Too Far to Fall

The Edie Doyle Mysteries #1

by Shane Sawyer

Some secrets don’t want to be kept …

A break-in, a body, a vicious rumor campaign, and an arsonist on the loose—Edie Doyle inherits more than a house in the pretty little town of Isaac’s Landing.

As she struggles to untangle the inexplicable events that threaten her chance to finally make a home for herself, Edie uncovers long-held secrets. Secrets that someone will do anything to protect.

Too Far to Fall was long listed for the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award, and shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada's Unhanged Arthur Ellis Award.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Ebooks, Cozy Mystery, Canada, Mystery Thriller

217 pages, ebook

Published December 12, 2016

About the author

Shane has lived in various countries, dabbled at a number of occupations, and makes a pretty tasty scone. She is currently living in Canada, working on the next Edie Doyle mystery.

Reviews

[Dan Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: the author is my sister. It's appropriate to be skeptical of sibling reviews. But here's the thing: it's really stressful reading a friend or family member's first novel! What if it's no good? What if it's boring? What if it just doesn't work for me? It was such a relief that 'Too Far To Fall' is a legitimately excellent read. It has a compelling lead character and just the right amount of small town mayhem. I look forward to the next one.

[Catlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Convoluted, confusing, pretentious, and stupid. Shane Sawyer has managed to write a book where "Least Likeable Character Ever Written" is a title that can be bestowed to literally EVERY CHARACTER IN THIS NOVEL. I had so many issues with this novel but Edie Doyle is the biggest one. Here are some of my grievances, which will contain SPOILERS:

1) The plot was way too confusing. At least six (yes, SIX) different people are introduced as possible suspects and for wildly different reasons. And then, it it turns out that only part of it was committed by one person, and the other was possibly maybe sorta kinda committed by another person but no one is actually sure and it's never cleared up and oh well at least Edie looks hot in a dress lololol. Like, seriously? Wtf?

2) A mysterious backstory is given to Edie Doyle but it's never actually explained. We get snippets of it but we're supposed to believe that this big, life-changing event is the reason her brain chemistry is so screwed up and she's a huge see-you-next-Tuesday to everyone she meets and has trust issues. Okay, so your single aunt couldn't raise you after your parents died, and she let your other aunt and uncle raise you instead. Big whoop. If I took in an orphaned child and she turned out as ungrateful, mean-spirited, and selfish as Edie Doyle, I'd also talk crap about her behind her back.

3) Speaking of Edie's attitude ... Why is she so MEAN? ALL THE TIME? TO EVERYONE? She is snarky, short-tempered, nasty, and cruel, but the author almost acts like these are cute, quirky characteristics of her character. "Tee hee, she's not like OTHER strong independent female characters! She's mean for sport!" I get being annoyed by nosy neighbors, but Edie is downright mean to Beth and Mrs Greenbaum. Plus all of her meanness doesn't even make sense when SHE is just as nosy! She jumps to conclusions about people and their relationships, makes horrid comments about them TO THEIR FACES, and constantly tells people, "I'm not interested in what you're saying." She has major beef with Bryan Duggan but is also like "omg no wait, he's hot? How can this be? But he's so rude. I hate him." Girl, you're not fifteen. You're, like, forty. Start acting like it. Seriously -- Edie is so mean and antagonistic to Bryan whenever she meets him, and then when he has the gall to give even a fraction of the same antagonism back to her, she shuts him down for "being rude," because she "doesn't owe him anything" and "doesn't have to take crap from him." WTF??? THIS ISN'T A CW TEEN DRAMA. THIS IS A FULLY GROWN ADULT WOMAN TRYING TO SOLVE A MURDER IN HER HOUSEEEEE!!!

4) and speaking of that ... The plot of this book is that Edie inherits a house and finds a body in it, right? RIGHT??? So why does the body not show up until 1/3 of the way through the novel? I am not kidding. I read this on my Nook and it is exactly 30% of the way in that the body and the MURDER MYSTERY show up. Everything before this is just confusing petty family drama where Edie thinks she's sooo much better than everyone there because she's not a small-minded, small town farm girl, she's SO HOT and SO TALL people can't even get over how TALL and THIN she is. Oh, yeah, and the super sexist jock firefighter/cop/town bully is SOOOO into her because she's SOOO HOT but she rejects him because she's better than him, but he's just a dumb hick jock cop so he just stares at her BOOBS all the time because men have never seen BOOBS until EDIE showed up to town!!! And then Beth GIGGLES about it because omg EDIE has BOOBS?!?! And men SEE them with their EYEBALLS??? HEHEHE it's SOOOO funny!!! Shut up. Again, these women are, like, forty. Not fourteen.

5) Where TF does this story even take place?!?! Edie flies in from Australia, but the descriptions sound like somewhere in the English countryside. But then a character randomly mentions The Great Lakes, implying this takes place in the northern part of the USA??? And the layout of the town is so confusing because it's a ~small town~ but actually it's huge, and also there was a river that they flooded, but it's by a lake, and also there's SUPER DANGEROUS CLIFFS (but they're only mentioned in the very last line because they didn't matter until then). It's also confusing because the author seems to use non-American lingo, so idk if this is like ... the Canadian side of the Great Lakes?? But it's weird.

I hate this book and I hate Edie Doyle. I wish Edie had been boarded up in Jane's house and then died in a fire. It would've been so much more pleasant. I was actually waiting for Edie to get killed and then for it to be revealed she's actually NOT the main character, she was just the horribly-written love-to-hate-them character introduced for an extremely satisfying death. Alas, my dreams were crushed.

I only finished this because I needed another book for my book challenge. I hate you, Edie Doyle. You've ruined my life and wasted my time.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. There were too many characters being introduced to quickly. And a lot of mystery surrounding Edie’s past was never cleared up in the end. So why introduce them at all? Not sure I will read more in this series.

[Erin Easton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. A lot going on and a lot of angry characters.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young woman inherits her elderly aunts home. Then a body turns up in the cold house. Her car is vandalized twice and someone starts rumors about her past. Her house was vandalized but nothing stolen. All weird things. And then the cold house is burnt to the ground in arson. The body turns out to be her neighbors daughter and then the dead woman’s house Is also set on fire and a body is found in the remains. An excellent mystery with a compelling main character. I have already found the next in series. It’s too bad there re only 2 so far.

[MinglingThreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite good, it is a fun enjoyable read. I began it last evening and continued to read through to the last page.
A smart sassy main character with a tragic past. There are intriguing hints of a mystery to the main character. The late Great Aunt Jane is a very interesting character and I hope more about her and the journals will be in future books.
I look am looking forward to reading more of this series and more by this author.

The Lost Villages which were permanently submerged by the creation of the Saint Lawrence Seaway gives the hint that this book is set in Canada.

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I would never consider this a cozy mystery. There was nothing cozy about it. The main character was stiff because of her horrible and vague childhood. Too many characters to keep track of and the ending was rushed and vague but that's just my opinion. Had a hard time getting through the second half of the book.

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like anyone in this book.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a really hard time getting into this book...the beginning was a bit too complex for me to get invested (so many different characters to keep straight!!) but I did enjoy the last 25%
(Giveaway)

[Lindsey's Literary Leanings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too Far To Fall By Shane Sawyer (An Edie Doyle Mystery)

Genre: Murder Mystery/Contemporary Fiction
#voraciousreadersonly
Edie👩‍🦰 arrives in the sleepy town of Isaacs Landing to attend to the affairs of her late Great Aunt Jane.👩‍🦳 On entering the house, she is confronted by chaos. The place looks like it has been ransacked. Oddly though, there is no sign of a break in & nothing has been broken or damaged. After the police depart, 👮‍♂️ she hears a noise coming from the other end of the house & is faced with a man 👨 when she goes to investigate. He says he has a key 🔑 & has been keeping an eye on the place since it has been vacant. Believing him to have been the perpetrator of the disarray that had met her on arrival, she is surly & abrupt with the stranger & she tells him to leave. The next morning, her neighbour Mrs Greenbaum, 👵 invites Edie to afternoon tea 🫖☕ by way of her neice Beth.👱‍♀️ Edie 👩‍🦰 is reluctant to accept the invitation as she really isn't interested in getting to know anyone since she isn't intending to stay long. But as Beth 👱‍♀️ seems adamant to not take no for an answer, she reluctantly accepts. During their 'meet' Edie 👩‍🦰 discovers more from the old lady about Jane👩‍🦳 than she was expecting. However, having been estranged from her relative & not having attached any sentiment to her loss, Edie👩‍🦰 finds it hard to relate to what she learns. Is all that about change with the discovery of long forgotten diaries? 📚 entrusted into the safe keeping of Margaret & Beth.👵👱‍♀️ Edie soon finds herself caught in a Web 🕸 of lies, deceit, resentfullness & fractured relationships.💔
A complimentary copy of this novel was sent to me directly from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Not normally one for murder mysteries, I was sceptical about this book, but drawn to the cover, as ever (a burning building). I didn't take to the central character Edie at first, as I felt she was ignorant & rude with the people she came into contact with, but as the book progressed, I began to understand why she was like that & warm to her, particularly given what she had to contend with. The variety of the different characters & their separate, yet connected parts within the plots are very well thought out & connected. The narrative flows & applies logic within its thought patterns. I also very much liked that, as the reader, you feel that you are uncovering the 'whodunnits' with Edie. It is also very clever how the author offers solutions to the various crimes in the story without them having the finality of the conclusion that you would expect maybe leaving the story open for another novel. I was gripped from the first chapter wanting to know the connections of all incidents throughout & the part each individual played. I will be continuing to support the work of this author.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful mystery centered on Edie, a young woman who inherits a property in a small town from her aunt, Jane. The moment she opens the door to her aunt’s home, she knows something is wrong. Someone has broken in and ransacked the entire place, and the police are nice but not overly concerned. The next day, her car has been defaced with a key and her tires slashed. Again, cops are nice, but not overly concerned. In fact, they don’t get too concerned until the dead body is found and the fact that Edie hadn’t even come to the area yet when the death happened doesn’t stop at least one cop from speculating that she is a killer.

The town comes across as a frankly evil place. I’m not sure that was the intention, but there are so many mean people who relish spreading malicious gossip that it doesn’t come across as even slightly friendly. That’s good for the mystery, because Edie hadn’t actually intended to stay in her aunt’s property, but she has a mulish streak within her and when she’s pushed, she pushes back. That’s not good for the bad guys, because their efforts to get her to move on are having the opposite effect.

So why is someone so anxious to get Edie to leave? That really is the heart of the mystery that results in deaths and property destruction galore. At the same time, Edie has profound personal issues of her own to resolve that have to do with her parents dying when she was seven years old and her Aunt Jane turning her over to another aunt and uncle who mistreated Edie in some fashion and institutionalized her. There are a lot of angry feelings there, many of which are directed at the deceased aunt, and they make Edie a very complex character. She did not like her dead aunt and yet, finds herself trying to fulfill her wishes in the face of a hostile town. (Not that everyone is terrible, just almost everyone.)

This one’s a page turner. My one complaint is that a lot of the side and personal issues still have to be resolved at the end of the book. That was very frustrating until I realized that this is the opening act in a series. Now I’m anxiously awaiting the next book.

[Paige Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love small town mysteries, then you will love this new series by author Shane Sawyer featuring lead character Edie Doyle. Edie has just moved to the small town of Isaac's Landing after her great aunt Jane has passed away, leaving her house as an inheritance. Edie is unsure why a relative she hardly knew would leave it to her, but looking for a fresh start delves into a new life.

Unfortunately, things get complicated as a break in, fire, murder, and almost being run over lead Edie to delve into the secrets of the past of the local inhabitants. Unfortunately, her own past is not making things easier amongst the rumor mill of the town. Only those like her neighbor Beth and her gran and a kind cop are helping her to track down the truth behind all the strange happenings.

For the beginning of a series, you have to get to like the characters who you know will be with you for awhile. I did enjoy getting to know Edie. She is spunky, and definitely persistent considering all that happened to her throughout the book. Being a small town story, the main things is keeping all the various characters straight, and I feel the author did a good job of that. They were interesting enough to keep one engaged,

As for the mystery itself, I enjoyed trying to figure out who the culprit was. It was obvious, which was a plus, but not too drawn out, either. I felt the ending was satisfactory, with the exception that the person responsible said that they were not responsible for one piece of the crimes, and that another was responsible for that, but there did not seem to be any resolution to that particular character having to take any responsibility for their action. But for the main antagonist, the conclusion was suspenseful and wrapped the story up well.

I look forward to Edie Doyle's further adventures. There is a second book now available. I receive this book in return for a fair review.

[Mr. Bohemian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hello, I'm Nurse 911, aspiring assistant of Doctor 2. I am contractually obliged to remind you of his rugged phrenology, frequently found amongst his scattered modeling and acting gigs. In his office, we arrange appointments for indie books. As I was recording preliminary information from the patient, I had discovered our main character, Edie, to be quite the resilient but nervous wreck. The patient is a mystery genre and the first in the series. The story takes place within a small town of Isaacs Landing where Edie has moved into her aunt's old cozy home. Although her aunt is dead, the small communities' history, as well as the strange behavior of townsfolk begin to encroach upon Edie's doorstep to threaten her peace of mind and even her sanity. Our patient seemed average, to say the least. As she went through the motions of discovering truth while fending off villagers, I was sated, but not amazed. My prediction is that our patient will make a wellness boost by the start of the second installment of the series. This patient is active but concernable at three out of five stars.

Fresh patients every week! Click the banner to explore previous appointments.

[Marsha Rafalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 rounded to 4.0)

Edie Doyle has inherited her Aunt Jane’s house in the small town of Isaac’s Landing. Edie lived for a few weeks with aunt Jane after her parents’ death before being permanently placed with another aunt and uncle who had two children. Now Jane is dead and Edie is dealing with the gossip and judgement of small town citizens with nothing much to do.

When Edie arrives she finds that the house has been ransacked—nothing missing but every nook and cranny has been searched. There is a frozen body found in her food cellar, an arsonist is setting fires—and there is another body found in a burned building. Edie is getting acquainted with Jane’s friends and neighbors but the threats continue to get more personal and more serious. At the same time, Edie is getting fond of some of the residents and actually wants to get her hands into the garden. The resolution at the end was a good ending.

This is the first book in a planned series (Edie Doyle Mystery series). The author has developed a likable main character and some endearing neighbors. I enjoyed this book and will look forward to the next one. Recommend to readers who enjoy cozy small town mysteries.

[Patty Baumeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Book Review
Too Far To Fall
A Novel Written By Shane Sawyer
Fiction - Mystery
Published 2016
252 Pages
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is Book 1 in the author’s Edie Doyle Mysteries Series.

Edie Doyle is the main character. She has just inherited her aunt’s home in Isaac’s Landing. This quiet small town is not as peaceful as one would imagine. Edie is not welcomed with open arms by many of the townspeople. Since her arrival, there have been two deaths, two fires, a break-in, and vandalism to Edie’s car. The town has a cast of quirky troubling characters.

This book is well written and is very descriptive. It took a while to understand the title.

There is a bit of a twist in the end. Not all mysteries were explained. Perhaps that is coming in Book 2 of the series.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A home was left to a relative . She actually had left that town when she was young. But now had to go back. Alot of people in that town didnt want her there. There were mormons and men who had more that one wife sort of like a cult. Never wanted the police to stick their noses in their business as they said. She found out she had a sister unknown to her part of that clan family. Someone told her she was missing. But couldnt get any info from the family other than she left on her own and she fine. Mind your own business and dont come back again. But she refused to ignore them . Seems 2 other young girls from this town also are really missing. So she did her own investigating even tho so many bad things were happening to her.

[Ainee Beland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty little town—An inheritance—A break-in—A body = who done it!

Edie Doyle may be new in town, but she’s about to uncover long-held secrets. Secrets someone will do anything to protect. When her Great Aunt Jane dies, Edie inherits her house—and a load of trouble. The frozen corpse is just the beginning.

This is a delightful murder mystery; who can she trust? Her binocular-wielding neighbor or the handsome pub owner? And what about the motives of a dead woman? Jane abandoned her when she was a child. Why make Edie her heir now? The dead woman wants to make amends for long-ago and lost opportunities.

Delving into the past is always dangerous. This time, it could be deadly. Yet, in the end; Edie survived and made-out-well-and-good! This was an enjoyable read.

[Carina Braga · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a reasonable small town +  amateur detective type of mystery. 
A great-niece inherits a house after the death of her aunt but she falls head first into trouble and murder victims. 
Since this is the first volume in a trilogy, it's normal to leave open subjects to explore further in the next books, but I would prefer that the characters were fleshed out a bit more, specially the protagonist.
The different mysteries and victims that were weirdly interconnected were interesting enough and would probably work better if there were more pages and a longer timeline.
I'll give the rest of the books a try.

[Ylva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good mystery and this was on the way there. I loved the start of the story and how the main character is coming into this new community and dealing with being known of without being known, but i found the pacing of the mystery to be a little too fast. The ending was a surprise, which i always love as i tend to be able to predict it. I found some aspects to feel unresolved mostly because while we as the reader gets some insights from other characters, the main character does not.

3 stars because while the story was interesting, and the mystery kept me going - I prefer my books tied up into a neat bow, but this left some loose strands.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really good read. It intrigued me by giving out little pieces of information gradually, just enough to spike the interest but never enough to spoil the twist.

The ending was a little rushed and a lot of dialogue explanation, which could’ve been executed a little better.

In saying this, I didn’t expect the ending and it was a good twist. I would have liked complete answers but then again a bit of mystery is fine.

Overall, I congratulate Shane Sawyer on a great debut novel and would recommend this read to fans of mystery/thrillers.

[Robin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a new to me author, and I wasn’t sure that I was going to like the main character at the beginning, but Edie grew on me as she was pulled into the mystery against her will. Great cast of characters, lots of action, and twists and turns in the mystery that kept me guessing for most of the book. A definite page-turner, I stayed up to finish the book in one sitting. I look forward to reading Edie Doyle’s next adventure. I received and ARC of this book from the author via Voracious Readers and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

Took me a little while to get into it, but I was pleased that I did. The characters are interesting and solidly real (a glimpse into their history really helped). The story line was well crafted - I didn’t guess who-dun-it, and the ending leaves something for the subsequent books to explore. The ending was unusual, and perhaps more true to life than expected. Overall, very satisfying and enjoyable.

[Reed Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh. main character was pretty obnoxious the whole book. there wasn’t even enough information about our antagonist throughout the book for me to be that shocked or even care at the end when everything was revealed.
i don’t think there was a single character i really liked. nothing in this book really pulled me in.

a 4.1 rating overall here, so it may be a good book & i won’t discourage reading it, but it’s not for me.

[Imogen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, I liked all the twists and turns.

I must say this is the second book that I have read from the author and I don’t know if they just have a different style of writing or if the characterisations and conversations between characters just lack a little bit of sustenance, but I just don’t normally read books like this.

I do love reading a good mystery book and I like how you suspected different people and didn’t see it coming!

[Skater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful start

Inheriting houses seems to have become the standard in cozy mysteries, but in Shane Sawyer’s first book in a new series, it actually works to introduce us to new characters, not so nice gossipy townsfolk’s, and of course murders, new and old. The dialogue is smart and snappy. The plot is well crafted, and not 100% resolved. Our heroine is a complex mystery herself. Can’t wait for the next one.

[Teryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love characters that grow within the context of the story, and I loved the main character. She's witty, street-wise, and very mysterious. The author gave us enough info to introduce us to Edie's brand new world but left much unsaid and up to the imagination (like I said, "very mysterious"). I am dying to know more of Edie's backstory; as well as, what comes next in her life. Leaving me wanting more is the true hallmark of an excellent story.

[Sarah Sonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it. Edie is the type of charachter I love. She's sarcastic, has a dry wit and takes n prisioners. Her world was turned upside down when her parents dies when she was 7. She was temporaraily sent to live with a great aunt. Later raised by and aunt and uncle. The story there unwinds slowy. She inherits her great aunt's house and when she claims the property, in a small town, trouble starts. Deaths, fires, vandalism and one cop who is intent on blaming her. Nice twists.

[Victoria Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this - what a feisty, prickly, mysterious and very likeable central character! It definitely left me wanting to know more about her so I will be looking for the next book. All the characters were well-written - all intriguing and some imminently more likeable than others! A definite recommend.

[Ginabeanareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a couple chapters to get into it but once the drama started with all the towns people I was hooked. The ending was surprising to me (usually I can guess them pretty quickly). I like how it was written to change the perspective of characters at some chapters. Would recommend to a friend. I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only

[Eirlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

Edie arrived at her deceased aunt's house, and found herself thrust into secrets and danger. I liked how her character evolved as she interacted with her neighbours. There were mysteries and deceit which led to violence. This was a great start to a new series of books.