Bitter Roots

Bitter Root Mysteries #1

by C.J. Carmichael

Dispatcher Zak Waller prefers working behind the scenes in the Sheriff’s Office of Lost Trail, Montana, but when a newcomer to the sparely populated town is brutally murdered—and the Sheriff is quick to pin the death on an unknown outsider—Zak starts his own private sleuthing.

On the surface Lost Trail is a picture-perfect western town, offering a simple way of life revolving around the local ranches and ski hill, but Zak knows the truth behind the façade. When his old school friend Tiff Masterson, whose family owns a local Christmas tree farm, moves back to town, the two of them join forces to get to the truth about the murder.

Bitter Roots is the first of three Bitter Root Mysteries.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Ebooks, Amazon, Crime, Mystery Thriller

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2017

About the author

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.

Visit C.J.'s website at http://CJCarmichael.com

For information on C. J.’s new releases and giveaways please sign up for her newsletter.
https://cjcarmichael.com/contact/#sub...

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiff Masterson returns to her hometown of Lost Trail, Montana, after many years away, only to find out that a young girl who worked at her family’s Christmas tree farm has just been murdered. Tiff reconnects with her good friend Zak Waller, who is the dispatcher at the local Sheriff’s office, and the two of them decide to work together to find out who the murderer is. I really enjoyed this story. The lead characters were likable. I loved the small-town setting and getting to know the people that lived there and their interesting subplots. The story is mild on the suspense, but overall it was an entertaining read.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to the very small town of Lost Trail, Montana.... where nothing exciting ever happens. Well .... almost.

A young woman is found brutally beaten and left dead at the back entrance to what passes as a hospital. New in town, no one seems to really know her. She had just started working at the Christmas Tree farm. So who would want her dead?

The sheriff rapidly comes to the conclusion that there could absolutely not be anyone from his small town ... obviously it was someone from her past. But there are two people who do not agree.

Zac Waller is the police dispatcher, a job he loves, although he's way over-qualified. He does more investigating than the Sheriff does. Nadine Black is the new Deputy.

On the surface, Lost Trail is quiet and unassuming ..... it's the underbelly that's filled with secrets and lies ... and murder.

I really enjoyed this story set in a small, small town ... where everyone knows everyone else....for the most part. It's well written, I can almost smell the Christmas trees. The characters are outstanding. Although there are no frantic chases or bodies falling, it's a constant, no surges of adrenaline. Quite enjoyable mystery.

Zac hasn't decided what he wants to be when he grows up, but right now he's very happy doing the job of dispatcher. He just can't help himself doing a bit of investigating himself. An old friend comes back to her hometown and while people think they are a couple .. they aren't. Zac has his eyes on Nadine, but not sure he wants to go there.

All the secondary characters are extremely reminiscent of small town life. The 90+ year old librarian .... the man who marries a woman in order to give her daughter a father. He has a huge secret that not even his father knows .. and how does he tell his new wife, who seems to have an agenda all his own? The couple who have adopted a brand new baby ... and even after wanting a baby for so long, why are they not happy?

Bitter Roots is the first of three Bitter Root Mysteries. No cliff hanger with this book.

I won this book as a give-away from Library Thing. So I wish to thank them and the author. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zak Waller is working as a dispatcher for the Sheriff’s Office of Lost Trail, Montana when he gets a call the morning after Halloween that a body has been found outside the medical clinic. A newcomer to the small town had been brutally beaten and left to die on her own in the middle of the night.

Tiff Masterson has just returned to Lost Trail when she hears that an employee of her family business was murdered. Tiff and Zak were friends and when the two run into one another again they can't help but put their heads together trying to solve the case since it seems the sheriff and deputies are set on proving the killer was not from their small town instead of following all the leads.

Bitter Roots is the first book in a new series by C.J. Carmichael. The book is a fairly short read but even with it being shorter I found there was plenty involved in the mystery to keep my attention and enjoyed the fast pace, page turning story.

The story has all the feel of a small own read with the characters all knowing one another but this small town has plenty of drama going on to keep a reader guessing what could have possibly happened to this poor newcomer into their lives. Zak quickly became a favorite character of mine as he tried to keep to himself and out of the law enforcement spotlight by insisting on staying the dispatcher but in this job had all of the insight to everything going on.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this one and look forward to reading more books from this series and from this author.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Ariana · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

Originally posted on: The Quirky Book Nerd

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is my first experience with C.J. Carmichael’s work, and sadly, I really did not enjoy Bitter Roots at all. You could potentially say that it left a “bitter” taste in my mouth. The synopsis sounded fantastic when I first found this novel—and it was an extremely quick read—but the plot was rather poorly executed. There was no aspect of this novel that was particularly memorable or that made me feel motivated to continue reading. Thankfully, this is a short novel, so I did manage to make it to the end, but there was really no payoff for my efforts once I got there.

First of all, I will admit that I had the wrong impression of this novel from the very start. I believed it to be a mystery/thriller novel, however I did not realize that the author is known primarily for writing romantic suspense novels until I looked it up on Goodreads. At this point, I had already agreed to read and review it, so I decided to give it a fair chance. And I did in fact go into this novel with no bias, lowered expectations, or belief that I would end up disliking it. The overall idea sounded intriguing, so I was still eager to give it a try.

This novel is a third person narrative that predominately follows the lives of three characters—Tiff, Zak, and Justin—as they navigate their experiences and relationships in the small town of Lost Trail following the murder of a young woman. Tiff, an accountant, has just made the difficult choice of moving back to her family’s ranch after her life in Seattle falls apart. Zak is the dispatcher at the local sheriff’s office who seems content with his life behind the desk, but uses his talents to inspect the murder case on his own time. Justin is a lawyer who is settling down with his wife and her daughter, though there are many unresolved issues floating around behind the scenes of this seemingly perfect marriage.

Tiff is still struggling to find closure after the deaths of her father and brother years ago, and to come to terms with her mother’s mental health, which seems to be spiraling even more out of control than it was the last time they were together. Tiff becomes involved in the search to find the killer, as the murdered young woman had been under her family’s employment, working on their Christmas tree farm.

Zak, with his inquisitive mind, cannot help but work on the case of the murdered woman, even though it is really not his place to do so. On top of this, he is rekindling a friendship with Tiff and dealing with his confusing feelings toward the new deputy at the station. And lastly, Justin’s storyline mostly focuses on his home life with his family, leaving him less involved in the crime solving area of the novel.

Sadly, the murder mystery aspect of the story took a backseat to the troubles, fractured relationships, and sometimes perverted musings of the main characters. Now don’t get me wrong, I always enjoy some family drama in novels, but I hated the fact that everything overshadowed a murder and the obviously shoddy detective work surrounding the case.

The plot was exceedingly slow and repetitive as well. The main characters spent most of their time being suspicious of one person and never even considering anyone else. Tiff and Justin also met up every few chapters and basically recapped, in great detail, everything that had just been read. It felt like we were never getting anywhere, until the last three chapters when Carmichael slammed down on the accelerator and plowed into the conclusion.

Comparatively, the plot wrapped up uncannily quickly and was far too rushed. The big twist was not very impressive—it was a surprise, but that was not enough to salvage the rest of the plot. It seemed very out of the blue, as the reader only gets to hear the most important information in these last few chapters. So while it is unexpected, it is unexpected due to lack of any information in prior points of the novel.

The characters and their personalities really fell flat for me. They were incredibly one dimensional throughout the entire narrative, and I found it hard to connect with almost all of them. I spent a lot of the novel feeling quite fed up with them and their choices. The only character I felt at all invested in was Justin. He was the most genuinely kind human being, and his relationship with his family really pulled me in.

Another positive factor of the characterization was the relationship between Tiff and Zak. Prior to even knowing there would be elements of romance to this novel (if you can even call them that), I assumed that this friendship between them would probably end up turning into something more. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they maintained a strong companionship throughout the narrative without falling for each other. This is honestly something that I personally see becoming much rarer in novels these days, so I commend Carmichael for making this choice.

One of the other positives about this novel was the writing. I didn’t have any real complaints about the style itself. I thought that Carmichael was a strong writer, and her experience and talent still shine through. This was one of the only things that pushed me to finish off the book. Her words flowed very well and this is what carried me so quickly through the narrative. Her descriptions, for the most part, were very detailed, but I wish there had been a bit more of them, and that she had gone about them differently.

There was a big downside to the descriptions, in my opinion. This was the aspect of the novel that left me feeling a bit offended. The only characters who really got any sort of detailed description were all the young and implausibly attractive ones. These people were mostly women, and everyone was “tall and slender” with unrealistically perfect appearances. This is another part of the novel that overshadowed not only the severity of the situation, but also the intelligence and capability of the females in this narrative. Overall, I was taken aback at this and quite unimpressed and annoyed.

I thought this might possibly be due to the fact that I am unaware of the common conventions of romance novels, but that is still something I’m unsure of. It doesn’t really excuse the moments of sexism and perverted thoughts that really angered me. For example, most of the men in this novel—especially Zak—were extremely focused on and judgmental of the appearances of women, and way too focused on leering at them.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend this novel or series. It was not at all what I was expecting given the promising synopsis. The story is very repetitive and lacks depth, and it is even mildly offensive at times—at least it was for me. Despite the writing itself being relatively good, there was nothing, in my opinion, redeeming about this novel, nor was there anything worth reading plot-wise. I would definitely be willing to try another one of Carmichael’s novels, but I don’t think I will be continuing on with this particular series.

[Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bitter Roots has been on my to-read shelf for several years and lately I've been working hard to clear that shelf. I'm so glad that I am because this is a book series I should have started reading when it first began. Set in a small Montana town, featuring a dispatcher who is far too intelligent not to be Sherriff himself, there is a murder of a young girl who has just arrived in town. Quick to dismiss the case as a product "no one in my town would do this," the actual Sherriff never really investigates the crime. Zak, the dispatcher, however suspects there is someone local who had ties to the murder victim and he sets out in his understated way to find the killer. There are wonderful characters throughout the story and I look forward to reading the entire series so I that I can keep up with them all and their small town.

[Una Tiers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bland. Way too much backstory.

[SOMDReigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery set in a modest, ranching town. There was plenty going on within this small town and many of the characters were suspects. The two main characters were interesting, as well as all the secondary characters. Zak was a different lead character for me. He was an underachiever, one that avoids the spotlight and I enjoyed his role. His character shows growth and I believe we may see a different career for him in upcoming books in the series. His longtime friend, Tiff, returns to town still dealing with the grief of losing two family members from over 20 years ago. I liked how she began to have more patience with her mother, be less judgmental and more accepting of her mother’s grief. Strong writing and the words flowed very well. I look forward to reading more books from this series as there are many great characters with stories of their own.

[Ronald Keeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first glance, I had the impression that Bitter Roots by C. J. Carmichael was a Western fiction novel. It is not. This is a story of a very small sheriff’s department in a very small town in a very small county where a murder has occurred. The victim was a temporary worker at the local Christmas Tree Farm, Riley Concurran, who had only been in town a little over a month. It was not a season for tourists. There were no mysterious strangers who had been seen by residents in a town where every stranger was scrutinized closely, and where every event was the subject of gossip at either the cafes or the Dew Drop Inn. All this meant that the killer was a local resident. Unmasking that person was the concern of the understaffed Sheriff’s Department.

The Sheriff’s Department of Lost Trail, Montana was both adequate to perform law enforcement duties required by the community and understaffed due to personnel peculiarities. Sheriff Ford was a small-town sheriff with an eye on elections. He would want to make sure the killer could not be a citizen (voter) of Lost Trail. Therefore, the search would be for someone in Riley’s background who would profit from the death, had committed the murder in or around Lost Trail, and who had fled. Deputy Butterfield, sixty years old, had a sense for when Sheriff Ford would be present and always showed up at work a few minutes before the boss. He would then find a patrol area that assured he would not be seen around the station during his shift. Deputy Black, a new female deputy, had yet to form work habits and did not have enough background knowledge yet to decide anything. Zak Waller, our main protagonist and hero, was the office dispatcher and did not want to be anything else. He had the ability and education to be a deputy sheriff but was an under-the-radar kind of guy who did not want to be the lead in anything. He had no investigative authority or power of arrest. But he was curious, much more so than the Sheriff or his deputies.

Residents of Local Trail who had any connection with the Raven Christmas Tree Farm, and that was almost everyone, would have their backgrounds looked at closely in a search for anyone who was a threat to or who had been threatened by Riley. Justin Pitman, son of coroner Doc Pitman, knew a lot of the darker secrets of the town, whether through lawyer confidentiality requirements or through his father who worked under doctor-patient confidentiality requirements. Justin recalled how murder victim Riley had visited his office with a vague legal question about culpability for criminal acts. She had not been sufficiently clear with her questioning and the lawyer-client relationship had not been formed. But he now wondered about the cryptic conversation they had. Justin had not pursued it as he was preoccupied with his new wife and newly adopted son. Willow had grown up in Lost Trail, had left it with Justin’s friend and Willow’s lover Paul. She had recently returned with Paul’s baby and a remembrance of a relationship with Justin. In his efforts to help her, Justin contributed to one of the darker Lost Trail stories by marrying Willow and adopting her baby. But Willow was not happy in Lost Trail and that occupied a lot of Justin’s thought.

Justin and Willow’s situation will be repeated many times in Lost Trail with only a change of names. In the small town, there were financial haves and have-nots. There were also have-nots who were residential originals, founders of the town, powerful people. This novel is very good in its character development of the individuals who make up a small town. There is the annoying retired high school teacher who pesters the Sheriff’s Department when high school students pester her with minor vandalism acts against property. She doesn’t know them except by name because she had taught their parents. There are the two sisters who run the Raven Tree Christmas farm, a local economic powerhouse, and employer of Riley Concurran. There was the new farm manager who had fortuitously arrived six months earlier to replace a manager of over twenty years who had abruptly resigned. He lived on the farm in a guest house that the returning Tiffany Masterson wanted to occupy. She had returned to Lost Trails after a meltdown in a high-stress job. She felt she could come home and help mother Rosemary and Aunt Marsha run the family farm.

Lots of well-developed characters and scenes make this a five-star read. There is more than one mystery surrounding the murder mystery. Most questions will be answered but I found one mystery only hinted at that was not developed at all. The dialogue surrounding it could have been left out of the novel and no one would have noticed. Maybe it is a topic for another novel in the series. This is subtitled “A Bitter Root Mystery so I look forward to other books in the series.

I grew up in a town the size of Lost Trails. The town had dark secrets. I was also a Sheriff’s Deputy. This novel felt like a visit home.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary electronic edition of this excellent police procedural from EBookDiscovery, publisher Tule Publications Group LLC, and author C. J. Carmichael. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read Bitter Roots, the first novel in this series, of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to add C. J. Carmichael to my list of favorite authors and recommend her work to friends and family. She writes a tense, well-versed mystery with folks you would like to know and her setting in a small town in Montana is so well-defined you can smell the snow. This is a series I will want to binge on.

This mystery involves the Lost Trail, Montana Sheriff's Department, adoptions, old age, murder, and the cycle of life in a dying town and a Christmas Tree Farm, all wrapped up in a pretty package of approaching winter in majestic mountains. The county in which the town of Lost Trail resides is inhabited by less than 3,000 souls, half the size it was 20 years ago. The young people leave for college or jobs never to return, downtown is shrinking yearly, families slowly fading away, and essential services are currently only available by traveling out to bigger towns around. Dispatcher Zac Waller's family once owned the local hardware store, long closed, and he is content in his roll as the County's Emergency responder and dispatcher. Newly hired Detective Nadine Black doesn't understand Zac's lack of ambition or appreciate his contributions to the workplace, but all welcome her as new blood is so hard to come by. Zac certainly appreciates the idea of a new woman in town...
REVIEWED on April 22, 2024, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo.

[Ted Tayler · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Wholesome entertainment"

Even with an opening chapter in which a young girl had been beaten to death on Halloween, this still managed to feel like you were watching the Hallmark Channel. A Christmas tree ranch in the lead-up to Thanksgiving. A prodigal daughter returning home. A constant supply of cookies and muffins. I could go on, but you've seen all the cliches before a hundred times over so you can fill in the usual cast of characters in a small town. The red herrings are convincing enough to keep you guessing and if everything isn't resolved at the end of book #1 there will inevitably be explanations in the two books that follow. What else did you expect? These wholesome trilogies are rolled out at regular intervals and despite not appealing to me they are manna from heaven for many thousands of readers. If you want an easy, clean read that washes over you like honey on a hot muffin and doesn't challenge you too much, dive in.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. Riley is new to Lost Trails, Montana when she is found dead on the steps of the medical clinic. Tiff has just returned home to the tree farm, after gone for many years. Dispatcher, Zach will use his own sleuthing to find the murderer.

Love the cast of characters, all with interesting lives. Many layered secrets in this small mountain town, that I really enjoyed. Loved the town library!! I can't wait to visit Lost Trails again.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bitter Roots by CJ Carmichael

Dispatcher Zak Waller prefers working behind the scenes in the Sheriff’s Office of Lost Trail, Montana, but when a newcomer to the sparely populated town is brutally murdered—and the Sheriff is quick to pin the death on an unknown outsider—Zak starts his own private sleuthing.
On the surface Lost Trail is a picture-perfect western town, offering a simple way of life revolving around the local ranches and ski hill, but Zak knows the truth behind the façade. When his old school friend Tiff Masterson, whose family owns a local Christmas Tree farm, moves back to town, the two of them join forces to get to the truth about the murder.
this is Zak Waller and Tiff Masterson’s story.
Dispatcher Zak Waller prefers working behind the scenes in the Sheriff's Office of Lost Trail, Montana, but when a newcomer to the sparely populated town is brutally murdered - and the Sheriff is quick to pin the death on an unknown outsider - Zak starts his own private sleuthing.
Tiff Masterson, whose family owns a local Christmas tree farm, moves back to town, the two of them join forces to get to the truth about the murder.
will Zak and Tiff get to the truth about the murder? read this book to find out.
I highly recommend reading.
Bitter Roots by CJ Carmichael is a wonderful well written 5 star book.
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
CJ's Books with Tule:
Promise Me, Cowboy
Carrigans of the Circle C
The 75th Copper Mountain Rodeo


Good Together
Carrigans of the Circle C


Close to Her Heart
Carrigans of the Circle C


Snowbound in Montana
Carrigans of the Circle C


A Cowgirl’s Christmas
Carrigans of the Circle C

Writing the Bestseller: Romantic and Commercial Fiction
Non-Fiction


Writing the Bestseller II: Romantic and Commercial Fiction
Non-Fiction


A Bramble House Christmas
Carrigans of the Circle C


A Book Girl’s Guide to Marietta


Melt My Heart, Cowboy
Love at the Chocolate Shop

Bitter Roots
Bitter Root Mysteries

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf

If you’re in the mood for a relatively quick murder mystery read with a definite small town feel, then Bitter Roots is a perfect story to get you started on this three story series (at this time). Zak may be a small town police dispatcher, but he has the heart and soul of a mystery sleuth hidden in that ‘can’t be bothered’ surface he cultivates. There’s a mystery in town and his fellow officers seem to be overlooking the obvious. He’s not above doing a bit of sniffing around since he’s certain the officials are on the completely wrong track.

Tiff knew of the most recent victim, they had worked for her family’s Christmas tree farm. The official story doesn’t make a lot of sense. When she meets up with a childhood friend they find that their thoughts on the murder and the department’s are very different. What makes them so sure it was an outsider? Zak and Riff end up doing some investigating of their own – and the results will be some small town surprises.

I enjoyed Bitter Roots. The small town feel is very realistic, and the suspects are numerous. Small towns usually hold a few secrets, but murder isn’t usually at the top of that list. Tiff and Zak were enjoyable to follow as they got to know the adult they’d each become, and figure out why the obvious is so hidden from the sheriff’s department. If you enjoy putting puzzle pieces in just the right spots, then Bitter Roots is a story and a series that you’ll want to get started on. Enjoyed this one and would recommend it to any Romantic Suspense or Murder Mystery reader.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Biter Roots - Bitter Roots Mystery Book 1
Author: C. J. Carmichael
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 4-25-2017
Pages: 206
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub-Genre: Adult Fiction; Crime; Police Procedural;
ISBN: 9781945879906
ASIN: B01N7WS2JG
Reviewed For NetGalley and Tule Publishing
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4.5 Starts


Dispatcher Zak Waller prefers working behind the scenes in the Sheriff’s Office of Lost Trail, Montana, but when a newcomer to the sparely populated town is brutally murdered—and the Sheriff is quick to pin the death on an unknown outsider—Zak starts his own private sleuthing. On the surface Lost Trail is a picture-perfect western town, offering a simple way of life revolving around the local ranches and ski hill, but Zak knows the truth behind the façade. When his old school friend Tiff Masterson, whose family owns a local Christmas tree farm, moves back to town, the two of them join forces to get to the truth about the murder.

I honestly don't remember getting this book. It is a lot more gory and darker than the mystery I usually pick up to read. Bitter Root was well written with strong chaacters. If you like in depth crime dramas then you will enjoy reading Bitter Roots.


My rating of "Bitter Roots" is 4.5 out of 5 stars.



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[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to LibraryThing and Tule Publishing for providing me with an e-copy of Bitter Roots by CJ Carmichael in exchange for an honest review. This mystery begins with the brutal murder of a newcomer to the small town of Lost Trail, Montana. Her name was Riley Concurran. She had been living out of her car and had a job at the local Christmas tree farm owned by the Masterson family. Tiff Masterson has recently returned home to get her life in order and help her mother run the tree farm. Because the deceased was not known by many in Lost Trail, the sheriff's department is not sure whether to investigate Riley's past or the short time she was in town. Zak, the police dispatcher, is an old friend of Tiff's and the two start investigating the murder on their own. The novel moves at a quick pace: there are several possibilities as to who killed Riley. This whodunit keeps you guessing till the very end. Good story, satisfying resolution of the crime, interesting interpersonal relationships. A very enjoyable read.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bitter Roots by C. J. Carmichael entertained me from beginning to end! It is a well written story that takes place in Lost Trail, Montana. We are introduced to the small town's residents: dispatcher Zak Waller and his coworkers in the sheriff's office, Tiff Masterson and her mother and aunt, Derick and Aubrey Sparks and their newly adopted baby boy Brody, Justin and Willow Pittman and their young daughter Geneva, and Kenny Bombard the new farm manager at Raven Christmas Tree Farm. The calm in Lost Trail is shaken when a young female newcomer is found brutally murdered. Friends Zak and Tiff begin to do some sleuthing and discover some disturbing facts. This book has a great flow to it. The characters are interesting and easy to imagine. Since I'm not ready to leave Lost Trail, now I am reading the second book in this series, Bitter Truth!

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this mystery. I was enthralled right up to the end.
Tiff is back in Lost Trail, MT after her life in Seattle crashed and burned. Zak is her high school friend, and dispatcher at the sheriff's office. Drama hits the small town when Riley, a newcomer to town who works at Tiff's family's tree farm, is found murdered in town. Zak and Tiff find themselves in the middle of solving the crime.
The cast of characters was great. I was in suspense right up until the end. I had many of my own theories about the murder, but this book was so well written that I couldn't be confident about any of them. There were several strong possibilities. I enjoyed the closure at the end, finally learning who killed Riley and the motivation behind it.
Great story!

[Shelagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved Bitter Roots. This story gripped me from the beginning and I didn't stop reading until the end. With one plot twist after another and several story threads to follow, I was utterly intrigued. The story is set in the tiny Montana town of Lost Trail, a place where everybody knows everybody else and their business and a place where it is hard to believe one of the locals might be a murderer. The characters in this story are beautifully rounded. There are just enough out of towners to make things interesting, and just enough hints peppered through the story to keep readers guessing. This is my favourite CJ Carnichael story yet.

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I found I couldn't put down.

Tiff Masterson moves back to her childhood home to find all is not well. Her mother is still suffering from the back to back deaths of her son and husband, a murder of a worker on the family farm and a new manager has moved into the guest cabin. Tiff and her long-time friend the local sheriff's dispatcher try to solve the mystery of who killed Riley and why.

It's a fast moving book with plenty of red-herrings to keep you guessing whodunit.

I received this book free in return for an honest review.

[KimberlyDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Trails seems to be the perfect town to live in, but it holds many secrets. When the sheriff doesn't want to follow the leads to find the killer and would rather blame an outsider, Zak begins his own unofficial investigation with Tiff. Following the leads to see what they uncover.

Bitter Roots is the first book in The Bitter Root Mystery series. This book is on the shorter side but it is full suspense and filled with unexpected twists and turns and easy to read. Looking forward to the rest of the series as I am sure there are plenty of secrets to be revealed.

[Loretta Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small town roots...

Run deep and spread wide. When you’re young all you look forward to is getting out, moving somewhere where there is some action, meeting new people and experiencing new things. But, many end up wandering their way back to where they come from. Family and friends are the most important things there are in this often confusing and difficult life we live. I really enjoyed the characters, the pictures painted of their lives and the lovely possibilities of what the future might hold for this little town’s citizens. Bravo! My many thanks for the author.

[Donnajo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily read a advanced reader's copy of this book

Bitter Roots by C. J. Carmichael, is book one in the Bitter Roots Mystery series. A great first book in a series. Enjoyed the small town, the characters and great plot. C. J. Carmichael knows how to write a good book that pulls you in from the first page. I'm looking forward to reading more books in the Bitter Root mystery series and more by this author.

[Marta Ratliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bitter Roots is a great book! A small town murder mystery with some love thrown in. There were a lot of characters in this book and they all flowed together. Tell you the truth I did not want it to end. Bitter Roots is the first book I have read by C.J. Carmichael and it will not be my last! In fact now I am starting Bitter Truth by her also. I wish I would have discovered her books before now!

[Karen J Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting new author for me

Excellently plotted book. The side stories were good and helped to provide possible suspects and possible new books in series. Likeable and believable characters. Editing was immaculate. I am a first time reader of this author, but a lifetime mystery reader. I think she is on her way to claiming a place among the greats.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bitter Roots ( Bitter Root Mysteries Book 1 )

Very interesting and entertaining storyline about a seemingly quiet small town that suddenly has an apparent murder. The victim was new to the town and the local sheriff would like to place the blame on someone from the victim's past rather than a local. But the police dispatcher is just as determined to solve the case.

[Murrel Lowry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author CJ Carmichael did a great job on this one. From the opening pages I was hooked. The cast of characters were believable and worked well together. Well worth my time and I'm finding this author is really good and I thank her for allowing me the privilege of accompanying her on the ride. Now I have to find the next books in the series.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wonderful Book!

I really enjoyed this book. The author makes you feel that small town feeling with her likable characters. I loved the story and plot. It has love and mystery which makes me want to know more about what is happening in more of her books which are to be continued. I am glad to have read this author’s work.

[Marianne Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it Straight Through.

The book is set in a location much like most of us would like to grow up in. Everyone knows everyone and they think they know what goes on. Even our small towns hide secrets that no one wants to know about. Eventually they come to light in the most unexpected ways. Time for second book in series.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really engrossing story. I thought I had the mystery figured out, but was completely wrong. I loved the combination of Tiff and Zak, even Deputy Nadine Black.

There are so many theories flying around in this novel that point you to all the wrong things that when you find out who the killer is, it takes you by surprise.

Great book, I look forward to reading the next one.

[Bernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bitter Roots is the first book in another excellent mystery series written by author CJ Carmichael. I look forward to reading more books in this series. Thanks to NetGalley and Tule Publishing for the advance copy.