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Cassandra Ellis #1
Dead to Writes
Author Cassandra Ellis is thrilled to death when her first murder mystery novel is released. She enjoys glowing reviews, praise from friends and family, and all the excitement that comes from being published.
But her celebration is cut short when she becomes the primary suspect for a real life murder. One of the sources she used while writing her novels has been shot, and Cassie is the last to have seen him alive. With her passion for research, she always wanted a firsthand view of the Baltimore City Police Department's inner workings. She never dreamed she'd get that experience by being taken in for questioning as a suspect.
When another of her experts is murdered a few days later, she decides it's time to investigate matters firsthand, much to the displeasure of James Whittaker, the homicide detective assigned to the case. Before more friends die... or before Cassie herself is targeted.
But her celebration is cut short when she becomes the primary suspect for a real life murder. One of the sources she used while writing her novels has been shot, and Cassie is the last to have seen him alive. With her passion for research, she always wanted a firsthand view of the Baltimore City Police Department's inner workings. She never dreamed she'd get that experience by being taken in for questioning as a suspect.
When another of her experts is murdered a few days later, she decides it's time to investigate matters firsthand, much to the displeasure of James Whittaker, the homicide detective assigned to the case. Before more friends die... or before Cassie herself is targeted.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2010
About the author
Cathy Wiley
27 books35 followersCathy Wiley is the author of the Fatal Food Festival series, featuring a former celebrity chef who's trying to regain her career. There have been three short stories in this series published in the Destination Murders anthologies, and the first full-length novel, Claws of Death, will come out on July 29th.
She’s also written two other mystery novels set in Baltimore, Maryland, and has had almost a dozen short stories included in anthologies, one of which was a 2015 finalist for a Derringer Award.
She lives outside of Baltimore with one spoiled cat and an equally spoiled husband. For more information, visit www.cathywiley.com.
She’s also written two other mystery novels set in Baltimore, Maryland, and has had almost a dozen short stories included in anthologies, one of which was a 2015 finalist for a Derringer Award.
She lives outside of Baltimore with one spoiled cat and an equally spoiled husband. For more information, visit www.cathywiley.com.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 1, 2019
This is the first book in a cozy mystery series that I liked so much, I already downloaded the next one!
Cassie is a soon-to-be published writer of murder mysteries. She does copious amounts of research and has numerous contacts listed in her day planner. Her day planner shows up next to the dead body of one of her contacts, an arsonist. Of course, the police interview her as a suspect. Cassie can’t help but notice that one of the detectives is very attractive.
The opening chapters start pretty slowly, but as the author warms up to her story, it gets really enjoyable. When Cassie’s frenemy and lawyer, Solange, is shot to death nearly in front of her, Cassie becomes worried about the safety of ALL her contacts. Who will be the next victim? Can Cassie solve the mystery before the cops do? Is the detective as attracted to her as she is to him?
All the threads of the plot hum along nicely as Cassie balances her investigation of the murders w/ book signings and media interviews. She’s also doing research for the third book she’s writing. I love how she goes off in thought, writing scenes in her head, which are printed in a different font and style so the reader knows Cassie is writing.
The absolute bonus is that you don’t figure out the killer until the end of the book—my benchmark for a good cozy mystery!
Cassie is a soon-to-be published writer of murder mysteries. She does copious amounts of research and has numerous contacts listed in her day planner. Her day planner shows up next to the dead body of one of her contacts, an arsonist. Of course, the police interview her as a suspect. Cassie can’t help but notice that one of the detectives is very attractive.
The opening chapters start pretty slowly, but as the author warms up to her story, it gets really enjoyable. When Cassie’s frenemy and lawyer, Solange, is shot to death nearly in front of her, Cassie becomes worried about the safety of ALL her contacts. Who will be the next victim? Can Cassie solve the mystery before the cops do? Is the detective as attracted to her as she is to him?
All the threads of the plot hum along nicely as Cassie balances her investigation of the murders w/ book signings and media interviews. She’s also doing research for the third book she’s writing. I love how she goes off in thought, writing scenes in her head, which are printed in a different font and style so the reader knows Cassie is writing.
The absolute bonus is that you don’t figure out the killer until the end of the book—my benchmark for a good cozy mystery!
