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Magic Box Murder: A Darcy Gaughan Mystery
For a decade, the Magic Box game store in Marysburg, Indiana, has hosted a twenty-four-hour gaming marathon as a fund-raiser for a local charity. Shockwaves go through the town when the newest marathon champion is strangled less than an hour after the event’s conclusion. In the parking lot right behind the game store.
Marysburg resident and record store owner Darcy Gaughan isn’t convinced the police are correct when they label the murder a robbery gone wrong. When the Magic Box’s owner asks her to look into the case, she finds not everybody believes in fair play, especially when gamer reputations are at stake.
Marysburg resident and record store owner Darcy Gaughan isn’t convinced the police are correct when they label the murder a robbery gone wrong. When the Magic Box’s owner asks her to look into the case, she finds not everybody believes in fair play, especially when gamer reputations are at stake.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 27, 2024
About the author
J.C. Kenney
16 books262 followersI write contemporary whodunnits set in oddball small towns. I live in Indianapolis with my wife, two adult children, and a kitty cat. I dream of one day retiring to a place where the water is warm and the beaches are soft. I'm a big fan of motor sports, so when I'm not writing, you'll likely find me following the latest IndyCar developments.
I'm the co-host of the It's Bookish Time TV webcasts, a member of Sisters in Crime, and the Mystery Writers of America.
I'm the co-host of the It's Bookish Time TV webcasts, a member of Sisters in Crime, and the Mystery Writers of America.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 13, 2024
Darcy Gaughan proves she’s a crime-solving rockstar in "Magic Box Murder."
Record store owner Darcy Gaughan finds herself taking center stage in another quirky, charming mystery. When the winner of a local gaming tournament is found dead, the residents of Marysburg, Indiana, come knocking at Darcy’s door for help proving their innocence. Darcy, determined to find the truth, dives into a twisting mystery full of scandalous secrets that will rock Marysburg to its core.
I loved being back in Darcy’s world. Her dedication to helping her friends and colleagues is so touching, but what I love most about Darcy is her willingness to reflect. She still deals with a lot of demons, and Darcy is very transparent with the reader about her struggles. It’s one of the reasons this cozy mystery series stands out for me; Darcy feels very much like a real person, and her flaws make her all the more endearing.
In addition to a satisfying mystery that will have you pumping your fist in the air when the killer is revealed, author J.C. Kenney’s musical acumen tops the charts with metaphors that will have you smiling all day. Every genre is shown love at Marysburg Music, and readers are sure to be introduced to a new artist or two.
Darcy Gaughan gets a standing ovation from me!
Record store owner Darcy Gaughan finds herself taking center stage in another quirky, charming mystery. When the winner of a local gaming tournament is found dead, the residents of Marysburg, Indiana, come knocking at Darcy’s door for help proving their innocence. Darcy, determined to find the truth, dives into a twisting mystery full of scandalous secrets that will rock Marysburg to its core.
I loved being back in Darcy’s world. Her dedication to helping her friends and colleagues is so touching, but what I love most about Darcy is her willingness to reflect. She still deals with a lot of demons, and Darcy is very transparent with the reader about her struggles. It’s one of the reasons this cozy mystery series stands out for me; Darcy feels very much like a real person, and her flaws make her all the more endearing.
In addition to a satisfying mystery that will have you pumping your fist in the air when the killer is revealed, author J.C. Kenney’s musical acumen tops the charts with metaphors that will have you smiling all day. Every genre is shown love at Marysburg Music, and readers are sure to be introduced to a new artist or two.
Darcy Gaughan gets a standing ovation from me!
February 28, 2024
Magic Box Murder is the third in this series. This one revolves around a game stor. The Magic Box right next to the record stre that Darcy Gaughan owns in Marysburg Indiana. It's hosting a twenty four hour gaming marathon for charity and then one of the gamers is found murdered. Darcy ends up yet again getting involved where she doesn't belong. It provides yet another great mystery and story.
February 29, 2024
"Magic Box Murder" is book #3 in "A Darcy Gaughan Mystery" series by J C Kenney.
Normally, I would give my rating at the end of the review but will make an exception here.
