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Deadly Parcel: "Who's There?" Book 1
Elizabeth Jensen’s cheating husband dies when he steps in front of a tour bus on the Las Vegas strip, leaving her with unanswered questions about their marriage. When packages arrive at the apartments of his mistresses – all containing a severed body part and bearing Robert’s return address, postmarked after his death – the police intervene and Elizabeth’s problems multiply. As bizarre details come to light, Elizabeth’s friendship with a childhood sweetheart deepens into something more and the accidental nature of Robert’s death is thrown into question. She and Joe are now suspects. What happened to Robert Jensen and who is behind these deadly parcels? Interview with the Author Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I'm an attorney and have done a lot of technical writing, but knew I wanted to write novels. I thought I'd find time when I retired. Fate stepped in, as it often does, and put me on this path sooner. I broke my neck in an auto accident and suffered from double vision for months. I couldn't read or watch TV, so I conceived the plot for my Rosemont series. Why did you decide to write a series?
I prefer television series to movies. The longer format of television allows for deeper character development. The same holds true for series fiction. I like to fall in love with a character or hate a character (but root for them to change their ways). I feel like Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi from Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies' Detective Agency series are old friends. I wanted to recreate that sort of connection in the Rosemont series. What other authors do you read or admire?
I'm a fan of women's fiction, women's sagas, romantic suspense, domestic suspense, crime fiction, and romance. I love Rosamunde Pilcher's later trilogy -The Shell Seekers, Coming Home, and September . Jan Karon's Mitford series creates an enchanting world, as does Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove. My Rosemont series is set in the current day, but I've tried to capture a feeling of camaraderie and connection (among the good guys) that takes us back to a slightly simpler time and place. What are your favorite books?
In addition to the works I've already mentioned, I adored A Man Called One, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and A Long Way from Chicago. Who has had the greatest influence on your author life?
My dad--without question. He told me or read me a bedtime story every night of my childhood, often adding his own twists and turns to the plots or dialogue. He had an incredible, gentle sense of humor. He also wrote novels--who-done-its--when he retired. What are the high points of your author journey?
There are 3 things I hold very 1) hearing from readers--especially newly blind adults--that my Guiding Emilyseries has given then hope and provided comfort, 2) having my novella The Christmas Club made into a Hallmark Channel movie of the same name (2019), and 3) seeing my name on the USA Today Bestseller List. What of your own interests have you written about in the Rosemont series?
I love my home and all things related to cooking, gardening, decorating, and entertaining. I love
celebrating all of the seasons and I change my decor for Easter, 4th of July, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring.
I'm an attorney and have done a lot of technical writing, but knew I wanted to write novels. I thought I'd find time when I retired. Fate stepped in, as it often does, and put me on this path sooner. I broke my neck in an auto accident and suffered from double vision for months. I couldn't read or watch TV, so I conceived the plot for my Rosemont series. Why did you decide to write a series?
I prefer television series to movies. The longer format of television allows for deeper character development. The same holds true for series fiction. I like to fall in love with a character or hate a character (but root for them to change their ways). I feel like Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi from Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies' Detective Agency series are old friends. I wanted to recreate that sort of connection in the Rosemont series. What other authors do you read or admire?
I'm a fan of women's fiction, women's sagas, romantic suspense, domestic suspense, crime fiction, and romance. I love Rosamunde Pilcher's later trilogy -The Shell Seekers, Coming Home, and September . Jan Karon's Mitford series creates an enchanting world, as does Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove. My Rosemont series is set in the current day, but I've tried to capture a feeling of camaraderie and connection (among the good guys) that takes us back to a slightly simpler time and place. What are your favorite books?
In addition to the works I've already mentioned, I adored A Man Called One, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and A Long Way from Chicago. Who has had the greatest influence on your author life?
My dad--without question. He told me or read me a bedtime story every night of my childhood, often adding his own twists and turns to the plots or dialogue. He had an incredible, gentle sense of humor. He also wrote novels--who-done-its--when he retired. What are the high points of your author journey?
There are 3 things I hold very 1) hearing from readers--especially newly blind adults--that my Guiding Emilyseries has given then hope and provided comfort, 2) having my novella The Christmas Club made into a Hallmark Channel movie of the same name (2019), and 3) seeing my name on the USA Today Bestseller List. What of your own interests have you written about in the Rosemont series?
I love my home and all things related to cooking, gardening, decorating, and entertaining. I love
celebrating all of the seasons and I change my decor for Easter, 4th of July, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring.
274 pages, Paperback
Published May 13, 2020
158 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Hinske
46 books1,394 followersUSA Today Bestselling Author Barbara Hinske is an attorney who recently left the practice of law to pursue her career as a full-time novelist. She inherited the fiction gene from her father who wrote mysteries when he retired and told her a story every night of her childhood. Barbara is the bestselling author of the beloved Rosemont series; the acclaimed Guiding Emily series; a collection of murder mystery thrillers in her "Who's There?" collection; and her sweet Christmas novellas The Christmas Club (adapted for the Hallmark Channel in 2019), Paws & Pastries, and No Matter How Far.
She and her husband share their own Rosemont with two adorable and spoiled dogs. She is besotted with decorating, entertaining, cooking and gardening. Now that her novel The Christmas Club has been made into a Hallmark Channel movie, she is completely star-struck and thrilled to have her work on the screen.
She and her husband share their own Rosemont with two adorable and spoiled dogs. She is besotted with decorating, entertaining, cooking and gardening. Now that her novel The Christmas Club has been made into a Hallmark Channel movie, she is completely star-struck and thrilled to have her work on the screen.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 17, 2020
SHARING THE LOVE!
All Elizabeth Jensen wanted was a husband who loved her and a child (or two) so they could be a “real family”. In reality she ended up with a husband who made serial womanizing his Number One Goal. He seemed to believe that he was a gift to all the women in the world and he made it his priority to share himself with as many women as possible all while still married to Elizabeth. He had no idea how much of a true gift he would be to his paramours when he steps in front of a tour bus on the Las Vegas strip. What are the odds?
Several unassuming women start receiving packages filled with macabre gifts. They come from all walks of life and do not know each other. They are brought into the limelight by the by the parting gifts they receive from their lover. The return address has his name and business address but there is only one problem: Robert Jensen is DEAD!
Author Barbara Hinske has penned one the most superb suspense stories of 2020! This is a story that will have readers turning pages all night long. Hinkse has created a plot with a villain that everyone can hate. She also has a large cast of suspects. What makes this book so interesting is to see the two most unlikely men in the world decide to stand up for Elizabeth. The police have so many questions. Lead after lead disappears. Could this prove to be the perfect ending of justice being served?
I was provided a complimentary copy this book by the author. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
All Elizabeth Jensen wanted was a husband who loved her and a child (or two) so they could be a “real family”. In reality she ended up with a husband who made serial womanizing his Number One Goal. He seemed to believe that he was a gift to all the women in the world and he made it his priority to share himself with as many women as possible all while still married to Elizabeth. He had no idea how much of a true gift he would be to his paramours when he steps in front of a tour bus on the Las Vegas strip. What are the odds?
Several unassuming women start receiving packages filled with macabre gifts. They come from all walks of life and do not know each other. They are brought into the limelight by the by the parting gifts they receive from their lover. The return address has his name and business address but there is only one problem: Robert Jensen is DEAD!
Author Barbara Hinske has penned one the most superb suspense stories of 2020! This is a story that will have readers turning pages all night long. Hinkse has created a plot with a villain that everyone can hate. She also has a large cast of suspects. What makes this book so interesting is to see the two most unlikely men in the world decide to stand up for Elizabeth. The police have so many questions. Lead after lead disappears. Could this prove to be the perfect ending of justice being served?
I was provided a complimentary copy this book by the author. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
May 19, 2020
Barbara Hinske is the "Lady" of cozy mysteries. She is always very prim and proper and her books are generally "G" rated. Not this time. Deadly Parcel blew me away from the opening pages to the very end. I enjoyed the story and it was a completely new story line. A graphic murder with several twists. The kind where when the decease dies you feel like he got what was coming to him. Barbara Hinske is as good at this genre as she is at cozy mysteries. Would recommend this book 100%.
May 13, 2020
Loved the book!!! Interesting characters and plot. Kept me guessing. So glad to be an advanced reader! A definite must read!
June 29, 2020
Light entertainment
Very shallow characters, a light and airy read. No real substance. Good beach read. Won’t read another of this author.
Very shallow characters, a light and airy read. No real substance. Good beach read. Won’t read another of this author.
May 22, 2020
By the author of one of my favorite series, Rosemont, Deadly Parcels tells the story of Elizabeth Jensen whose husband is a serial womanizer. When Robert dies in a freak accident in Las Vegas, Elizabeth must accept the truth about her marriage. Then the parcels start coming to three of Robert’s mistresses and police investigate. The book is filled with twists and turns and character development I have come to expect from this author. I hope it is the start of a new series.
August 16, 2020
Justice served
What to do with a cheating husband. Elizabeth tells her boss of her suspicions and he has his "enforcer" follow said husband to Vegas & have a chat about his husbandry duties. Said husband died in a bus accident & soon after his mistresses. Begin to receive body parts mailed to them by their lover. Or did they? Who did this? Wife? Enforcer? New boyfriend? Check out this engaging read.
What to do with a cheating husband. Elizabeth tells her boss of her suspicions and he has his "enforcer" follow said husband to Vegas & have a chat about his husbandry duties. Said husband died in a bus accident & soon after his mistresses. Begin to receive body parts mailed to them by their lover. Or did they? Who did this? Wife? Enforcer? New boyfriend? Check out this engaging read.
May 19, 2020
Great book and story
I loved this book. It started out a bit gruesome but kept getting better and better. This was a change of venue from Barbara’s other books and I just loved it. I love everything she’s written. I think it really tells the talent of an author that can write different styles of books and they are both fantastic Look forward to her next book.
I loved this book. It started out a bit gruesome but kept getting better and better. This was a change of venue from Barbara’s other books and I just loved it. I love everything she’s written. I think it really tells the talent of an author that can write different styles of books and they are both fantastic Look forward to her next book.
September 13, 2025
Deadly Parcel book 1
Elizabeth’s husband is a cheater. He is also a prude. People tried to tell him he has a good wife but he paid no attention. He messed with the wrong guy. Now he is dead and his body parts are mailed to his extra girlfriends. To bad so sad the wrong people are being blamed.
Elizabeth’s husband is a cheater. He is also a prude. People tried to tell him he has a good wife but he paid no attention. He messed with the wrong guy. Now he is dead and his body parts are mailed to his extra girlfriends. To bad so sad the wrong people are being blamed.
June 22, 2021
Circumstantial
This book moved at a fast pace. Everything was intertwined and one or more people could have been convicted of murder even though they were innocent. I don’t think I want to go on jury duty after reading this.
This book moved at a fast pace. Everything was intertwined and one or more people could have been convicted of murder even though they were innocent. I don’t think I want to go on jury duty after reading this.
January 23, 2023
Wow
What a great fast, page turner story! I could not put this book down. Now, even though I have finished reading this book, I still find myself asking, Who actually did this crime! Very well written! Kudos Barbara Hinske!
What a great fast, page turner story! I could not put this book down. Now, even though I have finished reading this book, I still find myself asking, Who actually did this crime! Very well written! Kudos Barbara Hinske!
July 16, 2023
Exciting read. I had 3 suspects and couldn’t make a decision until it was made for me at the end. I couldn’t it this book down until I finished!! If you like suspense and great characters you’ll like this book.
September 3, 2023
A fun mystery with humor and deadly consequences too. A philandering husband, an unrequited love from afar and a wife who wants to keep her husband all end up in Vegas. Remember….what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
May 19, 2020
Very good book.
This one was a refreshing treat after all the nobility afairs. I am looking forward to Book 2 and the new one from the Rosement Series.
This one was a refreshing treat after all the nobility afairs. I am looking forward to Book 2 and the new one from the Rosement Series.
September 5, 2020
Good read
Once again the in an happy to say the writer keeps me wanting more. The story line is enticing and keeps me winding how did it and what's going to happen next.
Once again the in an happy to say the writer keeps me wanting more. The story line is enticing and keeps me winding how did it and what's going to happen next.
July 17, 2022
suspense!
This book wll grab the reader’s attention at once and hold it until the end. A touch of riOmance always
This book wll grab the reader’s attention at once and hold it until the end. A touch of riOmance always
March 22, 2023
Deadly Parcel was well written and kept me guessing until close to the end. Was it an accident? Was it murder? Who sent the parcels? I mentally booed at the unfaithful husband and could not understand how so many women were attracted to him, probably as the author intended. It was a quick read, and I can recommend it.
May 18, 2020
Intriguing murder mystery that keeps you guessing!
I started reading this book twice. The first time I picked it up I was eating lunch. I read the first paragraph and decided I needed to wait until I wasn’t eating to try it again. I also thought “where is the Barbara Hinske that wrote the Rosemont series because this sure isn’t her style of writing”. But I’m very glad I picked it up the second time. The book opens with a dead body and is a little gruesome right off the bat. Then there is a shift backward and the main story line takes off. I really thought I had solved the mystery about half way through the book but that is where having a really good author comes into play. A skilled author is able to steer you to who you think is the murderer and then make you question a couple other people as maybe being the murderer and then wind up by revealing the murderer to be someone else altogether. I have read all of Barbara Hinske’s Rosemont series and her book The Christmas Club and I can tell you that Deadly Parcel shows a whole different side of Barbara Hinske and her writing skills. I loved this book and hope she writes more in this genre.
I started reading this book twice. The first time I picked it up I was eating lunch. I read the first paragraph and decided I needed to wait until I wasn’t eating to try it again. I also thought “where is the Barbara Hinske that wrote the Rosemont series because this sure isn’t her style of writing”. But I’m very glad I picked it up the second time. The book opens with a dead body and is a little gruesome right off the bat. Then there is a shift backward and the main story line takes off. I really thought I had solved the mystery about half way through the book but that is where having a really good author comes into play. A skilled author is able to steer you to who you think is the murderer and then make you question a couple other people as maybe being the murderer and then wind up by revealing the murderer to be someone else altogether. I have read all of Barbara Hinske’s Rosemont series and her book The Christmas Club and I can tell you that Deadly Parcel shows a whole different side of Barbara Hinske and her writing skills. I loved this book and hope she writes more in this genre.
May 18, 2020
Robert Jensen is a scumbag. Married to Elizabeth who has given up her plans to ensure he was able to get an education and live the life he wants. A life that includes multiple mistresses that Elizabeth is unaware of. And then Robert dies when hit by a tour bus while on a business trip to Las Vegas. . .
This is not a book to start while eating, even a snack. Barbara Hinske starts the novel by describing in detail the dismemberment of a dead man. It’s really no gorier than an episode of Bones, but it wasn’t what I expected from one of her books. While I’m not a big fan of thriller mysteries, I am a big fan of Barbara Hinske so I kept reading and I’m glad I did.
The development of the story, the support Elizabeth received from her employer and her high school friend, the intelligent dealings of the police detectives made for a realistic portrayal of the real world, including the fact that several of the issues were not completely resolved. All the characters were multi-faceted, except for Robert who had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
I received an ARC of the book from the author for my review. The opinion is my own.
This is not a book to start while eating, even a snack. Barbara Hinske starts the novel by describing in detail the dismemberment of a dead man. It’s really no gorier than an episode of Bones, but it wasn’t what I expected from one of her books. While I’m not a big fan of thriller mysteries, I am a big fan of Barbara Hinske so I kept reading and I’m glad I did.
The development of the story, the support Elizabeth received from her employer and her high school friend, the intelligent dealings of the police detectives made for a realistic portrayal of the real world, including the fact that several of the issues were not completely resolved. All the characters were multi-faceted, except for Robert who had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
I received an ARC of the book from the author for my review. The opinion is my own.
June 30, 2020
Ok so the book started out really interesting, the creepy husband who has several women on the side and then ends up dead, a who dunit kind of book, it goes into detail about the wife finding out and desperately trying to salvage her marriage, when she meets up with an old college friend who’s sister happened to be having an affair with this creep and committing suicide over it, you really get tangled up in these two old college friends and the detectives who are investigating and find these two as suspects. So in the end the two are found innocent and along comes a character who, I think his name was mentioned in the beginning of the book and was mob related but turns out getting killed, so I don’t know who did it even after I reread the chapter, it’s a guess who dunit
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2020
Deadly Parcel by Barbara Hinske is a very riveting, suspenseful, murder mystery, edge on your seat kind of book! It starts off des
cribing what happened to the the murder victim, Robert Jensen. All his wife wanted, was to have a happy marriage and a baby, but what Elizabeth received instead, was a cheating husband with three mistresses! Elizabeth finds an old friend, who is trying to help her and give her advice. She has to learn the hard way, when she realizes she's pleading and trusting the wrong man! I give it a 5 star rating!
#Amazon
cribing what happened to the the murder victim, Robert Jensen. All his wife wanted, was to have a happy marriage and a baby, but what Elizabeth received instead, was a cheating husband with three mistresses! Elizabeth finds an old friend, who is trying to help her and give her advice. She has to learn the hard way, when she realizes she's pleading and trusting the wrong man! I give it a 5 star rating!
#Amazon
May 18, 2020
3.5 stars for a good little mystery. I’ve always enjoyed this authors Rosemont series so was happy to be offered an opportunity to read an ARC of this new book. I enjoyed the plot and cast of characters. There’s a cheating husband and a wife who really wants to make things work. A friend from high school and a boss are very protective of the wife. I kept going back and forth over who really sent the deadly parcels; it kept me guessing. Available May 19,2020.
May 18, 2020
It is a different type of story from the author of the Rosemont series. Robert is cheating on his wife, Elizabeth, having 2 or 3 mistresses at the same time. But fate has a way of stepping in and evening the score. Joe has been in love with Elizabeth since high school but she doesn’t realize it. Elizabeth’s boss thinks of her as his daughter. So who evened the score and how? Read the book to find out!
June 1, 2020
If you're expecting a beautifully written romance book like the Rosemont series, this Barbara Hinske book isn't it. This is a well written murder mystery. The murder victim is truly a despicable human being. His wife wanted a good marriage and kids. This book is just a page turner you can't wait to see what's next. I received an ARC of this book from the author and I'm voluntarily providing an honest review.
May 9, 2020
Really enjoyed this book. For how large the city is the characters cross paths in some way, not overpowering the list of characters so they all had a purpose and you could keep track of who everyone was. Without them realizing they were crossing paths, it kept me guessing when balls would drop and if drama would ensue.
May 17, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. Barbara Hinske has woven an intricate and interesting story. I highly recommend this book.
March 4, 2023
For a first novel it was really good.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews