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Rim Country Mysteries #4
Deadly Payload
Dead birds raining from the sky. Poison in the water supply. Spies on the back porch.
A lifeless crow shatters the windshield as Rita Avery, her daughter-in-law, and her granddaughter arrive at Arizona’s Rim Vista Park. Rita dodges bird carcasses on the road home, where she finds her husband Cliff and son Travis gravely ill from a mysterious pathogen with no cure.
The CDC assembles a team to create a cure, but Rita doubts it will arrive in time to rescue Cliff, Travis, and dozens of her friends and neighbors.
In a race to save her family, her community, and potentially thousands more Americans, Rita launches her own investigation. She partners with a certified herbalist and a homeless war veteran dubbed Crazy Mary.
But the more clues Rita uncovers, the deeper she finds herself in the middle of a ruthless plot that could unleash a wide-ranging American disaster. And the culprits aim to stop her at any cost.
Before it’s too late for her loved ones, Rita must thwart the next attack on innocent civilians.
Murder, spine-tingling trips through Arizona’s rugged wilderness, and callous spies determined to spread havoc – this isn’t your average family outing!
A lifeless crow shatters the windshield as Rita Avery, her daughter-in-law, and her granddaughter arrive at Arizona’s Rim Vista Park. Rita dodges bird carcasses on the road home, where she finds her husband Cliff and son Travis gravely ill from a mysterious pathogen with no cure.
The CDC assembles a team to create a cure, but Rita doubts it will arrive in time to rescue Cliff, Travis, and dozens of her friends and neighbors.
In a race to save her family, her community, and potentially thousands more Americans, Rita launches her own investigation. She partners with a certified herbalist and a homeless war veteran dubbed Crazy Mary.
But the more clues Rita uncovers, the deeper she finds herself in the middle of a ruthless plot that could unleash a wide-ranging American disaster. And the culprits aim to stop her at any cost.
Before it’s too late for her loved ones, Rita must thwart the next attack on innocent civilians.
Murder, spine-tingling trips through Arizona’s rugged wilderness, and callous spies determined to spread havoc – this isn’t your average family outing!
270 pages, Paperback
Published July 17, 2018
8 people are currently reading
567 people want to read
About the author
Karen Randau
39 books364 followersA native of the southwestern U.S., Karen Randau is a bestselling and award-winning author of inspirational mysteries and thrillers.
Karen has been writing and telling stories since elementary school. She holds a degree in journalism/public relations from The University of Texas at Austin and enjoyed a long career in marketing communications.
In her work with an international non-profit, she traveled to numerous developing countries, witnessing famines, violence, and hopeful people working to overcome abject poverty.
She loves fast-paced mysteries and thrillers, especially those with intricate plots, lots of action, and rollercoaster-like twists and turns.
Karen has been writing and telling stories since elementary school. She holds a degree in journalism/public relations from The University of Texas at Austin and enjoyed a long career in marketing communications.
In her work with an international non-profit, she traveled to numerous developing countries, witnessing famines, violence, and hopeful people working to overcome abject poverty.
She loves fast-paced mysteries and thrillers, especially those with intricate plots, lots of action, and rollercoaster-like twists and turns.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 22, 2018
Dollycas’s Thoughts
“It started raining dead birds as I turned my Lexus into the driveway of Rim Vista Park. A crow thudded against my windshield, leaving a web-shaped crack and a red smear as it slid to the hood.”
Okay, Ms. Randau, with a first paragraph like that you totally got my attention.
I missed the first two adventures with Cliff and Rita but book #3, Deadly Choices made my Best Reads list last year and when they traveled to New Jersey in the novella, Deadly Reception, for their daughter’s wedding I went on that wild ride too.
This time Rita Avery faces that whatever is killing the birds could also kill her husband and her son and she feels it may be her fault. The entire community is at risk and people are dying. Her friend Taylor, a paramedic and herbalist tries her best to help the folks that will let her by adding herbal remedies to the treatment at the hospital. The CDC is working on a cure but it may be too late. Rita notices that a homeless war vet suffering from PTSD has picked up the virus too, but her symptoms seem more extreme but at a slower pace. The police force is down to a skeleton crew and the chief realizes he may need Rita help to solve this thing. But what she discovers is bigger than she ever imagined. This mysterious virus could expand and reach far beyond Arizona, it could be a threat to the entire U.S.
Rita Avery is a strong woman on a mission to first save her family and second find out who is behind this deadly pathogen and take them down. No matter how run down, tired or frightened, she doesn’t back down. She is brave beyond measure.
Readers are taken on quite a journey with Rita. There are many edge of the seat moments. In fact, in places, it felt like a Michael Palmer thriller. Murder, spies, corruption, then add in treks through the Arizona wilderness and you have a story that is impossible to put down.
Ms. Randau makes this crisis intimate by involving the Avery family giving a wife and mother spin that pulls your heart right in. I was invested in these characters from the previous stories so I truly cared about the outcome.
Randau is an excellent storyteller and knows how to set a scene. Whether it be the Avery home, the hospital or in the middle of the woods, she takes her readers there with clear detail.
The story was complex with a lot of moving parts, false leads, twists, and surprises. Exactly what I have come to now expect from this author. She sure didn’t disappoint. This was another spectacular read!
While this is a series, the author does give enough background for this story to stand on its own so don’t be afraid to start with this installment.
“It started raining dead birds as I turned my Lexus into the driveway of Rim Vista Park. A crow thudded against my windshield, leaving a web-shaped crack and a red smear as it slid to the hood.”
Okay, Ms. Randau, with a first paragraph like that you totally got my attention.
I missed the first two adventures with Cliff and Rita but book #3, Deadly Choices made my Best Reads list last year and when they traveled to New Jersey in the novella, Deadly Reception, for their daughter’s wedding I went on that wild ride too.
This time Rita Avery faces that whatever is killing the birds could also kill her husband and her son and she feels it may be her fault. The entire community is at risk and people are dying. Her friend Taylor, a paramedic and herbalist tries her best to help the folks that will let her by adding herbal remedies to the treatment at the hospital. The CDC is working on a cure but it may be too late. Rita notices that a homeless war vet suffering from PTSD has picked up the virus too, but her symptoms seem more extreme but at a slower pace. The police force is down to a skeleton crew and the chief realizes he may need Rita help to solve this thing. But what she discovers is bigger than she ever imagined. This mysterious virus could expand and reach far beyond Arizona, it could be a threat to the entire U.S.
Rita Avery is a strong woman on a mission to first save her family and second find out who is behind this deadly pathogen and take them down. No matter how run down, tired or frightened, she doesn’t back down. She is brave beyond measure.
Readers are taken on quite a journey with Rita. There are many edge of the seat moments. In fact, in places, it felt like a Michael Palmer thriller. Murder, spies, corruption, then add in treks through the Arizona wilderness and you have a story that is impossible to put down.
Ms. Randau makes this crisis intimate by involving the Avery family giving a wife and mother spin that pulls your heart right in. I was invested in these characters from the previous stories so I truly cared about the outcome.
Randau is an excellent storyteller and knows how to set a scene. Whether it be the Avery home, the hospital or in the middle of the woods, she takes her readers there with clear detail.
The story was complex with a lot of moving parts, false leads, twists, and surprises. Exactly what I have come to now expect from this author. She sure didn’t disappoint. This was another spectacular read!
While this is a series, the author does give enough background for this story to stand on its own so don’t be afraid to start with this installment.
May 2, 2018
When Rita Avery's town is infected with a deadly virus, she's determined to find the terrorists who poisoned the water supply. With her son and husband critically ill, she has a strong personal investment. Before the bad guys can strike again, Rita strives to untangle a complicated murderous conspiracy. Rita captures the reader's attention with her smart investigation and courageous determination to to save her family and her town.
April 25, 2018
This is the first book in the series I've read, and I jumped in without a problem! I love Randau's characters, they're all so well written and grounded, and Rita especially is wonderful. The situations they are in made me incredibly tense, and I really enjoyed her writing style! Going to have to pick up all the other books now :)
April 27, 2018
Deadly Payload seriously kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the strong female lead and who doesn't love a Russian spy every once and a while! Such a thrilling page turner!
April 26, 2018
Deadly Payload is a perfect book for anyone who enjoys suspense with a strong female lead!
April 26, 2018
This thriller has so many twists and turns, from crime to poisoning to Russian spies! Very fast-paced and full of suspense!
August 22, 2018
This book starts with a shock (dead birds raining from the sky, anyone?) and the tension remains fairly steady throughout. Something in town is making people very ill and recently licensed PI Rita Avery is determined to discover what is going on in time to save her husband and her son.
There are some interesting characters in this book, including Mary, a homeless vet who suffers from PSTD, and Taylor, Rita's herbalist / nurse friend. Even though this is book #4 in the series, enough little bits of backstory were given that it wasn't hard to understand the relationships between the characters.
Rita is a fairly tough character without being wonder-womanish. It's nice to see that she can be frightened and has feelings like any other human being but goes on despite those things.
This story would have received a higher rating for me if not for the dialog. I enjoyed the storytelling portions, but the dialog didn't ring true. It sounded forced and somewhat unnatural to me, and that occasionally had the effect of pulling me back to reality when I had been immersed in the story.
Thank you to the publicist for a free copy of the book, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts / opinions are my own.
There are some interesting characters in this book, including Mary, a homeless vet who suffers from PSTD, and Taylor, Rita's herbalist / nurse friend. Even though this is book #4 in the series, enough little bits of backstory were given that it wasn't hard to understand the relationships between the characters.
Rita is a fairly tough character without being wonder-womanish. It's nice to see that she can be frightened and has feelings like any other human being but goes on despite those things.
This story would have received a higher rating for me if not for the dialog. I enjoyed the storytelling portions, but the dialog didn't ring true. It sounded forced and somewhat unnatural to me, and that occasionally had the effect of pulling me back to reality when I had been immersed in the story.
Thank you to the publicist for a free copy of the book, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts / opinions are my own.
September 7, 2018
As Rita Avery is on her way home with her daughter in law and granddaughter a bird falls from the sky and shatters her windshield. When husband and son are very sick. Others in the town are becoming sick and it looks like someone has poisoned the water. Even though the CDC step up to try to find a cure Rita knows that those she love won’t survive long enough for that cure. So she steps up and with the help of a homeless vet and herbalist/nurse friend to find a cure for the illness and stop whomever started this whole mess.
Rita is a great lead character. She is strong and willing to do whatever it takes to care for those she loves. Even if that means tangling with a Russian spy. Plus it helps that she has a couple of the best sidekicks to help her the whole way.
Although this is my first book from Karen Randau and I am in love. The description is wonderful and I was quickly drawn into the story. I was left on the edge of my seat and blown away by the ending. This is a great story and although it is the fourth in the series I had no problem figuring out what was going on. Now I want to go back and catch up on what I have missed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Rita is a great lead character. She is strong and willing to do whatever it takes to care for those she loves. Even if that means tangling with a Russian spy. Plus it helps that she has a couple of the best sidekicks to help her the whole way.
Although this is my first book from Karen Randau and I am in love. The description is wonderful and I was quickly drawn into the story. I was left on the edge of my seat and blown away by the ending. This is a great story and although it is the fourth in the series I had no problem figuring out what was going on. Now I want to go back and catch up on what I have missed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
August 6, 2018
I really enjoyed this mystery. I received this for free and voluntarily chose to review it. I've given it a 5* rating. This pulled me in from the first and was very fast pace. It had a lot going on and I needed to know what happened next.There were a few false leads which stirred things up a lot. I was pleasantly surprised by this book.
July 17, 2018
"Deadly Payload" was full of suspense, which is always good. I was a little confused at times; perhaps it was because this was Book #4 in a series, and I hadn't read the other three, or maybe it was just me.
but it didn't inspire me to go back and read the others.
but it didn't inspire me to go back and read the others.
July 2, 2018
Reads like an early draft of a promising novel.
September 24, 2019
Great author
These books are wonderful. Hard to put down with lots of suspense. Loved reading the whole series. Hope she writes more books.
These books are wonderful. Hard to put down with lots of suspense. Loved reading the whole series. Hope she writes more books.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews