Deadly Shoot

by T.J. Brearton

THEY CAME TO MAKE A MOVIE...
THEY GOT A MURDER INSTEAD.
Mack Banner hasn’t made a movie in fifteen years. He’s been laying low, raising his daughter, hoping not to be recognized.

When a hot new screenwriter writes a script for him to star in, he’s drawn out of hiding to a remote island off the coast of Maine where part of the film will shoot.

Only, the screenwriter, on location for some last-minute rewrites, is suddenly missing. And as the crew spreads out to search for her, a storm brews on the horizon.

Soon they’ll be trapped, and people are starting to turn up dead...

Part Agatha Christie, part action thriller, DEADLY SHOOT by bestseller TJ Brearton will have you on the edge of your seat figuring out “who done it” as Mack races to keep his friends and loved ones safe and to stop a brutal killer before it’s too late.

Perfect for fans of Shari Lapena's AN UNWANTED GUEST, Alex Michaelides's THE FURY, and lovers of all things psychological murder mystery thrillers!

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2024

About the author

Timothy James Brearton lives in the Adirondack Mountains with his wife and three children. He's loved thrillers and police stories for most of his life. HABIT follows broken cop Brendan Healy down the rabbit hole of a human trafficking conspiracy. DEAD GONE delivers Florida cop Tom Lange into a criminal underworld and THE KILLING TIME introduces FBI agent Shannon Ames, a country girl in the big city.

http://tjbrearton.net/about

Reviews

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars raised to a 5! Mack was once a Movie Star but after his wife died in a horrendous automobile accident he quit acting and drinking to raise his young daughter in Lake Placid. Now, years later, he is returning to star in a new movie that is a rerun of a very successful classic he’d starred in. He and Ava, his daughter, are among the last members of the cast and crew to arrive on an island ten miles off the Atlantic coast just before a storm sets in. The next day, when shooting is scheduled to begin, the script writer is found to be missing. Mack assists in the investigation and gets very deeply involved. The story is one most readers won’t want to put down and will grip them through the end. Thanks to Book Sirens and aethonbooks for an ARC for an honest review.

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed many of Brearton’s book; this one included. I love the closed setting of an island. This island is far away from civilization with a hotel that housed these actors, director, producer and other people needed for a movie shoot. Immediately someone is missing, and what follows is a whirlwind of fast paced activity! The lead actor desperately tries to help with the search, but then more strange things happen that make this book full of tension. I loved it!

[Megan Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the chance to read an ARC of this book, and I must say, it thoroughly impressed me. If you enjoy murder mysteries and ‘whodunits,’ this is definitely the book for you. It grabbed my attention early on and kept me engaged throughout. The balance of information was just right, offering enough backstory to keep me intrigued without overwhelming me. It’s exactly what I hope for in a murder mystery!

[♡Heather✩Brown♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hooks you from the start! I loved the storyline, pacing, and characters. I think I’ve read another book by this author but not sure. Either way the writing is superb and I’ll def be reading more of their books in the future.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A fun and gripping read from the first page to the last. Def recommend reading this one. Such a fun one!

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book! I loved the original plot. There was plenty of action and drama. The characters were so well written they seemed like “real” people. This was definitely a hard to put down book. There were no places where u could put it down and finish tomorrow. Each chapter was better than the next. I highly recommend this book and this author!

[Teresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been so pleased that two of the last 5 books I've read have used my favorite plotline- a group of people stranded on an island by some disaster and have a killer among them. Here, the film crew is stranded by a severe winter storm on an island in New England. The characters are engaging and I enjoyed the details of the film industry that were included. As is usual with this type of story, the setting almost becomes a character unto itself. There is plenty of suspense, unexpected revelations, red herrings, and heart-pounding action. My only very minor criticism was that the story ends with an epilogue-type ending instead of showing the events as they occurred. It isn't enough of a criticism to affect my enjoyment of rating of the book, just something I noticed. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by Mr. Breardon.

I received a review copy from the author via BookSirens and this review reflects my honest opinion.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Shoot by T.J. Brearton

A small island distant from mainland Maine is the setting for this closed circle murder mystery.

