Obsessions can be Murder

Charlie Parker #10

by Connie Shelton

Charlie and Drake want a little time away from it all. A cozy cabin, good books, a little fishing at the lake. It's what Charlie needs to relax and enjoy herself.

But the town of Watson's Lake, New Mexico, has a little unsolved mystery. Four years ago a showplace home--tucked away in the mountains above the lake--blew sky high. A young woman died. The owner of the home disappeared the same day.

His gold-digging wife wants the insurance money; his daughter wants him to come home. And Charlie can't resist investigating. As she sorts out the clues she finds that the citizens of this little mountain town--including the sheriff--have loads of secrets. The missing homeowner's life is an intricate puzzle and Charlie is determined to piece it together.

Here is what others have said:

“Shelton can only expand her fan base with this solid effort.” –-Publishers Weekly,

“Charlie Parker is getting rather good at her vocation, as Connie Shelton is proving to be an adept practitioner of hers.” –New Mexico Book Talk,

"Shelton continues to combine suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships." --Booklist

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

270 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

My love of books started with weekly trips to the library as a child and from the moment I learned to read I can't remember a time that I didn't have at least one book going. For the past 25 years, that list has grown to include what I'm reading and what I'm writing at any given time.

I began writing my Charlie Parker series when my husband and I lived on Kauai, then continued them in my home state of New Mexico. Charlie lives in Albuquerque and manages to travel to a variety of locations, wherever her investigation business and her husband's helicopter business take them. My second series featuring Samantha Sweet, the 50-ish woman who breaks into houses for a living, is set in Taos, New Mexico.

In addition to reading and writing, I've traveled quite a lot, taught writing courses, and been a speaker at a whole lot of mystery conventions and writing conferences. In my spare time I also love to paint, draw, cook and spend time at the beach.

Series:
* Charlie Parker Mystery

Reviews

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: The town of Watson's Lake has a little unsolved mystery. Four years ago, a showplace home--beautiful and serene and tucked away in the mountains of New Mexico--blew sky high, due to an apparent gas leak. A young woman died. The owner disappeared. His gold-digging wife wants the insurance money, and his daughter wants to know what happened to her father. Charlie can't resist this kind of investigation... As she sifts through the clues, Charlie finds that the residents of the small lakeside town seem to know more than they're willing to say--including the sheriff. The more Charlie learns, the more mysterious the missing David Simmons becomes. Could David have intentionally abandoned his family, or is there a more sinister reason for his disappearance? "In this long-running but still too-little-known series, Shelton continues to combine suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships.

REVIEW: This is my second Charlie Parker Mystery and I enjoyed it as well as the first one. Enough twists, turns, and suspects to keep the reader thinking they know "who done it" and then maybe get surprised at the end. I like the small town setting and found the grandmotherly town sheriff quite interesting. I will be reading more books from this series.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Parker is just trying to enjoy a little vacation whith her husband Drake when that talent for finding a mystery kicks in. While reading a paper Charlie notices a story in it about a mysterious fire at a local millionaires house that left his house keeper dead and him nowhere to be foud. Soon enough the daughter of the missing man shows up asking Charlie if she can look into the murder again since the local please department consisting of one hasn't made any progress in the four years since the murder. Charlie begins to investiage and soon finds the millionaire wasn't all that he seemed to be. With more suspects than answers and millions of dollars from a medical project that the murdered man was working on whith his daughters husband, Charlie needs to find out who the murder is before thier obsession turns into her murder.
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This was a pretty good mystery, the only thing that was bad to me was that from the beginning of the book there are only really two suspects and once the one is removed about half way through the book its only interesting to see how the author reveals who killed the millionaire and how he gets caught. The one thing I really like about this book is it does not rely on sex and violence to tell the story, it relies on the interaction with the characters. More like Matlock and Diagnosis Murder than CSI or some of the other mystery shows on today. I would recommend this to any one who likes light mysteries that are short fast reads.
m.a.c

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am the author of this book. While on a long weekend to the small town of Watson's Lake, Charlie learns of an unsolved case. Four years earlier a showplace home blew sky high, killing a woman, and the home's owner vanished. Now his daughter would like to find him, and the local sheriff would like to solve the murder.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine. I think parts of it were odd and a lot of details were SUPER unnecessary. Like when Charlie makes comments on what she's eating and how she won't be able to fit into her jeans. Also thought it was really weird how her husband was mentioned because all that's ever really said about him is how bad Charlie wants to bang him (not relevant?) But for the most part, I felt like nothing really happened for a better part of the book and found myself hella bored by this book. She does very little actual detective work and she kinda just states the same three facts over and over again. I also thought the final reveal of it being Jake was a little obvious because several times Charlie says that it's impossible that's literally anyone else.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

not sure how the title of the book apply to the story and the stuff they found on the dead guy, is he good? or is he bad? why would he have so many variation of names and IDs?

That part was not explained but why introduce that into the storyline without any resolution? Maybe, he did it to hide resources? now that I think of it. Still, it is a mystery to me.

good nice little mystery to keep a person alert while doing mundane office work. Of course, I got the audio version. That way I can use earphones and not get fired!

[Jeffrey Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie is drawn into a missing persons case, only to be discovered at the bottom of a lake. False identities, hidden money, and bitter widows. It seems everyone has a motive, but who’s actually responsible?

No spoilers here! I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure and look forward to the next. I’m quickly catching up to you, Connie. Better write faster!!

[Carlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting story that starts out with a young wife seeking out a Priviate Detective, to help find her missing father. He has been gone four years, but were has he been? And why? The story unfolds gathering more and more suspects. With a surpise endinmg. Hard to put down. Want to read more of Charlie Parker stories.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of boring. Lots of red herrings and possibilities, but they amounted to almost nothing. The murderer was evident pretty early, and nothing led anywhere else.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I figured out the killer by chapter 9. I am getting tired of this series.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

[Connie Whitcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Charlie Parker.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Charlie Parker story. I highly recommend these on audiobooks!

[Kathie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoopla audio a good one

[Grey853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie is on vacation with her husband when she's approached by a woman who wants her to find her missing father. Four years ago his house burned down with a maid inside. He disappeared and is the primary suspect in arson and murder. Of course, the daughter is convinced of his innocence.

I liked Charlie's character a lot and the mystery part is okay, but I knew from the start who did what. Still, it was a good read.

[Nancee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Female Albuquerque private investigator Charlie Parker becomes involved in a four year old unsolved mystery in the small town Watson's Lake, New Mexico. Involves the mysterious disappearance of David Simmons and the suspicion that he burned down his home in which his housekeeper died. Charlie was hired by David Simmons' daughter, Amanda, and her husband Jake, a genetic researcher to find the truth. Number 10 in the series.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A splendid suspenseful mystery which has Private Investigator Charlie Parker, an extremely likeable heroine, wondering whodunnit until the very end. Not surprising since she is investigating a case four years old but all the characters give signs of innocence - that is until Charlie suddenly realises what is going on.

[Nancy Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be looking for more of Connie Shelton's books! Enjoyed this new author to me.