Dying To Sell

by Maggie Sefton

Realtor Kate Doyle knew divorce was messy, but she didn't expect it to be bloody. Kate agrees to sell the home of old friends who're locked in bitter wrangling and manages to keep the peace long enough to get signatures on contracts. She congratulates herself on what will be an easy sale in this upscale Colorado college town. However, Kate's celebration turns to horror when she walks into the lawyer-client's study to find him brutally murdered - stabbed in the throat. "A crime of passion," says Kate's police detective brother-in-law. The prime suspect is Kate's close friend, the spurned wife, who begs Kate to help her. Kate's meddling turns up some surprising suspects. The successful lawyer deceived numerous ex-lovers as well as his wife. He'd also played off one land developer against another, dangling a choice tract of land as bait. Businesses were ruined and fortunes lost. Had the loser taken revenge on the wily lawyer? Or had an ex-lover killed in jealous rage? Kate's real estate license helps her dig into the clever lawyer's dealings as she sifts clues from cyber space to crawl space. Unfortunately, her snooping tempts the killer to exercise his own license - to kill. Maggie Sefton lives in Colorado and is the mother of four grown daughters and the guardian of two demanding dogs.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction

242 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2005

About the author

Aka Margaret Conlan

From author website:

"First, a little biographical information as introduction: Born in Richmond, VA, I grew up in Northern Virginia in Arlington, close to Washington, D.C. I attended university and received a Bachelor's degree in English Literature & Journalism, married, and started my family there. All four of my daughters are grown and established in careers of their own and are literally scattered around the globe. I now reside in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with two very demanding dogs."

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I have been reading the knitting mysteries by the same author. I enjoyed this book and would like to read more with these characters if this series continues.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very easy book to read. I enjoyed it and read it very quickly in a couple of days. The local librarian referred to it as a "cozy" mystery.

[Carol B Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different than other series.

I love this author but I must say I found her writing a bit disjointed this book. I think the main character isn't developed enough to make sense of her. Hopefully if I continue to read these books I will learn to love these characters too. Hasn't happened yet though.

[Susan Banner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly, light romp that follows the formulaic of foolish woman snoop who ends up in a tight place. At least, there isn't a man rescuing her! Toss in a little light romance and this was a good palate cleanser for some heavy reading.

[Marsha Holz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Another great book. I read all her needlework books. Glad to see she has another series going. I recommend this book. It was good & had some humor. I can't wait for the next book.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sefton has a coffee fixation.

[Lee Uptegraff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dying to Sell is a superficial mystery. The protagonist jumps from one suspect to another in her quest to prove her best friend's innocence. The characters are mere cut outs -even Sam the dog who, incidentally,saves the day at the end.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers, Allow me to introduce you to a new (for me,) character...Kate Doyle. Kate is a Divorcee, Mother of two daughters, who is now enjoying her freedom and second career as a Real Estate Broker.

Kate, to her sadness, is asked by close friends, who are now going through a painful divorce, to sell their Ft. Collin's, Co. home. When Kate goes by to pick up signed papers, allowing her to place the house on the market, she is terrified to find the husband murdered.

Knowing the Chief Detective, Kate sees that the widow is going to be blamed. Kate knows this is just wrong.

You might think that you know where this story goes, but, to my surprise and delight, Ms. Sefton, takes us on a journey of discovery. Discovery, not only of who committed the crime, but also, the personal growth of Kate herself. This is done with snappy humor and unexpected situations.

As a debut novel, the beginning is necessarily filled with introducing the characters and settings, etc. Then, you get to the mid-point and find yourself laughing aloud, walking through construction sites, and gun ranges, being struck down by assailants. It sounds dangerous and is, however, Kate has the inner strength to persevere and you will be glad that you, as a reader, journeyed with her.

Allow yourself to meet this new character, I think she will grow on you. She has me.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the only book in this series since the author seems to be focusing on a knitting cozy series. My husband is a real estate broker so I was interested to see how this book would compare to what I see him do on a daily basis.

Kate Doyle is a relatively new real estate agent (they call her a broker but that may be a Colorado term because it doesn't mean the same thing in Texas) after getting a divorce 3 years prior and needing a new career. One of her friends is getting a divorce (and it doesn't look like it will be pretty) and she is helping them sell the house. She comes back for some sigatures from the husband and finds him dead in his home office. Not what she was expecting. The most logical suspect is the wife, Amanda, but that is Kate's friend and she knows that Amanda couldn't kill her husband. So she sets off to figure out who did it and why.

let's just say that I didn't figure it out until the end when the clues were all put together.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read Maggie Sefton's knitting series...love it. This is the first book in her real estate series...love this one, too. I got right into the characters and the story right off. She does a great job setting the scene and the theme and introducing characters right off without overwhelming the reader...no flipping back and forth to try and remember who is who or why they are at a certain location...can't wait to read the rest of the series!

[Mascanlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in a new series by Maggie Sefton, real estate agent Kate Doyle knew divorce could be messy but she didn't expect to find her client dead before the open house. A few twists and turns, real estate developers cheating and lying and Kate is wondering if a big commission will be enough to make all the trouble worthwhile.

[Rosalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the knitting series, the characters are well-developed, the story line carries you along, and Sefton gets you hooked - you want to know who did it and when the mystery is solved, I at least wasn't expecting that person. Good read, I like the character of Kate and look forward to the next in this series!

[Jovdb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick easy read.

Kate Doyle, a real estate agent, comes back to revisit a client only to find him dead; murdered, in fact.

She turns her hand to sleuthing when her friend, the soon to be ex-wife of the deceased, becomes the prime suspect.

Another dead body, a narrow escape and a little romance make up a typical Sefton novel.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the writing was good, not great, so was intrigued to have trouble putting this one down. Follow our coffee-fueled, self-starving realtor as she charges ahead against common sense and ignoring the signals that a man will interest her, that would be obvious to anyone who has read more than a romance or two.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually I quite enjoyed this book as something light and yet interesting was exactly what I needed. I liked Kate and she did not have a need for coffee as much as Kelly in Maggie Sefton's knitting series. A fun, quick read.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's like watching a made-for-TV mystery movie. Entertaining, but not a literary masterpiece (or even close). It was fun.

[Mendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay book. I can see why the author has not given us a 2nd installment. The chemistry between the characters was ho-hum. NOT a bad book, but not a great book either.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book, but the ride was a little rough.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too similar to her Knitting series, but still a fun mystery :)

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as cozy as her Knitting Mysteries series but still fun.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I'm reading the author's knitting series. It was a fun read but not extraordinary.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mystery murder story with a nosy main character who helps solve the crime. Really enjoyed it.
I didn't guess who did it and that doesn't happen very often! Definitely worth a read.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good read, will read more from this author. If you love mysteries this is one to read.

[Diane Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book. The only one of this venue that Maggie wrote... Now she is into knitting books which I love..

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much and am moving on to the next book in this series.

[Mbstrongman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot - Not the best I've ever read but a good read to help escape the realness of your own life.

[Marion · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little long-winded. I got a bit bored.

[Kim Veach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this. I've enjoyed all of her knitting mysteries and this had many of the same enjoyable elements.

[Puddlediving · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dying to Sell was a decent fluff mystery. Amateur detective/ real estate agent solves the crime! There were several red herrings, multiple suspects were plausible. Enjoyable, quick read.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far this book is pretty good however I prefer her Knitting series.