Story - 5 stars
Proofreading - 2 stars
Overall - 3 stars
The story itself was well done and I do enjoy the quirky characters and relationships they share. What I don't enjoy is a plethora of typos. There were missing words or extra words that made little sense to a number of sentences. Typos such as "thirty-give" rather than "thirty-five" or "speed humps" rather than "speed bumps". Several spots where words were misspelled or wrong tense/pronoun used.
The following statement was at the beginning of the Kindle edition:
"This is an uncorrected and unpublished Advanced Reader Copy. This copy is not for distribution to the public. This is an advanced reader's edition created from uncorrected proofs and not for sale. Typos and errors will be corrected for the final released edition of this book."
I was charged $5.97US ($8.69Canadian) for what seems more likely to be an ARC than a corrected version. If the version delivered to my Kindle on Feb 27 was supposedly a corrected copy then who ever did the proofing should be fired!
"For a decade, the Magic Box game store in Marysburg, Indiana, has hosted a twenty-four-hour gaming marathon as a fund-raiser for a local charity. Shockwaves go through the town when the newest marathon champion is strangled less than an hour after the event’s conclusion. In the parking lot right behind the game store. Marysburg resident and record store owner Darcy Gaughan isn’t convinced the police are correct then they label the murder a robbery gone wrong. When the Magic Box’s owner asks her to look into the case, she finds not everybody believes in fair play, especially when gamer reputations are at stake."
My thoughts:
As I said at the start, this was a really good story with wonderfully quirky characters, believable relationships and some nice retro references to both music and fictional detectives.
Darcy had a few viable suspects and did some creative sleuthing to narrow the field. I changed my mind a couple of times as to "who done it" but in the end was quite satisfied with the outcome. Naturally, there was the obligatory close call for Darcy as she was getting close to unveiling the killer but she is a survivor!
Had it not been for the overabundance of typos, I would happily have given this read 5 stars. Sorry, Mr. Kenney but I can't ignore all the errors.
Normally, I would give my rating at the end of the review but will make an exception here.
Story - 5 stars
Proofreading - 2 stars
Overall - 3 stars
The story itself was well done and I do enjoy the quirky characters and relationships they share. What I don't enjoy is a plethora of typos. There were missing words or extra words that made little sense to a number of sentences. Typos such as "thirty-give" rather than "thirty-five" or "speed humps" rather than "speed bumps". Several spots where words were misspelled or wrong tense/pronoun used.
The following statement was at the beginning of the Kindle edition:
"This is an uncorrected and unpublished Advanced Reader Copy. This copy is not for distribution to the public. This is an advanced reader's edition created from uncorrected proofs and not for sale. Typos and errors will be corrected for the final released edition of this book."
I was charged $5.97US ($8.69Canadian) for what seems more likely to be an ARC than a corrected version. If the version delivered to my Kindle on Feb 27 was supposedly a corrected copy then who ever did the proofing should be fired!
"For a decade, the Magic Box game store in Marysburg, Indiana, has hosted a twenty-four-hour gaming marathon as a fund-raiser for a local charity. Shockwaves go through the town when the newest marathon champion is strangled less than an hour after the event’s conclusion. In the parking lot right behind the game store. Marysburg resident and record store owner Darcy Gaughan isn’t convinced the police are correct then they label the murder a robbery gone wrong. When the Magic Box’s owner asks her to look into the case, she finds not everybody believes in fair play, especially when gamer reputations are at stake."
My thoughts:
As I said at the start, this was a really good story with wonderfully quirky characters, believable relationships and some nice retro references to both music and fictional detectives.
Darcy had a few viable suspects and did some creative sleuthing to narrow the field. I changed my mind a couple of times as to "who done it" but in the end was quite satisfied with the outcome. Naturally, there was the obligatory close call for Darcy as she was getting close to unveiling the killer but she is a survivor!
Had it not been for the overabundance of typos, I would happily have given this read 5 stars. Sorry, Mr. Kenney but I can't ignore all the errors.
April 8, 2024
I enjoyed this last book of Darcy's. I didn't figure it out, either. Looking forward to J.C. Kenney's next adventure.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews