What do you think?
Rate this book
Cleo Cooper Mystery #3
Saving Cecil
Extracting precious gas from a deposit in North Carolina is a dirty, dangerous job. Geologist Cleo Cooper won't let the distraction of a dead body found near the drill sight interrupt her focus―until the county sheriff Cleo never wanted to see again arrives on the scene. Twenty-five years ago, tragedy fell on Cleo's family, creating a rift between her and her father that has never healed. And Sheriff Clyde Stuckey was the cause. Now Cleo can't help but remember the painful events she thought were buried by history as she tries to steer clear of a powerful man who's hell-bent on making her suffer. "A compelling mystery full of near-misses and scientific wisecracks."― Library Journal "A fun tale where the reader will love following Cleo on her quest to find the killer."― Suspense Magazine "Mims' heroine and supporting cast flesh out a rich crew of characters."― Kirkus Reviews
- GenresMystery
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 17, 2015
This is the second Cleo Cooper mystery I've read (the first one was Trusting Viktor), and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. Cleo Cooper is a geologist who is hired to oversee drilling sites in various locations. For this one, she's hired to help install a well on a large dairy farm in rural North Carolina. She's also getting ready to re-marry her ex-husband, much to her grown children's delight. She just wants to finish the well job, have a nice quiet wedding and get on with life.
One thing about Cleo - nothing in her life is boring or predictable! She discovers a young man's body in the woods at the drill site. She has a sheriff from an old family feud trying to frame her for the murder, and she discovers several other dangerous, exciting and illegal secrets while trying to clear her name.
This book was fast paced and I finished it in a couple of afternoons. I especially liked the setting/characters because I live in North Carolina, not too far from where the book is set. I can easily imagine the farm and the local inhabitants, while "visiting" Cleo, Bud, Will and Henri again. The author made Cleo a very interesting and well-developed character - smart, tough, independent and driven, but still very feminine. My kinda gal!
The author gave a lot of details about geology and the oil industry, which I found very interesting. Because the author is an actual geologist who has done the work Cleo does, her female point of view in this mostly-male industry made the story that much more believable.
The part about Cecil is a second story within the story, and you'll have to read the book to find out what happens to him.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, for review purposes. I give this book five stars for believable characters, and a well developed yet unpredictable story line.
One thing about Cleo - nothing in her life is boring or predictable! She discovers a young man's body in the woods at the drill site. She has a sheriff from an old family feud trying to frame her for the murder, and she discovers several other dangerous, exciting and illegal secrets while trying to clear her name.
This book was fast paced and I finished it in a couple of afternoons. I especially liked the setting/characters because I live in North Carolina, not too far from where the book is set. I can easily imagine the farm and the local inhabitants, while "visiting" Cleo, Bud, Will and Henri again. The author made Cleo a very interesting and well-developed character - smart, tough, independent and driven, but still very feminine. My kinda gal!
The author gave a lot of details about geology and the oil industry, which I found very interesting. Because the author is an actual geologist who has done the work Cleo does, her female point of view in this mostly-male industry made the story that much more believable.
The part about Cecil is a second story within the story, and you'll have to read the book to find out what happens to him.
I received a complimentary copy of this book, for review purposes. I give this book five stars for believable characters, and a well developed yet unpredictable story line.
April 6, 2015
When I first started this book, I did not realize that it was the third in a series (Hiding Gladys and Trusting Viktor) so I was understandably confused. For me, there were big relationship holes and it was not until midway through that it was all explained. For the sake of others, if this is your first introduction to the Cleo Cooper series, I suggest that you start at the beginning – that is if the prior books explain Cleo a little better.
Cleo Cooper has been hired to do the geology work on a North Carolina farm to help bring up a gas deposit. While out on a site walk, she comes across the recently deceased body of a young man. A man that has been both shot with a distinctive arrow and stabbed. Thus begins a very dangerous couple of weeks that ends with a bomb on a wellhead and a half million dollar wedding.
Overall, I did not like the book. There was too much thrown in. Was this a book about past angers with the sheriff, a twenty five year old murder cover up, a romance with her ex, an estranged relationship with her father, old hurts, paleontology, geology, the science of drilling, mental health, wild boars or wedding planning?
I understand that Lee Mims is a geologist, but to be honest, that was the least interesting part of the book. Trying to explain drilling for gas and justifying fracking has its place, but this book was not it.
Cleo Cooper has been hired to do the geology work on a North Carolina farm to help bring up a gas deposit. While out on a site walk, she comes across the recently deceased body of a young man. A man that has been both shot with a distinctive arrow and stabbed. Thus begins a very dangerous couple of weeks that ends with a bomb on a wellhead and a half million dollar wedding.
Overall, I did not like the book. There was too much thrown in. Was this a book about past angers with the sheriff, a twenty five year old murder cover up, a romance with her ex, an estranged relationship with her father, old hurts, paleontology, geology, the science of drilling, mental health, wild boars or wedding planning?
I understand that Lee Mims is a geologist, but to be honest, that was the least interesting part of the book. Trying to explain drilling for gas and justifying fracking has its place, but this book was not it.
April 15, 2015
Cleo Cooper has been hired by a dairy farm to do geology prep - after all, that's what she does best since she's a geologist. While out scouting for sites one morning, she stumbles across the dead body of a young man, Clinton Baker - who has been both stabbed and shot with an arrow through the back. After checking vitals and finding none, she reports the body immediately. What she doesn't count on, however, is that Sheriff Clyde Stuckey would investigate, along with a young detective.
Sheriff Stuckey was the cause of the loss of Cleo's family - her mother's death and her father's incarceration (now released) for a murder he didn't commit. And now the sheriff is doing everything he can think of to convict Cleo of the murder - never mind that she didn't know the victim, and had no stake in profiting in any way from his death.
Along with this, there is the upcoming wedding between Cleo and her ex-husband, Bud, all being planned by their now-grown children, Will and Henri. Cleo doesn't want anything to do with a big, splashy wedding, but Bud does, and so does her daughter, the actual bridezilla, who is turning into a whirling dervish over the entire affair.
Even though Cleo is told by Detective Chris Bryant to stay out of it, she doesn't, mainly because she's been accused, and partly because there has been an apparent attempt on her life, which she isn't sharing with anyone but the detective.
I enjoyed the book for the most part, and I understand that Ms. Sims is a geologist; but unless you're interested in the subject, it gets boring fast. I don't mind a little information regarding the drilling and what they're doing, but when it goes on for pages, I lose interest. I don't go to drill sites, and unless others who read this book do, they probably wouldn't find that part interesting, either. Give us enough information to let us know what's going on, but don't overload our senses with things we don't care about. (The same goes for any mystery, really.)
But back to the book: We get to the murder almost immediately, and then it seemed to have taken a back seat to the drilling, the geology, and the information on finding the fossil. There were a lot of back stories involved; those already mentioned and also the wedding and the hatred between Cleo's dad and Sheriff Stuckey (although it is never explained why they have always hated each other, just why it escalated, which, I suppose, is good enough for now. I would also have liked to have known why Cleo and Bud divorced in the first place, since they seem quite in love with each other.
The bits and pieces about the wedding that was being planned by the children really never seemed to jibe to my ears. This was a remarriage, a second marriage, and why anyone would want a huge, expensive extremely formal affair that cost an arm and a leg (even if you can afford it) seems rather odd to me. It somehow seemed over the top in the long run. There was also a kind of 'ick' factor in that Cleo keeps remarking on Detective Bryant's 'hotness' when he's interested in her daughter. A tad uncomfortable.
Four stars for the writing (very good,) and the mystery. Recommended.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, but this in no way influenced my decision.
Sheriff Stuckey was the cause of the loss of Cleo's family - her mother's death and her father's incarceration (now released) for a murder he didn't commit. And now the sheriff is doing everything he can think of to convict Cleo of the murder - never mind that she didn't know the victim, and had no stake in profiting in any way from his death.
Along with this, there is the upcoming wedding between Cleo and her ex-husband, Bud, all being planned by their now-grown children, Will and Henri. Cleo doesn't want anything to do with a big, splashy wedding, but Bud does, and so does her daughter, the actual bridezilla, who is turning into a whirling dervish over the entire affair.
Even though Cleo is told by Detective Chris Bryant to stay out of it, she doesn't, mainly because she's been accused, and partly because there has been an apparent attempt on her life, which she isn't sharing with anyone but the detective.
I enjoyed the book for the most part, and I understand that Ms. Sims is a geologist; but unless you're interested in the subject, it gets boring fast. I don't mind a little information regarding the drilling and what they're doing, but when it goes on for pages, I lose interest. I don't go to drill sites, and unless others who read this book do, they probably wouldn't find that part interesting, either. Give us enough information to let us know what's going on, but don't overload our senses with things we don't care about. (The same goes for any mystery, really.)
But back to the book: We get to the murder almost immediately, and then it seemed to have taken a back seat to the drilling, the geology, and the information on finding the fossil. There were a lot of back stories involved; those already mentioned and also the wedding and the hatred between Cleo's dad and Sheriff Stuckey (although it is never explained why they have always hated each other, just why it escalated, which, I suppose, is good enough for now. I would also have liked to have known why Cleo and Bud divorced in the first place, since they seem quite in love with each other.
The bits and pieces about the wedding that was being planned by the children really never seemed to jibe to my ears. This was a remarriage, a second marriage, and why anyone would want a huge, expensive extremely formal affair that cost an arm and a leg (even if you can afford it) seems rather odd to me. It somehow seemed over the top in the long run. There was also a kind of 'ick' factor in that Cleo keeps remarking on Detective Bryant's 'hotness' when he's interested in her daughter. A tad uncomfortable.
Four stars for the writing (very good,) and the mystery. Recommended.
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, but this in no way influenced my decision.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2015
#3 in the Cleo Cooper series. Cleo is a North Carolina based, economic geologist. She has an MS in Geology from UNC-Chapel Hill, is slightly north of 45 years old, has two mid-twenties children, and is about to re-marry her first husband. With all this, she also has a day job as a field geologist flagging drill sites and analyzing core samples for a gas well on a dairy farm. An interesting mystery and series, but her daughter's obsession with conspicuous consumption and wedding planning detract from the novel.
Cleo Cooper series - Serving as consulting geologist on a natural gas dig in North Carolina is a filthy job, but not one that normally involves finding fresh corpses. Unless you're Cleo Cooper. A magnet for trouble, Cleo discovers the body of University of North Carolina student Clinton Baker while scouting a drilling location on farmland owned by the Lauderbach family. Even though it's clear Cleo isn't the culprit, the crusty sheriff, who holds a decades-old grudge against Cleo and her father, decides she's the prime suspect. This false accusation, coupled with Cleo's natural inclination for amateur sleuthing and her desire to prove Sheriff Stuckey wrong, spurs her to catch up with Clinton's real killer. The investigation reaches from feral hog breeding to the dangers of fracking.
Cleo Cooper series - Serving as consulting geologist on a natural gas dig in North Carolina is a filthy job, but not one that normally involves finding fresh corpses. Unless you're Cleo Cooper. A magnet for trouble, Cleo discovers the body of University of North Carolina student Clinton Baker while scouting a drilling location on farmland owned by the Lauderbach family. Even though it's clear Cleo isn't the culprit, the crusty sheriff, who holds a decades-old grudge against Cleo and her father, decides she's the prime suspect. This false accusation, coupled with Cleo's natural inclination for amateur sleuthing and her desire to prove Sheriff Stuckey wrong, spurs her to catch up with Clinton's real killer. The investigation reaches from feral hog breeding to the dangers of fracking.
July 27, 2015
A Thinking Man's Mystery
This is the third book in the Cleo Cooper series. Cleo is an intelligent, independent, hard-working woman. She loves her family but loves her work too. The author is very knowledgeable about geology & spreads lots of detailed & interesting information throughout the books (reminds me of Tom Clancy in that respect). This book was well written & an enjoyable read. I definitely recommend reading the entire series.
This is the third book in the Cleo Cooper series. Cleo is an intelligent, independent, hard-working woman. She loves her family but loves her work too. The author is very knowledgeable about geology & spreads lots of detailed & interesting information throughout the books (reminds me of Tom Clancy in that respect). This book was well written & an enjoyable read. I definitely recommend reading the entire series.
August 22, 2015
Good writing and plot is intriguing, the setting is interesting, especially since I'm from North Carolina, but I just don't like the sleuth. I'm sure some people would enjoy this book but it just isn't for me.
January 15, 2017
I thank the author for introducing to me, three times in one novel, the mental image of a wench mounted to the front of a Jeep.
April 5, 2017
I was a bit hesitant to read this book. With the main character, Cleo Cooper being a geologist, and the storyline following the drilling for gas on a farm in North Carolina, I wasn't sure how the author was going to pull me into an interesting story. I prefer mystery and action. Author Lee Mims worked her magic. "Saving Cecil" brews up a story of murder, mystery, skeletons in closets seasoned with just the right amount of romance. My favorite character was Tulip, Cleo's deerhound sidekick. I'm a sucker for animals.
I found myself learning about geology, drilling for gas, and fracking all the while enjoying Mims' story. Saving Cecil is the third in Mims' series featuring Cleo Cooper. I look forward to reading the first two books, and hope for more to come.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I found myself learning about geology, drilling for gas, and fracking all the while enjoying Mims' story. Saving Cecil is the third in Mims' series featuring Cleo Cooper. I look forward to reading the first two books, and hope for more to come.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews