What do you think?
Rate this book
Haggerty Mystery #3
Above Suspicion
It's been five years since Mary Grace O'Malley has seen John Wright. And right at this moment, Mary Grace wishes she wasn't seeing him standing in the dining room of her Bed and Breakfast Inn. Now the rising star reporter has returned to the small Florida town of Bethany Beach to investigate an unsolved murder — and to see Mary Grace.
As John persuades Mary Grace to help him explore the tragic secrets of twenty-five years ago, Miss Eugenia Atkins and her friends arrive at the Arms for a pleasant vacation. But when a guest ends up dead, they all become embroiled in investigating this new mysterious crime.
In Above Suspicion, Betsy Brannon Green's matchless ability to blend romance, suspense, and humor delivers a thrilling and enjoyable tale of secrets you'll never suspect.
As John persuades Mary Grace to help him explore the tragic secrets of twenty-five years ago, Miss Eugenia Atkins and her friends arrive at the Arms for a pleasant vacation. But when a guest ends up dead, they all become embroiled in investigating this new mysterious crime.
In Above Suspicion, Betsy Brannon Green's matchless ability to blend romance, suspense, and humor delivers a thrilling and enjoyable tale of secrets you'll never suspect.
266 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2003
About the author
Betsy Brannon Green
37 books317 followers"WELCOME!!!!!
If you're not familiar with my books, I write mystery-suspense novels. I am LDS (Mormon) and so are some of my characters, but I have loyal readers from many different faiths. My goal is to engage the reader in my books. I want to make them laugh and cry and worry and dread the end.
Most of my books are set in the fictional town of Haggerty, Georgia - which is loosely based on my grandparents' hometown of Headland, Alabama (the most wonderful place on earth). Each book has an ample supply of romance, suspense, Southern hospitality and even recipies!"
by Betsy Brannon Green on http://www.betsybrannongreen.net/
If you're not familiar with my books, I write mystery-suspense novels. I am LDS (Mormon) and so are some of my characters, but I have loyal readers from many different faiths. My goal is to engage the reader in my books. I want to make them laugh and cry and worry and dread the end.
Most of my books are set in the fictional town of Haggerty, Georgia - which is loosely based on my grandparents' hometown of Headland, Alabama (the most wonderful place on earth). Each book has an ample supply of romance, suspense, Southern hospitality and even recipies!"
by Betsy Brannon Green on http://www.betsybrannongreen.net/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
December 26, 2014
I think there was a little too much cheesy LDS stuff in this one. I mean, I'm an active member of the church and love it, but I don't like books that shove religion at you in a non-realistic way or an over-dramatic way just to teach something. I was also getting tired of the exact same thing happening over again:
She woke up, she took a shower, she got dressed, she went down to breakfast, she got changed into work clothes, she cleaned the rooms and delivered fresh towels, she talked to this person, she talked to this person, she went here, she got changed for dinner, she ate dinner, she tried to clean up but was told not to, she went to the beach, she went to sleep. This happened a lot. There was no variation in Mary Grace's life unless someone was trying to cause trouble.
Mary Grace was proposed to before she even told the guy she loved him and vice versa. And then he kept bugging her about it. It wasn't realistic.
Plus... cheesy depictions of an active LDS person's life. I just wasn't a fan.
She woke up, she took a shower, she got dressed, she went down to breakfast, she got changed into work clothes, she cleaned the rooms and delivered fresh towels, she talked to this person, she talked to this person, she went here, she got changed for dinner, she ate dinner, she tried to clean up but was told not to, she went to the beach, she went to sleep. This happened a lot. There was no variation in Mary Grace's life unless someone was trying to cause trouble.
Mary Grace was proposed to before she even told the guy she loved him and vice versa. And then he kept bugging her about it. It wasn't realistic.
Plus... cheesy depictions of an active LDS person's life. I just wasn't a fan.
July 11, 2012
It's been five years since Mary Grace O'Malley has seen John Wright. And right at this moment, Mary Grace wishes she wasn't seeing him standing in the dining room of her Bed and Breakfast Inn. Now the rising star reporter has returned to the small Florida town of Bethany Beach to investigate an unsolved murder — and to see Mary Grace.
As John persuades Mary Grace to help him explore the tragic secrets of twenty-five years ago, Miss Eugenia Atkins and her friends arrive at the Arms for a pleasant vacation. But when a guest ends up dead, they all become embroiled in investigating this new mysterious crime.
In Above Suspicion, Betsy Brannon Green's matchless ability to blend romance, suspense, and humor delivers a thrilling and enjoyable tale of secrets you'll never suspect.
A fun read! Lots of twists and turns.
As John persuades Mary Grace to help him explore the tragic secrets of twenty-five years ago, Miss Eugenia Atkins and her friends arrive at the Arms for a pleasant vacation. But when a guest ends up dead, they all become embroiled in investigating this new mysterious crime.
