A Dose of Death

Helen Binney Mysteries #1

by Gin Jones

As the former governor's wife, Helen Binney is used to being in charge. So when illness and two pushy nieces force her to take on a visiting nurse, Helen uses every trick in the book to slip away from the annoying woman. Only someone must have disliked the nurse even more than Helen, because the woman's dead body shows up the next day in Helen's yard! Now it's up to Helen to prove that not only is she perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she's also perfectly capable of solving one cold-blooded murder. Between the nurse's shady past, an elusive "Remote Control Burglar," and an unlikely partnership with a handsome lawyer, Helen finds herself being drawn into the killer's carefully crafted web. The only question is, can Helen survive a little dose of death?

"Lethally clever! Gin Jones's first Helen Binney mystery will have you laughing, smiling, and on the edge of your seat wondering whodunit. I can't wait for more from these characters!"
~ Gemma Halliday, New York Times bestselling author

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 5, 2014

About the author

Gin is a retired lawyer who specialized in ghost-writing for other lawyers. She prefers to write her own books, though, since she doesn't have to worry that her sense of humor might get her thrown into jail for contempt of court. In her spare time, Gin makes quilts, grows garlic, and advocates for patients with rare disorders.

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like the book on many, many levels. But here’s just a few...

I think the author’s career choice (or life status) for her main character was too ambitious. Helen is suppose to be the governor’s ex-wife. But even as an ex-wife, maybe even more so, the daily newspapers and area tv stations should have been camped out on her doorstep when her care nurse was murdered. They would all be drooling for a juicy murder mystery involving a political celebrity.

Instead you get a police detective who doesn’t seem to know who she is, and a small town reporter that doesn’t seem to want to beat out the dailys on a story. That would never happen.

And speaking of police officers, what officer in his right mind would be laughing and joking with a reporter with a dead boy in the yard. Especially a dead body whose murderer is running around. Seriously?? That was about the most insulting thing I read about any police department.

And the neighboring residents are not up in arms over the murder? They are not scared and calling the police chief 24/7 to find the murder? What kind of people live there?

And her “caring” nieces Laura and Lily...shoot them and put them out of everyone’s misery.

The Remote Control Burglar? I’m not even going to waste my time responding to this.

I wish Ms. Jones good luck with her writing career. I’m sure there are many, many readers how there that love her and will spend money on her books. However, one of those readers will not be me.

[SalScamander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant book. The main character reminded me of myrtle Clover, a character from another book series written by a different author. The main character for this book is not an old octogenarian. She’s in her 40s. But the way she behaves feels like she’s older than 40, rather than giving her a younger feel. That’s my only complaint. Other than that I loved her character, & it was nice to see a fun, strong, character with a disability. Totally loved this book. I read this one through the killer fun cozy reads book. Good stuff.

[☺Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A Dose Of Death by Gin Jones! As the introduction to the Helen Binney mystery series it was almost perfect! I would have rated this cozy mystery "5 Stars", but I felt compelled to subtract one star because not only didn't Ms. Binney's meddlesome "loving" nieces eventually apologize for causing their aunt to become vulnerable to fraud, abuse, and murder!, but they actually had the nerve to continue their interfering and meddling under the guise of "caring"! Did they learn nothing?!!
Btw, Lily is particularly condescending and insufferable!😘 Helen Binney should have attempted to get a restraining order against Lily as well as Melissa!
Helen Binney is only forty-five (barely middle-aged, NOT old/elderly, by any definition) and although she does suffer physically from the painful effects of lupus, she is NOT suffering from dementia!
I hope things change, for the better, in Lily's attitude in the next installment!
Favorite character: Jack Clary!

[Jennifer Miele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed "A Dose of Death," which was my first introduction to the Helen Binney character. Helen is unlike the amateur sleuths in the other cozy mysteries I've read. Helen does not have a job or a hobby (unlike the rest of the townsfolk in Wharton - and sleuths in other cozies), which leaves her plenty of time to meddle in slow-moving or non-existent police investigations. She can't help but get involved, actually, when a murder is committed on her property.

But there's something else that sets Helen apart: she is hampered by lupus flare-ups. Helen can't outrun anyone, so she has to out-think them. At all times, pain is her companion, slowing her down and forcing her to re-order her priorities. Helen's diagnosis causes others to treat her as if she is fragile, senile, and just plain stupid. In fact, underestimating Ms. Binney can lead to a person's downfall.

I am the same age as the character, with no physical limitations of my own, so it rankled me to read about a 45-year-old woman being treated as if she were a dottering old lady. I tried to put myself in her shoes and decided I would have brained those "helpful" nieces and offed that home-care nurse myself. Clearly, I am a less patient person than Ms. Binney. But as the story wore on and the nieces and nurses were essentially trapping Helen in her own home, I felt claustrophobic, as well.

Luckily, Helen is smarter than everyone else put together, and manages to solve at least 3 separate crimes while reclaiming a chunk of independence. (No spoilers there -- mystery readers expect that the mystery will be solved by the end of the book.)

"A Dose of Death" goes down easy while introducing a new sort of amateur sleuth to cozy readers. I read the e-book, which started out well-formatted and properly punctuated, but suffered from missing punctuation and poor formatting in the final chapters. The story itself outshone those issues, however, and still deserves high marks for the character of spunky Helen Binney.

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really impressed with this delightful book. I kind of expected it to be a little old lady book, but that attitude is in fact one of the issues that Helen battles! For 20 years Helen was the first lady of the state and a force to be reckoned with, but since she divorced the governor, she feels a little lost. Her lupus inhibits her movements, but at 47, she refuses to be treated like a little old lady.When she started looking for a hobby, she didn't expect murder to the be best option, well investigating it that is. The police didn't even question her when she discovered the body of a woman in her yard. That attitude of "it's ok, don't bother your little mind over it", and the fact that the police were ready to jump at the first possible albeit unlikely suspect that came to mind, pushed her to investigate to at least prove that she COULD have committed the murder.

I enjoyed the characters as much as the plot. I look forward to seeing more of her friends and to see her develop new relationships now that she feels part of the community. Gin Jones and the Helen Binney Mysteries are now a part of my reading future!

I chose to try this book because I have become a cozy mystery junky and it is from Gemma Halliday's new publishing company and so far I have loved every book I have read from her list.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dose of Death is an amazing read that includes humor along with a wonderful mystery. The story is so well written that it kept my interest from start to finish. I was so engrossed in trying to figure out who the culprit was that I stayed up all night reading, and each time that I thought I’d figured out who it was something else would happen to prove me wrong.

Helen Binney was used to being in charge and always knew how to handle any circumstance. She may no longer be the Governor’s wife, but she still wants things done her own way. Her nieces try to take over her life when her illness gets worse, but no matter how much she loves them she does not need anyone bothering her when she only wants to be left alone, so she finally agrees to allow a visiting nurse come a few days a week. When she finds the nurse dead in her yard and the police blame the murder on the burglar who is stealing remote controls from local residents Helen decides to find the real killer with the help of her new lawyer who wants nothing more than to retire and enjoy his woodworking dream. Will Helen uncovering the identity of the killer? Or will the killer take care of her first?

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Binney, former Governor's wife wants to be left alone. No matter that she's divorced, no matter she has Lupus, no matter that she's not as young as she used to be, she just wants to be left alone in her cottage. Her nieces, however, don't see it her way. Lily and Laura worry about her, so they suggest full-time help (No), coming to live with one of them (N0, no), and finally a visiting nurse ( Well,reluctantly, OK).

Melissa, the visiting nurse is really abrasive, and gets on Helen's nerves. so Helen develops strategies to escape the house leaving Melissa there without a patient. When she turn's up dead in Helen's yard, it seems that someone hated her more than Helen. Helen is not only insulted that the police don't consider her a suspect, she suspects that they have decided on a suspect "the remote control burglar" without any real evidence, so she launches her own investigation.

I really liked this book. All of the characters were entertaining and believable.

For the FTC, I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Dose of Death has a really interesting and different protagonist. Helen was a governor’s wife and her identity seems to have been wrapped up in that “definition” of herself. Now she is divorced and has MS and is trying to find a new self. Her family has very different ideas of what she should be doing with her life and is not very happy when the only passion that seems to catch hold is investigating the murder of a visiting nurse.

I loved that fact that this book in some ways championed the cause of the disabled still being in charge of their own lives. I found it hard to read the family members attempts at steamrolling over her wishes, even though in the storyline it was constantly asserted they were doing it out of love.

I am interested to see how Helen’s character grows in future books and how the family dynamic changes. The mystery was interesting and had red herrings to throw the reader off. Very nicely done cozy!

[FangirlNation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Binney has spent her life schmoozing important people as the wife of a governor until her recent divorce and retirement to their vacation home in Massachusetts in A Dose of Death by Gin Jones. Now that she has lupus, her two nieces have decided to hire a visiting nurse in concern for Helen, but Helen at once takes exception to the nurse sent to her. Melissa talks nicely to the families of her patients, but she treats Helen with condescension and seems on the verge of abuse, drowning the entire bottle of Helen's vital medication and locking Helen into her bedroom one day. So Helen manages to escape out her bedroom window and tries to get her lawyer to get a restraining order against Melissa, an order the judge refuses. By the time Helen returns home, Melissa's car has gone, but that night Helen spots a form outside her window and discovers the body of Melissa, beaten to death. When the police write off Helen as a potential suspect, she gets upset and decides first to try to prove that she could indeed have killed her hated nurse but then decides that since she didn't actually committed the murder, she would be better off proving that the “Remote Control Burglar” did not kill Melissa.

Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dose of Death is my kind of mystery. The main character, Helen Binney, is forty-five, divorced, retired, and lives alone in a cottage in Wharton. She has two overprotective nieces Laura and Lily who insist on finding her a visiting nurse. They worry about her because she has flare-ups from Lupus. The newly hired nurse, Melissa Shores, drinks a lot of soda, talks a lot, and drives Helen nuts, but she isn't happy when she finds her dead in her yard! Helen spent decades fulfilling the duties of the governor's wife. Now she is asserting her independence and is she determined to discover who murdered Melissa. I liked that Helen was over 40. I like the various characters she gets to know in Wharton. I think this is a great start to a mystery series.

[Kat]

reading on computer

she has lupus, retired early. her 2 nieces made her get a home nurse she doesnt want and cant get rid of. she called a limo to take her to a lawyer to get rid of the nurse.

she tried to get a restraining order, but they didnt let her.
she got home and the nurse was murdered
the police think a burglar did it, but she got mad they didnt suspect her
so shes looking for clues
im not quite sure why shes so upset they are not suspecting her and she seems to want to be accused of murder for some reason

she figured out the limo driver is the remote control bandit but she doesnt think he murdered the nurse in her yard.

but the murderer was the lady judge.
she is going to let her lawyer use the garage for his woodworking

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a first book, it was a decent job. It's a nice cozy mystery.

Pros: I felt sympathy for the heroine. After the body showed up, it moved at a good pace. The narrator did a good job of distinguishing people just by voice. I liked most of the characters enough to want to read more about them in the rest of the series.

Cons: There are details that were left hanging, such as how did she get her bedroom door unlocked, why didn't she ask for her phones, and why does she have multiple cell phones. Her nieces are annoying. I felt she was more lucky and logical in solving the mysteries.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, easy, lightweight murder mystery.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt this was an interesting cozy with a great main character\amateur sleuth. I would read more in this series.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like cozy mysteries with quirky amateur detectives, so I thought this would be a nice change, introducing new characters. I thought the idea of an ex-wife of the governor of Massachusetts could make for an interesting political backdrop. It ended up being too much of a mishmash of stereo types and predictably with completely unbelievable other parts. Helen has lupus, but she jumps from windows. Her driver predictably has ties to criminal elements and then turns out to be the most bizarre criminal ever. I never could keep the nieces straight, although I knew one was married and fixated on pregnancy, I couldn't remember which one. There is an attorney who says he's retired, but does whatever Helen asks. It's supposed to be a bantering, almost flirtatious relationship, but it's just sad. It has to be in the Berkshires, but there is no description or local color. The mystery was predictable. The police were more than usually dim witted. Helen's struggle with being taken seriously as a middle aged woman rang true, until she wanted to be suspected of murder.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Binney is a woman after my own heart … refusing to succomb to the expectations of others. Recently divorced from the state’s Governor, learning to live with Lupus and the limitations it has placed on her, Helen is setting out on a new path in life. Unable to convince her nieces that she does not require constant nursing care, Helen agrees to a part-time visiting nurse and spends most of her time trying to avoid her. Although Helen has spent her time at her vacation home for many years, she is only just establishing herself as a member of the community.

Establishing friendships, albeit some quite unlikely, Helen manages to put her stubborness to use and solves not only the murder of her nurse but the string of burglaries that have puzzled the community.

I loved Helen’s quirkiness and ultimate acceptance of the limitations placed on her and the friends and family that surrounded her. Helen is a spunky lady that will bring us many stories of sass and fun, I can’t wait!

[j2dlessor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dose of Death(Helen Binney Mysteries) by Gin Jones
I received this book as a *gift. It's a very unique book with an older woman who suffers from Lupus.Helen Binney, was the Governors wife who is now divorced and living on her own. Her 2 nieces are worried about her living by herself in her cottage which is in the country and because of the lupus, her health hasn't been the best. Against her wishes, her nieces decide to hire a visiting nurse to check up on her but this nurse is NOT someone you want to take care of you! Helen Binney doesn't have many friends because "everyone irritates her" but manages to make several during the course of the book while trying to solve the murder of her visiting nurse. The book is funny and you don't know who did it until the very end. The characters are well developed and interesting. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to the next one in the series.
*This book was given to me from the publisher for an HONEST review.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen is the intelligent- easily annoyed- feisty- recently divorced as well as diagnosed with lupus ex wife of the governor who only wants to be left alone in her little cottage- Unfortunately for her- her Lily & Laura have other plans - they hire a visiting nurse whom Helen is constantly dodging -- Things get interesting when the nurse Melissa is found dead in Helen's yard--- it seems the police write her off as the killer immediately because of her age 45 and illness- this really insults H and she decides to find the real killer- since she feels the police railroading the "remote tv" burglar. . There were lots of twists and turns- as well as biting humor - even a few laugh out loud -fall off your chair stuff- ie helen going out her bedroom window- Helen , her attorney Tate, her 2 nieces and her driver Jack keep the story going a fast pace. I am looking forward to the next book in the series & perhaps some romantic sparks between her & Tate???

[Karan Eleni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this story! Gin Jones did such a great job developing so many of the characters that I felt like I made new friends and I miss them already. Helen may be sick but she is determined to live her life without assistance as much as possible. Sounds exactly how I would be in her situation. I loved that she was trying to prove that she was the killer in spite of those who wrote her off as a suspect. I was also surprised to see who the Remote Control Burglar was! Definitely did not expect that one!!

Thank you Gin Jones and Gemma Halliday Publishing for providing a great read! Really hoping there will be a second (or third or fourth) book! *fingers crossed* Another one to add to the shelves!!

http://www.hellopreciousbliss.com/201...

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

[Nancy]

As the former governor's wife, Helen Binney is used to being in charge. So when illness and two pushy nieces force her to take on a visiting nurse, Helen uses every trick in the book to slip away from the annoying woman. Only someone must have disliked the nurse even more than Helen, because the woman's dead body shows up the next day in Helen's yard! Now it's up to Helen to prove that not only is she perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she's also perfectly capable of solving one cold-blooded murder. Between the nurse's shady past, an elusive "Remote Control Burglar," and an unlikely partnership with a handsome lawyer, Helen finds herself being drawn into the killer's carefully crafted web. The only question is, can Helen survive a little dose of death?

Can't remember who the killer was, but not a bad book.

[Mary Severs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lacked credibility, horrible characters

I'm no lawyer, but we had a situation in our family where one of my siblings had power of attorney over our mother when she became too ill to handle her financial affairs or take care of herself. In this book, I don't understand why Helen would have given POA to her nieces when she's still mentally and physically capable of making these decisions. Logically this makes no sense. She loves them but knows she won't like their decisions. There's no need for her to do this. Why why why? She just needs to get a lawyer and protect herself from these harpies. Yeah I know she finally did but she made a lot of bad choices before she started making smarter ones. This book is just insulting to intelligent readers.

[SarahSmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Gin Jones and I will definitely be looking out for more from her in the future. This was a quick, funny, cozy mystery that pulled me in from the beginning. I loved all of the characters, especially the main character Helen. She's one tough lady. The identity of the murderer had me guessing until the end, so I enjoyed that. I hope to be half as tough as her in the future. This was definitely a great book to pass the time and I am very glad that I read it. Hopefully there will be many more Helen Binney mysteries to come.

[Lois Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a relief to read a friend's book and find that it is A level all the way through.

I met Gin through my husband; they were college friends. She introduced me to the books of Jennifer Crusie and Terry Patchett, for which I can never thank her enough. She's an accomplished quilter and an creative and excellent writer. I am so happy that she has launched a mystery series and that it's a great read.

In a Dose of Death, cranky Helen Binney doesn't want to be taken care of, even though her lupus has made her body a traitor.

[Kay (Brigidsmomma) Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. I wasn't sold on the protagonist as she's a bit of a curmudgeon, but she is an interesting curmudgeon, and it makes for a good story in this case. Being disabled from an auto-immune disease, I can empathise with her situation to some degree, and I really get the marginalization that comes when folks see your physical disabilities as mental deficiencies as well. It explains the difficult personality that can develop, as I am sure my family and friends can attest to! A good read, and one I am sure will find some sympathetic readers among my Goodreads friends...

[Lori Duhoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as to review and this is the first of Gin's books that I have read. I really loved it. I like how she was able to bring out each characters personality and how they all worked together in the book. She get the story moving and built each character throughout the story. It had all of the best parts of a book, a little mystery, family dynamics and romance starting to build. It is a great read and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

[JoAnn Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Dose of Death

This book seemed to drag on forever for me. If you like by the numbers, slow and methodical this is for you. I don't mind grumpy hard to cozy up to characters but Helen was just downright boring. It seemed to take forever to determine who the killer was out of a total of maybe five people. I had hoped to find a character that I could follow through a series of mysteries but this isn't it.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dose of Death by Gin Jones.
Helen two niece's think she needs a nurse to check on her three times a week. Helen does not think she needs any help. Helen did not like the nurse Melissa and was trying to get her out of the house. But she found Melissa in her back yard dead. The police did not pay any mind the Helen.
So she was out to find out who had killed Melissa.

[Joann Clifton-Manske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average Cozy Mystery

This was a difficult book to get involved in. I really didn't like many of the main characters at the start. It wasn't until Tate and her driver Jack got involved that the story seemed to pick up a bit of steam. Just glad I got it finished, not planning on reading any more.

[Linda Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend this to anyone. I did find it irritating that Helen's nieces did not realize that their meddling ( although done for love) was what caused their aunt to be in danger. It was never addressed by Helen or the nieces. Other than that I found the book to be very entertaining.

[Kitty Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen Binney, new divorced and former wife of the governor is dealing with lupus and 2 overbearing, motherly nieces. She stumbles upon the body of the nurse her nieces insisted she hire. Of course, she is drawn into investigating when she hears that she would not be considered a suspect because of her health, etc. She is a crotchety patient, but funny.