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Head Rock Harbor Mystery #2
Murder in the Rough
It’s not that finding dead bodies is uncommon in Head Rock Harbor, Jackson Harper simply didn’t expect to find one when out for a day on the Mississippi with Sawyer Robinson.
While out looking for illegal trotlines, Jackson and Sawyer find the body of a man by a campsite, dead from an apparent shotgun blast to the chest. After a brief investigation and the arrest of a notorious Head Rock Harbor resident, Chief Bucksworth is happy to close the investigation. However, Detective Jeremy Morrison isn’t so sure that his boss has the town’s best interests at heart.
As always, Jackson is suspicious of any crime in Head Rock Harbor and can’t keep his nose out of police business. He has no solid evidence, but something simply doesn’t feel right about the crime scene. He busies himself taking casseroles to the mourning family, questioning witnesses, and even fighting the police chief when the wrong suspect is arrested.
When Jeremy decides that he has no one on his side at the police department, he goes against his own protocol and asks Jackson for help. Together, the two of them will find out if they are simply paranoid—or there’s a killer with a shotgun loose in their quaint little riverside town.
Rattlesnatches’ new obsession might be the clue that unravels the entire mystery…
While out looking for illegal trotlines, Jackson and Sawyer find the body of a man by a campsite, dead from an apparent shotgun blast to the chest. After a brief investigation and the arrest of a notorious Head Rock Harbor resident, Chief Bucksworth is happy to close the investigation. However, Detective Jeremy Morrison isn’t so sure that his boss has the town’s best interests at heart.
As always, Jackson is suspicious of any crime in Head Rock Harbor and can’t keep his nose out of police business. He has no solid evidence, but something simply doesn’t feel right about the crime scene. He busies himself taking casseroles to the mourning family, questioning witnesses, and even fighting the police chief when the wrong suspect is arrested.
When Jeremy decides that he has no one on his side at the police department, he goes against his own protocol and asks Jackson for help. Together, the two of them will find out if they are simply paranoid—or there’s a killer with a shotgun loose in their quaint little riverside town.
Rattlesnatches’ new obsession might be the clue that unravels the entire mystery…
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2024
33 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Chase Connor
39 books314 followersBANG BANG HE SHOT HER DOWN - the fourth book in the Head Rock Harbor Mystery series - can be pre-ordered here!
https://mybook.to/HRHM4BBHSHD
GHOST IN THE CUPBOARD - the first book in the NEW Silas Erie Paranormal Cozy series - can be pre-ordered here:
https://mybook.to/SEPC1GitC
Chase Connor spends his days writing about the people who live (loudly and rent-free) in his head when he’s not busy being enthusiastic about naps and Pad Thai. Chase started his writing career as a confused gay teen looking for an escape from reality. Ten years later, one of the books he wrote during those years, Just A Dumb Surfer Dude: A Gay Coming-of-Age Tale, was published independently. Chase has numerous projects in various stages of completion lined up for publishing. Chase is a multi-genre author, but always with a healthy dollop of gay.
https://mybook.to/HRHM4BBHSHD
GHOST IN THE CUPBOARD - the first book in the NEW Silas Erie Paranormal Cozy series - can be pre-ordered here:
https://mybook.to/SEPC1GitC
Chase Connor spends his days writing about the people who live (loudly and rent-free) in his head when he’s not busy being enthusiastic about naps and Pad Thai. Chase started his writing career as a confused gay teen looking for an escape from reality. Ten years later, one of the books he wrote during those years, Just A Dumb Surfer Dude: A Gay Coming-of-Age Tale, was published independently. Chase has numerous projects in various stages of completion lined up for publishing. Chase is a multi-genre author, but always with a healthy dollop of gay.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 3, 2025
See, it's hard to confess, but I miss all the time we spent / I can't explain / 'Cause when I start up the nerve to reach out to you, baby / It just floats away (6AM – Fitz & The Tantrums).
Hey there, I’ve got a question. Can books that are “just okay” also count as palate cleansers? Because that’s what Murder in the Rough was for me, and after reading so many good books in a row to the point where my brain’s basically turned to mush, I kind of needed it. So the thing is, I just finished The White Lotus recently and while I loved it, I still haven’t jumped right into the next “must watch” show on my list (Interview With the Vampire or The Bear) yet because I always need a bit of a buffer zone in between so I’m able to collect my thoughts properly. Hopefully that makes sense, sometimes it's nice to read stuff that aren't literary masterpieces, you know? It’s like the Charli XCX and Lorde performance where they were both off-key and off-beat, and yet the performance is still considered iconic because of such imperfections. Not trying to throw shade, I promise! Anyway, even though this book started out pretty strong, with engaging writing and an intriguing set-up, I noticed my interest waned the longer I was reading it! There would be entire chapters where it’d just be going into in-depth detail of Jackson getting dinner, playing with his cat, or writing his book. Sure, I enjoy a "slice-of-life" thing every now and then, but after a while, I couldn’t help but wonder when things were going to pick up! It almost felt like an editorial at several points, and while it was interesting to hear Jackson's thoughts, it still felt aimless. I know I went on and on about how A Light in the Darkness by Crystal D. Budy was special because it wasn’t a strict, by-the-books mystery, but the difference there was that the main character was at least proactive and interested in looking into the death of the victim. Here it felt like Jackson could barely be bothered to do anything, let alone solve a murder! Every time he’d start questioning people he’d then immediately start crying for several paragraphs afterwards about how awful and invasive he felt. Sorry, but you’re a mystery book protagonist, get with the program dude. What’s not clicking!? But I’m probably just nitpicking at this point, because the truth is that it actually doesn't take much for the wind to go out of my sails, and I can turn on a story on a dime if there’s even one tiny thing I’m not feeling anymore. For example, you know that new James Gunn Superman movie coming out soon? Well, I’ve been pretty excited to watch it for a while now, but now I'm thinking I'll probably wait for it to hit streaming because of a preview clip that released on Jimmy Fallon and it’s literally just Superman yelling like a tantrum throwing child in a supermarket? It totally killed any and all interest I’ve once had for the movie! I know it’s James Gunn’s thing to always have his actors talking really quietly and then all of a sudden start yelling really loudly, but I’ve never really been a fan of equating “good acting” to whomever can scream the loudest in a scene. Like, just Rhea Seehorn’s acting while speaking at a normal decibel throughout the entirety of Better Call Saul is a hell of a lot more impressive to me than Leonardo DiCaprio’s big ass head trying his hardest to win an Oscar while crawling and screaming through the mud in The Revenant. Anyway, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, Sure, Murder in the Rough held my interest, but not necessarily my excitement.
Hi again, here's another question. Why is it that every gay mystery I read has a cop love-interest? I mean, people can write what they want, but it’s getting to the point where I basically give a book a full letter grade higher if there’s no cop boyfriend in sight. Now don’t fact check me on this, but my understanding is that the mystery genre only started featuring law enforcement as the driving force behind the narrative when the noir genre came around and became super popular, because before that, with Sherlock Holmes and the like, the cops were typically portrayed as incompetent and uninterested and hellbent on impeding the real detectives. Nowadays, it just seems like every time I turn on the T.V. there’s some cop show trying to find a clever new way to excuse human rights violations or something. I guess if anything, I'd say that Murder in the Rough is most similar to Brooklyn 99 in the sense that it examines the police through a "progressive lens. Remember that one scene where one of the main characters is bragging about this totally “badass ” device thing that they could now use to get some real police work done? Yeah well, the funny thing is that the weapon she was so proud of was actually used in real life to terrorize protestors. Which is bad, actually. But nah, by the show's logic it’s totally fine because the character who said it was bisexual. And look, “let people enjoy things,” “It’s not that deep,” blah blah blah whatever, I’m just saying that sometimes it’s important to look a little closer and examine the reasoning behind why things are written the way they are. It's important to ask these questions, like why does every gay mystery book I come across feature a gay man in a relationship with a man works for a force that notoriously antagonizes queer folk? I don't know, it just feels insidious to me. Look, if I were to consult my Copoganda meter for a moment, where a 100% is no copaganda; I’d say that Murder in the Rough is at a 40%, all Josh Lanyon book are at 0%, and A Light in the Darkness by Crystal D. Budy at a 70%! Cool, isn’t math fun? All that aside, my other least favorite thing in a book is when you can tell the author has a crush on a certain character but then doesn’t do anything within the narrative to make them hot for the reader. Share with the class, please! Because from where I’m standing, Jeremy never evolved past being a tool who relies on Jackson to do all the work… all while never trusting him the entire way. Also, I just don’t think casual rudeness between very close friends plays well in a literary format, because Jackson and Jeremy felt like they could barely even stand to be in each other’s company for a conversation, let alone have been besties for forever. Jackson’s narration would even constantly introduce Jeremy as “my best friend Jeremy” because we’d probably otherwise forget that they’re supposedly into each other. Sorry, but they really didn’t have chemistry, what with their constant sniping at each other, distrust in each other’s motives, and (on Jeremy’s end), throwing the other under the bus when they’re worried about getting in trouble with their boss. Was it the author’s intent to create a “will-they-won’t-they” dynamic between a couple where nobody cares if they will or won’t? Because if so, great job author, you did it!
I guess the only question left to ask here is… why do I keep reading this series if I don’t really like the romance and the mysteries aren’t really anything to brag about either? Well you see, Jackson has a cute cat named Rattlesnatches, and I'm easy enough that a simple sampling of paragraphs interspersed throughout a book detailing the daily life of a black cat can easily sway me positively towards a book’s side. I mean, it's not like the cat has much in the way of competition when it comes to fun characters anyway. Well, maybe that’s not entirely fair, because while Jackson is a somewhat charming, somewhat bland blank-slate of a protagonist who has by-the-numbers sexual tension with the flighty failure of a detective, Jeremy, I still enjoyed the former’s backstory and the fraught dynamic between him and his mother. The book even touched on more“lesser” talked about topics around the gay experience™ like being the only out gay man in a small community and having people tokenize them in an attempt to look like an ally. The topic of allyship is generally a pretty sensitive one and since I’ve already filled my quota on sensitive topics with all that copaganda rambling up there, I’ll spare you the details my opinion on the matter. Just know that Jackson’s uncomfortable feelings surrounding being asked to plan the town’s Gay Pride Parade simply because he’s the only gay person who the mayor knows personally was especially well done. Because it’s like, yeah, Jackson knows deep down that these people have good intentions, but it still feels gross whenever people treat him as some kind of ambassador to a community that’s so diverse. Otherwise, isn't it odd how mystery authors always give the most chemistry to the characters that don't end up together? It sucks because even though reading through every Jackson and Jeremy romance scene is like eating cereal without any milk, we just have to roll with the punches. Well, to that point I’ve got to say that I think Jackson should have just hooked up with Sawyer on their fishing trip. Get it, "hooked?" ...Like a fishing hook. Anyway, it was immediately clear that Jackson had way more going on with Sawyer than with Jeremy (and he's not a cop), so I honestly would have liked this book a lot more if it hadn’t held on so tightly to their predetermined coupling. Jackson and Sawyer could have had something beautiful! I'm talking all around the clock, I'm talking hope nobody knocks, I'm talking opposite of soft, I'm talking wild, wild thoughts! Or you know, he could have also gone out with the weirdo coroner guy who couldn’t stop hinting that he wanted to jump on Jackson’s bones. You could say he had him dead to rights heh heh. Look, I’m just saying that I hate it when authors give the main character a bunch of options and then always pick the most boring one! Nonetheless, I did find this installment to be more engaging than the first book, and I probably would have finished it earlier if I hadn’t read, like, fifty volumes of this manga called Ascendance of a Bookworm. Which interestingly enough is another story featuring a main character whose biggest personality trait is that they love books, so you know, write what you know or whatever. So yeah, this book was alright, and even if I didn’t really feel the urgency necessary for a murder mystery or any magic between the two leads, I can’t deny the fact that the I enjoyed the punchy writing style enough to get me wanting to dive right into book three.
“The perpetually innocent and pathologically boring person often worries about their mentally fabricated guilt.”
Hey there, I’ve got a question. Can books that are “just okay” also count as palate cleansers? Because that’s what Murder in the Rough was for me, and after reading so many good books in a row to the point where my brain’s basically turned to mush, I kind of needed it. So the thing is, I just finished The White Lotus recently and while I loved it, I still haven’t jumped right into the next “must watch” show on my list (Interview With the Vampire or The Bear) yet because I always need a bit of a buffer zone in between so I’m able to collect my thoughts properly. Hopefully that makes sense, sometimes it's nice to read stuff that aren't literary masterpieces, you know? It’s like the Charli XCX and Lorde performance where they were both off-key and off-beat, and yet the performance is still considered iconic because of such imperfections. Not trying to throw shade, I promise! Anyway, even though this book started out pretty strong, with engaging writing and an intriguing set-up, I noticed my interest waned the longer I was reading it! There would be entire chapters where it’d just be going into in-depth detail of Jackson getting dinner, playing with his cat, or writing his book. Sure, I enjoy a "slice-of-life" thing every now and then, but after a while, I couldn’t help but wonder when things were going to pick up! It almost felt like an editorial at several points, and while it was interesting to hear Jackson's thoughts, it still felt aimless. I know I went on and on about how A Light in the Darkness by Crystal D. Budy was special because it wasn’t a strict, by-the-books mystery, but the difference there was that the main character was at least proactive and interested in looking into the death of the victim. Here it felt like Jackson could barely be bothered to do anything, let alone solve a murder! Every time he’d start questioning people he’d then immediately start crying for several paragraphs afterwards about how awful and invasive he felt. Sorry, but you’re a mystery book protagonist, get with the program dude. What’s not clicking!? But I’m probably just nitpicking at this point, because the truth is that it actually doesn't take much for the wind to go out of my sails, and I can turn on a story on a dime if there’s even one tiny thing I’m not feeling anymore. For example, you know that new James Gunn Superman movie coming out soon? Well, I’ve been pretty excited to watch it for a while now, but now I'm thinking I'll probably wait for it to hit streaming because of a preview clip that released on Jimmy Fallon and it’s literally just Superman yelling like a tantrum throwing child in a supermarket? It totally killed any and all interest I’ve once had for the movie! I know it’s James Gunn’s thing to always have his actors talking really quietly and then all of a sudden start yelling really loudly, but I’ve never really been a fan of equating “good acting” to whomever can scream the loudest in a scene. Like, just Rhea Seehorn’s acting while speaking at a normal decibel throughout the entirety of Better Call Saul is a hell of a lot more impressive to me than Leonardo DiCaprio’s big ass head trying his hardest to win an Oscar while crawling and screaming through the mud in The Revenant. Anyway, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, Sure, Murder in the Rough held my interest, but not necessarily my excitement.
Hi again, here's another question. Why is it that every gay mystery I read has a cop love-interest? I mean, people can write what they want, but it’s getting to the point where I basically give a book a full letter grade higher if there’s no cop boyfriend in sight. Now don’t fact check me on this, but my understanding is that the mystery genre only started featuring law enforcement as the driving force behind the narrative when the noir genre came around and became super popular, because before that, with Sherlock Holmes and the like, the cops were typically portrayed as incompetent and uninterested and hellbent on impeding the real detectives. Nowadays, it just seems like every time I turn on the T.V. there’s some cop show trying to find a clever new way to excuse human rights violations or something. I guess if anything, I'd say that Murder in the Rough is most similar to Brooklyn 99 in the sense that it examines the police through a "progressive lens. Remember that one scene where one of the main characters is bragging about this totally “badass ” device thing that they could now use to get some real police work done? Yeah well, the funny thing is that the weapon she was so proud of was actually used in real life to terrorize protestors. Which is bad, actually. But nah, by the show's logic it’s totally fine because the character who said it was bisexual. And look, “let people enjoy things,” “It’s not that deep,” blah blah blah whatever, I’m just saying that sometimes it’s important to look a little closer and examine the reasoning behind why things are written the way they are. It's important to ask these questions, like why does every gay mystery book I come across feature a gay man in a relationship with a man works for a force that notoriously antagonizes queer folk? I don't know, it just feels insidious to me. Look, if I were to consult my Copoganda meter for a moment, where a 100% is no copaganda; I’d say that Murder in the Rough is at a 40%, all Josh Lanyon book are at 0%, and A Light in the Darkness by Crystal D. Budy at a 70%! Cool, isn’t math fun? All that aside, my other least favorite thing in a book is when you can tell the author has a crush on a certain character but then doesn’t do anything within the narrative to make them hot for the reader. Share with the class, please! Because from where I’m standing, Jeremy never evolved past being a tool who relies on Jackson to do all the work… all while never trusting him the entire way. Also, I just don’t think casual rudeness between very close friends plays well in a literary format, because Jackson and Jeremy felt like they could barely even stand to be in each other’s company for a conversation, let alone have been besties for forever. Jackson’s narration would even constantly introduce Jeremy as “my best friend Jeremy” because we’d probably otherwise forget that they’re supposedly into each other. Sorry, but they really didn’t have chemistry, what with their constant sniping at each other, distrust in each other’s motives, and (on Jeremy’s end), throwing the other under the bus when they’re worried about getting in trouble with their boss. Was it the author’s intent to create a “will-they-won’t-they” dynamic between a couple where nobody cares if they will or won’t? Because if so, great job author, you did it!
I guess the only question left to ask here is… why do I keep reading this series if I don’t really like the romance and the mysteries aren’t really anything to brag about either? Well you see, Jackson has a cute cat named Rattlesnatches, and I'm easy enough that a simple sampling of paragraphs interspersed throughout a book detailing the daily life of a black cat can easily sway me positively towards a book’s side. I mean, it's not like the cat has much in the way of competition when it comes to fun characters anyway. Well, maybe that’s not entirely fair, because while Jackson is a somewhat charming, somewhat bland blank-slate of a protagonist who has by-the-numbers sexual tension with the flighty failure of a detective, Jeremy, I still enjoyed the former’s backstory and the fraught dynamic between him and his mother. The book even touched on more“lesser” talked about topics around the gay experience™ like being the only out gay man in a small community and having people tokenize them in an attempt to look like an ally. The topic of allyship is generally a pretty sensitive one and since I’ve already filled my quota on sensitive topics with all that copaganda rambling up there, I’ll spare you the details my opinion on the matter. Just know that Jackson’s uncomfortable feelings surrounding being asked to plan the town’s Gay Pride Parade simply because he’s the only gay person who the mayor knows personally was especially well done. Because it’s like, yeah, Jackson knows deep down that these people have good intentions, but it still feels gross whenever people treat him as some kind of ambassador to a community that’s so diverse. Otherwise, isn't it odd how mystery authors always give the most chemistry to the characters that don't end up together? It sucks because even though reading through every Jackson and Jeremy romance scene is like eating cereal without any milk, we just have to roll with the punches. Well, to that point I’ve got to say that I think Jackson should have just hooked up with Sawyer on their fishing trip. Get it, "hooked?" ...Like a fishing hook. Anyway, it was immediately clear that Jackson had way more going on with Sawyer than with Jeremy (and he's not a cop), so I honestly would have liked this book a lot more if it hadn’t held on so tightly to their predetermined coupling. Jackson and Sawyer could have had something beautiful! I'm talking all around the clock, I'm talking hope nobody knocks, I'm talking opposite of soft, I'm talking wild, wild thoughts! Or you know, he could have also gone out with the weirdo coroner guy who couldn’t stop hinting that he wanted to jump on Jackson’s bones. You could say he had him dead to rights heh heh. Look, I’m just saying that I hate it when authors give the main character a bunch of options and then always pick the most boring one! Nonetheless, I did find this installment to be more engaging than the first book, and I probably would have finished it earlier if I hadn’t read, like, fifty volumes of this manga called Ascendance of a Bookworm. Which interestingly enough is another story featuring a main character whose biggest personality trait is that they love books, so you know, write what you know or whatever. So yeah, this book was alright, and even if I didn’t really feel the urgency necessary for a murder mystery or any magic between the two leads, I can’t deny the fact that the I enjoyed the punchy writing style enough to get me wanting to dive right into book three.
“The perpetually innocent and pathologically boring person often worries about their mentally fabricated guilt.”
May 31, 2024
Chase Connor is one of my favorite authors and has been since I discovered his prose in 2018. His newest book, the mystery "Murder in the Rough", is another winner.
The key to my fandom of Connor is two-fold: He is a terrific storyteller and an extraordinary wordsmith. I've read more than 20 of his books, including serious studies exploring complicated romantic feelings in the minds of new adults, numerous YA M/M stories, and even erotica.
Connor represents the reasons I love to read. He writes beautiful sentences. He arranges those sentences in a manner that keeps me turning the page. When I bookmark a Connor novel because I need to sleep or my work break is over, I am already contemplating, with excitement and anticipation, when I will be able to put my real world on hold and return to his imagined world.
This is a consistent response to everything I read by this dude. So, let's talk about this newest book, the second in the Head Rock Harbor mystery series.
First, like so many other readers of the Head Rock Harbor series, and it's my understanding that there will be at least a third installment, I want to ship the couple of Jackson and Jeremy. "Jackmy?" I guess I am one of many readers who want these two darlings to become lovers.
Second, I love sharing my own time with Jacks and/or Germ, and that is one of the pleasures of this book and why I give it five stars.
I am a cat person, so I can not publish a review without mentioning my warm affection for Jacks' kitty, Rattlesnatches. I hope Rattlesnatches is never the guilty party in a future Connor mystery, but if you read Connor, then you know he likes to kill his darlings. Don't do it, Chase!
"Murder in the Rough" unfolds with details of a death that keeps you guessing and craving new information in the investigation. I must admit I didn't solve this mystery on my own. Connor kept my mind twisting this puzzle until the end.
Connor also deepened the readers' knowledge about Jackson Harper's background and his childhood and relationship with his mother. I hope this continues in book three.
Will Jackson and Jeremy couple up? Well, there is also this gorgeous guy named Sawyer, so, well, I don't, gee I guess only Chase Connor knows for now, but I know I will turn all new pages that reveal what happens next in Head Rock Harbor.
The key to my fandom of Connor is two-fold: He is a terrific storyteller and an extraordinary wordsmith. I've read more than 20 of his books, including serious studies exploring complicated romantic feelings in the minds of new adults, numerous YA M/M stories, and even erotica.
Connor represents the reasons I love to read. He writes beautiful sentences. He arranges those sentences in a manner that keeps me turning the page. When I bookmark a Connor novel because I need to sleep or my work break is over, I am already contemplating, with excitement and anticipation, when I will be able to put my real world on hold and return to his imagined world.
This is a consistent response to everything I read by this dude. So, let's talk about this newest book, the second in the Head Rock Harbor mystery series.
First, like so many other readers of the Head Rock Harbor series, and it's my understanding that there will be at least a third installment, I want to ship the couple of Jackson and Jeremy. "Jackmy?" I guess I am one of many readers who want these two darlings to become lovers.
Second, I love sharing my own time with Jacks and/or Germ, and that is one of the pleasures of this book and why I give it five stars.
I am a cat person, so I can not publish a review without mentioning my warm affection for Jacks' kitty, Rattlesnatches. I hope Rattlesnatches is never the guilty party in a future Connor mystery, but if you read Connor, then you know he likes to kill his darlings. Don't do it, Chase!
"Murder in the Rough" unfolds with details of a death that keeps you guessing and craving new information in the investigation. I must admit I didn't solve this mystery on my own. Connor kept my mind twisting this puzzle until the end.
Connor also deepened the readers' knowledge about Jackson Harper's background and his childhood and relationship with his mother. I hope this continues in book three.
Will Jackson and Jeremy couple up? Well, there is also this gorgeous guy named Sawyer, so, well, I don't, gee I guess only Chase Connor knows for now, but I know I will turn all new pages that reveal what happens next in Head Rock Harbor.
September 5, 2024
Not as good as the first.
Sawyer is a poc?!
Since when!
Marv was charming now he's a man id not want carrying a weapon.
Jerm is....
Jackson is annoying and somehow all knowing while being BIG dumb. He forgets he was almost got by the bad guy last book. Look around more often! And where the heck is the buddy system!
Sawyer is a poc?!
Since when!
Marv was charming now he's a man id not want carrying a weapon.
Jerm is....
Jackson is annoying and somehow all knowing while being BIG dumb. He forgets he was almost got by the bad guy last book. Look around more often! And where the heck is the buddy system!
April 22, 2024
I’ll admit I’m not a cozy mystery reader. That is until my friend Chase Connor started writing them. He has turned me into a cozy mystery aficionado, truly. So far this series has just enough hidden clues, snarky commentary, adorable human-like cats, and questionable, romantic overtures to whet my appetite. But I need more. I also need to know why Jeremy is suspicious of Sawyer. I hope that’s in the next book!
March 28, 2025
This second installment is even better than the first. I liked learning more about Jackson's relationship with him mom, and his friendship with Jeremy (and Sawyer) is developing nicely. The mystery is solid and intriguing, and I just like the gentle pacing and revelations throughout. Definitely 4.5 rounded up!
April 29, 2024
OK, that's more like it! Grabbed me from the first chapter and never let go! Perfect!
Also, we seem to have a Jackson, Jeremy, and Sawyer issue going on... interesting! 🤔🌈🥰
Also, we seem to have a Jackson, Jeremy, and Sawyer issue going on... interesting! 🤔🌈🥰
January 26, 2026
much better than the first. like i think the author got it right this time with the pacing and the overall light-heartedness of the plot. Jeremy endgame tho i really cant respect that i really cant like "many years in the making" my fucking ass bruh . mind u it's not confirmed that Jeremy is endgame but all the signs are there. AND ILL GIVE IT TO THE AUTHOR, JEREMY WAS ACTUALLY LIKEABLE THIS BOOK AND THEIR DYNAMIC MADE SENSE. #YUP
November 4, 2024
Chase Connor is truly an amazing story teller, and the second installment in the hard rock harbor mystery series really lets that be known.
Murder in the rough instantly sets the scene and sets up the main story so well and quickly. The mystery is laid out for you, and it had me hooked right from the get go. While Jackson tries to solve the case whether others want him to or not, I constantly had different suspects racing through my head as I tried to piece together what I thought had happened.
One of my favorite things about this book specifically, was how we got to know more of some of the minor characters from the first. We saw and learned more about Jackson relationship with his mother Deborah. I really loved more Mavis is this book, and what we discovered about her connection with Jackson.
The romance side of this story with Jackson and Jermey was truly perfection! There were many moments where I wanted to scream at Jackson to make a move, or just let things happen. But honestly pure perfection all the way to the very end! And just some of the dialogue between the two of them, so well written!
Again I do need to mention Rattlesnatches (Jackson’s cat), i mentioned this in the review of the first book. But if you’re gonna have an MC that talks to his cat, I’m gonna mention it. It’s just so freaking cute!
Overall absolutely amazing! It’s just the characters in this small town, reading a Head rock harbor mystery, is like going home and getting to see old friends again. I can’t wait for the next one!!!
Murder in the rough instantly sets the scene and sets up the main story so well and quickly. The mystery is laid out for you, and it had me hooked right from the get go. While Jackson tries to solve the case whether others want him to or not, I constantly had different suspects racing through my head as I tried to piece together what I thought had happened.
One of my favorite things about this book specifically, was how we got to know more of some of the minor characters from the first. We saw and learned more about Jackson relationship with his mother Deborah. I really loved more Mavis is this book, and what we discovered about her connection with Jackson.
The romance side of this story with Jackson and Jermey was truly perfection! There were many moments where I wanted to scream at Jackson to make a move, or just let things happen. But honestly pure perfection all the way to the very end! And just some of the dialogue between the two of them, so well written!
Again I do need to mention Rattlesnatches (Jackson’s cat), i mentioned this in the review of the first book. But if you’re gonna have an MC that talks to his cat, I’m gonna mention it. It’s just so freaking cute!
Overall absolutely amazing! It’s just the characters in this small town, reading a Head rock harbor mystery, is like going home and getting to see old friends again. I can’t wait for the next one!!!
April 25, 2024
I liked it a lot better than book one...
But I will go re-read that again right now. I thought this book had a great Midwestern setting, which I didn't know much about except that they call cassaroles hotdishes. :). The characters are all likeable and I'm super-curious to know who our hero will end up with romantically, three potential guys here maybe, but ultimately it's a who-done-it. Great mystery with a surprising ending. A serious cozy.
But I will go re-read that again right now. I thought this book had a great Midwestern setting, which I didn't know much about except that they call cassaroles hotdishes. :). The characters are all likeable and I'm super-curious to know who our hero will end up with romantically, three potential guys here maybe, but ultimately it's a who-done-it. Great mystery with a surprising ending. A serious cozy.
July 8, 2024
Didn't like this as much as the first one (but just couldn't see myself rating that one higher, despite that).
A few things:
--At some point, authors of cozies started thinking they need to defend their amateur sleuth's sleuthing. I wish they would stop it. It just breaks the suspension of disbelief that I was willing to grant them. It's the entrance price of the genre, just stop. And this is only book 2!
--There is much less of the MC's cat in this one. I didn't particularly *LIKE* said cat, but it was part of the charm of the first one. Put it back (in).
--There is much more "romance" in this than in the first one (apparently it is him and his cop friend we are supposed to ship). No, thank you. Put it back (away). I'd be much more interested in the MC and the dude he goes boating with.
--But it's hard to be interested in the MC and anyone, because I don't really like him. :/ He's kind of a jerk. And what's up with his gross attitude towards tacky amounts of rainbows at Pride? Man, I'd much rather go to something his mother organized than one he did.
A few things:
--At some point, authors of cozies started thinking they need to defend their amateur sleuth's sleuthing. I wish they would stop it. It just breaks the suspension of disbelief that I was willing to grant them. It's the entrance price of the genre, just stop. And this is only book 2!
--There is much less of the MC's cat in this one. I didn't particularly *LIKE* said cat, but it was part of the charm of the first one. Put it back (in).
--There is much more "romance" in this than in the first one (apparently it is him and his cop friend we are supposed to ship). No, thank you. Put it back (away). I'd be much more interested in the MC and the dude he goes boating with.
--But it's hard to be interested in the MC and anyone, because I don't really like him. :/ He's kind of a jerk. And what's up with his gross attitude towards tacky amounts of rainbows at Pride? Man, I'd much rather go to something his mother organized than one he did.
June 6, 2024
Jackson can't keep his nose out of other people's murder—and neither can his cat. 'Meow.'
This is the second book in the series, and it continues where the first one left off with all the hilarious characters. The 'who did it' shenanigans continue almost until the end when our bookseller turned nosy sleuth unravels the truth.
Grab this one if you like your murder mysteries with dollops of fun and banter.
This is the second book in the series, and it continues where the first one left off with all the hilarious characters. The 'who did it' shenanigans continue almost until the end when our bookseller turned nosy sleuth unravels the truth.
Grab this one if you like your murder mysteries with dollops of fun and banter.
June 29, 2024
Chase Connor (along with Gregory Ashe) has persuaded me to read cosy mysteries again! I’m not convinced that even a small tow is sheriff’s department could be this incompetent but still, it gives Jackson a chance to shine. Enjoying the stories but have fingers crossed that he doesn’t end up with ‘Germ’.
Read
September 6, 2024“You know darn well what I’m getting’ at,” Deb said. “Don’t play the fool.”
“I’m not playing. It’s genetic,” I snipped.
“You want your Philly cheesesteak or a knuckle sandwich?”
“Do you want a tip or a bad review on the internet?”
“Little man,” Deb leaned in, her hands digging into her hips, “I can do this all night.”
“I’m not playing. It’s genetic,” I snipped.
“You want your Philly cheesesteak or a knuckle sandwich?”
“Do you want a tip or a bad review on the internet?”
“Little man,” Deb leaned in, her hands digging into her hips, “I can do this all night.”
May 8, 2024
We are back in Head Rock Harbor and Jackson finds himself another body whilst out looking for illegal fishermen.
Interesting how he solves the mystery and I can hopefully see a growing romance between him and Jeremy.
Waiting for book 3.
Interesting how he solves the mystery and I can hopefully see a growing romance between him and Jeremy.
Waiting for book 3.
March 25, 2025
The second book in this series, was a bit slower in action, but still pulling and enjoyable till the end. I didn't feel the OMG moment, at the end as in the previous first book, but still, an awesome second book.
February 25, 2026
The diction does not feel right for crime fiction. It's hard to read. I read Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys teenage fiction before, but they were and still are engaging. This is torture to continue. Nevertheless, I'll read it slowly until finished.
June 5, 2024
Very enjoyable.
September 18, 2024
Excellent! I liked this one more than the first!
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
October 14, 2024
To me the plot felt overcomplicated, and the characters a bit simplified. I like, though, that it's a story about a gay man, and it doesn't focus mainly on sex.
February 10, 2025
I love this town and these characters. Connor has built a second marvelous mystery out of them.
Lucky me--I'm a book behind.
Highly recommended.
c.t.h.
Lucky me--I'm a book behind.
Highly recommended.
c.t.h.
October 23, 2025
2.25 stars
Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, fuck Jeremy.
He is absolutely insufferable and at this point if he and Jackson end up together, I will riot. Not that I think I'm going to continue with the rest of the series. It's too... unrealistic? Absurd?
Idk... It's too stupid.
A trained detective asking a normal civilian to investigate for him? Mind you, no one knows about Jackson's secret identity as a mystery author. And even if they did, THAT DOES NOT QUALIFY HIM TO SOLVE A MURDER!!!
Also, when did Sawyer become a POC???
In book one, he was described as a "230 pound country-boy science fiction geek..." I read 'country-boy', and I'm thinking horse riding, cowboy hat wearing, blonde hair and blue eyes.
Also, also... Jeremy telling Jackson to stay from Sawyer is ironic, given that Jackson and Sawyer have more chemistry than Jackson and Jeremy does. Even in book 1, you could feel the chemistry between the protagonist and Sawyer, despite there being no mention of Sawyer being LGBT.
Plus, Jackson going all Sherlock Holmes in the end was laughable. He literally had to spell everything out. Even to the trained professionals. At this point, why have a police force? Clearly they're all dumber than a rock.
Sigh, I like Jackson as a character. I think he's boring and interesting all at the same time. But I just want some of the other characters in the book to do some of the heavy lifting. Jackson carried the entire story. And if that's the case, why have other characters if they're not actually going to do anything besides exist and provide background noise?
I don't know. I wanted to love this because the mystery was good, but the boring characters just made it a task for me.
Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, fuck Jeremy.
He is absolutely insufferable and at this point if he and Jackson end up together, I will riot. Not that I think I'm going to continue with the rest of the series. It's too... unrealistic? Absurd?
Idk... It's too stupid.
A trained detective asking a normal civilian to investigate for him? Mind you, no one knows about Jackson's secret identity as a mystery author. And even if they did, THAT DOES NOT QUALIFY HIM TO SOLVE A MURDER!!!
Also, when did Sawyer become a POC???
In book one, he was described as a "230 pound country-boy science fiction geek..." I read 'country-boy', and I'm thinking horse riding, cowboy hat wearing, blonde hair and blue eyes.
Also, also... Jeremy telling Jackson to stay from Sawyer is ironic, given that Jackson and Sawyer have more chemistry than Jackson and Jeremy does. Even in book 1, you could feel the chemistry between the protagonist and Sawyer, despite there being no mention of Sawyer being LGBT.
Plus, Jackson going all Sherlock Holmes in the end was laughable. He literally had to spell everything out. Even to the trained professionals. At this point, why have a police force? Clearly they're all dumber than a rock.
Sigh, I like Jackson as a character. I think he's boring and interesting all at the same time. But I just want some of the other characters in the book to do some of the heavy lifting. Jackson carried the entire story. And if that's the case, why have other characters if they're not actually going to do anything besides exist and provide background noise?
I don't know. I wanted to love this because the mystery was good, but the boring characters just made it a task for me.
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