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Plain Jane Mystery #4

Health, Wealth, and Murder

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Popular prosperity preacher, Josiah Malachi, teaches that God will make us healthy and wealthy, so why did he just drop dead with a knife in his back? Jane Adler, housecleaning college student with dreams of foreign missions, is tired of solving crimes by accident, so she’s enrolled in criminology classes at Portland State University. Getting the gig as house cleaner for the Malachi family is the perfect opportunity to put theory to the test.

Things aren’t easy at home, either. Her small group leader is pestering her to marry her boyfriend, Jake, but Jake has been growing distant. And if she doesn’t get her amateur detective agency into city licensing compliance, the Malachi case may be her last one. Josiah Malachi’s teaching might not have been Jane’s cup of tea, but her future hangs on solving his murder.

452 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2014

59 people are currently reading
113 people want to read

About the author

Traci Tyne Hilton

33 books138 followers
Traci Tyne Hilton is the author of The Plain Jane Mysteries, The Mitzy Neuhaus Mysteries and the Tillgiven Romantic Mysteries. When not writing she has been known to knit socks, play the spoons, and teach Sunday School, though these days she is most often seen in her role as taxi-driver to busy children.

She has been indie publishing since 2010, and though she's had offers from small and large presses, she hasn't gone hybrid yet. She was the Mystery/Suspense Category winner for the 2012 Christian Writers of the West Phoenix Rattler Contest, a finalist for Speculative Fiction in the same contest, and has a Drammy from the Portland Civic Theatre Guild. She blogs at TheWriteConversation.blogspot.com.

Traci is an active member of the ACFW, who was lucky enough to teach a continuing ed class on indie publishing at the 2015 conference in Dallas. She also serves on the board of her local chapter.

Traci attended Fackelbararnas Bibelskola in Holsby Brunn, Sweden, and earned a degree in History from Portland State University. She lives in the rainiest part of the Pacific Northwest with her husband the mandolin playing funeral director, two busy teens, and their dogs, Dr. Watson and Archie Goodwin. (Her family just admonished her not to forget the cat!)

You can join the Good Clean Book club at http://www.tracihilton.com and be the first to find out when her next book releases.

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5 stars
80 (40%)
4 stars
68 (34%)
3 stars
40 (20%)
2 stars
9 (4%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Vondraya.
32 reviews78 followers
April 11, 2015
My friend had this novel and the cover was so cute, I had to read it, but was disappointed. Very unrealistic. Come on, the detective would've shut this girl down and not let her investigate anything. She was a danger to herself and others. I guess I like more plausible murder mysteries.
Profile Image for Darinda.
9,281 reviews157 followers
February 27, 2018
A televangelist is murdered in front of an audience at one of his events. His theatrics during the show caused a commotion, which resulted in the opportunity for someone to kill him. Jane goes undercover to solve the case. She takes the job cleaning the home of his widow, and inserts herself into the televangelist's inner circle.

The 4th book in the Plain Jane Mystery series. Jane is a still cleaning houses, but is working toward becoming a private detective. Also, she hasn't given up on her dream of becoming a missionary.

This one had a good mystery, but Jane always relies on her feelings. She rarely, if ever, has actual evidence to solve a case. After a few books, Jane needs to have matured a little and started improving her investigative skills.

As for Jane's love life, she is with Jake, but not ready to get married yet. Understandable. A cute relationship, and Jake is a likable guy.

This is a Christian cozy mystery, but this one in the series seemed a little heavier on the evangelical Christian theology than the previous books.
Profile Image for Deb Brammer.
Author 15 books30 followers
February 14, 2017
I think this is the third in this series I've read. Jane finds herself solving a murder inside the context of a family ministry that promotes the "health and wealth gospel." This is an interesting context and she handles it well. Some fraud is involved but some are sincerely trying to help people in spite of that. It has a clear Christian message and Jane is challenged in several parts about doing her job with integrity and not cutting corners. I enjoyed reading the book.
113 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2020
One of my favourite stories in the Plain Jane series. Traci has a great way of developing characters and keeping the suspense up. Will Jane solve this murder and will she ever marry? Worth reading to see if she does.
Profile Image for Veronica Knack.
148 reviews
June 30, 2017
Though I enjoy the Plain Jane plots, I am often frustrated by Jane's flightiness.
305 reviews
December 15, 2017
Health, wealth, and murder?

Jane is taking her sleuthing to a new level in this book. Lots of twists and turns. Can't wait to read the next book.
Profile Image for Debbie.
2,578 reviews4 followers
May 19, 2014
"Health, Wealth, and Murder: A Plain Jane Mystery" by Traci Tyne Hilton , the fourth book in this series is a five star book.

Jane Adler, a house cleaning college student dreams of being a missionary someday has solved four murders but cannot get the police to take her seriously so she enrolls in some crime solving classes.

Her roommate who is also her cousin goes to a meeting that a well respected and influential preacher is preaching at and while there the preacher is murdered at this meeting!

Jane is hired by Josiah Malachi's ( the preacher) wife and personal aide to clean their house for them. But the personal aide really hires her to found out who killed him.

Jane has always known that Josiah Malachi was a quack but she never really know how much of one until she starts to hunt for the murderer.

Nothing is really as it seems. There is the case of the missing daughter, but is she really missing? Is the young wife in the wheelchair really a victim of polio?

This mystery keep me reading till I finish the book, I just had to found out all the answers! Just when I thought I knew the answers, another murder attempt was made. Have I got you curious yet, read this book and end your curiosity!
You will be surprised at the outcome! I certainly was!

I have written a little review on the other three books in this series and I will repeat this series was worth my time reading and I think there are more coming! I downloaded the first book " Good, Clean Murder because it was free and I was given a ebook copy of " "Health, Wealth, and Murder:" by the author for my honest review and I say it is "Great". I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!

I want to know if Jane ever gets her detective license and if she ever becomes a missionary!
Profile Image for Stephanie.
8 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2014
Amazing series

I love this series!! It has just enough romance,comedy, and mystery, while still being centered around God and Christianity! I hope there are many many many more books about Plain Jane and the adventures her and Jake experience in the future!!
41 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2014
Plain Jane

Disappointed in this book never liked the plot wasn't really interested in any of the characters I was disappointed because all her other books on the plain Jane have been interesting I think she's just run out of ideas and that's too bad because she is a good writer
Profile Image for Gretchen.
18 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2015
Maybe I'm too old for this book, but it came off as foolishness to me. Somebody really needed to send this little girl home and tell her to get out of this case. She didn't have a clue what she was doing.

I'm more of a fan of classic murder mysteries.
120 reviews1 follower
July 2, 2015
True Mystery, is this great read.

Good storyline with good character completion makes a fine page turning mystery. Jane and Jake get much closer to the 'missionary life' they both are hoping God has planned for them.
18 reviews
May 1, 2016
This had a New twist in this book. Kept in suspense to the last few chapters, ave to read the last two books in this series.

I am an older reader but enjoying this series. Good reading for young Christian adults
Maybe females would enjoy rather Thad males.
Profile Image for Robin.
1,289 reviews18 followers
August 13, 2016
Delightful who done it. Well written and engaging from the beginning. Jane is, if nothing else, a very persistent wanna be private investigator. How she handles herself drives this cute story. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Sierra.
42 reviews3 followers
September 24, 2014
Terrific

Loved every book in the series, so sad to see it end!! each book kept my attention and made me want to keep reading!!
Profile Image for Terri.
188 reviews1 follower
July 3, 2015
This one was a bit slow for me but still cute.
Profile Image for Charlene Clevenger .
34 reviews3 followers
February 15, 2021
It refreshing to have a heroine who doesn't have it all together. I like Jane, and look forward to more adventures.
18 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2017
Entertaining, fast read

From the first sentence to the last, each cozy mystery about Jane Adler is an enjoyable "ride." I give it four stars only because once in awhile there seems to be a "glitch" in the action, and the fourth book seemed a little "preachy" to me.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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