In Above Suspicion, Betsy Brannon Green's matchless ability to blend romance, suspense, and humor delivers a thrilling and enjoyable tale of secrets you'll never suspect.
A fun read! Lots of twists and turns.
July 20, 2012
My 2nd book by Betsy Brannon Green and I will read more because they are just plain fun with the right combination of suspense and romance. The Southern Haggarty ladies are delightful, especially Miss Eugenia and the audio narrator is wonderful. Although a bit predictable, it was fun to see it all unravel and there were a few surprises. This book appeals to LDS audience especially, but I think the non LDS reader would enjoy it & be enriched. Again, this book reminded me of Miss Marple and also a little of Agatha Christie. Fun, fast paced, with extra kudos from me to the author for a squeaky clean read.
May 20, 2009
The Haggerty ladies are on vacation at the Bethany Arms hotel. Miss Eugenia even cons Kate and Mark Iverson to join them. Mary Grace inherited the Arms from its previous owner and feels an obligation to keep it running despite her two misfit employees and pressure from her attorney/friend to sell. John Wright, a reporter, comes to Bethany Beach on assignment to investigate unsolved murders, and Bethany Beach has a 25-year-old unsolved murder. John is also a man Mary Grace met before his mission, and before she joined the church. Romance is rekindled and major secrets are revealed.
May 5, 2009
This is my 2nd of Betsy's books and I loved it! It even had the old ladies of Haggerty in it! Great characters, lots of twists and turns, and a little romance to keep you interested. Very cute (an appearance by the Visiting Teachers to lend a hand) and a little predictable, but safe for your heart. Can't wait to read more of her fun work!
October 13, 2012
I was somewhat concerned after reading several of the review that I may not enjoy the book. However, I found the book easy to read, entertaining, and hard to put down. The author did input some things about the LDS Church but I didn't think she overdid it at all. The story was a little predictable but it was interesting to see how it all came together.
October 9, 2009
I really enjoyed it, the romance, the characters... a good, quick read. But it reminded me of a Scooby Doo episode, where they have their mystery and then catch the guy, and then he confesses everything, and says: "If it weren't for you nosy brats, I could have gotten away with it too".
September 2, 2020
3.5 stars
I rounded up because I liked this one better than Until Proven Guilty. There were some things in here that were definitely indications that this was not written "recently" -- all of the rooms were named after Confederate Generals. I enjoyed most of it, but there was something about the end that didn't quite leave me satisfied. I liked the fact that while there was a mystery, there wasn't the unrealistic "everyone has to be in mortal danger."
Overall, it was cute.
I rounded up because I liked this one better than Until Proven Guilty. There were some things in here that were definitely indications that this was not written "recently" -- all of the rooms were named after Confederate Generals. I enjoyed most of it, but there was something about the end that didn't quite leave me satisfied. I liked the fact that while there was a mystery, there wasn't the unrealistic "everyone has to be in mortal danger."
Overall, it was cute.
September 6, 2017
The basic plot summary is Mary Grace is running a hotel called the Arms in a small town named Bethany Beach. Then her old friend John Wright come to stay at the Arms while reporting on an old murder in the town that happened 25 years ago. As they get closer to solving the murder they start to figure out some hidden secrets. They find that the dock below the Arms is being used by a smuggling ring. Different events lead to Mary Grace almost getting shot in the head by her friend, Heath Pointer. Turns out he was part of the smuggling ring. Then Mary Grace decides to sell the Arms. Everything goes back to normal.
The main character, Mary Grace starts out in the book being quiet, kind, and stubborn. She has loads of work to do and she doesn't want any help. Throughout the book she becomes bolder, doing the kind of things you would never expect her to do. She becomes much less stubborn. She lets her friends help her do things she can't possibly do alone. She stays kind for the remainder of the book.
I gave this book a 3-star rating because a big part of the book was kind of dull. It seemed to drag on and I had a hard time reading it because of that. A big part of the book is just them going to meetings with towns people to get more information. Then they would go back to the hotel and eat dinner, then go for a walk on the beach, and then repeat the next day. It got better as the book progressed. I liked this book but it wasn't my favorite.
The main character, Mary Grace starts out in the book being quiet, kind, and stubborn. She has loads of work to do and she doesn't want any help. Throughout the book she becomes bolder, doing the kind of things you would never expect her to do. She becomes much less stubborn. She lets her friends help her do things she can't possibly do alone. She stays kind for the remainder of the book.
I gave this book a 3-star rating because a big part of the book was kind of dull. It seemed to drag on and I had a hard time reading it because of that. A big part of the book is just them going to meetings with towns people to get more information. Then they would go back to the hotel and eat dinner, then go for a walk on the beach, and then repeat the next day. It got better as the book progressed. I liked this book but it wasn't my favorite.
September 4, 2010
It's predictable, but cute. Usually I only give fives to books that I continue to think about for a couple days. I suppose I've been a little busy trying to read all of the other Haggerty books to be able to think about most of them. It was very well written, but when taking into consideration the title, it's fairly obvious(at least it was to me,) who was guilty. The only problem is, and I don't know if this will be solved in a later book, but there are two men who are constantly talking near the hotel and only one is caught. Nothing is mentioned of the other again. I know it's not in the next Haggerty book, but I think I have three and a half more to go... we'll see if that guy is taken care of.
October 1, 2017
Fun book but not quite as good as the first two in this series
May 10, 2010
Okay, here goes. It was hard for me to get going in the beginning, but the end was a bit better.
The mormon subculture is included without being too trite or forced, but had to roll my eyes on a few pages.
My problems: the main characters are how old? They couldn't be more than twenty-five, but they act and talk like 40-year-olds. Plus, there was a parade of characters with contrived reasons to show up at convenient times in the book. And everything is way too tidy, convenient and fairy-tale ending.
The mormon subculture is included without being too trite or forced, but had to roll my eyes on a few pages.
My problems: the main characters are how old? They couldn't be more than twenty-five, but they act and talk like 40-year-olds. Plus, there was a parade of characters with contrived reasons to show up at convenient times in the book. And everything is way too tidy, convenient and fairy-tale ending.
October 10, 2013
This third entry in the Haggerty series is better than the second (Until Proven Guilty) and still not as good as the first (Hearts in Hiding). Above Suspicion is not set in Haggerty, although characters from Haggerty appear in the story. The plot unfolds well (albeit with the--to me unnecessary--"heroine in life-threatening peril" scene at the end, which somehow seems to be a requirement for the romance/suspense genre but almost always adds an air of unreality to the climax)and I liked the characters. On to the fourth in the series, Silenced.
October 7, 2016
This is the 4th book I've read in this series (I read one out of order), and I've read several others by Green. Here's the thing.... she seems to be recycling characters. What I mean by that is that other than physical appearance, her heroines seem to be a lot alike. This book was probably my least favorite so far. The romance was a bit too cheesy and way too fast. Also, I don't really need to know that the heroine showered twice in a day.
I still like the books alright. They're entertaining, "fluff" reads for the most part. Perhaps I should take a break from them for a bit though.
I still like the books alright. They're entertaining, "fluff" reads for the most part. Perhaps I should take a break from them for a bit though.
July 6, 2014
This was a great story - it had 2 different secrets/mysteries going on at the same time and a love story too. I was able to solve the last mystery and knew how the love story was going to go but the one big mystery was a real shock. I really like how the author interweaves the LDS people in the lives of all those around them and all their experiences together make for great friendships. This is a nice, easy read and purely entertainment.
May 29, 2011
This was a nice little mystery story written by a Mormon author so people were either members of the church or about to be. I liked that the end was a surprise to me. Usually I have the thing all figured out well before the climax but this one was sort of unexpected. It is an OK little story when you are out of anything to read.
January 20, 2012
I didn't realize this was an LDS book until I started reading it. LDS fiction really isn't my cup of tea. I don't like reading a good mystery and then have random things like missions or scriptures mentioned. It just seems out of place. The story line was ok and If you like LDS fiction then you would enjoy this book.
June 1, 2008
I have read all of Betsy Brannon Green books. I really enjoy her books. What I like about them is that she combines a little romance with Suspense/Mystery. And when I say romance....I don't mean any detailed stuff. She is an LDS author and I think she is a GREAT writer.
August 9, 2008
My favorite genre is mystery and if you are looking for a good clean mystery, these books are for you. The books have a running LDS theme in them. Sometimes predictable writing, but you can't have it all. Overall I have not been disappointed with these books.
August 9, 2008
This book was o.k. It was a fast read, but I didn't fall in love with the main couple in the book. It was a murder mystery and I enjoyed that, but I new all the answers way before the end of the book. I was happy to see it over.
May 14, 2012
Fun book with a good balance of mystery and romance. My only complaint would be that the right people and circumstances came together a little too conveniently. However, it was fun and I'll continue to read them as they come out.
October 24, 2007
Another great.
October 26, 2007
This author is wonderful. Easy reading and keeps you guessing. She has alot of book. and they and blend.
December 21, 2007
I enjoy all of the Haggerty mysteries. I also enjoy her recipes at the end of the book. These are always a good mystery book.
March 19, 2008
A fun, clean mystery!!
April 11, 2008
Harmless romance/mystery, written for an LDS audience.
April 15, 2008
all i can say is this is one of my favorite authors. I haven't found a book i don't like yet!
May 3, 2008
Love this author's writing.
May 22, 2008
Some of the characters from Hearts in Hiding are in this book so I would recommend reading that one before this. It is a little predictable, so not my favorite, but still a must read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews