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Mourning Dove Mysteries #2

Death Opens a Window

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BEST eBOOK SUSPENSE/THRILLER - New Apple Book Awards
BEST COVER OVERALL - New Apple Book Awards

Emory Rome is back in DEATH OPENS A WINDOW, Book 2 of the Mourning Dove Mysteries and the follow-up to the international bestseller MURDER ON THE LAKE OF FIRE.

As he struggles with the consequences of his last case, Emory must unravel the inexplicable death of a federal employee in a Knoxville high-rise. But while the reticent investigator is mired in a deep pool of suspects – from an old mountain witch to the powerful Tennessee Valley Authority – he misses a greater danger creeping from the shadows. The man in the ski mask returns to reveal himself, and the shocking crime of someone close is unearthed.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2018

31 people are currently reading
120 people want to read

About the author

Mikel J. Wilson

8 books128 followers
Mikel J. Wilson is an award-winning mystery and science fiction author. Wilson draws on his Southern roots for the international bestselling Mourning Dove Mysteries, a series of novels featuring bizarre murders in the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee. The series adheres to a “no guns or knives policy" and includes Murder on the Lake of Fire, Death Opens a Window and A Light to Kill By.

Wilson is also the author of Sedona: The Lost Vortex, a contemporary science-fiction novel centered on the unique mythology of this mystical Northern Arizona town, known for energy vortexes and alien encounters. The novel celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a special new edition in 2021 and the promise of a sequel in 2023.

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5 stars
81 (45%)
4 stars
64 (35%)
3 stars
25 (13%)
2 stars
8 (4%)
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2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for Linda Strong.
3,878 reviews1,710 followers
December 20, 2018
Emory Rome has been fired as a Special Agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and is now a partner with Jeff Woodard and Virginia Kennon at Mourning Dove Private Investigators. He's talking to a lawyer about suing to get his old job back, but he's not sure which direction he wants to go into.

In the meantime, he will do what he does best ... investigate death. In this case, a federal employee has blown in through a window on the 29th floor. Where did he come from? The cops are deciding if this was an accident or suicide... really???

And who is the man wearing the odd ski mask that seems to be following all of them?

What I enjoy most about this series of two (so far) is that the murders are on the peculiar side. This author adheres to the a "no guns or knives" philosophy for murder.

In addition to figuring out 'who' .. these Private Investigators need to find out the 'how' before they can find the 'why'. There are lots of suspects ... all seem to have secrets of one kind or another ... the man who has now replaced him used to be his boss before the other man was promoted ... his wife who seems to be having an affair ..and has just taken out a large insurance policy.... his therapist who may or may not be a real therapist.

I also really enjoyed the characters. Emory and Jeff have a budding relationship and Virginia has decided that she is much more than a secretary. I loved how they all relate to each other ... mostly with humor, maybe a little sarcasm.

Although this is second in this series, it reads easily as a stand alone. However, I do recommend starting with the first book ... MURDER ON THE LAKE OF FIRE.

Many thanks to the author / TBC Reviewer Request Group (FB) for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Profile Image for R.D. Kardon.
Author 3 books84 followers
August 15, 2018
I was fortunate to be asked to read an early copy of "Death opens a Window," Book #2 in the Mourning Dove Mystery series. Mikel J. Wilson did not disappoint! I was immediately engaged with the characters again, even more so this time as Wilson lets us even further into their pasts and backgrounds. The plot twists and turns will meet the expectations of Wilson's most demanding readers. And the cliffhangers at the end caused me to wildly anticipate Book #3. A truly engrossing read. Highly recommend.
Profile Image for Nicole.
177 reviews
October 25, 2018
If you like books filled with mystery this is it for you! I loved the first one of this series and I liked this one too!

It continues were it left of, with Emory having lost his job and trying to sue the TBI for that, so until all this is solved he is working with Jeff as a PI. Another case kind of falls on their hands. Jeff is his usual ridiculous self and made me laugh plenty.

There were lots of secrets and by the end of the book we have no answer and a little bit of cliffhanger, it just leaves us with a what did Emory find out. It only makes you want to read more!

The mystery is very well done, from the beginning it holds your attention and it continues to do so throughout the story. It’s pretty awesome!

The only issue I had is that we didn’t see a lot of their relationship evolve or anything at all. I guess the author is more focused on the mystery, I don’t know. It was just missing and the few kisses we get are not really fitting in there. I’d rather not have them. That is why I didn't give it full 5 stars.

Overall pretty good! I highly recommend it!
Profile Image for Darren.
2,045 reviews48 followers
December 5, 2018
I got this as a e book from tbc reviews facebook page that I am a member of. I enjoyed reading it. It is book 2 by this author in this series. It had a good story to it. I hope to read more books by this author.
Profile Image for Monica Mac.
1,694 reviews40 followers
December 30, 2018
Well, Emory and Jeff are back in another adventure, joined by Virginia, who makes up the threesome that are Mourning Dove Investigations.

After having read the first book in the series, I was a little bit wary of what I would find in this one but it was a pleasant surprise. The flowery phrases are far fewer although there are still some very odd sentences in this book and of course, physical descriptions of Jeff are sprinkled in here randomly, because I couldn't live my life without knowing how wonderful his pecs are, sigh, lol. I did wonder how Emory could dangle at the end of a rope, having been knifed in the arm, but hey ho, sometimes you just have to suspend belief a little bit.

Other than those little niggles, this was an interesting storyline and I found myself intrigued by this book, in a way that I wasn't sure I would be. It had a few red herrings, the man in the ski mask is back (although I still don't know what he is doing in the story, maybe by book 3?) and there was enough tension in the story to make me continue reading. I am not sure about Jeff though, he seems like a bit of a jerk! I think Emory could do better :)

Looking forward to reading the next book!

4 stars from me.
Profile Image for Sue Wallace .
7,402 reviews140 followers
January 17, 2019
Death opens a window by Mikel J Wilson.
As he struggles with the consequences of his last case, Emory must unravel the inexplicable death of a federal employee in a Knoxville high-rise. But while the reticent investigator is mired in a deep pool of suspects – from an old mountain witch to the powerful Tennessee Valley Authority – he misses a greater danger creeping from the shadows. The man in the ski mask returns to reveal himself, and the shocking crime of someone close is unearthed.
This was a good read but slow in places. I loved Emorys character.
I was surprised with the ending. Do hope there is more to come. 4*.
3 reviews
October 19, 2018
Emory and Jeff are back, and it’s another page-turner that will keep you on your toes the whole way. With Death Opens a Window, I particularly enjoyed how the author further developed the characters we were introduced to in his first book, even some of the lesser characters we get to know better now. If you enjoyed Murder on the Lake of Fire, you’ll want to be sure to check out this latest adventure for Team Mourning Dove as well. Looking forward to the next one!
Profile Image for Judy Churchill.
2,567 reviews32 followers
July 7, 2021
This second book in the series kept me on the edge of my chair! Lots of characters and I struggled at times to keep them apart. The book ends on an unfinished note. I immediately ordered book three. Good work Mikel.
Profile Image for Gary Boriero.
4 reviews
October 2, 2018
I was lucky to be given an advanced copy of the second installment of the Mourning Dove Mysteries, Death Opens a Window. I have read all of Mikel's books and this is my favorite to date. I could not put it down. It reads like a movie (take note Hollywood) and takes off where the first in the series, Murder on the Lake of Fire ended. After being fired from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Emory has Joined Jeff and Veronica at Mourning Dove Investigations, and their first case together finds them tackling another totally bizarre murder. In Mikel's world, there is never a dull moment. While the plot twists and turns, sometimes into kinky territory, we get to know all of these characters more intimately. Secrets are revealed and more mysteries are added. I love that Mikel added Veronica to the mix, she adds a perfect balance of energy and reason between the often anxious Emory and gregarious Jeff. This book does not disappoint. You will find yourself excitedly awaiting the 3rd book in the series. As far as I'm concerned, Mikel can't write them fast enough.
Profile Image for PaperMoon.
1,840 reviews85 followers
November 19, 2019
'Quirky' is how I would describe the murders/deaths in this series - they remind me of the 'impossible scenarios' set up by Robert Innes in his Blake Harte series, except with a larger doses of sass and snark between Emory & Jeff (& Virginia) in their sleuthing work. The 'voodoo' dolls raised the creepy factor quite a bit and the ending (whilst revealing the murderer) left me thinking 'what the ???' ... suffice to say it'll keep me coming back for more of this series.
Profile Image for Holly Kammier.
Author 6 books104 followers
October 19, 2018
I loved everything about this book! How does a man crash through a skyscraper window with no one around? The characters are beyond unique. The ending was near impossible to predict. I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for an entertaining read with unexpected twists and turns in every chapter.
34 reviews
June 21, 2022
Un livre policier que j’ai beaucoup apprécié, avec une enquête à nouveau très bien menée ! Des indices, des fausses pistes, des révélations. Vraiment, rien à redire de ce côté-là.
Le mystère de l’homme masqué s’épaissi. L’auteur nous en révèle un peu sur lui (cet indice et cette réponse, je les avais vus venir), mais on ne sait toujours rien de lui ni de ses motivations. Pourquoi ce harcèlement ? Pourquoi ce comportement ? Ca ressemble à un jeu pervers vraiment étrange. Heureusement que ce n’est qu’un livre parce que ce personnage me fait bien flipper dans ce tome 2.
Emery doit également prendre une décision difficile. Vu le titre de la série, je me doute de sa réponse, mais le suspens continue et les implications pourraient être intéressantes.
Par contre le dernier chapitre ! Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ! Si j’interprète bien… je ne sais toujours pas ce que je dois penser ! J’ai le tome 3 dans ma PAL et je vais l’en sortir rapidement, en espérant avoir mes réponses.
Profile Image for L.G..
553 reviews
August 15, 2023
2.5 Stars
I really dislike Emory in this book. He seems so unsure of what he wants, both career-wise and relationship-wise. Then there is all this shining detective, that is so high praised in both books, but I just don’t see much of what he does to deserve that. Jeff is also so focused on the publicity part of having a new partner, that it seem it’s all he does and cares about throughout more than half the book. To be honest, the more I find out about the characters, the less I like them. The mystery is ok-ish (if I don’t take into consideration that I suspected the killer as the killer from the first time Emory met them), but there are parts where I got so annoyed with the MC’s that I just considered giving up on the book. As it is, I wonder if it’ll get any better in the next book or if I should call it quits here.
Profile Image for Lissel.
549 reviews15 followers
April 14, 2020
* 3,5 STARS

The mystery was really good in this one, and to be honest, it’s what kept me Reading for a long part of the story. I’m saying this because at some point I started getting supper annoyed by Jeff to the point I couldn’t remember what I had liked about him in book one. Emory felt like he had left his personality home, he just seemed to be following the motions but bringing very little to the story. Towards the end it got a lot better. The ending got me so intrigued. I suspected the identity of the guy in the Ski mask a little bit before it was revealed, now we need to know his motivation. I have a hunch…. I guess we’ll find out in the next book?
Profile Image for Kelsey.
86 reviews
April 13, 2021
Worse than the first, the writing felt even more juvenile. The characters are all so flat and boring, the plot was flat, there are so many things going on that the author is alluding to but don't really work. It feels as though the author read about how to write a good mystery novel and then followed all the steps but lacks the feel that makes a book great. Instead of a mystery-thriller with a developing potential relationship and hints of dark pasts and a larger conspiracy, the random loose threads appeared and disappeared for no reason and didn't tie into anything, the relationship or non-relationship is confusing, and the writing is exposition heavy and feels clunky. The mystery part was okay. I would maybe give this author a chance again but not in this series and not at full price.
Profile Image for Chris.
654 reviews18 followers
April 27, 2021
This is book 2 in the Mourning Dove Mysteries. While it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading them in order.

Death Opens A Window has characters from book 1 so they will be very familiar to you as you read this book if you read book 1 first.

This is a VERY creative mystery. It was not something easily solvable, especially since there are actually underlying mysteries within the main mystery. It makes it so much more enjoyable to read a mystery that I don't know who did it by chapter 3.

Because of that not knowing who did it, I have to give this mystery the highest rating!

Great Job Mikel J. Wilson and please get book 3 out soon! Because I NEED to know more!
3 reviews
September 2, 2021
The 2nd book in The Mourning Dove Mystery Series by author Mikel J. Wilson was as captivating as the first. It opens with a bizarre murder, that has you wondering from the start. And we get a lot more character development with our main characters Emory, Jeff and Virginia. A lot of new side characters, as well as some from the first book. The story is captivating, and just keeps going. Just like the first book, lots of twists and turns, with so many people that are suspect. And we get more intrigue from the side story about the Emory's past. And there are even witches and a curse. Another page turner. The author is always one step ahead of us, until the very end. Mr Wilson is a gifted story teller.
2 reviews1 follower
October 19, 2018
In author Mikel Wilson's latest suspense novel, Death Opens a Window, we get to know Emory Rome in much more depth and are given even more reason to root for him. The author provides even more depth into the returning characters and introduces some new, fascinating ones. He brings back the eerie man in the ski mask and reveals his identity. It gave me chills, literally. Blown away!

I read the novel over the weekend and couldn't put it down. I don't know where Wilson comes up with these mystery murders, but I'm left gobsmacked. I really enjoyed it, more than I did Murder on the Lake of Fire so I strongly recommend it. 5 stars, for sure!
Profile Image for Beccy Thompson.
810 reviews17 followers
December 28, 2018
I was lucky to be given a copy of this book by TBC Reviewers thank you.
Most important thing to know- if you’ve not read book one do not read this first! The books directly follow each other so whilst you could read this it makes a much better story if you have a clue about what’s happening!
Mikel has continued to develop the characters in this series and their relationships with each other. These are the kind of books that you’re always happy to recommend (if you like a good crime thriller)
He really doesn’t disappoint and has created another crackingcread.
Thank you, I’ll be on the watch for book 3
Profile Image for Priya.
2,185 reviews76 followers
January 2, 2019
The second mystery in the Emory Rome series, this one has an unusual murder with a man crashing through the window on the 29th floor of a high-rise building with no obvious clue as to how he got there.
With his wife turning out to be the friend of Emory and Jeff's partner Virginia, they take on the investigation, sparring with and trying to keep ahead of the police the whole time.
With new things coming to the fore including some that are possibly related to spells and witchcraft, and a suspicious stalker on their tail, this is a race to the finish.
And it ends on the kind of note that makes you await the next book.
Profile Image for Suze.
3,900 reviews
December 29, 2018
Emory and Jeff are now on the same team, though at times this is debateable and Emory is always lookimg for a way out.
I enjoy their banter that leads to their friendship developing and occasionally they get closer but it all sort of happens by the by but we do see them getting emotionally closer.
The mystery of what happens to Becky’s husband is gradually unravelled with lots of sidetracking along the way and some dodgy practices!
Still some hooks to follow up so I shall be looking forward to the next installment from these guys
Profile Image for Ramcy Diek.
Author 6 books164 followers
April 29, 2020
This second mystery detective book by Mikel Wilson is about another intriguing murder.
And it's not just about trying to find out who the murderer is, or why the victim was killed, but also about how this could happen? How did the killer do it? It kept me intrigued throughout the entire book.
There were also a lot of intriguing suspects. Mixed in with Emory's personal drama, his superstition about being cursed by an old witch, and the relationship between the three main characters that make up Morning Dove, I found it an entertaining read.
Well done.
Profile Image for Samantha Turley.
900 reviews36 followers
December 21, 2018
Superb writing from Mikel J. Wilson and a action packed story. There were a lot of moving a parts to this one and I really liked the originality that Wilson brought.
This novel was very vivid in the descriptions, the writing really jumped off the pages and into my head. Suspense and Mystery laced throughout.
I felt like I got a solid understanding of the characters in the story. There was definitely a lot of action going on that will have readers flipping pages furiously.
Profile Image for Chris Tunnicliffe.
189 reviews4 followers
January 10, 2019
Another good read following on from Murder on the Lake of Fire. Emory and Jeff are working together to solve another crime. Both are keeping secrets from each other as their personal relationship becomes deeper. The man in the white mask is still intriguingly popping into the story but still is unresolved leaving this series open for another book.?. Hopefully. Could be read on it's own but better for having read the first.
Profile Image for J.C. Farmer.
Author 2 books10 followers
August 6, 2020
Mikel J. Wilson keeps the suspense high with Death Opens A Window. Emory and Jeff have a new case with an opening murder just as creative as the one on the first book of the Mourning Dove Mysteries. You’ll have fun guessing how such a murder could have occurred. Wilson is a master of the well-planned plot, and all the pieces come together. The ending is a thrilling sequence that will keep you turning pages.
Profile Image for Pat Eroh.
2,618 reviews32 followers
November 5, 2018
I think I have to go back and read #1 but it did not make this any less intriguing. Awesome twists with a compelling ending, this is a great mystery. I will go back to read #1 and look for the next book by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
16.7k reviews158 followers
November 9, 2018
He is struggling with the consequences of his last case when there is another murder. There are many suspects but he does not see a twist coming. What is the twist? Will he find out who did it? See what will happen

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Lisa.
3,526 reviews140 followers
November 24, 2018
An interesting mysterry which had me guessing until the end.
Emory and Jeff investigate the death of a man who falls through a window many stories high?
This is definately a mystery with little to no romance and no on page sex between the MCs.
The ending is good but it alludes to a third book to clear up a couple of outstanding things.
Profile Image for Pamela.
623 reviews30 followers
January 3, 2019
I received this book from TBC group page, and it didnt disappoint. I found it to be very intriguing, and an edge on your seat book. If you like books filled with mystery this is it for you. I loved the first one of this series, and I liked this one too. Over all its a very good book. I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Kelli Godfrey.
121 reviews8 followers
October 19, 2018
A great second book in the series!!! I feel like there were a lot of parts of the story that all kind of intertwined and that was cool. Definitely left me wanting more. Can’t wait til the third book to have some questions answered!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews

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