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Sarah Woods Mystery #7

An Appetite for Revenge

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Jealousy, Blackmail, Revenge
Sarah Woods, a rookie private eye from New Hampshire, decides to visit her boyfriend in Florida, for a much needed respite from the cold. The only problem is, Max's ex-girlfriend -- Jennifer Healy -- works for the client. Sarah tries to convince herself that Max and Jennifer are simply friends, but can't help feeling suspicious.
While Max is busy working on a project, Sarah plans to spend her days lounging on the beach. However, on the night of her arrival, Max's client, millionaire Dennis Foster has a heart attack. No big surprise considering the man is a chain smoker with high blood pressure.
Dennis's widow may or may not be distraught over her husband's death, but she wants to hire Sarah to help with a personal matter that involves sex and blackmail.
Carter agrees to make the trip to help Sarah with the investigation.
However things go dreadfully wrong when Carter makes an attempt to engage with a violent suspect, and must pay the consequences for his misjudgement.

174 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2014

187 people are currently reading
582 people want to read

About the author

Jennifer L. Jennings

45 books71 followers

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5 stars
169 (26%)
4 stars
204 (31%)
3 stars
206 (31%)
2 stars
50 (7%)
1 star
16 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Henry Simpson.
Author 81 books13 followers
June 4, 2014
Sarah Woods, now a licensed detective, visits West Palm Beach to vacation with Max, her current love interest. They reunite happily--hugs, kisses, etc.--and then attend a penthouse party hosted by Max's wealthy boss. While there, Sarah meets several friends and acquaintances of the host who reveal tensions and animosities among the host, family members, and guests. One guest who does not is Max's former lover, but she prompts Sarah's jealousy.

The boss, a heavy smoker, suffers a fatal heart attack at the party. Bad luck for him, but not for Sarah, for his widow, in need of a private detective with no local connections, hires Sarah to find her blackmailer. A reader might be surprised that Sarah is not hired to investigate the cause of the husband's death, but the barely grieving widow is unconcerned; no autopsy, and hubby's remains are cremated. The husband's death and wife's need to find the blackmailer simply occur concurrently. Or do they?

Sarah calls upon her mentor Carter to help her find the blackmailer. They interview various parties, build a list of suspects (alienated daughter, personal assistant, husband and wife pair, etc.), gather evidence, develop theories, test them, and (no spoilers allowed). Along the way, Sarah surfaces an unlikely love affair, uncovers a missing half sister, and struggles with her feelings after finding her lover and his old flame together under suspicious circumstances.

As in other Sarah Woods novels, the story moves along at a fast pace, with solid dialogue and good descriptions, suspense building as fresh clues pop up and new suspects appear. Highly recommended, as always.
Profile Image for Kaye.
165 reviews6 followers
April 27, 2014
I very much enjoyed this episode of the Sarah Woods mysteries. The author continues to develop her characters in each installment and I enjoy the way they are growing and changing, as well as well as the freshness of each story.

This episode finds Sarah in Florida where she has gone to visit her boyfriend, Max, for a romantic get-away. However, it isn’t Max that meets her at the airport but his ex-girlfriend. What is really going on with Max and his ex-girlfriend? Are they just friends or is something more going on?
As Max is tied up with work, Sarah accepts an assignment to find a blackmailer with the assistance of Carter. During the investigation Sarah and Carter find out more than they bargained for.

Is this the end for Sarah and Max? A new beginning for Sarah? I can’t wait to find out more in the next installment! Highly recommend
Profile Image for Tulay.
1,202 reviews2 followers
December 18, 2014
Short and light reading.

If you've been reading really complicated thriller this will be perfect before starting another one. Very early at the beginning I guessed who. After that family and boyfriend, girlfriend problems. This was my first book in this series, will be reading more of Sarah Woods.
Profile Image for Becky.
1,926 reviews65 followers
October 3, 2018
2.5 stars
Short little murder/blackmail mystery. I kinda figured out who the blackmailer was, so bummer I like to be stumped! But with this book it is a who done it along with who the blackmailer is. So you get two mysteries for the price of one. I would have liked a more wrapped up conclusion on the murder but still a decent read.
Profile Image for moxieBK.
1,763 reviews4 followers
September 24, 2018
Sarah Woods Mysteries Book 7: An Appetite for Revenge (19 chapters+Conclusion) — Jennifer L. Jennings Sept. 17, 2018

Read as a part of the Sarah Woods Mysteries (Volume 3)

Sarah goes down to Florida to spend time with Max. The first night there, Max’s client dies of a heart attack. However, the man has a dark side and no one seems to be upset that he is dead. Was it natural or murder?

Max’s ex, Jennifer, is also in Florida, and there is something going on between them. As Sarah tried to get to the bottom of it, she calls on Carter to come down and help her.

As this series progresses, the stories are consistently short (one day and/or night reading,) page-turny, and absorbing. The chapters are perfectly sized and I find myself reading on instead of stopping. As a bonus, the characters keep growing and the author keeps improving.

There are still punctuations and typos, but that doesn’t stop me from reading these books. If you love cozy mysteries and don’t like too much extra details, this series is awesome.

As a note, I suppose you could start reading this series in the middle. However, I have been reading the 3-book sets in order. I have found that, at least so far, this helps with the timeline.

Four stars.
Profile Image for Sheila Rodden.
56 reviews
February 23, 2023
Easy flowing narrative

This is the first book I've read by Ms. Jennings. Was skeptical to read the 7th book before the other six..thought there would be references to previous stories that would be confusing. However, this was a stand-alone story. I enjoyed how easy the story was to follow and keep my interest. Not a moment of boredom. Read in a couple of hours. If the other books are this enjoyable, I hope to read the entire series (23 books).
Profile Image for Margo James.
454 reviews6 followers
January 31, 2019
Having a boyfriend is not easy.

Gentle, fast paced read. Interesting twist on a vay-kay visit with boyfriend. Lots of intrigue and deflection as well as dead ends. A peek into the private detective game. First time meeting Sarah and Max, so I think I’ll go back to the beginning. Fun!
28 reviews
June 18, 2017
Easy reading

Clues came in dribs and drabs. Story moved along at a leisurely pace. The characters needed more depth and lots of family secrets. If you want a book that you can breeze through and still like the plot this is the one for you
Profile Image for Cindy Rosenberg.
20 reviews
June 25, 2017
Perfect beach reading

A quick easy read. No need to have read the other books in the series. Not a lot of plot development, but that is to be expected in a shorter book/novella like this.
Profile Image for heather steigler.
84 reviews
January 16, 2018
Ending lackking

I’ve found that if you try to control someone, they usually end up doing the exact thing you don’t want them to do.
Fast read. Everything was good til the ending. That was disappointing. Still a good book to read when on vacation. Would recommend
Profile Image for Cindy B. .
3,899 reviews219 followers
November 11, 2018
Always enjoy this series.

Like the main character, her sidekick & boyfriend - plots are interesting and have twists. Clean, engaging and usually moral. This episode stands well with the rest. Recommended.
Profile Image for Nilda McLaughlin.
354 reviews20 followers
May 7, 2023
Started late

I started this series late. This is the only book in the series that I own. I liked it, but I think I would have liked it more if I new more background on the characters.
Profile Image for Theresa Needham fehse.
447 reviews16 followers
September 30, 2014
free book for honest review. juliesbookreview.blogspot.com

Sara is just trying to go on vacation. Max is away with work in Florida. Sara decides to take a trip to visit and spend some time with him. When they go to dinner with Max's boss, the dynamics of his bosses family is different. When something tragic happens at the party, max doesn't know if he has a job and Sara meets Max's ex. His ex may be a little more clingy than she is comfortable with. But when Max's bosses wife hires Sara for a job, she may learn much more than she ever thought. Being on the job instead of vacation puts stress on Max and her relationship and with Carter along for the ride you know the crap is going to hit the fan.
Jennifer delivers again. Sara Woods novels are great. From word one you get drawn into the story. It has been great seeing how Sara, Carter and Max are getting along. It truly is like visiting old friends. Wonderful story, one that will keep you guessing till the end. Thanks for the great read. I highly recommend anything from Jennifer Jennings but I love Sara Woods.
Julie Ramsey
5 stars
Profile Image for Lanie Price.
32 reviews2 followers
Read
July 18, 2015
This Sarah Woods mystery is fantastic! I love all the surprising twists and turns it took, and Sarah is a strong feisty character that I just love. I started out expecting one outcome but finished at a totally different one which definitely makes for a great mystery. As always with the Sarah Woods Mystery's this book is well written and engaging, good mystery books are hard to come by but this one is definitely worth reading!
Profile Image for Kim.
278 reviews3 followers
December 14, 2014
It was an interesting book with twists and turns that I was not expecting. The book moved along at a quick pace, and was an easy read. The main character, Sarah Woods, was an appropriate main character with her p.i. background. The other characters filled in the story and the mystery. This was the first book I had read in the Sarah Woods series, and I would like to read more of the books. I would like to start at the beginning, and discover more information about Sarah and her background.
Profile Image for Amanda.
194 reviews26 followers
January 23, 2015
Appetite for Revenge

After heading to Florida to spend some time with Max, Sarah finds herself being hired by Mac's bosses wife to find a blackmailed. Calling in Carter for help, Sarah and Carter discover much more than a blackmailed. Can Sarah and Mac's relationship withstand the strain of dealing with his ex girlfriend? Another delightful mystery by Jennifer Jennings- I highly recommend this series.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
3,804 reviews23 followers
February 5, 2015
3.5 Stars. An Appetite for Revenge was #7 in Jennifer Jennings series “Sarah Woods Mystery,” but it was the first book I’ve read in the series and from this author. This was a short, fast-paced book that adequately laid out the mystery and wrapped it up at the end. Since this book was later in the series, it was difficult to get a good feel of the main characters – Sarah, her partner Carter, and her boyfriend Max. Overall it was a fun, easy, cozy mystery.
169 reviews8 followers
September 21, 2016
Love this series

Sarah is waiting for Max (her boyfriend) to pick her up from the airport. Finally Jennifer a woman who was once engaged to Max shows up and introduces herself to Sarah and says Max has asked her to be the driver for the airport run.
This is the bad start to her vacation and next thing you know there has been a death.
I love the Sarah Woods books and highly recommend you give them a try.
117 reviews
January 27, 2015
Good plot

This story was about a vacation in Florida that never was. Ok a working vacation for Sarah that worked out for her and Max. Max was rewiring a security system for a very rich man that died at his own dinner party. This where Sarah gets a investigation job by the deceased widow. Let the sleuthing begin.
719 reviews
December 15, 2014
An Appetite for Revenge

A quick read; an entertaining mystery involving a woman PI, seven years older than her boyfriend, who is invited to spend time with him as he finishes a job in Florida. Her boyfriend's boss dies and she is hired to sort out family mysteries.
Profile Image for Jeanne.
1,144 reviews8 followers
December 27, 2014
Just ok

Although I did finish the book I'm not sure why. Sarah was rather uninteresting and I didn't like max or anyone else for that matter. Everyone and the plot was simply boring to me
Profile Image for Denise.
1,771 reviews24 followers
February 1, 2015
'An Appetite for Revenge' is a great story with some very unexpected surprises. The storyline was great. I liked how it played out. Sarah is definitely a strong female lead that has a bigger heart than I do in regards to Max. I loved the characters. This is a great add to your tbr list.
2,511 reviews13 followers
February 2, 2015
good mystery

Keeps you guessing til the very end on who did what, when they did it and why. I liked the characters although they were a little weak at times. The story was interesting.
Profile Image for Liz Wood.
478 reviews3 followers
August 13, 2015
Marginally ok

Sarah and Max and Carter do not feel real to me. This was a quick read and pretty superficial. The mystery was somehow buried beneath trivial facts on a luxurious life style.
Profile Image for Susan.
7,246 reviews69 followers
August 14, 2015
Sarah Woods, a private eye is invited by her boyfriend, Max, to visit him in Florida where he is working. After his boss dies, the wife employs Sarah to investigate a case of blackmail.
Fairly lightweight.
28 reviews2 followers
December 16, 2014
Fast easy read

Light reading. Not to be taken seriously. Are all pi's ok with breaking and entering. Holes are left and while unimportant leave questions
4,374 reviews28 followers
December 18, 2014
Good

the women who is a private Detective went to see her boyfriend who was working in Florida.the death of employer of the boy friend.
Profile Image for Danielle Green.
5 reviews
December 22, 2014
Good book

This book was a quick read. The author provided a lot of details which I loved. The mystery was very easy to figure out, making the ending a little boring.
Profile Image for Sandi.
7 reviews
January 4, 2015
Another cute, fun, quick read in the series. Very light but enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

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