Captured on Camera

Parker Photography #1

by Suzanne Bolden

Everything is not harmonious in the Village of Harmony!

Jackie Parker, a not-ready-to-retire baby boomer, has arrived to help her great-aunt Ruth photograph a wedding. This small Midwestern community of Harmony is excited about the upcoming nuptials of its matriarch Eleanor Harmony, who is marrying for the fourth time.

But the event is called off when the body of the groom is discovered! Jackie and her friend Wanda stumble upon the scene of his tragic car accident. Jackie instinctively photographs the crash scene, not realizing the pictures will be instrumental in proving what really happened to Eleanor's fiance in the dark of night on that lonely road.

With the wedding called off, Jackie prepares to return to Chicago but instead finds herself staying in Harmony as she begins to suspect the cause of Paul's death isn't what it first appeared to be. Her natural curiosity pairs with the police investigation as she follows clues that will reveal the truth!

Hugging the banks of the Wisconsin River and rising up into the wooded hills and bluffs, the community of Harmony welcomes you. Be whisked away on a fun cozy mystery escape in every book in the series!

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Ebooks, Amazon, Mystery Thriller

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 11, 2020

Reviews

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smoothly paced plot set in a beautiful small town with likable characters and an intricate mystery that kept me turning the pages. I was quite taken with Jackie Parker as she is a smart and savvy about people. I'll be reading the next one in the series as I enjoyed Ms. Bolden writing style.

[Mint · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea behind the plot and the characters, but I wasn't a fan of how the book was executed.

The idea of a photographer using her own pictures to help solve a case was what first drew me to this book and I really liked seeing how this part of the book unfolded. I liked how Jackie used her street smarts and her eye for visual detail to help solve the mystery.

Also, the choice to have the main character be a big-city, well-travelled person who doesn't have moving to a small town in her cards was refreshing. This is a character choice I rarely see in cozies and one I enjoyed. I'm always looking out for cozies that bring new twists to the genre and this definitely fits what I'm looking for.

However, I found the descriptions a bit too long-winded. It made the book drag in spite of its exciting plot potential. At times, it felt as if the characters were talking about something because it was a convenient way to introduce someone or something to the reader. I think it also led to some of the character voices being diminished, as some of them seemed quite similar in their personality and in the way that they spoke.

Maybe this is a sign that I've listened to too many true-crime podcasts, but there's something about the mystery that kind of bothered me:

Paul was going to be Eleanor's fourth husband. Two of her husbands and her son are also dead. For a while, it was suspected that Paul could have died by arsenic poisoning. How did no one suspect Eleanor of being a black widow? It just seems like too big of a possibility to be overlooked.


While I enjoyed reading this book, I don't know if I will seek out future books in the series.

For more of my reviews, please visit my blog.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a better than average cozy mystery. The main character is an independent, self-confident photographer who helps solve a murder in her hometown. The book does not end in the typical Hallmark way, which is why I give it an extra half star. There were some editing issues regarding punctuation and usage. I liked it well enough to possibly read the next one in the series.

[Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small town, quaint but includes a lot of mystery

I like the mental images I get reading this, too bad I’ve outgrown the option to bring my imagination to reality.
Thanks for a good story

[Valorie Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!!

My first time reading this author and it's the first book in this series is great. I love the characters and I feel like I was right there in Harmony.
Jackie is so cool, her aunt Ruth is so sweet. The chief of police Jeff Mathis is great.
When Jackie comes to visit her aunt Ruth she finds out she is struggling with their family business Parker Photography. Ruth had called Jackie from Chicago to help with wedding photos for the Matriarch of Harmony, Eleanor Harmony and it's her fourth marriage.
Jackie is seeing all her friends and hearing the gossip around town.
When they go to Harmony House on top of the hill to see the layout for the wedding and then the night before the wedding Eleanor's fiance goes missing and the next day Jackie and Wanda (Jackie's BF) found him in the woods trapped in his car. What happened and who did it?
Jackie and Wanda help the the chief figure out what happened!!!
You won't be disappointed!!!!
I read this book in a day and a half, I couldn't put it down.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our heroine arrives in the town of Harmony to help out her aunt who is the owner of a photography shop, a shop in the family for generations. Since she is a renowned photographer herself, she is asked to help her aunt when a wedding is to take place. The bride is a well-known resident in town and heir to the Harmony estate. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned and she finds herself involved in a murder mystery.
An intriguing cozy mystery with lots of twists and turns in the plot and many suspects.

[Celest · Rating 5 out of 5]

New Author for Me, Fantastic Story

Suzanne Bolden is a new author for me and I'm sure she's going to be a favorite. Captured on Camera is a fast paced mystery with likable characters, some even loveable. Jackie and Jeff seemed to work well together to solve the mysteries and it was a tangled web. Always go to the video tape. Great adventure, I loved this book and now I'm on to the next book in the series.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one

I liked reading about an older set of characters (the majority are more my mom's age than mine ). But I really liked these characters. Jackie was great and you could see why she would get involved in the investigation, even though she didn't mean to be that deep involved. The mystery was good and had a good number of twists to it.

[annette lowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick moving story with an interesting main character.

I figured it out fairly quickly but there was still a surprise. Clean language. Some fun characters. Decent editing. Story moved along.

[Maree Croxon Mapperson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greed can overrule descent intent

Life’s a journey and we met people for different reasons sometimes to let us see what is beautiful and sometimes to see what’s evil.
Enjoyed the book

[Susan Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small Town Murder

Another well written, lighthearted murder mystery. Small towns where the police accept help from visitors to solve a murder. A murder that was seen as an accident until inconsistencies were found. An interesting and enjoyable read.

[Jean Citto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captured on Camera

I really enjoyed this book, very refreshing wonderful line and a surprise ending of course made it more fun. I can't wait to read the next book

[Amary Chapman]

Great cozy

Famous photographer Jacqueline Parker comes to help her Aunt Ruth photograph a wedding and gets drawn into the investigation into the death of the groom.

[Richard Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the 'Hallmark style' setting and pacing of the story but was hoping there'd be more about her being a photographer. Seems to be just a convenient tag to define the main character.

[Penny Vogts · Rating 5 out of 5]

good quick read

Interesting characters set in a small town . The plot was interesting and moved along quickly. A good beach or lazy day read .

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great cozy mystery

I liked this story and characters. The way she put things together to solve the mystery was well done. I really enjoyed this book.

[L Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with engaging characters in a small town with possibilities. The mystery was a really good one, too. A good first novel in a new series.

[Ferne (Enthusiastic Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth Parker, Parker Photograph in Harmony Hills, Wisconsin.
Great-aunt to Jacqueline Parker, JP Photography in Chicago.
Next Gig: The wedding of Eleanor Harmony, marrying for the 4th time, and Paul Griffin.
Location: Harmony House, the ancestral home of Eleanor Harmony.
Jackie may be staying in Harmony Hills a little longer than she planned. After all, what’s a girl to do when she’s unexpectedly photographing a crime scene instead of nuptials?

I enjoyed my visit to Harmony Hills and the people I met via Ruth and Jackie, especially the pleasure of creative twists to small-town cozy tropes. Copy editing errors were distracting, as all are, but the characters and twists of the mystery kept me reading.

I am always appreciative to the author and publisher when credit is given for captivating book covers. Molly Burton’s cover design beautifully enhances the introduction of this cozy mystery series.

The opening provides new possibilities in the lives of Jackie, Ruth, and her assistant. I look forward to reading the next creations for their lives.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caught on Camera is the first in the Parker Photography mystery series. Unusually, the the protagonist is a 60 something single woman photographer currently based in Chicago but whose hometown of Harmony, Minnesota, called her back frequently to see her Aunt Ruth who runs the family photography studio. On this occasion Ruth has requested Jackie to help her with wedding photos at Harmony House a large Mansion up on a hill for Eleanor Harmony's fourth marriage. Sadly the groom met his end the night before the wedding was scheduled. Jackie and her friend Wanda find the car and Jackie took many photographs because something seems 'off" about the scene. Jackie works with the police chief on finding clues the original detectives had missed and murder of the groom is suspected.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters, especially Jackie Parker, a self-possessed, successful, professional woman in her 60s who is an inspiration to younger photographers. I definitely plan to read more in this series.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jackie Parker - professional photographer;
Aunt Ruth - Parker Photography;
Jackie came to Harmony -
Wedding of Eleanor Harmony (her 4th), Melody, her mother, Chelsea, her granddaughter;
She lives in Harmony Mansion;
Friends: Val - Cut-n-Curl, Hannah - antique store; Wanda - Riverview Supper Club, Nadine - works for Wanda, Mandy, Ruth's new assistant;
Jackie & Wanda were hiking & found a car, with dead Paul Griffin inside, later determined he was strangled. He was Eleanor's fiance.
Officer Patrick Murphy, Chief of Police, Jeffrey Mathis - Wanda's cousin;
Scott Drake - Carpenter, Tom - Eleanor's gardener;
Alan - friend of Paul - developer; Arthur Cutter - owner of Cutter Salvage, Melody - Chelsea's mom,
Melody was working with Arthur to sell property for development;
Billy was MURDERED to throw suspicion on him for Paul's MURDER. But it was really Melody who did it. Cameras, pink lipstick did her in.
Kim Walters, realtor was helpful as was her husband the newspaper owner.

[Judi Easley]

I am currently reading the 7th book in this series, so yes, I really enjoyed this author's writing. HOWEVER, she has skipped a vital step in book publishing, and I will never pay money for one of her books. She has not used a proofreader. She has used a spellchecker software program. It has caused her manuscript to have extra words, missing words, and incorrect usage of words. It has caused the word 'not' to be put in where it shouldn't be, thus changing the meaning of the sentence. In a cozy mystery that makes a world of difference when you're talking evidence or testimony. A software program is not an adequate replacement for a professional proofreader.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captured on Camera

Susan Bolden has done an excellent job in bringing an array of vibrant, colorful and charismatic characters to life in a small valley town drawing you into their daily lives then enticing you further with an intriguing and questionable late night car accident on a lonely back road.While supported by an even more powerful and intriguing plot of lies untold truths and betrayal bringing some family and friends closer together while tearing other lives apart lieving behind death and destruction. Acquire " Captured on Camera " from a new series ( A Parker photography Cozey Mystery)for hours of stimulating intrigue and enjoyable entertainment. Kat

[HAL · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for a great mystery!

No sex, bad language bloody gore, just a great mystery with a cast of likeable and not so likeable characters. Sure, not totally realistic with an investigator cozying up to an out of town photographer but cozies aren't necessarily point on accurate but focus on the who and why of crime. I can heartily recommend this book as an entertaining diversion.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Captured on Camera. Eleanor Harmony doesn't get the opportunity to get married a fourth time when her groom-to-be, Paul Griffin, is found dead in his car. Luckily famous photographer Jackie Parker is in town helping out her Aunt Ruth in the family business--Parker Photography. Jackie has taken some photos that shed light on what happened to Paul. I liked the small town feel and the characters in this book. I think future books in this series will be fun to read.

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some times you just need to learn to say "no". But in this case, Jackie Parker got sucked into agreeing to do things for others that in turn sent her on a mystery. She thought she was only going to photograph a wedding. That was changed when the groom to be ends up dead right before the wedding.
I loved this book. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought seriously about giving a two-star review, but Ms. Bolden's plotting and characterization defeated that. Her omission of commas around names really distracted me from the plotting. If I were reading aloud, I would want a comma as an instruction on where to breathe, or where to lower the pitch of my voice parenthetically, as in go, Spot, go!

[April Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect Picture

Marvelous first in series. Well developed characters, making this story believable. I was so involved that I forgot to solve the murder and was shocked by the reveal! The world building was superb. I'm making plans to move with Aunt Ruth to Shady Pines. Highly Recommended.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The characters are believable, interesting, and this reader wants to know more. The plot is straightforward, but the backstory could use more heart. The premise is finding out what killed the groom of a marriage and why? The answers were found, but it was still sadness for most. I liked the ending and hope the main character will follow through. I do recommend this story.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

This was a freebie and so glad I downloaded it. Very good. A little far fetched with a photographer from out of town who has to help the small town police chief solve the murders. But overall, I liked it. Glad the next one is on kindle unlimited

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really! Another cozy mystery that I enjoyed because once again, the main character was NOT the suspect, lol. PLUS, here, the police seeked out her help, SO NUTS! Lol

I enjoyed it a lot and I am hoping to continue this series! New author, new series, new backlist! :)