A Deadly Row

A Mystery by the Numbers #1

by Casey Mayes

Capturing the hot new craze:
The new Math Puzzle mystery series.

Math whiz Savannah Stone makes a living creating Math puzzles in rural North Carolina. But when the mayor starts receiving death threats, Savannah needs to solve this puzzle-before the next box to be filled is the mayor's coffin.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Ebooks, Detective, Suspense

291 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 7, 2010

About the author

Pseudonym for Tim Myers

Reviews

[Milena Benini · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible, cliched writing, with characters so thin cardboard would be an improvement. No real clues, but that doesn't matter because the detecting pair - a legendary retired police chief and his puzzle-writing wife - couldn't conclude their way out of a wet paper bag with a compas and a sherpa. Also, I haven't seen this many coincidences (including a long-lost uncle turned billionaire) since the last golden age parody. Unfortunately, this book has as much humour as it does tension, logic and wit: somewhere in the negative values.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. Not sure if I'll read any others in this series. I did like the characters more as I got farther into the book, just not one of my favorites.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a "if you liked that you might like this" from Goodreads, and I did. I'd say its on the border of procedural and cozy. It made a pleasant change that it had a strong husband and wife relationship at the centre, rather than "oh, that guy's handsome", although I couldn't actually tell their age. Having a POV character who devises puzzles made it a bit different from cooks and books.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this debut novel in the new series "A Mystery by the Numbers." In this case, the author tells us that this is the latest case in the lives of former police chief, Zach and his wife, Savannah Stone. Being a police consultant after his early disabled retirement allows Zach to bring his brilliant wife along. Savannah is a celebrity in her own right, she authors puzzles for multiple newspapers. As her husband's unofficial partner, she sees patterns in crimes.

This crime hits too close to home for Zach as it involves his former precinct and the Mayor of Charlotte, NC. Meanwhile, Savannah becomes involved with her Uncle Thomas and mysteries left by her deceased Mother.

I instantly felt at home with the Stones and the crimes were credible and well formed. Lucky, for me, I have the next book in the series just waiting for its rise to the top of my TBR pile.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK...I'll admit to finding a new cozy mystery series.

Savannah is a puzzle maker...the crossword type but with numbers. And, because I love Sudoku and other logic puzzles, I was hooked.

Then her partner is a retired chief of police who was shot, which injury resulted in his retirement. Now he consults with police departments on hard cases.

The two of them have moved to the mountains to live, but a case calls them back to Charlotte...and friends.

I loved the romance and interaction between Savannah and her spouse, the relationships with friends and family and her saucy attitude.

This most definitely is a series to continue.

[Leigh McF]

Oof this was a rough one for me. The dialogue was so awkward and nothing seemed to happen. It was repetitive- a conversation would happen and then one of the characters would tell someone else about the conversation. Not enough clues and mystery either. It seemed like the murder was in the background and many chapters were spent talking about how they hadn’t figured anything out yet.

[Dorothy Cavell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Done in a day! Wasn't hard to guess the ending for this one, but that's not necessarily always bad for cozy mysteries. I wasn't a fan of the husband-wife banter in this though; it didn't seem realistic and bordered on cringey...

[Reian'sReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't really care for the first half of this book.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading this author. It was a fun witty story and different. I liked the relationship between the detective and his Mathematical wife. Easy read.

[Brittany S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initial Impressions 5/6/12: Really did not enjoy this one. I felt like it was poorly put together, not a lot of action to keep the reader interested, and not a lot of likable characters. I wasn't happy with the way they went about investigating, who the murder turned out to be (and seemed like a weak motive - maybe they didn't want to give it away so we weren't given much), and for a "mystery by the numbers", I wanted a lot more out of the puzzle side. Just really disappointed with this book!

Full review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: First off -- the cover has nothing to do with anything in the book. Not sure where they came up with that illustration. As for a review, I was really disappointed in this book. I actually found myself trying to rush through it because I was so bored. I don't like not completing books so I didn't give up on it, but I felt like it was really poorly written and I didn't enjoy any of the characters in the book. I felt like no real investigation happened (or was revealed to the reader to bring them into the story) until almost 3/4 into the novel. The first quarter is a set up of what happened, the middle is Zach staring at evidence while Savannah has meals with her old friends and/or suspects in the town, and finally towards the end, the action finally starts to pick up. Throw in some family secrets from Savannah's past, and there's the story. It just did not flow well, very little action to keep me interested, and the answer to who the killer was just seemed thrown together. Compared to all of the cozy mysteries that are out there, this definitely did not stack up. And for being a "mystery by the numbers", not a whole lot of clues were given to the reader. It was one puzzle that Savannah got bit by bit and wasn't even that interesting. Lastly, I felt like for half of the story there was a lot of tension between Savannah and Zach. It was like they were constantly taking jabs at each other and then saying "Just kidding" to make it not tense, or someone being jealous for no reason, or being selfish regarding their plans and/or how to proceed with investigation. It just seemed to me like they weren't a very cohesive couple and just did not make them likable characters.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of A Deadly Row.
The author is in fact Tim Myers. I've read his other books, but this the best, IMHO. The book
leans more toward a traditional cozy than his other books and I think that
might be what I liked the most. There aren't a lot of characters in the
book, but almost all of them could be the killer.

Zach Stone, is the retired police chief of Charlotte. He had to take a
medical retirement after being shot. His wife, Savannah, makes math and
logic puzzles for syndication in newspapers. Zach misses the life of a
policeman and has started to do consultant work for various police agencies
in North Carolina. Not to make ends meet, but to keep his mind active in
crime solving.

Zach receives a call from the current police chief of Charlotte, asking for
his help. There have been to murders already and clues left by the killer
that point in the direction that the Mayor could be the next. Upon arriving
in Charlotte, Savannah and Zach are given a penthouse suite in one of the
finer hotels. It seems the owner of the hotel was the employer of one of
the victims. The other victim, a male, has had bad dealings with almost all
of the main characters.

The killer can't help taunting the police with notes and pictures. Savannah
can't help assisting her husband, as the she can see that the notes and
pictures are pieces of a puzzle that once deciphered will lead them to the
killer.

Who is the killer? The current police chief, a policeman who didn't get the
chiefs job, Somebody that dated the mayor. Or is it the mayor himself?

Put this book on your list to read and enjoy. You won't want to put it
down.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savannah Stone creates math and logic puzzles that appear in more than forty-two papers. Zach, Savannah’s husband, was the police chief in Charlotte, North Carolina before an on the job injury forced him into early retirement. Zach is trying to use his expertise as a police chief to start his own consulting business.

A phone call from Davis Rawles who stepped into Zach’s position sets Savannah on edge. She feels that Rawles has been soliciting too much free advice from Zach. Rawles informs Zach that Mayor Grady Winslow is receiving threats that seem to be tied to an unknown suspect that had already committed two murders. He asks for Zach’s help before the Mayor becomes another victim in the string of murders.

Davis informs Zach that the couple will be staying at the Belmont, a very exclusive hotel and all consulting fees will be paid. This is a deal too good to pass up so the couple leaves their suburban home for Charlotte. When they arrive at the Belmont, they discover that the billionaire owner of the Belmont employed one of the murder victims and that is why the Stones are staying at the Belmont. The owner feels that it is his contribution to the murder investigation.

As the couple work together to try to piece together the clues that are available, they discover that the killer is sending clues to the police in the form of a puzzle. As Savannah and Zach work against time to discover the identity of the killer, before he claims another victim Savannah also discovers a puzzling secret from her past.

A Deadly Row is a very different and exciting mystery with a conclusion that will surprise most readers.

[Marlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in a new series by Casey Mays (a pseudonym for the extremely prolific Tim Myers) introduces us to Savannah Stone, a former high school math teacher, who now writes math and logic puzzles for a living. Her husband Zach is a retired police officer, having been forced to resign his position as Chief of Police in Charlotte, NC after being shot. Savannah's job allows her to travel with her husband when he's hired to consult with various police forces.

Having recently moved to a mountain cottage, Savannah is not pleased when one of Zach's first consulting gigs is with his old police department in Charlotte. But she's even more reluctant to stay home when he reveals that the case he's helping with may relate to the safety of their old friend Grady Winslow, now the mayor of Charlotte.

Once they arrive in Charlotte and learn that the perpetrator is sending cryptic messages about his plans, it becomes obvious that Savannah's puzzle-creating and -solving skills will be useful in solving the case.

This unusual combination of police procedural and intellectual puzzle with a little cozy thrown in works very well in Mayes' capable hands, and bodes well for future entries in the series.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I blew right through this one! A new series by Tim Myers writing as Casey Mayes. It was well written, pulled me right along in the story and has a wife and husband team that are fun to know and yet neither are "perfect" people, in other words, people you would like to know and not get ill around because they are - so good.

Savannah Stone is a puzzle maker, using her strong background and love of mathematics. Her husband Zach is a medically-retired Police Chief who is now doing private consulting. When a couple of murders in their former home town of Charlotte occur Zach is called back to help his replacement.

The mystery was well done but for some reason I latched on to the actual killer really early and never really gave it up, although there were several others that could have done it. Don't know why that happened with this book, most of the time I just merrily follow all the red herrings and then say, well I thought once it might be _____ but the others were just as likely.

It didn't spoil the book for me, this is one of the best mysteries I've read this year. Highly recommended.

In fact, I got this from the library but might have to go out and buy a copy to own - I think I'll want to re-read this one, it was that good.

[Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery by the Numbers, Book 1. This is kind of a new to me author...I have read his books that he writes under other names (Tim Mayers) but not under this name. He is a good writer and I enjoyed this book very much. The action kept coming and so did the clues. I figured out some of it before Savannah did and other parts where a surprise to me.

Savannah is a retired math teacher that now makes math logic puzzles. Zach, her husband, is a retired Cheif of Police. Zach now does consulting for the police. He gets called in on a double murder in his home town (Charlotte) and Savannah goes with him to help. Between helping Zach solve the murders she takes a few side trips and mends some bridges with her family and almost gets killed before the book is finished.

All though this is the first book of the series it kept referring back to thinks that had happen in the past and left me wondering if it was really the first book. I could not find a reference to a previous book in the series so guess that this is just the way he decided to write it.

I will be looking for the next book in this series.

[Lana. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Puzzle maker and math whiz Savannah Stone is happily living in the country with her husband, retired police chief, Zach, when an urgent call for help from the Charlotte police force brings them back to town. Their close friend and mayor of Charlotte, Grady Winslow, has been receiving death threats from a suspected murderer. But as Zach and Savannah investigate more into the case, they are no longer sure who from their old hometown they can really trust.

I applaud Casey Mayes's creation of such a strong and intelligent female character, and the bond the character has (romanticaly and professionally) with her husband. But I felt there were too many parts in the story that were difficult to believe.

Side stories that relate to Savannah's family and former close friends, as well as introspective moments attempt to flesh out and round the character, but at times seemed really too much off topic.

I felt the story had a lot of potential (and was looking forward to solving some puzzles that were hinted at), but ultimately found "the final answers" to be rather predictable and or cheesy.

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savannah Stone, a math whiz, creates number and logic puzzles for a newspaper syndicate. Her husband Zach, has been forced into retirement at 42 from his position as Police Chief of Charlotte, NC, after a gunshot wound landed close to his heart. He now does consulting work. They now live in the mountains of NC. Zach gets pulled back to Charlotte when his friend, the Mayor is threatened and the new Police Chief is stumped by a serial killer leaving cryptic notes. Zach and Savannah find this case involves their particular skill sets as well as effecting a lot of their old friends. There is a side story involving Savannah's family and a mysterious box left her by her late Mother.

I found this story very interesting with all the puzzle references although the type of puzzle they solve was not completely apparent to me as I was reading the book, not being familiar to all the types of math puzzles out there. I particularly liked the relationship between Savannah and Zach. I will be looking for more in this series.

[Lindig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mildly interesting. Set in Charlotte NC and near Hickory, so it felt like home. The main couple is a woman who constructs number puzzles for publication, and her husband, the ex-police chief of Charlotte. He's called back to Charlotte to consult on a serial killer. Fine, so far. The POV is hers, and I found it very annoying that she was prone to using "my husband" instead of his name -- my husband would never do that; when I spoke to my husband, he said...; my husband asked the suspect a question; etc etc. I got it, lady; you're married. The whole tone of the book made it seem like the middle of a series but I can't find any indication that this author has written another book. Fair, but not noteworthy.

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Deadly Row by Casey Mayes
This is the first book in a new series by author Casey Mayes. Our heroine is Savanna Stone, who creates puzzles for syndication in newspapers around the country. Her husband Zach is a recently retired Chief of Police in Charlotte NC. Zach and Savannah are called back to Charlotte to help solve a pair of supposedly random murders.

In between, Savannah reconnects with old friends, makes some startling discoveries as she helps her husband and eventually Savannah and Zach will need all their combined skills to root out the wily killer and stay alive at the same time.

I received this book as a gift from a friend and recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys puzzles and good mysteries.

[Cynthia Armistead · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I don't know that I'll read any more of this series. I found it far too frustrating to wait for the supposedly intelligent lead character to catch up to the killer's very obvious clues. The identity of the murderer seemed plain to me from the moment he was introduced, yet all the other characters were oblivious. And for a "mystery by the numbers" there were very few numbers - I would have thought that at least one little puzzle would have been included for the reader, but there wasn't so much as a reference to Sudoku to be found.

[Ahtims · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cozy mystery which I enjoyed reading, though not the end. Why do mystery books generally disappoint? In most cases, atleast I feel so, the end just fizzles out. The beginning and middle leads to penting up of so much excitation and expectations, which the end somehow fails to deliver. If you discount the mundane ending, I loved the book, especially reading about maths puzzle creation, and the pampering received by the detective couple in their posh hotel. I loved reading details of their lives, to which the mystery played a supporting role.

[Kaitlin G · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was a hard one for me. I started to read it and it took me awhile. I love a mystery book but I don't know why it took me so long to read what it normally only takes me about 2 days to read a mystery book like this.I will say that it was a little bit of a spin. I didn't guess the killer as fast as I should have. But they were on my list of potentials. so I have to give the author an extra star because I didn't guess the killer right away. I would read the next one just to see what Savannah Stone does next.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Mr. Mayes watched too many 1940s crime dramas or read too many pulps. Who says "my dance card is filled" today? This book is one long cliche.

I picked this because the teaser said something about math puzzles and mystery. Sadly, there was little of either. Well, there was slightly more mystery than math. As a mystery, this came off to me as what I would imagine a Harlequin romance to be...formulaic and simple.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good first novel. The mystery was enjoyable set in Charlotte, NC. Savannah, who creates syndicated puzzles for newspapers (still not sure exactly what kind of math related puzzles she makes because I got the feeling they weren't Sudoku) and her husband Zach (a retired police chief) are called in to investigate a series of murders that has the killer taunting the police with puzzles. The story was a quick read, it was entertaining and the characters were likeable.

[Selah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed Zach and Savannah as a couple. Their relationship and interaction was spot on. It was also a ton of fun to read about my hometown (the reason I chose the book)! The murder mystery itself was so-so and the secondary mystery was way too easy to figure out. Also, the author switched the order of the two murders towards the end of the book. :/

[Laura]

I picked it from the library because it would fit in my pocket (really) and I wanted to read something with connection to NC. I figured out the solution to the mysteries way before the characters did, which meant that I skimmed through a lot to get to the end to confirm.
I was pleased to see a reference to not telling one's dreams before breakfast, a superstition I share.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good first book in a new to me series. It had a good mystery and I read it at a very fast pace (I love short chapters). I am not much into husband and wife mystery solving teams, but this one was ok.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a big fan of this one. I was hoping for more puzzle-solving action. And I wasn't a fan of the resolution. I vowed to myself I would finish every book I started this year. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have finished this book.

[Pack children · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun,cozy mystery that takes place in Charlotte will appeal to mytery lovers and crossword puzzle lovers. There are lots of twists and turns and hidden clues to keep you guessing and a family mystery is also solved in the process. Page read this.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would love this book. It is about a mathematician who writes math puzzles for a newspaper for a living. It is set in Charlotte, NC. I was disappointed. The mystery itself was ok but the chatter between the husband and wife was annoying for some reason.