July 19, 2011
Certainly, I will read more mysteries by this author in this series. I find the heroine Cassie Ellis a lot of fun and gutsy--maybe a bit too gutsy for my taste as there is quite a bit of shooting and bloodshed. Even so, the writing is light-hearted and clever. The romance is nicely developed and the characters sparkle with life.
Cassie is a soon-to-be published author of a series of alliterative mysteries. She spends her days imagining how to kill people. Just as she's celebrating the publication of her first book with her friend Michelle over a bottle of wine at a fancy restaurant, a pair of detectives enter and begin to question her about the murder of one of her sources. Seems the victim is a known arsonist and his body was discovered shortly after Cassie had visited his home. Not only that, Cassie's day planner is discovered near the body. None of this looks good for the fledgling mystery writer.
As the bodies pile up (and they appear to all be Cassie's sources), the police (particularly the steamy hot Det. Whittaker) become more and more intrigued about Cassie's possible connection to the various crimes. Is she the killer? Is the killer trying to implicate her? If so, why? Cassie wants to know too and she is doing her own investigation--one only a dyed in the wool mystery writer would do.
I enjoyed following along with Cassie as she tried to solve the various homicides before the police did. The suspects are many and I am happy to report that I was not successful in figuring out this caper before Cassie did. Even so, the denouement made sense--a sign of good murder mystery writing in my book.
Cassie is a soon-to-be published author of a series of alliterative mysteries. She spends her days imagining how to kill people. Just as she's celebrating the publication of her first book with her friend Michelle over a bottle of wine at a fancy restaurant, a pair of detectives enter and begin to question her about the murder of one of her sources. Seems the victim is a known arsonist and his body was discovered shortly after Cassie had visited his home. Not only that, Cassie's day planner is discovered near the body. None of this looks good for the fledgling mystery writer.
As the bodies pile up (and they appear to all be Cassie's sources), the police (particularly the steamy hot Det. Whittaker) become more and more intrigued about Cassie's possible connection to the various crimes. Is she the killer? Is the killer trying to implicate her? If so, why? Cassie wants to know too and she is doing her own investigation--one only a dyed in the wool mystery writer would do.
I enjoyed following along with Cassie as she tried to solve the various homicides before the police did. The suspects are many and I am happy to report that I was not successful in figuring out this caper before Cassie did. Even so, the denouement made sense--a sign of good murder mystery writing in my book.
September 7, 2011
Well, first I should say that I love mysteries. From the time I picked up my first Nancy Drew book, I was hooked. Since then it's been Trixie Belden, Harriet the Spy, and later Agatha Christie, Sue Grafton, etc. Cathy Wiley is obviously of the same school of reader, and now she is contributing her own talents to the genre!
DEAD TO WRITES features an interesting cast of characters, a seemingly-random set of murders, and authentic details about the great old city of Baltimore. I enjoyed the heroine, her best friend and especially *wiggles eyebrows* the handsome gent who becomes her love interest. I'm really looking forward to Cathy Wiley's next book!
DEAD TO WRITES features an interesting cast of characters, a seemingly-random set of murders, and authentic details about the great old city of Baltimore. I enjoyed the heroine, her best friend and especially *wiggles eyebrows* the handsome gent who becomes her love interest. I'm really looking forward to Cathy Wiley's next book!
July 4, 2011
This book is great for summer reading and thought I'd add my Amazon book review over here in case someone wants to pick it up. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.
Move over Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher, Jane Marple, and yes, even Stephanie Plum -- there's a new sleuth in town and she's moving to the top of the list of likeable female sleuths. Cathy Wiley hits it out of the park with her first foray into the cozy, murder mystery genre by presenting an imperfect, yet very likeable heroine who writes murder mysteries and manages to solve them at the same time.
Cassandra Ellis, the protagonist of Dead to Writes, is just the "write" mix of quirky personality, kick ass attitude, self-doubt, smarts, and humor. Combine that mix with her wit and charm and she's off, and no hunky, well-dressed, police detective will stop her despite the physical attraction between them!
It was nice to see the author has another book in the works and plans a series of books featuring her writer/sleuth. In the meantime, add this one to your reading stack.
Move over Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher, Jane Marple, and yes, even Stephanie Plum -- there's a new sleuth in town and she's moving to the top of the list of likeable female sleuths. Cathy Wiley hits it out of the park with her first foray into the cozy, murder mystery genre by presenting an imperfect, yet very likeable heroine who writes murder mysteries and manages to solve them at the same time.
Cassandra Ellis, the protagonist of Dead to Writes, is just the "write" mix of quirky personality, kick ass attitude, self-doubt, smarts, and humor. Combine that mix with her wit and charm and she's off, and no hunky, well-dressed, police detective will stop her despite the physical attraction between them!
It was nice to see the author has another book in the works and plans a series of books featuring her writer/sleuth. In the meantime, add this one to your reading stack.
April 26, 2013
Clever light mystery. The type of book I imagine Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote might have written and I adored Jessica. I liked Cassie too, a spunky, cat loving,murder mystery loving author.She is a good friend, has a quick wit and active imagination and does her research. I think we could be friends.I could tell that Cathy Wiley does her research too and has a good sense of humor. As a former educational interpreter I really appreciated the inclusion of sign language in the story even though it was a sideline and as a cat lover I enjoyed Donner. Boy, did Cathy get cat behavior down pat and it's no wonder since she has two.The only problem, if any, I had with the book was some of the cutsie language to describe the growing relationship between Cassie and James like each thinking of the other as HOT!All in all though a pretty good read and i will be reading more in the series.
September 23, 2010
I loved it.
The book contained a great blend of mystery and romance with characters I would like to have as friends. Cassie the spunky mystery novelist and James the hunky police detective made for entertaining reading.
I can't wait to what trouble Cassie can get into and James can get her out of in the future.
Read it and enjoy.
The book contained a great blend of mystery and romance with characters I would like to have as friends. Cassie the spunky mystery novelist and James the hunky police detective made for entertaining reading.
I can't wait to what trouble Cassie can get into and James can get her out of in the future.
Read it and enjoy.
September 29, 2010
GREAT BOOK! This was an awesome start to what I'm sure will be an amazing series. The mystery-author turned sleuth idea is genius, and Cassie is energetic and really likeable as the main character. Her friends and family are awesome, the romance is completely believable and the love interest has no weird tics, at least at this point. Super awesome start to a series. So excited for the rest!
January 4, 2022
Cassandra Ellis is about to have her first murder mystery published. But her joy is dimmed when she learns of the murder of her research contacts.
Find out what happens when a murder mystery author is involved in a homicide.
This is a light, fun, and romantic story even when the author wishes for brain brillo".
Find out what happens when a murder mystery author is involved in a homicide.
This is a light, fun, and romantic story even when the author wishes for brain brillo".
April 16, 2023
Really enjoyed this mystery.
Set in Baltimore, a debut mystery author finds herself in the middle of a real murder. One of her research sources for the book is murdered and she is now the prime suspect.
Good characters, great dialogue.
Set in Baltimore, a debut mystery author finds herself in the middle of a real murder. One of her research sources for the book is murdered and she is now the prime suspect.
Good characters, great dialogue.
October 29, 2010
The premise of the story is quite simple: an author writes murder mysteries, and people around her end up dead. With that being said, the mystery itself certainly wasn't, as I had my finger pointed at the wrong character down to the last 80% of the story. Wiley does a commendable job at misdirection, opening multiple possibilities and thinning them out only to throw them under suspicion once again. The reader feels like he or she is right there alongside Cassie, trying to figure out who is killing off her friends.
As far as characterization goes, Cassie was very well done. Her personality is consistent throughout the story, and her inquisitiveness and foolish bravery are certainly memorable. The overactive imagination that she displays, along with a tendency to let her characters run away with her storyline, is something that real authorsare blessed struggle with, and I can certainly believe that she is one of them.
What I did have difficulty putting my faith into was her relationship with James. Once the two finally got together, it was fine, but the events leading up to that resolution felt a bit forced. The attraction that they each allude to in the other's absence isn't readily evident whenever they meet face-to-face in the first half of the novel, omniscient third party explanations notwithstanding. I suppose that what I was looking for was a keener sense of the underlying sexual tension. Then again, that's not how every relationship operates at its inception, so I might just be missing the connection.
Other than that, the sequence of events made sense. The timings of the murders were well thought out, and the victims themselves were all logical choices. The pacing was quick without feeling rushed, and I was eagerly anticipating each new screen as I wondered what the denouement would ultimately be. Some key scenes could have been woven in better, and I have the sneaking suspicion that the story might have worked just as well without them. These were brief hiccups in the continuity of the tale, and I soon got over them and moved on. It helped that the action really started to pick up in the latter half of the book.
Unfortunately, the language used wasn't quite as satisfying as the story itself. There was an abundance of sentence fragments scattered throughout its pages; I surmise that these were intended to reflect the flightiness of Cassandra's thoughts and, to some extent, they did. Still, this might have been accomplished through other literary techniques. Many of the sentences could have stood on their own short legs without beginning with a conjunction. They would still retain the oomph that they were meant to deliver by being so brief. The same goes for sentences that included noticeable repetition of words or the occasional bout of awkward phrasing. This might not bother most, but I found it to be distracting.
Overall, Dead to Writes is an enjoyable read. The heroine is quirky, likable, and easy to identify with, while the mystery itself successfully keeps you guessing. Wiley's characters show a great deal of promise, and it will be interesting to see how they mature in future sleuthing adventures.
As far as characterization goes, Cassie was very well done. Her personality is consistent throughout the story, and her inquisitiveness and foolish bravery are certainly memorable. The overactive imagination that she displays, along with a tendency to let her characters run away with her storyline, is something that real authors
What I did have difficulty putting my faith into was her relationship with James. Once the two finally got together, it was fine, but the events leading up to that resolution felt a bit forced. The attraction that they each allude to in the other's absence isn't readily evident whenever they meet face-to-face in the first half of the novel, omniscient third party explanations notwithstanding. I suppose that what I was looking for was a keener sense of the underlying sexual tension. Then again, that's not how every relationship operates at its inception, so I might just be missing the connection.
Other than that, the sequence of events made sense. The timings of the murders were well thought out, and the victims themselves were all logical choices. The pacing was quick without feeling rushed, and I was eagerly anticipating each new screen as I wondered what the denouement would ultimately be. Some key scenes could have been woven in better, and I have the sneaking suspicion that the story might have worked just as well without them. These were brief hiccups in the continuity of the tale, and I soon got over them and moved on. It helped that the action really started to pick up in the latter half of the book.
Unfortunately, the language used wasn't quite as satisfying as the story itself. There was an abundance of sentence fragments scattered throughout its pages; I surmise that these were intended to reflect the flightiness of Cassandra's thoughts and, to some extent, they did. Still, this might have been accomplished through other literary techniques. Many of the sentences could have stood on their own short legs without beginning with a conjunction. They would still retain the oomph that they were meant to deliver by being so brief. The same goes for sentences that included noticeable repetition of words or the occasional bout of awkward phrasing. This might not bother most, but I found it to be distracting.
Overall, Dead to Writes is an enjoyable read. The heroine is quirky, likable, and easy to identify with, while the mystery itself successfully keeps you guessing. Wiley's characters show a great deal of promise, and it will be interesting to see how they mature in future sleuthing adventures.
July 24, 2011
Dead to Writes by Cathy Wiley was one of the most pleasant mysteries I've read in a long time. Although the book follows cozy formula closely, the writing is so fluid and the characters so likable that I, well, liked it. Very much.
Our hero-or heroine-is Cassie Ellis, a mystery writer about to celebrate her first publication. Wiley captures the writer's excitement as well as her distress when people's whose name appear in Cassie's stolen planner show up murdered within short periods of time of meetings with Cassie.
I loved Cassie's voice, her Dad and her friendship with Michele. I loved the pace of the story. It was almost a guilty pleasure: reading this was so easy, I wasn't sure if I was actually reading or seeing the story unfold.
I can't wait to read another of Cassie's adventures!
Our hero-or heroine-is Cassie Ellis, a mystery writer about to celebrate her first publication. Wiley captures the writer's excitement as well as her distress when people's whose name appear in Cassie's stolen planner show up murdered within short periods of time of meetings with Cassie.
I loved Cassie's voice, her Dad and her friendship with Michele. I loved the pace of the story. It was almost a guilty pleasure: reading this was so easy, I wasn't sure if I was actually reading or seeing the story unfold.
