Stolen

Blackpool Mystery #1

by Jordan Gray

A cozy English seaside town built on secrets and smugglers, Blackpool is a haven for tourists and home to generations of locals who like their privacy. American Molly Graham and her British husband, Michael, are considered outsiders, but feel irresistibly drawn to this town…and its darker curiosities. Because Blackpool harbors dangerous mysteries.

And murder is just the beginning….

A shattering scream outside the old theater leads to the victim, a woman whose past in Blackpool is linked to a seventy-year-old train wreck, a lost child and a cache of valuable paintings smuggled out of London during World War II. After a number of frustrating missteps, can Molly and Michael discover the killer in their midst? In Blackpool they know secrets run deep. And some want them hidden forever—at any cost.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

[Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.]

Jordan Gray is a pseudonym of author Mel Odom.

Series:
* Blackpool Mystery

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kind of boring. Didnt pick up my interests

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an adequately entertaining cozy mystery. I would've enjoyed it more if it hadn't been for the fact that I clearly know more about English people and England in general than the author does (British people don't drink coffee unless Americans introduce them to it? Two separate characters own handguns and the police are totally ok with this? Please.) I thought the relationship between Michael and Molly was adorable, and I look forward to seeing it again in the other volumes of the series.

[Jeannine Wickliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackpool England is a nice touristy town and the home of American Molly Graham and her British husband Michael. The town suits their purposes, Michael is able to do his work and Molly is helping do a documentary on the Great Train Robbery that occurred during the war. As the start working and letting the village in on plans a murder occurs. Then another murder occurs and everything leads back to the train robbery. The mystery around the robbery is full of suspects and twists and turns. This is a fun read and throughly enjoyed

[Debbie Beeny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a nice story. However it was nicely done, lots of twists. The reader had to really concentrate b/c there were 3 generations of certain families to be familiar with. I struggled b/c I really wasn't in the mood to read it.

[Connor Bergin · Rating 3 out of 5]

the mystery case files games were favs as a kid, and i whipped my head around when i found out there was a book series based around them. this was an atmospheric, pulpy mystery (written by ghostwriters?) that got me through a flight. fun, but forgettable 🤷‍♂️

[Emily Welton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the wording didn't make sense in a few places so it threw me off.. I did enjoy the story like. it didn't end how I was expecting (not sure what i expected) almost wish there was more to the story like a huge twist or something.

[Nicholas Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, not a bad story with decent action in the end.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the book: A cozy English seaside town built on secrets and smugglers, Blackpool is a haven for tourists and home to generations of locals who like their privacy. American Molly Graham and her British husband, Michael, are considered outsiders, but feel irresistibly drawn to this town…and its darker curiosities. Because Blackpool harbors dangerous mysteries.

And murder is just the beginning….

A shattering scream outside the old theater leads to the victim, a woman whose past in Blackpool is linked to a seventy-year-old train wreck, a lost child and a cache of valuable paintings smuggled out of London during World War II. After a number of frustrating missteps, can Molly and Michael discover the killer in their midst? In Blackpool they know secrets run deep. And some want them hidden forever—at any cost.

My Review:
I surprisingly enjoyed this book! I say surprisingly because I saw it was a Harlequin and I gave up on romance novels a while ago! LOL! But this was an interesting twist as it combined a little romance, a little tech speak and a LOT of mystery. I thought it was interesting also, that Harlequin teamed up with Big Fish Games for this novel. I'd be interested to see how that plays into the other books.

Overall, I thought the story was good. I kept guessing on whodun'it and in the end I was very wrong! LOL! It kept me interested throughout the book and I loved the ending. My only caveat is that I thought the character's could have been developed further. I mean I like when they tell me the color of her hair or the shape of his eyes, you know stuff like that so you get to know the characters like friends. But overall it was a good read, a great start to the series!

Love and Blessings!
Margaret

[Doug Beatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light and frothy read featuring Michael and Molly Graham, and is set in England, though it seems to be more of an American mystery with the authors perceptions of what England might be like. It is also tied into the Ravenhearst mystery series from big fish games, though not closely related, even though Michael is a game designer in the books and Ravenhearst mansion is mentioned. Just a loose tie in to get us poor sods to read the series, but I ended up enjoying this one quite a bit. In this case, Molly has gone to Blackpool to film a documentary about a train robbery that took place in the past, and the train was derailed and some people were killed. There were some survivors that had settles in Blackpool and there were also going to be reunited and filmed for the documentary. Needless to say, one of the survivors gets murdered and the race is on to find the killer, and the possible treasure that was never recovered from the train wreckage.

This is a light, quick read and I really loved the characters and the kind of "over the top" feel it had with the big villainous creepy people living in the town and the true mystery plot with murder and hidden treasure. And mysterious people popping up out of nowhere. It was fun. And put out by Harlequin press, they must be branching out!

[Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a free copy of Stolen (Blackpool Mysteries)to review from a give away on Twitter Mom. I had no idea what to expect. I was a bit skeptical when I saw it was a Harlequin book. I haven’t read one of those in ages. Luckily, this is not my mom’s Harlequin books.

I surprisingly enjoyed the book. The characters were interesting and I liked the story and how it was laid out. This is the first in a mystery series, set in rural England. There is a missing treasure, murders and a bit of romance (but this was not the main focus at all). I liked that it had an complete ending. It is frustrating to me to read a series where you HAVE to read the next book to get to the end of the story.

In the back of the book I found out it was based on the Ravenhearst game from Big Fish Games. I don’t like computer games, but I went to check it out and it looks like it could be fun. You certainly don’t have to play the game to enjoy the book. :)

I am glad I had a chance to read Stolen. I am going to get the next book, Vanished to see what happens to Michael and Molly next.

[Amarilli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Da brava fan sfegatata della serie Mystery Case Files della Bigfish Games, ho abboccato subito quando ho visto che esistevano dei romanzi gialli che ci si riallacciavano, anche se molto alla lontana. Sapevo che me ne sarei pentita...

Stolen potrebbe essere un piacevole passatempo, se non fosse per le prime settanta pagine, che sono atroci. I protagonisti si comportano come i peggiori personaggi di un B-movie, inanellando una serie di azioni idiote, in cui spicca però l'uso massiccio dell'iPhone. Sul serio, entrando in un appartamento in cui c'è stata probabilmente un'effrazione, è verosimile accendere l'app Torcia? Sorge il dubbio che il progetto sia stato in parte finanziato dalla Apple.

Qualche ora di svago per chi ha poche pretese.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

STOLEN by Jordan Gray is a suspense/ mystery set in modern day Blackpool, England. It is a Blackpool Mystery(A Mystery Case Files). It is well written with details and depth. It has mystery, intrigue, secrets, twists, turns, murder, a train robbery, and who done it. The characters are interesting, charming,easy to follow. While doing a documentary on a seventy year old train robbery, murder occurs. While some are trying to keep some things a secret forever others are trying to solve them. This is a fast paced story of intrigue, mystery, and family evils. This book was received for review from Net Galley and details can be found at Harlequin and My Book Addiction and More.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just saw this in the bookstore and recognized the MCF insignia on the cover. MCF is Mystery Case Files, a series of computer games I've played, so it piqued my interest. I read the back of the book and it sounded good. There were three books in the store and another one due out later this year (called The Blackpool mysteries). Since I'm always looking for more books to read I got all three and this is first in the series. It's a really enjoyable series - a couple who get involved with murder like Nick and Nora or Jonathan and Jennifer. The body count was a bit surprising but overall, it was a good read.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly and Michael are husband and wife who live in Blackpool, England.
During the run-up to filming a documentary on children who were evacuated from London during the Blitz (a documentary which Molly has facilitated), Molly and Michael are drawn into the robbery of the children's train which resulted in numerous deaths. The robbery of art being moved from London, as well as gold bullion, was never solved.
It is a shock to Molly when people start dying. Is it possible this is a direct result of the documentary and fear of exposure by the aged robbers?
This was a Harlequin imprint and a fairly good story. There are at least 3 other novels in this same vein starring Molly and Michael.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Michael and Molly Graham are new residents to Blackpool, a quaint seaside town in England. Blackpool is home to many secrets, with more than its share of murders. Molly's latest project at an old theater is interrupted with a startling scream. An elderly woman is murdered in an alley, tied to a 70-yea-old train heist mystery. Knowing several survivors of the disaster, Molly and her husband Michael investigate an old mystery in order to discover what's happening in the present.”

This was nothing like I thought it would be and found it a really slow moving horrible read!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the modern day setting of Blackpool, England an excellent choice for this storyline. This was a great mystery that was very well written and paid particular to the details. The story read very quickly and the twists and turns that started at the beginning; followed the story until the very end.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Mystery Case Files

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I gave up on this one halfway through. The characters are so poorly developed, there's just no reason to care about them or the outcome of the story.

[Cheryl Karkoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange little book that just was okay.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the characters and setting. Read it in bits so would need to read it again in a day to get a better feel. Would recommend author.

[Diana Bringardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start but picked up about a third of the way through. Like the setting of Blackpool and the characters, even like the premise of the mystery. Not sure why I struggled to complete.

[Lindig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Derivative (such as the butler/factotum with the murky past -- see Dick Francis "Shattered"), and boring, too.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story was good and so were the lead characters, a husband and wife team. I will read the next in series.

[Sarah Jowett · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second time I have tried to read this book and I just can't get into it.. I really wanted to love it but I just don't

[Donna Ollis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read and enjoyable. It is the first in a series.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading this author. I liked the British setting and lanuage. Thought the ending was contrived but the book was amusing. I would read another of this author's works.

[Engel Dreizehn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although entertained....I was expecting more linkage to the Mystery Case Files game besides the mention of Ravenhearst Manor and the Blackpool setting.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael and Molly are the perfect couple to solve a Blackpool mystery. Fun read.

[Sarah Ashlock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very bad!!