Death Takes A Trip

Julia Blake Murder Mystery #5

by Gillian Larkin

A Cozy MysteryJulia Blake runs her own cleaning business. She has the unfortunate knack of getting herself involved in murder investigations.When one of Julia’s elderly clients, Douglas Pedley, is found dead at the bottom of his stairs, it is soon obvious that he was murdered. Julia first suspects the building contractors who have been hounding Douglas to sell his land and property. It’s not long before another suspect appears. Julia is determined to find out who murdered the old man.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Fiction, Ebooks

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

I'm an avid fan of mystery stories. I started reading Agatha Christie novels at an early age. My favourite fiction detective is Poirot, I love his fussy ways and his attention to small details. I love the TV series, 'Murder She Wrote' and have watched every episode. I like working out who the killer is, and what the clues are.

I live near Leeds, Yorkshire, which is in the north of England. My two daughters live with me and they are understanding about my passion for mystery shows! I've now discovered 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'.

I've been wanting to write my own mystery stories for years - and now I finally have.

You can visit my website, and connect with me. To get a free pdf copy of 'A Different Shade of Death', sign up to my newsletter.

You can also follow me at my Amazon author page.

Reviews

[Sandra Nedopričljivica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old ladies are all sweet and gentle... I wouldn't bet on it. :)
I've guessed the killer but couldn't figure out the "modus operandi". Finally, I can say I like the story.

[J. Ewbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Larkin is a strong, well written, amusing, compelling book. Am happy that I received this book and read it because it has all you want in a light mystery. Good plot, good description of characters.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good mystery. I suspected the culprit all along but didn't figure out the how and why. Julia and Cain are a funny couple of characters and I love Julia's Dad.

[Paige Bentch-pruitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable

Same old thing. Citizen solves murder because of stupid police. Childish style of writing. Flat characters. Where is the creativity?

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited, some get that way some freebie sites some her site/email, #2 & #3 by siging up at her website, some have bought other ways and come in different sets/collections, some collections/books are Julia Blake Murder Mysteries, Butterworth Mysteries, Storage Ghost Murder, Ghost Storage Mysteries,Second Hand Ghosts, Ruby and Nessa Ghost Hunters, A Pearl and Derek Mystery, A Ray and Cain Mystery, Cara Daniels, and others others. Every now and then something doesn't make sense, but might be reading out of order or could be difference from story to story, some detail or other.

Virtually Scared To Death (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 1) A Deadly Restoration (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 2) A Party To Die For (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 3) A Secret Killer (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 4) Death Takes A Trip (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 5) A Fair Murder (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 6) Death Shows Up (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 7) Murder Makes A Claim (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 8) Knitting And Murder (Julia Blake Cozy Mystery Book 9) Death At The Spa (Julia Blake Cozy Murder Mystery Book 10)

Julia Blake Cozy Murder Mysteries - The Collection {7 cozy mysteries}
A Secret Killer #4 Death Takes A Trip #5 A Fair Murder #6 Death Shows Up #7 Murder Makes A Claim #8 Knitting And Murder #9 Murder At The Spa #10

4 Short Cozy Mysteries {box set, may be available other ways}
A Lesson In Deceit - A Date With Revenge - Aiming For Death - A Market Murder

[Melissa Everly-kosek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another case for for Julia Blake to solve

Julia finds one of her clients dead after a fall down some stairs. There is no shortage of suspects. Is it the client's fiancee, a spurned lover, or a construction company who wants the client's land? Caine and DI Clarke tag along and we are introduced to Helena Blossom, a private investigator. Read the story to solve the mystery.

[Cheryl Karkoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute little mystery. Nothing special

[ChrisGA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable cozy mystery.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant read.

[Donna Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little mystery

Easy to read. Nice mystery with no profanity which was a pleasant change. Very enjoyable. Will follow this author for more mysteries.

[Daniel Livori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling story

[Georgie Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever, British Mystery

I just finished reading Death Takes A Trip by Gillian Larkin. It was well paced, smartly written with interesting characters, amusing quips, and an ending with punch. I very much enjoyed the story and will certainly read more by MS. Larkin.
The dialogue has just a tinge of British terminology, but doesn't drown you in words that make you scratch your head. The characters are real enough to make missteps in judgment and jump in head first, demonstrating that they are amateurs in the investigation of crime. It is nice to have the lead character, Julia be of a relatable age. While she was referred to as Miss Marple by the police, she is not an aged spinster. Julia is an experienced woman with college aged children who has a responsible career and business. Her support systems are her parents and friends and they are well written and diverse. Julia is someone the average baby- boomer could be friends. I look forward to learning more of Julia Blake.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first read of this author and I know I didn't read in the right order but hey ho I still enjoyed it.

Great story, easy to read and kept me guessing until towards the end.

Julia cleans for a living but has just taken on a new person to help her. Cain has been released from prison after serving a long sentence for a crime he didn't commit and Julia is giving him a second chance in life.

The story revolves around one of her older clients Douglas who is been harrassed by a local builder to sell his home and plot of land but he doesn't want to.

Douglas meets a new lady who brings back the sunshine to his life but things start to happen and not for the better. Julia and Cain are determined to get to the bottom of what is going on but alas there isn't a happy ending.

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is actually a 3 1/2 star read. There weren't any huge grammatical errors and the characters were engaging, although they were one dimensional. That may have something to do with this being the first book I've read in the series although it's actually book 5. The author may expect that the reader is already attached to the main characters. That being said, my main criticism is that while I am not one of those people who try to figure out a cozy as I read it (because I like to be surprised) I knew 'who done it' before I was halfway through. That was still ok, but the motive given for the murder was at best silly, and could really have been better with just a tiny bit more thought. Overall, I would read another book by this author, it was a good way to pass some time.

[Klara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! It is nothing special, but it has something hahaha It kept me hooked from beginning to end. Right from the start, I had my suspicions about who the murderer might be, and it was quite intriguing to watch the story unfold as others were accused. When my suspicions turned out to be correct, I was over the moon. Even though I thought there might be a different motive, guessing correctly made me really happy. What I appreciate most about this book is its dynamic pace. The narrative doesn't dwell too much on detailed descriptions of surroundings or scenes, making it an easy and engaging read. Despite the simplicity, it allows for a deeper understanding of Cain, Julia, and her family. They come across as genuinely good and down-to-earth people. I like longer stories in this series.

[Elizabeth Haire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Death Takes a Trip

Julia and her partner/employee are cleaners who lead busy daily lives keeping other people's homes clean occasionally they have a more interesting day when a client turns up not only deceased, but murdered.

The plot thickens as characters emerge throughout this tale. The grammatical mistakes are obvious and grating, but the story continues to move along in spite of them.
The ending was a good one. You should enjoy the story.

[Timothy Coplin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clean, cozy who-done-it packed full of romance, greed, and mystery. The characters are a little one dimensional, but the plot is well thought out and cleanly laid out. I unraveled the mystery half way through and enjoyed seeing the answer become clearer and clearer in my mind as the story progressed to the denouncement.

The fifth, and most recent to date, in a series. Ms. Larkin's creation has comfortably settled into my collection of cozy mystery sleuths.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale that includes love at a ripe old age and two women vying for affection. The story's heroine is involved n investigating the death of one of her customers. Her friendship with the deceased man brings her to work overtime to uncover the guilty party. Look for a surprise ending!
I liked the play on words of the title, Deathe Takes a TRIP, as the word trip here means to fall, and not the meaning of travel

[Ted Tayler · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Minimum impact"

An easy read and a simple to solve plot. I wasn't sure whether this was aimed at a young audience? There was nothing to particularly get excited about, which even in a cozy mystery I would hope to encounter. Everything moved along in its own sweet way to its natural conclusion and I was neither happy nor sad that I'd reached the end. It was just a harmless way to spend a few hours.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I was totally fooled.

I like people giving second chances and those who are grateful for the that chance. Although you might think many of these characters are greedy in one way or another, the final show of greed was the worst. As I'm sure Julia was disappointed with this character, I was too. But it made a good ending.

[Nancy Hubler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Read, perfect for airlines and ground travel time

I thought this deserved five stars because of the writing style, and read time. It's perfect for travel. Love Gillian Larkin books!

[Misterg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read and a free book. It is the first in the series that I've read, but that didn't make much of a difference. The characters were not very well developed in the story, but that could be a result of it being book 5. The plot was OK, with an unexpected twist in the end.

[Candice Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written

Death Takes A Trip is a well written book. The story kept building with every page and there was never a dull moment. The ending was nothing that I expected but it concluded well. I'm looking forward to reading other books in this series.

[Ruth Caves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ex con didn't do it

You aren't nosey, just a great house cleaner. So can you help it if you keep finding all the clues, and the dead bodies that go with them. Of course the police want you to stay out of it, but that never stopped you before.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing Mystery!

This Julia Blake mystery kept me guessing until the very end! It is well written and the characters are believable and engaging. Agatha Christie fans will enjoy the twists and turns as Julia attempts to uncover the murderer!

[deborah haycook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I enjoyed reading this book. I didn't want to put it down. Great mystery. The story was well written and flowed nicely. Looking forward to reading more of her books.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this author most of the time and I did like this book. It was a nice cozy mystery.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice light read.

[Marilyn Groves · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little cozy with a good plot line.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

the murder mystery is one of many that keeps you thinking that you know who is the one and then another happens