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Leah Nash Mysteries #1
Dangerous Habits
Reporter Leah Nash has just returned to her Wisconsin hometown after 10 years away. She has reluctantly gone back to her old job at the local newspaper, expecting to spend her free time working on her book.
But when a nun mysteriously drowns, leaving behind a strange message, Leah's world is turned upside down.
The nun taught at a local school for troubled kids. The same school where Leah's younger sister died, years ago.
And according to the nun's message, there may be a connection.
DANGEROUS HABITS is the first standalone book in the Leah Nash series. If you enjoy murder mysteries with witty dialogue, clever characters, and unexpected twists, you'll LOVE Leah Nash.
But when a nun mysteriously drowns, leaving behind a strange message, Leah's world is turned upside down.
The nun taught at a local school for troubled kids. The same school where Leah's younger sister died, years ago.
And according to the nun's message, there may be a connection.
DANGEROUS HABITS is the first standalone book in the Leah Nash series. If you enjoy murder mysteries with witty dialogue, clever characters, and unexpected twists, you'll LOVE Leah Nash.
378 pages, Paperback
First published July 4, 2014
9334 people are currently reading
3281 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hunter
29 books193 followersSusan Hunter is a happy introvert who lives with her husband Gary, an extreme extrovert, in rural Michigan.
She spent some years as a reporter and then as the managing editor of a small daily newspaper. From there Susan went on to work at a university in publications and marketing where she honed her skills at appearing engaged in academic meetings, while internally composing her grocery list. She also taught a few classes as well—in English composition, that is, not in faking your way through meetings.
In addition to writing the Leah Nash series, Susan enjoys reading other people’s writing, watching classic films, occasional walks and snarky conversation with old friends and family, eating chocolate chip cookies, and answering emails from her readers. Visit her website, susanhunterauthor.com
She spent some years as a reporter and then as the managing editor of a small daily newspaper. From there Susan went on to work at a university in publications and marketing where she honed her skills at appearing engaged in academic meetings, while internally composing her grocery list. She also taught a few classes as well—in English composition, that is, not in faking your way through meetings.
In addition to writing the Leah Nash series, Susan enjoys reading other people’s writing, watching classic films, occasional walks and snarky conversation with old friends and family, eating chocolate chip cookies, and answering emails from her readers. Visit her website, susanhunterauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 336 reviews
March 10, 2020
I so enjoyed this first book in the Leah Nash Mystery Series. Author Susan Hunter nails her protagonist with her acerbic first-person narrative, allowing the reader to sit back, hang on, and just enjoy the wild ride. Leah’s small Wisconsin hometown is filled to bursting with characters, most of whom have deep layers and pasts they’re trying very hard to keep hidden. Everybody’s got a story. And quite a few of them will kill to keep their stories hidden.
There’s never a lull in this book; it shoots out of the gate and continues at a gallop, picking up more characters with dark pasts and a keen interest in keeping girl reporter Leah Nash off their trail. I thought it was first-rate craftmanship, continually introducing more suspects with dark secrets that would ruin them if the truth was ever exposed. Like a bloodhound dog, Leah cannot keep her reporter’s nose from leading her into trouble as her crusade to find out the truth about her sister’s death has her skating on very fragile ice.
I highly recommend this book and the series for anyone who loves a good multi-layered mystery with a side of sass!
There’s never a lull in this book; it shoots out of the gate and continues at a gallop, picking up more characters with dark pasts and a keen interest in keeping girl reporter Leah Nash off their trail. I thought it was first-rate craftmanship, continually introducing more suspects with dark secrets that would ruin them if the truth was ever exposed. Like a bloodhound dog, Leah cannot keep her reporter’s nose from leading her into trouble as her crusade to find out the truth about her sister’s death has her skating on very fragile ice.
I highly recommend this book and the series for anyone who loves a good multi-layered mystery with a side of sass!
March 4, 2019
Although a good premise, the story is weighed down by how irritating the main character, Leah, is. And because it's in 1st POV you can never get a reprieve from her. Also because it's in 1st POV, the other characters aren't as fully fleshed in as they need to be. The secondary characters have potential to be interesting but the main character is so self absorbed and everything revolves around her that you don't get any depth to any other characters. It's like going to lunch with friends and having one dominate the entire conversation and not letting anyone else get a word in.
A couple of good twists but the foreshadowing points you in the right direction. Ending was a bit of a disappointment.
A couple of good twists but the foreshadowing points you in the right direction. Ending was a bit of a disappointment.
December 11, 2016
This was an enjoyable, modern small-town mystery that kept me turning the e-pages pretty consistently. I won't bother with a synopsis, which you can read in the blurb. The characters were well done and I liked the narrator -- a youngish, intelligent newspaper reporter with a drive to investigate relentlessly, pretty much no matter where things lead. The tension builds in a steady way through the book, and the writing is good. There were a couple of interesting "bombshell" points along the way that twisted the plot, bumping up the tension nicely.
I liked it just well enough that I might read the next in the series at some point, although I think this one already ties up all the possible loose ends I could think of. And the writing is really AOK.
You can skip the rest of the text below because it's just a few nitty ruminations for my own amusement...
This it a total nit, but: the book contains a tremendous load of misplaced commas. By this I mean a lot of the commas seem to have snuck out for a quick smoke or something while I wasn't looking, and when they came back inside, they slipped into the wrong place in line. So they end up coming after a space instead of before a space. The book is simply rife with these undisciplined brats.
One place fairly near the end, having to do with a username/password issue in the book, made me roll my eyes twice and mumble, "Ugh. Srsly? Oh, please." But it was minor and I don't know if anyone else would see fit to mention it, if they even notice. LOL.
OK... One of the other strange things about the book also: it contains actual phone numbers and addresses. I mean, phone numbers are just printed, right there in full, without any "555" or whatever; no elisions, no "she gave me the number" allusions to avoid just blurting out actual numbers. And, amusingly, one of the websites mentioned in the book is a something-or-other-dot-com, which has a link on it in the text. (Probably some automated process during the production slipped in that link.) But when I went to the site, it turned out to be a parked domain name. Hahaha, for about thirty seconds, I considered snapping up the domain and uploading the actual memorial content that the book says would be there... Heh heh. But I was a good boy and sat on my hands.
Oh, right... Full disclosure: I got this book at no cost on one of those Amazon Kindle-freebie days.
I liked it just well enough that I might read the next in the series at some point, although I think this one already ties up all the possible loose ends I could think of. And the writing is really AOK.
You can skip the rest of the text below because it's just a few nitty ruminations for my own amusement...
This it a total nit, but: the book contains a tremendous load of misplaced commas. By this I mean a lot of the commas seem to have snuck out for a quick smoke or something while I wasn't looking, and when they came back inside, they slipped into the wrong place in line. So they end up coming after a space instead of before a space. The book is simply rife with these undisciplined brats.
One place fairly near the end, having to do with a username/password issue in the book, made me roll my eyes twice and mumble, "Ugh. Srsly? Oh, please." But it was minor and I don't know if anyone else would see fit to mention it, if they even notice. LOL.
OK... One of the other strange things about the book also: it contains actual phone numbers and addresses. I mean, phone numbers are just printed, right there in full, without any "555" or whatever; no elisions, no "she gave me the number" allusions to avoid just blurting out actual numbers. And, amusingly, one of the websites mentioned in the book is a something-or-other-dot-com, which has a link on it in the text. (Probably some automated process during the production slipped in that link.) But when I went to the site, it turned out to be a parked domain name. Hahaha, for about thirty seconds, I considered snapping up the domain and uploading the actual memorial content that the book says would be there... Heh heh. But I was a good boy and sat on my hands.
Oh, right... Full disclosure: I got this book at no cost on one of those Amazon Kindle-freebie days.
May 13, 2018
Review: DANGEROUS HABITS by Susan Hunter
(Leah Nash Mysteries Book 1)
DANGEROUS HABITS is the first in an exciting series set in small-town Wisconsin in a community on the declining edge of a failing economy, starring a smart, dedicated, obstinate, sarcastic, protagonist with whom I readily identified. Leah Nash is a journalist in her early 30's, a native of Himmel, Wisconsin, with a university degree, who has worked at print journalism in Grand Rapids and Miami. Probably she still would be, except she does not suffer fools gladly (not at all) and refused to let a neurotic boss unjustly accuse her of a potentially criminal act. So Leah finds herself back home in a shrinking community, covering small-town events and thankful for a job for the next six months.
The author suffused this series with so much emotions. She's not afraid to peel back the layers of her characters, nor to delve into serious crime and horrifying psychological disorders {might I say, evil}. Much of this story is heartwrenching, both Leah' s backstory and the ongoing events. I hated that such horrors happened, but they're true to life tragedies, crimes, and evil (just read your daily newspaper) and the novel is so fascinating I couldn't put it down, and leaped into the second in the series immediately.
(Leah Nash Mysteries Book 1)
DANGEROUS HABITS is the first in an exciting series set in small-town Wisconsin in a community on the declining edge of a failing economy, starring a smart, dedicated, obstinate, sarcastic, protagonist with whom I readily identified. Leah Nash is a journalist in her early 30's, a native of Himmel, Wisconsin, with a university degree, who has worked at print journalism in Grand Rapids and Miami. Probably she still would be, except she does not suffer fools gladly (not at all) and refused to let a neurotic boss unjustly accuse her of a potentially criminal act. So Leah finds herself back home in a shrinking community, covering small-town events and thankful for a job for the next six months.
The author suffused this series with so much emotions. She's not afraid to peel back the layers of her characters, nor to delve into serious crime and horrifying psychological disorders {might I say, evil}. Much of this story is heartwrenching, both Leah' s backstory and the ongoing events. I hated that such horrors happened, but they're true to life tragedies, crimes, and evil (just read your daily newspaper) and the novel is so fascinating I couldn't put it down, and leaped into the second in the series immediately.
April 13, 2018
I read a whole lot of books each year, and about 75% are within the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. An unfortunate byproduct of reading so many mystery novels is that it's now rare that an author totally surprises me with a twist. Susan Hunter manages to do just that more than once within this book. This story took me places that caught me totally off guard in the most fantastic way.
I love Leah's character. She's fabulously flawed and totally human. I especially appreciate that she is a strong and independent female who doesn't need a man to rescue her, fix her, or complete her.
All the characters are unique and fun to spend time with. I enjoyed the interplay between them. The relationships and the dialogue feel real.
While I love series fiction, I definitely prefer that each story stands on its own, and this book absolutely does. The major plot is resolved, with no cliffhanger making you feel like you have to read the next book in order to find out what happens. Rather than feeling forced on to the next book, I've been captured and hooked, so I can't wait to read the next one!
I love Leah's character. She's fabulously flawed and totally human. I especially appreciate that she is a strong and independent female who doesn't need a man to rescue her, fix her, or complete her.
All the characters are unique and fun to spend time with. I enjoyed the interplay between them. The relationships and the dialogue feel real.
While I love series fiction, I definitely prefer that each story stands on its own, and this book absolutely does. The major plot is resolved, with no cliffhanger making you feel like you have to read the next book in order to find out what happens. Rather than feeling forced on to the next book, I've been captured and hooked, so I can't wait to read the next one!
January 25, 2019
Giving three stars because the plot line was very good.
However, the lead character acts more like a 10-15 year old than a professional in her 30’s. She doesn’t grow up by thhe end of the book either.
The last section of the book was over the top with murderers and deaths. How many murderers can one small town hold?
However, the lead character acts more like a 10-15 year old than a professional in her 30’s. She doesn’t grow up by thhe end of the book either.
The last section of the book was over the top with murderers and deaths. How many murderers can one small town hold?
April 16, 2019
This wasn't what I was expecting at all.....I was hoping for a female sleuth mystery as advertised but it's like the author also chose to try and make it comedic, but for me that spoilt it as it fell flat. She introduces us to this dimwit called Courtnee, a blonde, dopey receptionist who irritated me straightaway at the first encounter when she asks Leah if she's "...one of those middles. You know, getting messages from dead people." Like anyone could be THAT stupid. To add insult to injury, we then had her refer to the DeMoss Academy as Dumbass Academy.......I'd seen enough by then. It just made it all silly nonsense and spoilt it for me.
September 3, 2020
Stupid Leah
Leah is stubborn as a bulldog, but she comes across as an immature, stupid, child. She's a seasoned reporter, but accused anybody she came across to be a child molesting murderer. I didn't like her, so hard to enjoy story which was very long and had too many sub plots.
Leah is stubborn as a bulldog, but she comes across as an immature, stupid, child. She's a seasoned reporter, but accused anybody she came across to be a child molesting murderer. I didn't like her, so hard to enjoy story which was very long and had too many sub plots.
August 25, 2016
DNF
Oh honey, noooooo. Who would do something like this to a perfectly respectable manuscript?
I only managed to read two pages into this book, so my rating is based on the terrible, terrible formatting and layout. I normally would not take so much off for formatting issues but this was so incredibly bad as to be unreadable. The text is in a very tiny font, and is inexplicably crammed together in single spacing. The formatting is done improperly so the spacing cannot even be manually changed via my Kindle, which does not recognize the text. I thought perhaps the author had done a very unfortunate self-publishing job, until I read the title page (go look on Amazon, you can see this for yourself in the preview) and saw that the layout had been sourced out to a company, Pen Oaks, that is so bad they even misspelled their own link in the front matter. It's listed as "www.penaoks.com." I see we have found the unprofessional source of the problem.
The text appears to have been either written by a competent author or read by beta-readers, it's in acceptable and readable shape (other than the format), but still contains numerous errors that pop up often enough to be distracting. The cover art is passable but still looks cheap and inexperienced.
In short, this is the worst kind of tragedy in ebooks: A manuscript with potential, possibly even a very good story, that I assume a talented writer spent a long time working on. It's ruined by publishing mistakes so serious that the experience is destroyed and I cannot recommend it to anyone. If the author corrects these issues and offers a re-release in the future, I will be more than happy to change my review.
Oh honey, noooooo. Who would do something like this to a perfectly respectable manuscript?
I only managed to read two pages into this book, so my rating is based on the terrible, terrible formatting and layout. I normally would not take so much off for formatting issues but this was so incredibly bad as to be unreadable. The text is in a very tiny font, and is inexplicably crammed together in single spacing. The formatting is done improperly so the spacing cannot even be manually changed via my Kindle, which does not recognize the text. I thought perhaps the author had done a very unfortunate self-publishing job, until I read the title page (go look on Amazon, you can see this for yourself in the preview) and saw that the layout had been sourced out to a company, Pen Oaks, that is so bad they even misspelled their own link in the front matter. It's listed as "www.penaoks.com." I see we have found the unprofessional source of the problem.
The text appears to have been either written by a competent author or read by beta-readers, it's in acceptable and readable shape (other than the format), but still contains numerous errors that pop up often enough to be distracting. The cover art is passable but still looks cheap and inexperienced.
In short, this is the worst kind of tragedy in ebooks: A manuscript with potential, possibly even a very good story, that I assume a talented writer spent a long time working on. It's ruined by publishing mistakes so serious that the experience is destroyed and I cannot recommend it to anyone. If the author corrects these issues and offers a re-release in the future, I will be more than happy to change my review.
April 7, 2018
Leah Nash is a newspaper reporter in a small town in Wisconsin. Five years ago her younger sister, Lacy, had been in a facility for troubled youth. When Lacy disappeared it was assumed she ran away. When her body was found much later, her fall from a cliff was ruled an accident. Leah receives a puzzling message that indicates her sister's death was murder. Leah runs head long to investigate, even when her own life is in danger.
This is a good mystery with a very complex plot. Leah sort of bounces around as she makes her way through twists and turns of newly uncovered information. I appreciated her tenacious spirit but I was a little disappointed that she jumped to conclusions so quickly. I would have expected a more reasoned approach from a reporter. But Leah's attitude is also some of her charm. I trust she will mature in future novels.
I like Hunter's writing style. There were some insights about life included in the novel that surprised me and gave me pause to think. For example, a local priest says, “Finding the truth isn't always the same as finding the answers, Leah. It requires great discernment to know which is most important.” (Loc 1511/5278)
I like to learn something when I read a novel and there were several informative sections included in this book. I found out why nuns wear habits and how we all wear them. They might be emotional or physical. I also learned about the true significance of Cinco de Mayo.
I recommend this mystery to readers who enjoy a complex plot where people are not who they seem. This is a good start to a series and I look forward to reading more of them.
This is a good mystery with a very complex plot. Leah sort of bounces around as she makes her way through twists and turns of newly uncovered information. I appreciated her tenacious spirit but I was a little disappointed that she jumped to conclusions so quickly. I would have expected a more reasoned approach from a reporter. But Leah's attitude is also some of her charm. I trust she will mature in future novels.
I like Hunter's writing style. There were some insights about life included in the novel that surprised me and gave me pause to think. For example, a local priest says, “Finding the truth isn't always the same as finding the answers, Leah. It requires great discernment to know which is most important.” (Loc 1511/5278)
I like to learn something when I read a novel and there were several informative sections included in this book. I found out why nuns wear habits and how we all wear them. They might be emotional or physical. I also learned about the true significance of Cinco de Mayo.
I recommend this mystery to readers who enjoy a complex plot where people are not who they seem. This is a good start to a series and I look forward to reading more of them.
May 3, 2018
Dangerous Habits by Susan Hunter is the first book in the Leah Nash mystery series. I wouldn't call this a cozy mystery book, but a regular mystery. There's a lot more action, as well as some situations that wouldn't occur in a cozy mystery.
Dangerous Habits is set in small-town Wisconsin where Leah has returned home to work at the newspaper where she got her start. She lives with her mom. Leah is a great character. She's intelligent but she tends to run her mouth a bit more than she should...she doesn't have a filter and her mouth is usually what gets her in trouble. That, and her inability to let something go when she has a niggling idea.
There were so many plot twists in this book, and a few were quite unexpected. I loved the characters the author created and the small town of Himmel, Wisconsin. It's one I am looking forward to visiting again soon.
The book itself is well-written. The story flows well and there were no glaring issues that stood out to me. Just a great mystery with enjoyable characters.
I picked up this book on Amazon for free and am voluntarily sharing my honest review.
Dangerous Habits is set in small-town Wisconsin where Leah has returned home to work at the newspaper where she got her start. She lives with her mom. Leah is a great character. She's intelligent but she tends to run her mouth a bit more than she should...she doesn't have a filter and her mouth is usually what gets her in trouble. That, and her inability to let something go when she has a niggling idea.
There were so many plot twists in this book, and a few were quite unexpected. I loved the characters the author created and the small town of Himmel, Wisconsin. It's one I am looking forward to visiting again soon.
The book itself is well-written. The story flows well and there were no glaring issues that stood out to me. Just a great mystery with enjoyable characters.
I picked up this book on Amazon for free and am voluntarily sharing my honest review.
July 5, 2016
I could NOT put this one down!
From the first paragraph, to the last, I was held, spellbound. Caught! Hook, line and sinker!!
I don't think I ever realized any one story could branch off into so many directions, before now. My head is still spinning, but it was a delightful ride from start to finish!
From the first paragraph, to the last, I was held, spellbound. Caught! Hook, line and sinker!!
I don't think I ever realized any one story could branch off into so many directions, before now. My head is still spinning, but it was a delightful ride from start to finish!
July 8, 2020
"Dragged a bit"
The twist was well-disguised. However, as Leah went over the same ground time and again reviewing her conversation with Character A when she met Character B and sometimes C, it dragged the book out to almost 400 pages when it could have bee wrapped up in half the time. Consequently, I got bored and missed the clues to the killer. Sometimes, less is more.
The twist was well-disguised. However, as Leah went over the same ground time and again reviewing her conversation with Character A when she met Character B and sometimes C, it dragged the book out to almost 400 pages when it could have bee wrapped up in half the time. Consequently, I got bored and missed the clues to the killer. Sometimes, less is more.
March 15, 2016
Reporter Leah Nash investigates the death of her sister five years previously -unfortunately I didn't like the main character but I did finish the book.
July 27, 2020
I won’t be reading another book by this author. Truly immature writing and I wonder how in the world this even got published.
April 7, 2021
This is the first time I've read a book by this author and I am very impressed. I loved the freshness of her writing style. The writer leads the reader first left then right with both subtle and dramatic clues, linking the plot together. Plenty of action and interesting lively characters. Highly recommend this book.
April 7, 2019
Leah returns to her hometown in Wisconsin after jobs as an investigative reporter for a major paper. She is filling in for a reporter at her hometown weekly paper when the mysterious death of a nun working for the same residential home for troubled teens where her younger sister died about 5 years earlier occurs. This death motivates her to investigate her sister’s death. In her pig-headed determination to find the truth she accuses many based on incomplete information. Eventually, the truth comes out. Drama comes from Leah’s determination to investigate regardless of consequences, advice from people who care about her or her boss’s direction, from the backlash to Leah’s accusations and from the coverup by people at the teen crisis facility. Good introduction of Leah and those close to her.
October 9, 2017
This is a 3.5 star read.
This was an exciting introduction to a new author for me and what a rollercoaster ride of a thrill it was!
It took me a bit to get into the story but once I was I was thoroughly hooked to the last sentence. You certainly got a big bang for your buck with this novel as there were mysteries everywhere, multiple plotlines that wove intricately together to form a stunning conclusion. Just when you thought you were done with the solving, the author sticks another shocking surprise in for the reader right at the end. Great fun to read!
This was an exciting introduction to a new author for me and what a rollercoaster ride of a thrill it was!
It took me a bit to get into the story but once I was I was thoroughly hooked to the last sentence. You certainly got a big bang for your buck with this novel as there were mysteries everywhere, multiple plotlines that wove intricately together to form a stunning conclusion. Just when you thought you were done with the solving, the author sticks another shocking surprise in for the reader right at the end. Great fun to read!
January 17, 2019
you had me at mystery ... then this one is a series ... i can not wait to read more ... so excited!! i have traveled to Wisconsin once ... so gorgeous!! love their accents. edge of your seat moments. couldn't put it down. great read. love these characters. look forward to reading more from this author. believable characters. lots of twists!! newbie author to me ... and my favorite genre MYSTERY!!
June 10, 2019
Short Take: Page turner!
Leah Nash has equal amounts of passion and guilt as she probes into the death of her sister, Lacey Nash. What she finds is a complex web of intricacies, each tangled in a mess of its own. With every turn she ends up with more questions than answers. Once she finds the answers, the mess untangles and neither she nor I ended up right in our 'guess who' game, until the author threw a curve ball and hit bulls eye!! :)
Leah Nash has equal amounts of passion and guilt as she probes into the death of her sister, Lacey Nash. What she finds is a complex web of intricacies, each tangled in a mess of its own. With every turn she ends up with more questions than answers. Once she finds the answers, the mess untangles and neither she nor I ended up right in our 'guess who' game, until the author threw a curve ball and hit bulls eye!! :)
August 14, 2017
Unexpectedly incredibly good
I liked how the author wrote the story in the first person, it makes it feel very personal. There are so many twist and turns in the plot that it makes it hard to put down. I am definitely going to read more from this author. This is a mystery that uncovers more who killed Lacy.
I liked how the author wrote the story in the first person, it makes it feel very personal. There are so many twist and turns in the plot that it makes it hard to put down. I am definitely going to read more from this author. This is a mystery that uncovers more who killed Lacy.
August 13, 2017
Plot twists and strong characterizations
Almost too much action to be considered a cozy mystery, and yet limited sex and violence. Believable characters and a plot overflowing with twists. Great fun if you like a good puzzle.
Almost too much action to be considered a cozy mystery, and yet limited sex and violence. Believable characters and a plot overflowing with twists. Great fun if you like a good puzzle.
August 28, 2020
This book was written by an ex member of the media. Guess what, the book is anti religion and anti capitalism. The plot twists are pretty obvious and dumb. The protagonist is of course a smart and witty woman. Ugh... I’m tired of politics creeping into everything.
August 12, 2017
Dangerous to start before bed.
This is z new author for me and I highly recommend her.
She writes well has great characters and I really like her use of language.
This is z new author for me and I highly recommend her.
She writes well has great characters and I really like her use of language.
January 31, 2021
Dangerous Habits my review.
To be honest it was long book and the author Susan Hunter did a impressive job. It's just very slow to get started to even start to get some of the answers so be prepared and be patient. To be real I had to contain myself not to go to the end to find out the answers to all my questions . So that I was able to understand everyone. Lots of twist and turns and pointing of the finger. Leah Nash is a reporter that returns to Wisconsin after leaving her hometown for ten years. Later her sister Lacey Nash was in Demoss Academy a facility for trouble youths. Lacey died a year before Sister Teresa Mattea Riordan just got discovered in the water and she is also found dead. Finally at pg 144 it some what tells you what happened to there father but not much I wish it would of had more answers to that pertaining question.With lacey character I wish the author would of put more information about Lacey.
And a reason why did she one day became a reckless teen since there is always a reason for everything. People do another thing I wish the author would talk about what exactly happened to the dad it went into small detail..
I feel that the characters Leah went and investigated the wrong way because like the FBI or police usually you do homework without raising any alarm and not accuse just anyone until you have the right facts. Since it is true you can either get hurt or murdered by just running your mouth and just go around talking b.s. Leah should of got her friend and just her to investigate and the touchy part to get her friend to do the talking because as her sister and relatives you
will be defensive and who can blame her. I found one little detail that was missed and I wish Susan Hunter would have told the reader's who she was describing on page 216 that at first she was talking to meet the person and then the very next page you read and she was with someone else so that is a little confusing and I also just would love if she explained it all a little better and say she decided to meet so and so.
P.S. for people are sensitive to this subject I want to warn everyone :
This book is about rape, molestation, and about pedophilia and even priest and a lawyer and the nuns were human traffickers also that molest so be fair warned and be prepared. It also has LGBTQ content later more at the end of the book.
To be honest it was long book and the author Susan Hunter did a impressive job. It's just very slow to get started to even start to get some of the answers so be prepared and be patient. To be real I had to contain myself not to go to the end to find out the answers to all my questions . So that I was able to understand everyone. Lots of twist and turns and pointing of the finger. Leah Nash is a reporter that returns to Wisconsin after leaving her hometown for ten years. Later her sister Lacey Nash was in Demoss Academy a facility for trouble youths. Lacey died a year before Sister Teresa Mattea Riordan just got discovered in the water and she is also found dead. Finally at pg 144 it some what tells you what happened to there father but not much I wish it would of had more answers to that pertaining question.With lacey character I wish the author would of put more information about Lacey.
And a reason why did she one day became a reckless teen since there is always a reason for everything. People do another thing I wish the author would talk about what exactly happened to the dad it went into small detail..
I feel that the characters Leah went and investigated the wrong way because like the FBI or police usually you do homework without raising any alarm and not accuse just anyone until you have the right facts. Since it is true you can either get hurt or murdered by just running your mouth and just go around talking b.s. Leah should of got her friend and just her to investigate and the touchy part to get her friend to do the talking because as her sister and relatives you
will be defensive and who can blame her. I found one little detail that was missed and I wish Susan Hunter would have told the reader's who she was describing on page 216 that at first she was talking to meet the person and then the very next page you read and she was with someone else so that is a little confusing and I also just would love if she explained it all a little better and say she decided to meet so and so.
P.S. for people are sensitive to this subject I want to warn everyone :
This book is about rape, molestation, and about pedophilia and even priest and a lawyer and the nuns were human traffickers also that molest so be fair warned and be prepared. It also has LGBTQ content later more at the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2023
I read this book because I have thoroughly enjoyed the later books in this series and wanted to know how it started.
If I HAD read this one first I probably would not have read any more of them.
The MC has moved back home because her independent lifestyle as a reporter for a larger newspaper was no longer an option for her.
She discovers some information that has bearing on her sister's death which was ruled a suicide several years earlier.
Pro's:
There are developed characters and a good bit of action.
Con's:
The MC does the 'Too stupid to live" actions WAAAAY too many times!
Okay, she is driven by her sense of morals and determination to what is 'Right' no matter the cost.
At the end, she pulls one last Too stupid to live moment and the only thing that saves her neck it the newest person trying to kill her has a heart attack while in the process of killing her.
OOOOHHHH! She no longer has the same morals, and does not tell the police what happened, not of the crime he was aware of as the reason he was trying to kill her in the first place. Also, the person who actually committed the crime he was covering up will not now be brought to light?
There was also a good deal more profanity in this one than in the later ones.
If I HAD read this one first I probably would not have read any more of them.
The MC has moved back home because her independent lifestyle as a reporter for a larger newspaper was no longer an option for her.
She discovers some information that has bearing on her sister's death which was ruled a suicide several years earlier.
Pro's:
There are developed characters and a good bit of action.
Con's:
The MC does the 'Too stupid to live" actions WAAAAY too many times!
Okay, she is driven by her sense of morals and determination to what is 'Right' no matter the cost.
At the end, she pulls one last Too stupid to live moment and the only thing that saves her neck it the newest person trying to kill her has a heart attack while in the process of killing her.
OOOOHHHH! She no longer has the same morals, and does not tell the police what happened, not of the crime he was aware of as the reason he was trying to kill her in the first place. Also, the person who actually committed the crime he was covering up will not now be brought to light?
There was also a good deal more profanity in this one than in the later ones.
January 29, 2024
What a Ride
This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. After the death of a nun, Leah Nash begins the difficult task of investigating the "accident" of her sister's death 5 years earlier. There is almost no one in this small town who didn't come under her suspicion. Her investigation puts her own life in danger yet she continues to dig until she finds answers she hadn't considered after all that she did.
The story keeps you guessing right up until the last chapter.
This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. After the death of a nun, Leah Nash begins the difficult task of investigating the "accident" of her sister's death 5 years earlier. There is almost no one in this small town who didn't come under her suspicion. Her investigation puts her own life in danger yet she continues to dig until she finds answers she hadn't considered after all that she did.
The story keeps you guessing right up until the last chapter.
September 24, 2021
I'm glad I picked this up. It was a random selection... I was attracted by the storyline of death at a nunnery / convent.
The protagonist Leah is flawed but likeable and I was rooting for her as she had to overcome the opposition of practically everyone in her social circle as she attempted to prove that her sister's death was murder.
I will be checking out book 2 as well asap.
The protagonist Leah is flawed but likeable and I was rooting for her as she had to overcome the opposition of practically everyone in her social circle as she attempted to prove that her sister's death was murder.
I will be checking out book 2 as well asap.
June 19, 2025
this book was actually ass
August 24, 2017
The best book! Could not put it down. Loved it!
Always kept you guessing. Well written ,can't wait to read her other books. Recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries.
Always kept you guessing. Well written ,can't wait to read her other books. Recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries.
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