The Darkest Hour

Poppy McGuire Mysteries #4

by Anina Collins

Poppy and Alex come up against their toughest case yet, and they may never be the same again. When someone close to both Poppy and Alex is found brutally murdered, all the clues point to Alex as the killer. But Poppy knows in her heart that her partner could never commit such a heinous crime. As the evidence begins to mount against him, Poppy must race against the clock to prove that the man she trusts with her very life isn’t the murderer, even as everyone around her is convinced of his guilt. But if Alex isn’t the killer, who is? As the mystery unravels, the past and present finally meet in Sunset Ridge. Look for the rest of the Poppy McGuire series too!
The Eleventh Hour (Poppy McGuire Mysteries #1)
After Hours (Poppy McGuire Mysteries #2)
Top of the Hour (Poppy McGuire Mysteries #3)
Happy Hour (Poppy McGuire Mysteries #5)
The Witching Hour (Poppy McGuire Mysteries #6)
The Finest Hour (Poppy McGuire Mysteries #7)
The Poppy McGuire Mysteries Box Set #1
The Poppy McGuire Mysteries Box Set #2

Genres: Mystery

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2016

About the author

Anina Collins has always loved a good mystery. As a child, her favorite books were Nancy Drew books passed down from her grandmother, and as she grew up, she moved on to Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and their famous detectives. She currently lives in North Carolina and writes her Poppy McGuire Mystery series.

Reviews

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only two people call her early in the morning her father or Alex. Was surprised it was the police Chief Derek calling and telling her to go to a certain apartment building and hung up. It was a close friend of Poppy’s Bethany, murder sitting in her car. She was in the advertising department at the newspaper. She had been dating Alex and now Poppy and Alex were getting closer. Now it’s being told that Alex had been showing up at her place, and Bethany was angry with him last night. How could that be when they were together. Chief tries to get answers from Alex and he won’t tell.
Chief wonders how two women he was associated with had violent deaths
Poppy is an amateur detective, and usually it is with Alex on a case. can she trust him, and find what really happened.
First I had read by this author, and found it good, characters were real, as you read of their emotions. Will look for more by author.

[Donna Crabbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I found was rather harsh, it showed we are always not able to see the leaves between the trees. This showed how police were always jumping into the wrong, OR expecting other people to solve the crime. I found I had to keep reading to give me the full picture, I can say I was looking at the cop, I was wondering how dumb, and it took a non cop to solve a crime, It was good to see a writer whom had the same theory and turned it into a book.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story, I figured out who donit and but I wasn't for sure how Poppy and Alex was going to catch the man who killed both women in Alex's life, the way the story is written it keep me wanting to find out what was going to happen in the end.

[Mickey Kay Troxell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself frustrated with this book while still eagerly reading it. I wanted it to end much sooner than it did. However, it was easy to read and look forward to reading the next one in the series. It appears that love May finally be in the air and past miseries abated!

[Lissa Harkness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Mystery

Good mystery. I could see who the murderer was almost immediately in this one. However, it’s not overly obvious. All the twists and turns were good.

[Rachelle Bachiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery. Did figure out who had done the two murders. How they would figure it out was what kept me going till the end. Will be reading more from this author.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is definitely one worth reading!! Poppy and Alex are back again, only this are dramatically different. This time, it’s not a stranger or someone hated by many that has been murdered. This time it’s a friend and all signs point to Alex being the murderer!! Talk about a shock. Poppy just knows it wasn’t Alex and does all she can to prove him innocent.
This series has just gotten better with each book. I recommend this series highly and can’t wait for the 5th book. Thank you so much Ms. Collins for creating such a great world to get lost in. You definitely have a new fan!!

[Neena Christianson Martin]

New victim, old pattern.

When Bethany is found dead Alex is the main suspect, so it's up to Poppy to prove his innocence. Working with just Derek it's hard going as everyone else seems to believe in Alex's guilt. I kept screaming at my Kindle that I knew who the murderer was, but it kept ignoring me, LOL!!. A great story.