The Complete Twisted Cedars Mysteries Collection Buried (Book 1) Justice is overdue in the coastal town of Twisted Cedars where two unsolved mysteries lay buried in the past. Over thirty years ago a series of murders targeting Oregon librarians was never solved. Now someone with inside knowledge is feeding clues to true crime writer Dougal Lachlan, promising him the best story of his career. Pursuing the story means returning to Twisted Cedars, where his sister Jamie, is about to marry a man he deeply dislikes. Local Twisted Cedars librarian Charlotte Hammond prefers her mysteries—and her romances—between the covers of a good book, especially since the disappearance of her older sister, Daisy, eight years ago. But then the dark and tortured soul who is Dougal Lachlan walks into the Twisted Cedars Library asking for her help. Before long Charlotte realizes there is no safe zone. Not even in libraries. And especially not in Twisted Cedars. Forgotten (Book 2) After a shocking secret is uncovered in Twisted Cedars, Oregon, fresh trouble surfaces. Sheriff Wade MacKay is fishing on the Rogue River when he comes across a cargo truck crashed off the side of a winding mountain road. The driver is dead. The sole passenger, a woman in her early thirties, is unconscious with a severe head injury. When she comes to the next day at the hospital, she is suffering from amnesia. Since she carried no ID, there is no clue to her identity. Judging by the woman’s bruises, which pre-date the accident, Wade suspects she was running from danger when she hitched a ride with the truck driver. But how can he protect her, when he doesn’t even know who she is? Wade’s office is already working overtime, investigating the death of one of his former school friends. While true crime writer, Dougal Lachlan, is avoiding writing a book that would force him to confront his inner demons. Exposed (Book 3) No more hiding. When a young boy goes missing shortly after his father’s arrest for the murder of the boy’s mother, the residents of Twisted Cedars are in a panic. They would be even more fearful if they knew a serial murderer has secretly moved back to town. Local Sheriff Wade MacKay, and true crime writer Dougal Lachlan, finally realize that unless they pool their resources and work together, no one in town is going to be safe.
USA Today bestselling author C. J. Carmichael has written over 50 novels, including two mystery series, as well as romance and women’s fiction. Three of her novels have been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, including A Bramble House Christmas. A film version of A Bramble House Christmas premiered as a Hallmark Mystery movie in 2017.
Married, with two grown daughters and some adorable grandchildren, C. J. and her husband and their Welsh Springer Jazz divide their time between their home in Calgary, Alberta and the family cottage on Flathead Lake, Montana. C.J. enjoys giving workshops to aspiring authors--her talk on writing a Christmas story is a favorite.
This is a gripping story and you need to read all three the books to feel satisfied. I feel that today the authors need to milk their stories for everything it is worth and few books are released as the whole book. Most of the books are written in such a way that it ends unsatisfactorily and you need to get the next installment. The boxset should actually be called the Twisted Cedar Mysteries.
Apart from all that and a few errors that slipped through the story is good and keeps with the atmosphere of the small coastal town. The characters are rather well developed and everything blends together to a good ending.
The trilogy was excellent. I'm very glad I had the whole set at once. I would have been frustrated if I had to wait for each book as the first two ending weren't really endings.
I seriously considered giving only 3 stars, unfortunately. While the story is worth 5 stars, there were so many typos, misspellings, and sentence issues that I got frustrated. The editing/proofreading leaves much to be desired. There is even one place where, in the middle of a sentence, two previous paragraphs show up again. I wonder if it's just this particular edition?
Overall I found the Twisted Cedar's book to be interesting with a good plot. I've downgraded my rating though, because I read the three related books and very much felt that the three books should've only been one or two. It felt as though the books had been stretched to make into three and the excess was annoying as I was reading them. If the books had been edited and published as one or two books, I probably would've given a 5 star rating - good plot.
This box set of the three books in the Twisted Cedars Mysteries series was worth the cost. I read all three books in a little over a day, because once I started reading I had trouble putting it down. C. J. Carmichael is an excellent writer and knows how to hold your interest until the end. I love a good mystery especially with a twist for an ending. I highly recommend this box set because you have to read all three books to get the whole story.
I just finished reading the Twisted Cedars Mysteries: Buried, Forgotten and Exposed. Just a warning to potential readers, to get the full story, it is necessary to buy and read all three books. None of the books are fully satisfying on a stand alone basis. The writing is compelling and the writer knows how to hook a reader. The denouement seemed rushed but the author does tie up all of the mysteries at the end of the third book.
After reading the first book in the series, I had to read the next two books to find out how Dougal deals with the mystery of the deaths of 4 librarians and his father. It was hard to put down my Kindle as I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I recommend this series to anyone who likes mysteries.
You know who the murderer is by book two, Forgotten. Unfortunate editing left “stench” for “staunch” and a referral to the main character as a novelist - when he was, in truth, a true-crime writer.
Creative writing and capturing a mood are CJCarmichaels best habits, and this trio stampedes with life you can taste. A little routine but aren't we all.
A compelling story of a story teller telling a story
I didn' t the intro I read about the book and almost didn't read it. But I'm so glad I did. After 5 days I read all 3 books as it was hard to put down. The characters were believable - there was action, a little romance and lots of suspense. There really should be another book to outline how everyone's life including the town's is better after all the secrets, and lies of the last 30 years were finally shared.
This is a trilogy & I loved all 3 books. Once I read the first I couldn't stop until I read all three. Highly recommend. I looked up this author & am preordering her next mystery called "Bitter Roots Mysteries" due out in April and can't wait to read.