Twenty Three: A Mystery Thriller

by Murray McDonald

When Kay Miller arrived as the newly appointed Deputy Sheriff of Vinalhaven Island, she couldn't have anticipated the chaos that would turn the tranquil island into the murder capital of America.

It's down to Kay, the newest member of Knox County Sheriff's Department, assisted by Maine State Detectives Abercrombie and Winters, to uncover the shocking events behind the murders and bring those responsible to justice.

As the story twists and turns to its stunning conclusion, nobody could have anticipated the final outcome in this action-packed, murder mystery thriller.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

383 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2020

Reviews

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kay Miller travels by ferry to her new job as a deputy sheriff. The quaint tourist destination of Vinalhaven Island will be her new home and she is looking forward to life on the island. Kay’s quiet island job quickly becomes complicated by a series of seemingly unrelated murders. She is soon joined by Maine State Detectives Abercrombie and Winters. The tale that unfolds was well honed with plenty of twists.

Kay is troubled and a little quirky. Her professional record is impressive, but her SUV is loaded with criminal procedure text books and she needs two bottles of wine each evening to sleep. I loved Detective Abercrombie “Fitch” and his backstory was heartbreaking. Winters took longer to warm up to, but he was redeemed in the end.

This is a well-crafted murder mystery thriller that slowly built into something more diabolical and kept me guessing. The murders, it seems, are connected and the more the three investigate, the more intense things got. I won’t say more for fear of spoilers, but you won’t be disappointed.

Twists, turns, dark revelations and a side dish of romance made for an engaging tale. Elizabeth Wiley narrates and does a wonderful job of reading this tale. From her tone to her pacing, she enhanced the tale.

Loved the reveal on the title and the ending. I will definitely look for more mysteries from this author. Fans of well-done murder mysteries will want to listen to this clever tale. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Anna Bendewald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love islands in Maine! Love murder mysteries on islands in Maine! Love the hook Mr. McDonald tossed into my mouth right at the beginning! And boy, I bit it! And with it the story dragged me through a maze of dark awful crimes and SURPRISES! At times I felt the need to skim and information was repeated more then need be. Kudos for not veering into gruesome horror.

[Jacquelyn Schingeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some unusual murders begin to happen in a small peaceful town. There is a new sheriff and a new officer on his staff who was originally hired by the preceding sheriff with a start date that came after the new sheriff was elected and there are also 2 detectives from the state police who have been called in to assist in the investigation. Kay, the new officer, finds the sheriff to be a disagreeable man who makes everyone call him Boss and she teams up with the state police detectives to try and avoid interaction with the sheriff and his department. As murders continue a few things come to light such as the fact that there once was a children's home in the town that was overseen by some of the wealthy in the town. Kay seems to be ahead of others in what she deduces from the evidence. Much of the mystery seems to revolve around the children's home and the town's leaders. You will discover the meaning of the the title 23 - very good read. It was close to 9 hours reading but I never gave a thought to not finishing the entire book!

[Karin McDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, not for me...

I truly wanted to like this book & for the most part it kept me reading to find out what was going to happen, however my main problem with it is the utterly baffling characterisation.

Typically cliche gorgeous looking main characters who are attractive, intelligent, practically perfect in every way except they were completely unrealistic & unrelatable, talking in weird conversations which felt contrived & awkward... Randomly laughing, smirking, grinning at inane moments

The twists were bizarre & almost too unpredictable, timeline jumped around with no real explanation & the actual plot was just inexplicable - too complex & not thought out fully... Holes upon holes in the story & an unsatisfactory ending

As you can tell I was not impressed & although I managed to read to the end it was through determination & gritted teeth to find out how much more ridiculous it would get... Gripping for all the wrong reasons

Sorry to the author but I would not recommend this to anyone

[MARCIA BRODERICK · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am blown away that anyone would rate this novel with more than two stars! Did you actually read it?
I stopped counting the errors, both grammatical and punctuation at eight. The sentence structure was such that one had to reread sentences to determine what was meant! Such convolution! So many run on sentences! Such cliches! So many stereotypes!
I stuck with it only because I don't like to put a book down, especially since I have a Goodreads quota to meet. I will no longer be depending on Amazon ratings when I choose a novel.

[kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little out there

I enjoyed the book, but there were tons of typo and grammatical errors. What I found funny was some of the dialog. It sounded more British than Maine. So I looked up the author, and guess what?

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tortured Writing

Many poorly written sentences in the first few chapters. Confusing story. Pretty juvenile, which surprised me after the beginning drew me in.

[Jenny Robertshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I I really enjoyed this from an author I'd not heard of. I ended up downloading a 3 book set which was also great!

[Buff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book desperately needs copyediting. It is riddled with errors, from missing words and phrases to misspellings. A good story cannot overcome these problems.

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

rounding up from 4.5 stars

Talk about a plot twist! I don't mean just one simple one either! The last quarter of the book left my jaw hanging open. I was really enjoying this book when I thought it was your run of the mill crime thriller, but then everything I thought I knew got turned upside down. Then it went sideways! This was my first book by Murray McDonald, but now I'm off to download another one.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several twists I didn’t see coming. And it all made sense in the end.

[Kaylee Machado · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chills I had while reading this book, holy cow. This was a thrift store find in California and I am so impressed!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery thriller is not my usual genre, but two friends recommended it. So glad they did! I may have gotten motion sickness from all the twists & turns (LOL!), but it was great to have me rethinking what I thought I knew…all the way to the last sentence!

[Emily Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story is ok but this book is so badly in need of a good editor I couldn't enjoy it.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character in this story is Kay Miller, who has arrived on the island of Vinalhaven for her role as the new Deputy Sheriff of Knox County Sheriff’s Department, but things don’t go as well as expected. The island is the largest of the Fox Islands, off the coast of Maine. Her new posting should have been easy in a place with such a low crime rate and small population, but before her first official day starts, she is called to a murder! She came to the small island, after years as a successful cop in a big city and with lots of experience but needing the slower pace, to help rid herself of bad memories. She was hired by the previous sheriff, who was beaten very surprisingly in the recent election, by her own Chief Deputy and now Sheriff Chris Jackson. He is the sort of man who leers at any pretty woman, and also feels the need to be called ‘boss’ by all those below him, something Kay won’t play ball with!

Extra officers, a doctor and crime scene officers, all have to be flown in from the mainland, to help with the investigation into this first murder. Shame the first victim didn’t act faster on her feelings of something wrong! Kay is joined by Maine State Police officers Ross Abercrombie, more commonly known as Fitch, and his partner Mark Winters. What is at first thought to be a case of a married couple who both tried to kill the other, soon turns to murder and that’s not the first on this small island. All of them seem to have links to some sick types of behaviour and secret pastimes, with a link to a former resident who everybody denies even knowing. Secrets can kill and on this island, it seems that they definitely can and are. There is a gap of a couple of weeks before the next pair of murders. That isn’t the end of the long line of murders and soon even the FBI will become involved.

There are twists beyond twists in this storyline and the beginning of the book makes you think one thing, for everything to be thrown on its head by the time you reach the end of the book. There are some very sick crimes that occurred on the island, which been covered up for years and secrets held by those responsible and those covering for them. All part of a secret society that prayed on the weak and those unable to change their own destinies. There will be a large number of deaths on the island, unlike anything it has ever seen before, as those responsible are hunted down and vengeance taken for their past crimes. A massive shocker at the end, which threw me completely and was not something I expected at all. Glad to see there are still writers out there that can throw in some complete curveballs to a story and leave you shocked. I look forward to reading more of this author’s books in the future, if they are anything like this! Certainly one I would recommend to anyone who likes a good suspenseful thriller. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly Worthy of 4-Stars; COULD have been 5-Stars, but Author tried to get too fancy …

… IF The Author didn’t take such a drastic turn in the last quart of pages!

The Author starts out GREAT, except he really began the book with a prelude to The End … Well, OK, we’ve all seen that style before, right?

Then, there’s some more jumping further back in time, to lay out more of The Plot, before he finally starts crawling on a path forward in time. — Personally, I don’t think this approach is necessarily a good style for The Reader, because it breaks up the continuity of the tale, and, frankly, it allowed The Author to be deliberately deceitful — which definitely causes confusion when trying to digest all the details being written.

Kudos to The Author for trying to wrap things up, after tying together loose pieces that were deliberated dropped earlier in the story — particularly one little, eansy-peansy detail that provides clearer answers for “How” some things were accomplished.

The Author laid out a compelling that that COULD come close to being believable, once he moved forward in time — but, he shot himself in the foot when he tried to get extra fancy with the intrigue that was introduced at the end. MOST of THAT trended towards the unbelievable, and robbed this Review of a 5-Star Rating.


.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jaw Dropping… but not for the right reasons

The novel gets underway from the POV of a newly-appointed female Deputy Sheriff of one of those Hampton-like US East Coast islands that serve mainly as summer getaways for the monied class. And suddenly, there’s a murder a minute. You won’t need three guesses as to how this will turn out… every twist/turn is heavily signposted.

Not even sure how to critique this… from the odd start to the highly improbable finish, even a wholesale willigness to suspend disbelief could not save it. I felt a bit cross with myself for the time wasted reading to the end. Where to start with my disappointment at the writing style? Too many clichéd tropes crammed together: awkward male boss-female underling rivalry; a ‘secret society’ of paedophiles masquerading as civic leaders and philanthropists; the cop buddy bromance. All the characters are two-dimensional, the baddies either clearly signalled or suddenly parachuted in out of nowhere; none of the ‘good people’ convince and even the budding ‘romance’ just doesn’t ring true.

Then we lose the narrator. Has the Deputy Sheriff been murdered? Just a bloodstain, no body. And without our unreliable narrator, the whole plot loses steam… until the cringeworthy final act. Nah.

[Lydia Collin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review Twenty Three by Murray McDonald
Wow. Twenty Three is one of those thrillers that grips you from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the very last line. Murray McDonald paints Vina haven Island so vividly that you can almost feel the salty ocean breeze and then he fills that peaceful setting with a storm of chaos and murder that will make your heart race.
Kay Miller, the newly appointed Deputy Sheriff, is a character you can’t help but root for. She’s sharp, determined, and flawed in a way that makes her real. Thrust into a nightmare of escalating murders, Kay’s struggle to restore order on this small island becomes a gripping, emotional ride. The tension builds perfectly, and just when you think you’ve figured it all out McDonald flips the story on its head.
Every twist hits hard, every chapter pulls you deeper, and by the shocking conclusion, you’re left breathless. twenty Three isn’t just a mystery it’s a masterclass in suspense, filled with humanity, fear, and resilience.
If you love crime thrillers with heart, complex characters, and endings that leave you stunned, Twenty Three is absolutely unmissable.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by this and seemed to get drawn in right from the beginning, despite some really annoying things that just weren't making sense to me. Kay Miller arrives for her new job as island deputy. She's exceptionally well trained, over qualified but looking for a quiet life. She also has some major problems with alcohol. Almost immediately the bodies start turning up - almost every day someone else had died... but are they connected?

Abiut half way through this was all getting a bit complicated for me. The connection between Kay and her love interst wasn't particularly believable and everyone in this story is stunningly good looking. However, as the end draws in we go back and see what has happened and there is a huge twist in the tale i hadn't seen coming! I zoomed through the first half of the book, struggled a bit with the second and feel a little dissatisfied with the very end - I like things to be finished off nicely but this was a bit ambiguous for me. We do get an explanation fir everything and all the loose funds are tied up but it is pretty far fetched!

[Lyn Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kay Miller is the newly appointed Deputy Sheriff for Vinalhaven Island. It really is a small island so she's not expecting much to happen on this small part of the world. But from day one she is awoken early to a phone call that never brings good news. There are weird crimes occurring on the island and Kay has to call in the big guns from the mainland and even with their experience, things are turning from bad to worse rapidly. As the investigation unfolds, Kay and the other police services are beginning to uncover a deep dark past of the island, but is this past really still in the past? Kay and her colleagues must uncover the truth before anymore crimes can occur but will they get to the bottom of it in time?

This book is well written and I was kept guessing right until the end and even then I still didn't guess the right person, although I had guessed about everyone else. The audio version of this book is brilliantly narrated and you are hooked right from the start.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book via Prime and it was a hard read. Paedophilia and alcoholics are two of my trigger points. That why this book was hard for me. At first, it was Kay's drinking. I didn't realize what the main plot involved until after the third murder. Then I took break. I read several other books before I was finally able to get till the half way point and then I really got into it and finished it in one reading.

I feel like I need to put this book behind me now, so I am writing this review immediately after finishing it. This is a good book and I recommend it. Just be forewarned about the heaviness. Thankfully, not a lot of actual details of the paedophilia just a hint. But it still is hard.

[Jamilla Stittgen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was unique and the subject matter definitely aroused emotion. It had a lot of potential but I feel like it fell short because it wasn’t well organized. I was tempted to abandon the book a couple of times, but kept reading only because I needed closure.

Also, it was distracting to find basic gramatical errors throughout the book. It needed an experienced editor to bring the pieces together and eliminate grammatical errors.

I was surprised that it received such a high rating on Good Reads.

It would make a good movie.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

First let me say I’m not a crime mystery type reader. This was an interesting story that sometimes was confusing to me keeping it all straight. I wasn’t pressed into turning pages to find out what was next. I did take my time, but it really wound up tight when what I thought was the main character got shot dead. The last couple of chapters were wild in their revelations. Some crazy stuff you thought of McDonald. 4.0

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

the plot has a lot to offer in the way of unexpected twists and turns. however, the editing is so poor that it is impossible to read past it. there are incomplete sentences, missing words and punctuations and inconsistent details. the main character drives a car with a trunk, an suv with a trunk, and a truck with a trunk -- all the same vehicle! this is just one example of the author's and editor's overlooking details that matter to a reader.

[Shonda Sowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer Thriller

Absolute page-turner that kept me guessing the entire time. Every time I thought I had it figured out, the story flipped everything on me. The suspense, twists, and pacing were so good I couldn’t put it down. Tense, unpredictable, and addictive — this is the kind of thriller that keeps your heart racing and your mind working overtime. Definitely a must-read for thriller lovers.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 1st book I've read written by Murray McDonald; he has done a great job at writing a good book; I will definitely be reading more of his books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christina Marioneaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on Kindle Unlimited and didn’t get the title at all. But the cover looked cool and I thought…why not? I read this in one sitting. This is a plot I’ve never encountered before. I loved the characters. I really just loved the whole book. Now I’m going to have to read everything by McDonald.

[DRA · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!!

First of all, I have never felt a need to write a review before. When I came to the end of this novel, I yelled aloud, "WOW!!!"!
I would recommend this book to anyone who relishes
an excellent, suspenseful read with unbelievable twists and turns and an ending that will surely leave you nonplussed.

[Vron · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. Cliche female main character that drinks non stop, weird pacing and a theme that should come with a very strong trigger warning. It might be a spoiler to say the TW but not everyone likes reading books about this issue. Personally is a big "no no" for me and I wasn't impressed when I realised what was going on.

[Lance O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride… absolutely brilliant!

McDonald does it again. A book with dramatic character building, twists and turns you’ll never expect, and a finish that makes it all worth it. Nothing in this book is what you expect.