Slow Dancing: Secrets, Lies, and Murder in a Small Town

by Suzanne Jenkins

After midnight, a mysterious stranger appears at the edge of the woods and the peaceful life fifteen-year-old Ellen Fisher has with her beloved stepfather Frank is turned upside down. Small town gossip, jealousy and murder strive to tear them apart in a tale of secrets and unrequited love.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary Romance

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2014

About the author

Suzanne Jenkins lives at the west Michigan lakeshore. She is the author of Pam of Babylon and the series; Don’t You Forget About Me,Dream Lover, Prayers for the Dying, Family Dynamics and The Tao of Pam. The Greeks of Beaubien Street,and The Princess of Greektown from the Greektown Stories, Alice's Summertime Adventure, The Savant of Chelsea and Someone Like You.
https://www.facebook.com/suzannejenki...
Twitter @suzannejenkins3

Reviews

[Elizabeth Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent story needs editor

I enjoyed the story for the most part, though the end felt a bit rushed and confusing. The numerous typos and grammatical errors, however, made it difficult to keep reading sometimes. The use of incorrect words pulled me out of the story several times.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Dancing - a review by Rosemary Kenny.

Complicated relationships, betrayals real and imagined, and strong emotions leading to multiple murders in a small town...Slow Dancing by the Queen of Romantic Suspense Suzanne Jenkins has them all, in spades.
A decent, caring man and his motherless step-daughter, who love the eponymous dancing, are the innocent victims of a deluded woman's possessive fantasies.
How will they learn the ugly truth about their loved one's cruel fate?
And who's the vengeful nemesis that puts a twist in the tail-end of this riveting psychological thriller?
There's only one way to find out the truth - and it's why you should get this book today!

[Paganalexandria]

08/06/20 currently free in Fractured boxset
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089X3QXW1

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this in general, but the ending seemed forced and a bit confusing.

[jenna e loss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loose ends

Great story, couldn't put it down but an awful ending. Too many loose ends. Feel like there should be a second book

[Carol Hurtig · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was rather boring. By the time the mystery was solved, I no longer cared. Nothing gets resolved with other issues either.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seymour, AL. After digging around in medical & other files what did Alan Johnson (45) find out?
Cate Ashbury (landlady) let him a room at the Towering Pines Boarding House while he did more further/through investigations.
What were the past town rumors about Ellen Marie Fisher (15) & her stepfather Frank McPherson (widower, mechanic)?
Does Mary Cook (26) know something?

Warning: This book is for adults only & contains violent or graphic adult content or profanity &/or sexually explicit scenarios. It may be offensive to some readers.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very well written mystery (psychological thriller) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Author; Amazon Digital Services LLC; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen Fisher arrived in town as a two year old with her Mom. They were headed to try and find her father who, after borrowing money but never giving it back--took off. They took a wrong turn and the car broke down. Luckily right near Frank's auto repair shop. It took a couple of days and they stayed with one of the women in town. As in any very small town there were gossips--and this town had a lot of them!

Ultimately they went to live with Frank and were very happy. Not so much those women in town who all wanted Frank for themselves! Ellen's Mom had some kind of a total nervous breakdown and kept disappearing. Ultimately the state had her committed. Luckily Frank and Ellen really were like father and daughter. When her Mom died--she stayed with Frank.

Of course the biddies in town were looking for anything to gossip about--and trouble a plenty occurred.

Then her biological Dad came to town--more gossip as the woman all tried to grab him for their own---then he was murdered!!

So who murdered her Dad and was her mother's death a suicide like they said--or another murder? There are twists and turns and several suspects. Would they get caught? Meanwhile would Ellen and Frank win the slow dance contest they were entered in?

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazingly beautiful but yet disturbing book!

First of all, having read the synopsis on Amazon, I am so glad it was somewhat bland. Reasoning for the previous comment, there was nothing bland about this book!
A woman with troubles, but loved her daughter, a single man every woman in a small town with too few eligible batchlors who falls in love with this man.
But sounds interesting, not really till you begin the story and are sucked in till the last word feeling happy, sad, and as if the bottom fell out of your stomach !
So much intrigue, insanity, and truthfullness of small town life. Scary, almost how vividly the author painted the characters, and of course the setting is perfect, almost thriller like, except for the incredible subtly. A wonderfully crafted novel!

Ms Jenkins, you hooked me!
Your novel was amazing, I am so very glad I chose it not even realizing how I was getting something so complex, I started and haven't moved till I finished.

I look forward to more from you!
This is definitely a must read, out of the realm for many, but definitely worth your time and money!
Highly recommend!!

Karen

[Linda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story that doesn't cut it all the way.

I would and did recommend this story, but first recommendation for this author is to get a competent copy editor. THE MANY errors in grammar, sentence structure and punctuation distracted from the beauty of the story. The numerous characters that didn't really move the story forward could have been eliminated or compressed into other characters. My only other negative comment is the doubt I had that Margo murdered Margaret. I felt that story line did not bear out based on the evidence. I don't see that Frank and Ellen could have been so deceived by her. They were on to everyone else; why not her. Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down, even with all the distracting errors in style.

[Norma Gorrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow Dancing

This was a Free book based on love of a young child and the mystery of the death of her mother while in a mental institution . Her step father ended up having to fight the town gossips to keep his stepdaughter safe from their accusations. Her mothers friend was jealous of her and caused lots of trouble when ever she could. All the single women in the small town were jealous of her mother and the man she met and married. This was a Free book and a great one to read. This is my review and mine alone and in my own words. Norma Gorrill

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was so good and such an emotional read that my heart almost couldn't take it. The author skillfully sneaks in some true wham whams and kaboozies that when I got to the end I was floored. I can't in good conscience give this a better review without having questions answered and the entire mystery finished. With there being no indication for completion it is extremely disappointing because this was truly a goodie.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, wonderful cast of characters, mystery old style

The years of this story are not specified, but the whole book rang of the 50s or 60s. An old timey small town full of Mayberry type characters añd the good of some is equal to the evil of others. Keeps you guessing till the end. Very entertaining and engrossing flow of events and a small town boring existence made very colorful just because of human nature is what it is here.

[Linda Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellen Fisher and her Step Father Frank are the target of hateful damaging gossip and crossed love.

Ellen Fisher and Her mother Margaret have a car break down in the small town of Seymor, AL. The mechanic Frank McPherson falls in love with both mother and daughter and they wind up staying and marrying Frank. This starts the tale of crossed love, small town gossips, murder, and skullduggery.
Good story well written but confusing ending. Still worth reading.

[karin whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Dancing

Another hit! I'm so glad that Suzanne Jenkins is a prolific writer because her books are so good! She writes with her heart in such a beautiful way, that you feel the characters, you love/hate them! Fast paced, twists of course, and a surprise ending! I enjoyed this book and highly recommend you need to read this one.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

After digging around in medical & other files what did Alan Johnson (45) find out?
Cate Ashbury (landlady) let him a room at the Towering Pines Boarding House while he did more further/through investigations.
What were the past town rumors about Ellen Marie Fisher (15) & her stepfather Frank McPherson (widower, mechanic)?
Does Mary Cook (26) know something?

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read by Suzanne Jenkins. This is a brilliant read! It pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention. The world building is detailed and imaginative. This novel has strong, well developed characters and an interesting story line that keeps you turning the pages. I recommend this novel and would read more novels by this author.

[Russel G. Metzger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with a shocking ending.

A well written book with great characters and the plot was so easy to follow, and just just flowed like a beautiful Southern song on the radio. The last quarter of this book I could not put down because it turned into a shocking thriller that made me want to finish it as fast as I could.

[Karen Spangler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspense with an unexpected twist

A little slow getting into it but then didn't want to put it down. A lot of true life situations addressed in the book.. Glad it was a single book and not a series.

[Mimi Davis Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unrequited Love

This is a well written story of not enough men. Great characters with a fabulous plot and a smooth easy flowing storyline. But the ending leaves the reader hanging.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/19/2021)! 🎁

[Kathy Consoliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dancing

What a lovely novel. I don't usually read books like this, but I'm glad I did. Lots of twist in it too. It was very interesting.

[Melissa Cunning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 5 stars as it was not at all what I expected and I love that!

There was a little of everything in this book. Emotional drama, heartwarming relationships, the effects of mental illness on a family, the misinterpretations brought on my small town gossip.. There was so much to enjoy!

I thought Frank was the sweetest man ever and his relationship with Ellen was adorable. A father- daughter slow dance never seemed so cute. Though it made for an excellent storyline, I hate that it was made into abuse allegations. Something so beautiful quickly became ugly.

To discover that the murders of Mary and Alan happened at the hand of Noelle, a minute character from the very beginning was shocking. But the abruptness of the ending(since this all came about in the last few pages) kind of ruined it for me. And there was no answer to whether Margaret was murdered but Margo because she loved Frank? It was almost like the author ran of time and just quickly tied up the book!

Is there more to this story? I'm trying to find out!

[Dani Boise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I'm having a hard time deciding between 3 and 4 stars. I went with 4 for the following reasons:
It's a quick read, but that's because it keeps you engaged. You want to keep turning pages.
The characters, Frank and Ellen, are likable and you want to see them get out of the mess they are thrust into.
It's pretty good writing, I guess.

I really dislike the following:
Either there wasn't an editor or they were drunk while reading this book. I HATE poor grammar. There were some parts it was painful to read.
Some parts of the story seemed rushed. Towards the ending it seems the writer was tired of writing the book and tried to finish it in just 2-3 chapters.
THE ENDING. Enough said.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stand alone story is fabulous. It was a little nostalgia for me. The setting and all the drama surrounding a woman who's car breaks down in a small town when she takes a wrong turn. There is love, a mystery and a lot of emotions.

[Nelda Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slow Dancing

Oh what a book do I call that good reading are not! It kept me on my toes from start to finish, didn't want to put it down.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sound story telling. Needs a good edit. The ending provided resolution but was weak given the vast detail of the story. I'd recommend it with a disclaimer about the ending.

[Mary De Montfort · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very well written novel. In its genre I loved and enjoyed it very much.
The characters are well constructed and the story is perfectly knitted.
If at first it seems a little slow it improves soon, so I wanted to read it in one sitting.
I would gladly reread it!

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't see that coming.

Surprised as I Didn't see everything unfolding as it did. Interesting story with many twists & turns. I liked it.