, following both Logan's and Gwilym's perspectives on the case of a targeted jazz band. This is an investigative story with plenty of elements: crime, mystery, romance, music, and death. This quick read is dialogue-driven, exploring the characters featured.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books and author.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! So much so that I read it in one day. It was an easy read but with a good plot. Someone is attacking members of the Take Four jazz group and the residents of a small apartment building set out to solve the mystery of why. I really liked the setting of this book and the characters were all very likeable.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily left this review.

[James Aura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first in the Iron Horse series was a very enjoyable read, set in Tucson.
Good characters involved in a mystery, a bit of romance, the plot was very engaging.
An easy read, and a good denouement of the villain.
Lots of jazz and book references., and any author who's a fan of 'The Dispossessed' is just
all right with me.
The book also features some interesting links to jazz tunes.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good mystery. I really liked the characters. Logan manages a few apartments where an eclectic group of people live. When he and Nina go to a store, a man comes in and shoots the clerk. The clerk happens to be a member of Nina's band. That is shocking enough, but then he goes after Nina too. What is going on? Are all the band members in jeopardy? Gwilym is from Canada and is in town for the jazz festival. He sees a man following Nina and gets involved. Logan and Gwilym do everything in their power to protect Nina and the members of her band. Can they find this guy before someone is killed?

[C.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s refreshing its read about likable characters, dealing with danger while caring for each other.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion.