A Second Chance at Murder

A Love Or Money Mystery #2

by Diana Orgain

In the latest from the USA Today bestselling author of A First Date with Death, reality TV gets all too real with murder...

After Love or Money made them reality TV stars, former cop Georgia Thornton and her new boyfriend Scott were supposed to live happily ever after. Unfortunately as their fifteen minutes of fame came to an end, actual reality kicked in and their prize money quickly evaporated.

So Georgia and Scott agree to appear in a new program, pitting them against other teams in an athletic journey across the countryside of Spain for a chance to win $250,000. But the fierce competition turns frightening when Scott disappears during an overnight camping trip in the Pyrenees Mountains, leaving only his bloody wristwatch behind—and a woman’s dead body.

With the Spanish authorities ready to convict Scott, Georgia must find him and prove his innocence in an amazing race against crime…

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Cozy

304 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2016

About the author

Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series. She is also the Author of the Love or Money Mystery series and The Roundup Crew Mysteries (Yappy Hour and Trigger Yappy).
Diana is the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs.
Diana's latest release is 4 Sleuths and a Bachelorette, a fun collaboration with USA Today Bestselling Authors, Leslie Langtry, Traci Andrighetti, and Arlene Mcfarlane. Right now she's working on the next release in the Maternal Instincts Mystery, Murder Comes Crawling.
To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com

Series:
* Maternal Instincts Mystery

Reviews

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

In this first book, A First Date with Death, it was like The Bachelorette. This time it is like The Amazing Race, except when someone goes missing and a dead body is found on the first stop, forcing the entire contest to travel nowhere. Yes, the went from America to Spain but that was then the reality show became real and the police wouldn’t let them leave. Georgia and the bachelor she picked in the first story, Scott, are again appearing on a television show. Scott doesn’t get much time onscreen because he disappears before the competition even begins. He will get some jail time though if the police find him because his fancy watch was found next to a woman that had been murdered. The producers expect Georgia to continue the race with a new partner. Can she race and find the real killer? She knows Scott wouldn’t kill anyone…or would he???

Diana Orgain has penned an excellent story that had me staying up late until I finished the whole thing. I wasn’t exactly sure where she was going to go with this series and I love the direction she took in this second book. The characters we loved from the first book are back and we meet several new ones in Spain. I especially liked police detective, Sergio, and the senora that owned and operated the B&B, a very wise woman. The people making up the race teams were very interesting too.

We follow the race teams to many places as they find hidden items and complete the challenge tasks. There are a couple of very scary moments and a couple of funny ones too. Like the real television show expecting the unexpected is key.

The places they visited sound so beautiful and rich with history. Orgain painted wonderful pictures with her words.

As the race went on almost everyone was a suspect in Georgia’s eyes while the police stayed focused on Scott. I was completely in he dark for most of the book. I knew something was amiss but never dreamed it would play out the way it did.

I am ready for more right now. I was blessed to receive an advance copy of this book. Maybe I can get an advance of the advance copy for the next one. :)

[Stacey Toney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expect the unexpected should be Georgia Thornton's personal motto. After all of the money she and her boyfriend Scott previously won is gone, they sign up to participate on a new reality show called Expedition Improbable in Spain. Unfortunately for Georgia, Scott disappears on the night before the new show is set to start filming. When a search party is organized to find him, they find the body of a murdered woman as well as evidence that implicates Scott in the crime.

Georgia decides that in order to clear Scott's name, she must assist the authorities in solving the murder. She must also participate in the grueling competitions required for the reality show with a new partner. Unfortunately, as Georgia investigates, she not only uncovers more information linking Scott to the crime, she finds out that he may not be the boyfriend she thought he was.... Even as numerous roadblocks arise, Georgia is willing to give her all to apprehend the killer, find Scott and to win the reality show competition.

This is the second book I have read in this series and I can say it definitely doesn't suffer from the sophomore slump! I enjoyed re-visiting Georgia, her father and her best friend Becca. I even enjoyed Cheryl, the crazy reality show tv director who will stop at nothing to make the show a ratings success! I look forward to the next book in this series.

I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review

[Cyndy Bailes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to receive an advance copy of A Second Chance at Murder from the author in exchange for an honest review. Although it is the second book in the Love or Money book series, it was stand alone and the first one that I had read.
The story is about Georgia Thornton and her new boyfriend Scott who have agreed to be part of a new TV reality show which has a prize of $250,000. They had met on an earlier reality show. This book is set in the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains. On a camping trip Scott disappears during the night and shortly thereafter a murdered woman is found fairly close to the campground. Georgia, as a former policewoman, is very upset at Scott’s disappearance and the fact that he appears to be suspected of the murder. She sets out to find Scott and clear his name. Woven through the story are the various reality contests; Georgia’s father has flown in to be her substitute partner. Some of the scenes are very humorous. Also, one receives a sense of the nearby Spanish town and some of the social life.
I enjoyed this story although it is not as complex as some. Georgia is a fun character and I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book, so no pretty cover pictures for me. But I was very happy to receive the book and read it. I am sure there will be some editing done yet before the book actually comes out. There were just a few minor things, like a word missing here and there.

Anyway, the story was very interesting. I have not read the first book in the series but that was not a problem at all. We are caught up with the past pretty quickly in the beginning of the book. This series is about reality TV shows, of which I am not a fan so some of the storyline wasn't my cup of tea. But soon that didn't matter, as I got caught up in the story. I liked that Georgia's dad came along to be her partner after Scott disappeared. I will enjoy reading more about Georgia and her dad and friends.

I also enjoyed the first chapter of the first book in the series that was included at the end of this book. It sounds like a very good beginning to another good story.

Thanks, Diana Orgain, for the entertainment!

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could have really enjoyed this book.

The reality tv setting for a murder mystery is something I had never experienced before and it worked really well, I genuinely felt like I was watching a reality tv show while reading this book

But overall i can't say I enjoyed this book I feel like it had a pool of incredibly interesting characters that went under used, especially for a murder mystery scenario, plots that show up and was either forgotten until last minute or completely ignored and then the killer who wasn't really a part of the story at all and when they were revealed it got me wondering "who's that?? have we ever seen them before?"

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this but definitely not as much as the first in the series. Georgia frustrated me by doing stupid stuff regarding both the competition and the investigation, making her not particularly good at either. Audio was well narrated once again. Worth listening to since it was free with the Audible Plus catalog but glad I didn’t spend a credit on it. Since book three isn’t part of the Audible Plus catalog, not sure if I will be listening to it or not. Maybe down the road.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first in the A Love or Money Mystery Series quite a while ago and honestly couldn’t understand what would be done about the theme for a series. I did really enjoy the first book in this series, however this second one didn’t really work for me. Instead of a wedding/dating type show, it is one of those survival type reality TV shows. Perhaps this would work for fans of those type of shows.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, although there really wasn’t much of a murder-mystery to it. The first book was a spoof of the Bachelor/Bachelorette tv franchise, while this one was more like the Survivor tv shows. Great reader.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thus was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the show Georgia was competing on this time. The Spanish countryside was a good backdrop for a murder. I also liked that Georgia got to compete with her dad this time. Mystery was good and lots of exciting scenes in the book.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Love or Money Mystery series. I had not read the first book, but the author gave plenty of background to make it easy to understand characters and back stories. Definitely a stand alone book.

Georgia and her boyfriend Scott have gone through the money they won on a previous reality tv show, so they sign up for another show. This one has teams of two racing around Spain in a quest to complete challenges and try to arrive at check-in points in first place, a la Amazing Race. However, the night before the challenges begin, Scott disappears and a dead body turns up leaving the teams stranded and the tv schedule tossed to the wind.

The police think Scott is a murderer, Georgia can't imagine where he has gone, but can't imagine him to be a killer. The taping continues, the police keep everyone on a short leash, Georgia finds clues and tries to figure out who the killer is and clear her boyfriend, if only she can find him!

This book was an interesting read, I love the show Amazing Race and it was great to see how shows like that are run, from the production side. I felt like some of the characters had a lot of background pushed on us at first, but them left mid-book and never returned. That seemed odd to me. Otherwise, I did enjoy the main characters and their struggles/reactions seemed real. The killer's identity kept me guessing along with other surprises, I did enjoy the ending and wanted to know what was going to happen afterwards. I'm hoping for another installment in this series!

I received an a ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book.

[Carly Hathaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I haven't read the first book in the series, I had no problem diving into this fun mystery by Diana Orgain.

Georgia and Scott are previous reality show contestants, however their earnings are now gone. In order to win $25,000 they sign up for a reality show taking place in Spain. After Scott is accused of having murdered a woman the night before the show begins, Georgia and her father must now team up to clear Scott's name and win the prize money.

I really enjoyed this book. Having just moved to a mountainous area, the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains are now on my list of places to visit. I thought the plot moved quickly, and Georgia is a strong female character. The beginning felt a little rushed, and maybe a bit more backstory to help out at first, but I had no trouble finding this to be a stand alone novel. Reality shows are so popular, and its nice to visualize what goes on behind the scenes. I highly recommend this novel, and am going to read the first book in the series next. 4 out of 5 stars.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgia and Scott are back to compete on a second reality show, this one a race across Europe with challenges along the way. But the night before the race even begins, Scott disappears and a woman is murdered. With the police certain that Scott is a killer, Georgia must find him and prove his innocence. Can she do it?

This was a wonderfully creative cozy. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and the disappearance added a nice element to the story. The characters were strong as well. The race aspect was kept as a sub-plot, and the location in Spain was brought to life so much that I now want to visit.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reality TV show in Spain with wine and good food….what a fun way to win $250,000 .

Contestants include: a mom-son team, the Double D’s; a country music want-a-be’s, Cooper and Todd; a former NFL player and his flaky friend, Victoria and Parker; a brother-sister team and finally Scott and Georgia; winners of the previous TV show. Only problem: Scott disappears before the challenges begin. Georgia’s father is brought in to replace Scott so the show can go on.

Georgia must find Scott, win the challenge and deal with the “drama” from the other teams while somehow avoiding the advances from the local policeman, Sergio.

Where is Scott? Who is the murderer? Good read!

[A Holland Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good addition to a fun series. I enjoyed following Georgia and Scott as they went to Spain to try and win a pot load of money. The author will keep you turning the pages as you follow along on this adventure to prove that Scott is innocence. I liked the reality tv theme to this series as I am a fan of some reality shows. Now don't judge me I watch the shows for entertainment and not for the reality. I liked how I was kept guessing up until the end. I think the author's writing style is good and makes the book flow.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a wild ride through the Spanish countryside this was! Diana Orgain used the vehicle of a crazy reality show with a very interesting cast of characters and two murders to bring us this tale. It held my interest from start to finish. I only put it down (reluctantly) to eat. I'm ready for more any time, that's for sure.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Georgia better in this book, although I did wonder why she needed to repeatedly remind herself that she used to be a cop. All the characters are far too shallow, some of them nearly being stereotypes. The mystery plot itself wasn't too bad, which is why I gave it 3 stars, although I'm still wavering between two & three. The romance between Georgia and her boyfriend was basically non-existent. Granted they aren't together much, but I didn't feel much connection even from Georgia when she thought about him.There were far too many typos and grammatical errors. I don't know that I liked it well enough to read the next book in the series.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgia, an ex San Francisco cop and Scott won a reality show prize, but quickly ran through their money. Now on a second reality show set in Spain they hoped to replenish their funds. On the first night of the game, Scott disappears, the body of a woman is found. Scott becomes the #1 suspect. Georgia is sure Scott is innocent, but he cannot be found. Georgia’s father, Gordon, arrives with the news that Scott had texted him that he could not continue on with Georgia and that he had left the area. Gordon becomes Georgia’s new partner because the game must go on, but Georgia is sure that something is not right – but Scott is innocent….. can she prove it?

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Around the Year in 52 Books 2017 Reading Challenge. A mystery.

This particular mystery is based on a fictional reality TV show. Since I don't watch reality TV game shows, it didn't appeal to me. Also, since the scandal many years ago where a contestant had been provided answers to quiz questions, I would think more care has been taken to secure the integrity of a game show. In other words, a female friend of one producer and the man dating the executive producer would NOT have been allowed to compete in such a show.

[Wendy Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m only giving 3 Stars because it’s not the best but it certainly has kept my interest. I had been having trouble focusing on reading with all that has been happening with the pandemic. Thanks to this series I’m back. It’s a fast read that has captured my interest. I read this book electronically and one major complaint is very poor editing. As a teacher, these proofreading mistakes make me bristle. There are many skipped words that spellcheck would not pick up. You still need to proofread...PLEASE. Otherwise I’m ready for number three.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Second Chance at Murder by Diana Orgain is the 2nd book in the A Love or Money Mystery series. Reality TV stars, former cop Georgia Thornton and her boyfriend Scott, agree to participate in another reality show Expedition Improbable in Spain, only for Scott to disappear with his watch found next to a dead body. An entertaining mystery with most of the focus on the show and the rivalry between the contestants. I loved the descriptions of the various Spanish settings and foods. Although not a fan of reality shows, I enjoyed this book immensely.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave these books four stars because as cozies go, they hit the marks. But I really struggled with this series and won't be reading any more even though I'm loathe to give up an "O" author.... I hate, loathe, despise and abominate reality television (to borrow a quote from "Meet Me in St. Louis") , and apparently can't abide it even as a backdrop to a mystery!

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series, it is a good cozy mystery. This is book 2. It is a fun quick moving story. It is based around the idea of an Amazing Race type scenario, and it takes place in Spain. Many of the characters from book 1 are back. I dont want to give away any of the story, so wont say anymore. I am looking forward to book 3.

[Denise Kulesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was Book #2 in the Love or Money series.

Georgia and Scott agree to appear in a new TV series to win $250,000.

Scott disappears and it's up to Georgia to figure out why he is missing. A dead woman's body is discovered making Scott the prime suspect.

Scott was found safe in a coma in the hospital. Georgia solved the case.

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like watching a car crash: terrible but I just couldn't look away. The worst part was when the author wrote something along the lines of "do they even do DNA analysis here in Spain or is it enough that one of the dogs just barked at it wrong?"

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Diana Orgain! I most certainly enjoyed reading this book! I plan to see if more books are available in this series. It's the kind of cozy mystery I hate to put down before I read the ending. So well-written!

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very fast read. I enjoyed the competition part of the plot and the diversity of the characters. It will be interesting to see what happens to Georgia next!

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

A romp even more action packed than the first in the series.

[Monica W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series so far. This was just as good as the first book in this series. Quirky but captures and draws you in. Quick read.

[Taylar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I liked this book more than the first! It was a really fun read

[Callie Weldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just LOVE this series! Can’t wait to start the next one!