Killer Riff

Molly Forrester Mystery #4

by Sheryl J. Anderson

Glossy mag advice columnist Molly Forrester has been working her tail off to get recognized as an investigative journalist and has even solved a few murders along the way, but none of that matters to her editor, who’s more than happy to keep Molly tied down to her Dear Abby roots.

Thankfully, though, her publisher has taken notice and has a lot more faith: Molly’s been promoted, and her first assignment as a full-time feature writer should be a cinch. It’s a profile of Russell Elliott, the legendary rock manager/producer who just died of an accidental overdose. The rock ’n roll world is pretty accustomed to seeing its brightest stars burn out early, and jaded as it sounds, no one is shocked by Elliot’s death---no one except his daughter, that is, who is convinced that it was no accident.

            All Molly has to do to keep her new job, pump up newsstand sales, and win back reluctant beau NYPD homicide detective Kyle Edwards is give Elliot a once-over like a devoted fan, without looking too deeply at anything that smacks of murder, like his infamous family, his infighting protégés, or the rumor about his long-lost bootleg tapes. What could be easier for Zeitgeist magazine’s newest star? Almost anything.

            Smart, sexy, and suspenseful, Killer Riff takes readers on a thrilling tour of New York’s high-stakes music industry and makes for a stylishly entertaining addition to Sheryl J. Anderson’s jazzy Molly Forrester series.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Chick Lit, Fiction, Crime

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 13, 2007

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this is the last in the series or not but Killer Riff was considerably more entertaining and hectic than the other installments. This time, Molly is promoted from advice columnist to feature writer for the magazine she works at, Zeitgeist. Only thing is, it's not the murder she initially stumbles upon to write about. It is a profile of music producer Russell Elliott. I have to admit that the storyline and plot is better and well-written as opposed to the others simply because it is more developed, in terms of clues and suspects. Overall, it was much better and improved and I hope that there are more. It is slowly growing on me, but not by much although it has potential. It's a good book to pass the time. 3.5/5 stars.

[Angela Maher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed this. The mish-mash of characters and their relationships was a little confusing at times, but the book was far from predictable, and written in a relatively lighthearted way that was quite appealing.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy this book. I thought that the main character, Molly, was fairly boring to read from the perspective of. I also thought that the setting of a big city was too typical a setting, and left a good visual image, but failed to keep me enertained. I liked that the ending tied up all the loose ends of the story and the mystery was solved. I also liked that the culprit was an unexpected one that I never would have pinned the crime upon. I didn't really enjoy that there was so much drama in the story, which just made the entire story far too dramatic for me to enjoy throughout. I also didn't really enjoy that the main character spent so much time discussing her problems with her friends, which I thought made the story boring. I also didn't enjoy that the main character always seemed a little too desperate when it came to being with her boyfriend, and her inner thoughts were expressed too long, in my opinion. However, I thought as the story progressed it became more interesting, and the ending was a decent way to wrap up the story. I wouldn't really recommend this book to others though, because I wasn't really a fan of it.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good mystery break between some heavier novels, this one pits ambition against love. Advice columnist-turned-mystery-solver Molly Forrester gets a sort of promotion just as detective Kyle might be willing to step back into her life. Can a story on the death of a music producer be as straight forward as it seems? Of course not, and Molly dives in to tangle with a complicated musical family, not to mention the love lives of herself and her besties. Fun, with some nice musical notes.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - Good

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good clean fun. Kept me reading.

[Matangi · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like this one! i didn’t guess who the murderer was in advance. but who drugged adam? i will miss this series

[Hattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10
Molly’s love interest Kyle is such a milk toast limp noodle man. I wasn’t invested in their relationship at all, but I did enjoy the mystery.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book satisfied my guilty pleasure - a fun mystery that doesn't require a lot of brain power. I listened to it while cleaning and driving and was pleasantly surprised to find an author who can tell a story and not stoop to reality TV level (trashy).

Molly writes for a magazine and is given her big break - becoming a feature writer. Her dream come true is dampened by an estrangement from her cop boyfriend who has a problem with how she gets involved in solving murders. The topic of her new column seems innocent enough but the Crowley family is a convuluted mess and Olivia is convinced her rock and roll legend father's death is not an overdose but a murder. Molly and Kyle attempt to repair their relationship with a new foundation and I love happy endings......

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate when authors stick to a cookie cutter mold of their first book as a way to write follow up novels. Sheyl Anderson's first book was good, the second, third and forth were exactly the same. There is no evolution of characters, no new characters worth caring about- same plot line, different murderers/people murdered. Save yourself some time, don't get caught up, you will just keep reading thinking "something HAS to happen". I'll save you time.. It doesn't.

[Becky C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5 stars. I started listening to this shortly before Christmas and didn't finish is until mid-January. I kept getting the characters confused and didn't really care about any of them. Story centers on a dead rock legend and the purported existence of the Hotel Tapes--previously unheard songs that would be worth millions. Do the tapes really exist? Who might have them? Who would kill to get them?

[Clayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this sitting around and picked it up as something different. After the fact realized that this is late in the series, though any back story really was not necessary. While not bad the book is mostly fluff and does not drive me to find more by the author. The ending 'twist' felt more like a rushed inclusion of a tangential character rather than a missed detail causing the potential culprit to change.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly Forrester is back. She has a chance to move up from Zeitgeist advice columnist to feature writer with a story about a dead rock legend's family. The unexpected death of Micah Crowley's best friend leads Molly to uncover quite the cover-up among the two extended families. A solid enough story, entertaining enough for this busy time of year.

[Julie Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first three of Sheryl J Anderson's books a few years ago and wasn't even aware that she had a forth. I can't really remember the others except that I really liked them and this one was great as well. The characters are vivid, the writing witty, the plot fun and fast paced. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone--I don't see how they wouldn't like it.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not terrible. The characters were okay. It was kind of funny. I didn't really care about the mystery part of it, which is good, since it wasn't much of a mystery. I didn't much care about the music, or anyone in the family. And I'll never really buy the reporter who bumbles her way into solving a crime. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars if I could.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook and it was enjoyable. I don't know if it was as engaging as other audiobooks might have been because this is the first one I've tried. Overall, it was a quick story and it made my commute go quickly!

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light mystery- good summer read. fourth in the Molly Forrester series
investigative journalist -reminds me of the Shopaholic books with the beautiful women with the name brand clothes.I didn't read the first four. This can stand alone.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure silly fluff but fun to listen to in the car. I figured out who did it well before the end. Unfortunately I didn't realize this was the fourth book in the series. It's not worth going back to the beginning to listen to the first.

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so sorry to see this series end, but it ends with a very strong book.

Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/775358...

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun vacation fluff

[Cally Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Witty expressions and fast plot. Not a great deal of character development.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun and an easy read!

[Lelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending wandered for me...

[Jen Jenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny! I really enjoyed this ride! It was funny, engaging, fastpaced, well written, flowed great and kept you guessing. :)

Need to finish review
Finished 12 November 2013

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one came out in 2007. Aren't there any more? I protest!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This one seemed to drag on a bit more than the others. And how can you stop a series without giving some more closure at the end of the final book? Ugh.

[Tory Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fun book - good characters. It's a little silly, but a quick read.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book, but I thought it dragged in places

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery, likeable characters.