Shadow of Doubt: A Kali O'Brien Mystery

Kali O'Brien #1

by Jonnie Jacobs

San Francisco attorney Kali O'Brien returns to her Sierra hometown because of her father's death and finds herself coping with a pregnant and grief-stricken dog, the murder of an old high-school friend, and a sexy local journalist.

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

291 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mystery. I liked Kali who is a San Francisco lawyer in Silver Creek to wrap up her parent’s estate after their death.
I was surprised by who the murderer turned out to be and the subsequent revelations.
Hope to read more in this series .. a keeper.
[PS: Liquor is prominent. Fornication.]

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story. It took a while since I was only able to read a few pages a night. I thought the characters were realistic and that the authors writing style suited me. The characters were well developed. I didn't like the end. I felt rushed in the last 30 pages or so. It felt disingenuous to have a killer with a very contrived reason. I felt let down at the end. Seeing that this was one if the first In a long line, I will definitely read additional books on the series.

[Helen Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

It kept me guessing right up to the end!

Enjoyable suspenseful read. All characters were clearly described. Having this knowledge of them made the characters come to life. Love the personal touch of romance. Great story line!

[jacklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic starting tomorrow night

Sat up whole night reading last 5
chapter couldent put it down

Will definitely read more of your book tomorrow night

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Kali O'Brien goes home for her father's funeral she gets caught up in a murder investigation. She's trying to help her best friend from high school who is the prime suspect in a murder. Back in her hometown is strange bringing up feelings of nostalgia especially as she clears out her childhood home. Meeting up with her brother's best friend, who used to tease her relentlessly,has Kali reevaluating her relationship with her fiancee, who didn't come with her on this trip. Teachers and students at the high school factor in as clues add up. But none of it goes together or makes any sense to Kali. As she unravels the mystery she finds out about her neighbors, her hometown, the people she thought she knew. She just wishes so much of the evidence didn't point to her best friend because she cannot be the murderer. Kali will get to the bottom of it and clear her friend.
This was a fun read. I felt like I got to know the characters well.

[Cathie Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Characters were well developed. Plot and storyline showed a lot of twists and turns. Some good humor. Loved the dog! Some good suspense. Kept me engaged. It slowed a little about 2/3s of the way through but picked up nicely at the end. Highly recommend.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda, Elkton patron, July 2019, 4 stars:

A slow starter, but a great mystery.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Shadow of a doubt with Kali O'Brien, June 26, 2012


This review is from: Shadow Of Doubt: A Kali O'Brien Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)
I've read all of the Kate Austin books by this author and many of the Kali O'Brien books as well. This author, Jonnie Jacobs, knows how to write a good mystery...good timing and plenty of suspense.

I actually read this book several years ago and when it became available on Kindle I thought I'd go back and read it again.

Kali returns to her hometown following her Father's death. Her brother and sister barely have time to pop in and then out again with one excuse after another of why they can't stay and help get their Father's things in order.
The author does a splendid job of making me feel at home with kali while she starts to separate all of her Father's belongings into piles after his death. While all this tedious work is going on Kali remembers about her mother's suicide and her feelings at that time. She felt so abandoned and didn't receive any consolation from her Father. Perhaps that was one of the reasons for her mother's suicide. During all this time Kali's father's dog, Loretta, seems to need a little more consoling than the rest of the family.

Then Kali gets invited by her old friend, Jannine, for a bar b que. Just what she needed. A little time away from all this pressure.

Jannine's husband, Eddie, appears to be quite the jerk by making a play for Kali while at the bar b que. And Kali let's him know it in no uncertain terms.

On Sunday Kali reads in the newspaper that Eddie's body had been discovered by a backpacker in the woods. He had been shot at close range. At first Kali thinks of her friend but decides against calling just now.

What's behind Eddie's death? Who had it in for Eddie and why? Can Jannine shine any light on her husband's death?

I recommend this author and this book. I also want to recommend the Kate Austin series by this same author.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kali, a lawyer at a big time firm in San Francisco returns home for her father's private funeral service and to take care of his belongings. She hadn't been home in about three years and felt that her father had little feelings for either her or her siblings and hadn't offered them much support after their mother died. While at home, she stops to visit her long time friend Jannine and attends a Bar-B-Que where she catches up with her. Her intention is to clear up her father's affairs quickly and return home where she is waiting to see if she might possibly be named as a new partner in the firm. Things change rapidly when Jannine's husband is shot to death and all the evidence points to Jannine as the killer. Kali believes firmly that Jannine who seemed to really love her husband and had four children by him didn't do it. She decides to stay to see if she can possibly help out in any way if only to make sure that the police don't overlook anything and take the easy way out by arresting Jannine for the crime.

The mystery is well written and keeps you turning the pages to see who the killer was. It keeps you guessing right up to the very end. Well done and now I have a new author to add to my list!
PS I was able to get this book for my Kindle for free. Nice deal!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

the lady lawyer went to her dads to clean out the house after he died. her old friends husband was murdered and the police thought she did it. her lawyer boyfriend wasnt there for her, not even the funeral. i was glad when he broke it off and she was involved with her brothers friend. she got the widow out of jail and found out who really killed the husband. she was almost killed by the principals wife who is the one who killed the husband and her own. he took photos of underage girls he had sex with and she was ok with that but not his getting caught. it was a good book except the end didnt show what happened to her dads pregnant dog. im going to get the next book and see if it continues!

[Marty]

Attorney Kali O’Brian returns to her small town in the Sierra Mts. for her father’s funeral and to clear out his house. She intended to return to Berkeley and her boyfriend in a week or so. Of course, things don’t go as planned. Right after her father’s funeral, her best friend’s husband was killed and her friend became the chief suspect. Kali is convinced her friend is innocent, but things look bad. Can Kali help prove her innocence?

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly well done chic lit mystery. An Attorney goes back to her home town to bury her father and take care of his estate. Shortly thereafter her old friend's husband is murdered and she begins to investigate. There is enough complexity in the plot to keep the reader involved and an ending that is pure chic lit.

[R. R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Kali O'Brian book. A typical police procedure book. Reveling the culprit is till the very end throwing the reader off in many wild goose chases, while also discovering the ugly reality of a quiet warm city. I also noticed that I read almost all the pages. Not much dragging on in description either. A good read in the police procedure section.

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this one (again, a Kindle edition but not a choice and not in my skill level to add it). I thought Kali O'Brien was believable and genuine and I loved that I could only figure out half the mystery before the author revealed the solution! I will probably read more of this series.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't started the series from the beginning, so this one wasn't what I expected. I'm still looking forward to more of the series because the book that I read was fantastic. This was good to but I'm sure it was just a building.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in a series featuring protagonist Kali O'Brien. I will probably read more.

[Toesnorth's mom]

not very good

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read August 2012

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ready for the next one....

[Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As she is trying to exonerate her friend from a murder accusation, Kali encounters old memories and mysteries from her own past.

[Lili · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is not enough substance in the plot. A friend suspected of killing her husband and of course Kali is fortunately on hand to offer help and support. A little lightweight.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the greatest book, but not the worst, either. Kept me entertained on a 4-hour flight.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best book, but not the worst either. It was free on kindle so I gave it a try.