Wrongly Accused

by J. Michael Hunter

He came home for Christmas. He never expected to walk into a nightmare.

Brad Armstrong has just finished his first semester of college and is looking forward to a peaceful holiday with his family. But when he steps into his parents’ exclusive Salt Lake City home, something feels wrong—and what he discovers shatters his world forever.

Within hours, detectives reach a chilling conclusion:

Brad isn’t a victim. He’s the prime suspect.

Determined not to become the third casualty of the terrible wrong done to his family, Brad teams up with a sympathetic detective who believes the truth is more complicated. As Brad searches for the real killer, every clue pulls him deeper into a maze of secrets, betrayal, and danger. And the closer he gets, the more he realizes the truth is hiding closer than he ever imagined.

Wrongly Accused is a gripping, clean mystery filled with twists, emotional depth, and a powerful journey of faith. Perfect for readers who enjoy page‑turning suspense with heart.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Mystery

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

About the author

J. Michael Hunter is an author of mystery novels and nonfiction works on history and culture. Mike's love of mysteries began as a child reading The Three Investigators series by Robert Arthur. Those mystery adventures ignited a spark within him. Soon after, he read as many of Agatha Christie's mysteries as he could get his hands on, and the allure of mystery writing took hold. After taking writing courses, Mike began writing mystery novels, nonfiction articles, and books.

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting case. Very rarely do you read mysteries with a romance in the book somewhere. This was interesting and I enjoyed it. A short audio book that made lose myself escaping from my boring routine. I wouldn’t like danger or intrigue in real life but the escape in this life was fun. Even though I worried about Brads recovery.

[Jodee Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have kind of gotten away from the lds crime dramas a bit lately but I found this one refreshing. it kept me wondering up until the very end. well written and enjoyable. I appreciated the insights at the end as well.

[Joanne Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

hard to put down

Enjoyed reading this novel. I thought it to be a very interesting mystery with an unexpected ending. But mostly I loved how the author managed to connect with me spiritually and give me scripture to learn from. That was an unexpected surprise and gift. Thanks!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad he shared scriptures and prayer as a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints would

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

great suspense book and it's clean. Brad finds that his parents have been murdered and he is the detectives prime suspect. He tried to find out who the killer is and in doing so ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and looking more like the guilty party. He learns what it feels like to be misjudged because of appearance, where you come from, where you live and even skin color. He learns valuable lessons about life and that by relying on our Father in Heaven we can never really be alone on this earth even when our earthly relatives are gone. Detective Thornton also learns to not jump to conclusions and steriotype someone from where they come from leaving some things up to the gift of discernment. Detective chandler is put in the middle after first using her gift of discernment and determining Brad to be innocent she tries to find the evidence to prove it. Meanwhile the real killer is out there causing more trouble.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a toss up between three and four stars for this book, but I ended up going with three because the story was a little creepy for my comfort. It probably wouldn't have been so creepy if it hadn't been set in the Salt Lake area.

Anyway, an 18 year-old college kid goes to his parents' house at the start of Christmas break and finds his parents shot to death. Much of the evidence points to him, and the story is about him trying to find the real killer. I suspected the real murderer fairly early on, but I still enjoyed "watching" the story unfold.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother-in-law wrote this one...I am so proud! This is an easy read, LDS mystery fiction, that gets you interested with a nice plot and interesting characters. Can't remember when I read it, but I did enjoy it!

[T.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting, fast-paced book with a well-woven story. The characters were believable and intriguing, and I couldn't help but care what happened to them. Even better, it kept me guessing (never correctly). :)

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Stephanie Black type books that rely on miscommunication and characters doing dumb things to carry the plot then you'll like this. For me it's so frustrating that it is difficult to actaully calm enough to enjoy it. I did enjoy this because ultimately the conclusion was exciting.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good mystery, suspenseful with a nice twist at the end, but why, why, why does LDS fiction have to be sooo cheesy? It must be possible to write a 'clean' book without making it super cheesy but it certainly isn't easy to find one.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's nice to read a book I didn't have the ending already figured out.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery with good characters, and not predictable.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be an interesting mystery that I hadn't quite figured out at the end. Good story.

[Jwilcox42 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A murder mystery set in SLC. Pretty well written, with sympathetic characters, and the traditional surprise twist near the end. A good one to listen to on a road trip.

[Janet Wilcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good mystery to listen to on a road trip. Moves fast, set in SLC

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were bits of this that showed promise but, overall, I did not really enjoy this book. There were things that strained credibility to me and things that seemed awkward.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read, the more suspense! A lesson on judgment was well taught.

[Victoria Hunter]

I also read this book and love it.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story...kept moving along and only occasionally was wishing the main character would keep from making what at the time was more of a mess.....all was good however.