What I liked:
* Mack Banner: widow, single parent, possible issues with alcohol, gave up acting fifteen years ago when wife died, horses on property in Adirondacks, grows over time
* Ava: Mack & Liz’s daughter, bright, talented, wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps
* Odessa Carmen: journalist, friend of Mack’s wife, wise, intriguing, would like to know more about her
* Jeanne: Mack’s agent, has his best interests and both their pocketbooks in mind
* The way the story was told by flipping from present to past to give backstory – though at first it annoyed me – it grew on me and ended up working well in this book
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* That I became invested in finding out who killed Leigh and what the motivation was
* The red herrings, twists and turns
* Mixed feelings on some of the characters: Abbott Young (caretaker, drinker, widow, and?), Detective Gaines (first time on a murder case alone, vigilant, suspicious, at times over-the-top, made some mistakes), other supporting characters that sometimes were not very helpful
* That nobody was “perfect”
* That all of the threads of the story were brought together by the end of the story and tied in a neat bow.
* Wondering what happened after I read the last page

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how amoral, hedonistic, and truly evil some people can be
* Not knowing what will happen in the future lives of Mack, Abbott, Ava, Kelly, and the movie

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

[Shireen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was a great powerhouse read, a straightforward murder mystery. I'd almost consider it a bit of a "locked room" mystery because the set up is a skeleton crew for an upcoming film production, stuck together on a tiny island with no satellite connections and with a massive storm approaching. Initially no one even knows for sure if it was murder or just a terrible accident. There's just enough time for a detective and crime scene analysts to arrive from the mainland and gather evidence, but the analysts are able to leave before the storm hits. As it becomes evident that this was indeed murder, it's the detective on her own trying to corral the suspects and figure out who, if anyone, she can trust to help before it's too late. Then people start disappearing...

I think the plot moves at a good pace. There's quite a bit of POV flashback that occurs with the star of the movie, Mack Banner, revealing the details of his motivation for dropping out of the Hollywood limelight for years; this current movie is supposed to be his "big comeback". Details also start to emerge about the different relationships between production staff and crew, making motivations murky and keeping you guessing until the very end about who could have done it all.

Thanks to BookSirens and author TJ Brearton for giving me a digital advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

[David Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

ery enjoyable locked-room mystery!

Deadly Shoot, TJ Brearton’s latest book, is a highly entertaining locked room murder mystery set on an island with an interesting cast of characters, some of whom may best be described as misfits. To make matters worse the detective is a novice when it comes to homicide investigations, and when the storm hits, she is cut off from any sort of expertise or assistance. Throughout the book the reader is taken back to the events the led up to the cast and crew being on the island to shoot the movie, as well as numerous past events in Mack’s life that provide a fuller understanding of how he became an actor and why he left the profession for 15 years.

Along with being action-packed, there is enough misdirection woven into this story I never clued in on the identity of the killer until they revealed themselves. So, if you enjoy a very good mystery Deadly Shoot is a book you need to seriously consider reading. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the author and chose to provide my review.

[Kelly Schrader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble assigning stars to this one, the beginning drew me in quickly, but the middle was a little slower pace than I'm used to, with a lot of backstory that I'm not entirely sure is relevant to the main story. And then ending picked up the pace again, which was good. All in all, I did enjoy this whodunit mystery. I thought the characters were well written and I feel like for the most part, there was just enough information to keep you guessing. I did not figure out the "who" that "dunit" which I love to see from an author. There were a couple of things that felt farfetched that worked with varying degrees of success.

I received an ARC of this novel for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of cozy mysteries and wanted to read something different. When I saw the list of characters at the beginning of Deadly Shoot, I thought it would be hard to keep track of everyone. I was wrong. The author easily told the story using current and past events. Main character, Mack Banner, is an actor who has lived the life of a hermit for years. He agrees to do a movie and he is in Maine with the director, producer, and other crew members when the writer goes missing. When Leigh is found dead, the atmosphere goes from carefree to "who done it" with Mack trying to keep his daughter safe. T. J. Brearton is a new author to me. This book is well written and kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. I would like to read other books by this author.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC of this book and I am leaving an honest and voluntary review. Mack has been away from the spotlight for some time after the death of his wife. But when Leigh, a talented screenwriter, writes a story with him in mind and it's picked up, Mack finds himself back on a film set. When Leigh goes missing on the remote island they're filming on, Mack becomes embroiled in a deadly mystery. This was a well written "who done it" with flashbacks to the past as well as the story in the present. The ending itself felt a little rushed, which was a shame as I felt the rest of the book was paced really well. An enjoyable read

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

See How They Run...

There are times when I think my job here is almost cosmic in how things mesh. The past weekend I found myself caught up in See How They Run and it just boggles the mind. This week I read Deadly Shoot. Another jaw dropper of a book that boggles the mind in a great way.

Mack is the book. Mack's character is what the book is about. There is a great scene with the island. There are many great scenes from Mack's world. I couldn't figure out who did it but that wasn't my goal.

I wanted to see how the life of Mack led to this point and how this point was because of the life of Mack. That analysis of the character of Mack made this a fantastic read that I found hard to put down.

My Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by: Rudy

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received my copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

I enjoyed reading Deadly Shoot and would recommend it to fans of mysteries. The pace of the book is generally slow/medium with a lot of jumping around between various points in the past and sometimes lags a little near the middle, but the pace really picked up in the last 15-20% of the book and became a real page-turner for me around that point. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but thankfully the author/team behind the book included a cast of characters at the start that I was able to use to reorient myself as needed. The setting of the book (rural Maine) and cast of characters both worked very well for me.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was all over the place. So many twists and turns. Where everyone is a suspect. Everyone. This was one heck of a story. I kind of had a feeling of who did it, but I honestly thought more were involved. I guess in some way, everyone seemed to be. The ending I did not expect. At all. I was afraid it was going to be a person got away kind of thing. This was a good surprise lol. Well... you'll see. One heck of a book!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Holly Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an advance read. I had trouble assigning stars. The beginning and ending were very fast and exciting, the middle bogged down for me with back stories of several characters. The story of a movie shoot on an island in Maine sets the stage. There are several characters, one gets killed and everyone is a suspect and for good reason. The author reveals all kinds of movie making trivia that makes you feel like you’re watching the shoot.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A murder mystery about a faded a movie star filming a comeback movie on a remote island in Maine. I enjoyed reading about the making of a movie. That was something I hadn't read in a murder mystery before. The story moved at a good pace. I did struggle at some points trying to remember who all the different characters were and their jobs in relation to the movie.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book off of Goodreads, thank you to the author for a copy & their publisher. I truly appreciate it. I thought the book sounded interesting & had great potential. When reading I felt the characters just weren't that interesting, I kind of felt the story fell flat, I was bored... I skipped some of the book in parts, & I still understood the story. At one point they were still on the same subject they were on several chapters ago. I definitely think a lot of readers would love the book, because like I said there's potential there. Just wasn't for me, & that's okay.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you, Goodreads, for my Kindle copy of this book.
I'm giving this one 2.5 stars. The plot of this book was decent, but the execution fell short for me. It was a very slow read and a bit repetitive at times. It's told from the viewpoint of actor Mack Banner and flip flops from the past to the present. I found a lot of the past parts to be irrelevant to the story and made it feel like it was dragging a bit.

[Karolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of murder mystery books, and this one did a great job keeping me on my toes. The use of flashbacks throughout the story was particularly effective, adding depth and intrigue while gradually revealing key pieces of the puzzle. I really appreciated how the plot came together as the story unfolded. That said, the ending felt a bit rushed. I would have loved to see a couple more chapters to close out the book. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. There were some great twists in the story and I never wanted to put the book down. #GoodreadsGiveaway

[Nicole Elam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It did take me forever to read this book but not as long as good read says. This book I wanted to be good and it has so many good reviews but it dragged and was kind of all over the place. It picked up but took me to get to 70% for me to want to read read the book. Then it went boring again around the 85%. Also did not like how the ending was.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mack has been satisfied to just raise his daughter. When he gets told that there’s a special script written for him, he can resist. Unfortunately it doesn’t turn out as it should. Murder, secrets and definitely danger. How will this all end. Full of suspense to keep you intrigued.

[Kenneth Lingenfelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shooting a movie on a remote island in Maine. One person goes missing and is found dead. More strange happenings with help from authorities is days away. Suspense and danger kept me reading.

[Stormy Shadows · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.. Just not for me.

[Veronika Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i was a beta reader for this book last year and I really enjoyed it. I’ve read quite a few of this author’s books – seven or eight I think at the last count – and loved them all, but I think this is now my third favourite after Rough Country and Gone. I’d definitely recommend it. I’m glad to say I haven’t read anything similar in crime fiction at all, which is great. Nothing that takes place on a movie set. Or on an island. In a storm (which adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere).

I really liked Mack Banner. He’s unusual as a main protagonist. He’s not a cop, or a private detective or an author, or an amateur sleuth. He’s a faded movie star. I feel that there is still stuff we don’t know about him in spite of the flashbacks – maybe he is going to be part of a series? I’d like that. And I love his daughter Ava.

There is a trend in the UK at the moment for crime thrillers to be set in a large, dingy town or city, often in the Midlands or the North, occasionally in London. A detective is usually the main character, divorced, in need of anger management, drinks too much – you know the type. So it’s great to have Mack Banner as the main character – a bit of a have-a-go, but flawed hero with a past (yes he also drinks too much). Like Miss Marple on steroids.

Initially there were so many characters with different roles in the movie that I only remembered the main ones. I had to work hard at times to recall who was who and what they did. This slowed down the first half a bit, but once I got into it, the second half flew along. Then it really picked up and I had my heart in my mouth at the end when the excitement ratcheted up even higher. I can say no more. I loved it.