I can't wait to read another of Cassie's adventures!
May 9, 2011
This book was a lot of fun & I highly recommend. I initially found the main character a bit too goody-goody but she perked up a bit & also her character filled out more, by the end I really liked her. The romance is a good one, and the mystery is top notch. I love a good mystery that keeps you guessing. It turns out I guessed it right but there were so many other good suspects, that I was unsure about it right up until the end. Even until the end I kept thinking 'maybe I'm wrong'. It really had me guessing!
I will be happy to read more in this series. Very well done!
I will be happy to read more in this series. Very well done!
December 19, 2011
This was my first e-book; the fact that it took me more than four months to read is not a reflection of the book - just of my schedule. It was okay. I thought the premise was interesting enough, and I always enjoy Trixie Belden references. However, the character's tendency to drift off onto tangents as she "writes" in her head (she's an author) were a bit distracting for me. I also noticed a lot of typographical and comma errors (particularly in the middle of the book) that were rather bothersome. Still, I'll likely try her second book.
April 19, 2011
This fast paced mystery was a quick, light read with very likeable characters. I thought I knew who the killer was fairly early on but I was wrong, which was a nice surprise. The version I read (Kindle) was poorly edited with lots of grammatical errors but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I only gave it three stars though. Probably since I read this book right after Gwendoline Butler's 'Death Lives Next Door' - which is, in my opinion, written on a whole other level.
November 15, 2011
You know you've read a great book when you hate to see the book come to an end. That's what happened when I read Dead to Writes. I became very invested in the characters and their personal lives. And, I wanted to know what would happen next. I kept eagerly turning the page to see "who dun-it." The end of the book came and my reaction was "No! I want more!" I like Cassie and Detective Whittaker. I can't wait to see how they do in the next books in the series.
September 27, 2012
Actually a 3.5.
I enjoyed the book. Cassie Ellis is a good lead. Although she is another amatuer who takes stupid chances at least hers are not ridiculously contrived and over the top. Her actions fit with the story and who she is. I enjoy her secondary characters. And the killer wasn't telegraphed from the getgo. I've already ordered the second book in the series.
And gotta love any character who prefers Trixie Beldon to Nancy Drew!!
I enjoyed the book. Cassie Ellis is a good lead. Although she is another amatuer who takes stupid chances at least hers are not ridiculously contrived and over the top. Her actions fit with the story and who she is. I enjoy her secondary characters. And the killer wasn't telegraphed from the getgo. I've already ordered the second book in the series.
And gotta love any character who prefers Trixie Beldon to Nancy Drew!!
March 21, 2014
Cassie Ellis is ready to celebrate the launch of her first mystery novel when someone starts killing her contacts. Who could it be? I really connected with the characters and can't wait to spend more time with them. The pacing of the story was a bit uneven, but I still found the book hard to put down.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
October 16, 2014
Dead to Writes
I had a ball reading this book; I was even late to an appointment because I couldn't stop reading.
The people in the book were full of life and very interesting. Cassie has a fantastic imagination which does her good as the writer of mysteries. Luckily, she has a number of good friends to help her stay grounded.
I look forward to reading more books in this series.
I had a ball reading this book; I was even late to an appointment because I couldn't stop reading.
The people in the book were full of life and very interesting. Cassie has a fantastic imagination which does her good as the writer of mysteries. Luckily, she has a number of good friends to help her stay grounded.
I look forward to reading more books in this series.
October 5, 2010
The characters are very believable and interesting. The book moved along quickly and it was fun to read. I really got pulled into the plot and tried to figure out who was the murderer. The relationships that were developed in the book were great and fun to watch devolop. I can't wait to read the next book and see what happens with Cassie, James, and all the other characters!
May 31, 2012
So far, this was my favourite novel since I started reading e-books on my Kindle. It was easy to get connected to the characters and equally easy to follow the plot. I really enjoyed the variety of scene types and felt the author worked diligently to keep the reader interested. I'm looking forward to reading more of her works.
October 25, 2010
I enjoyed this book a lot. Cassie is a fun and quirky character and I look forward to more books by C. Wiley. Thanks to Goodreads for picking me to receive this book. I would recommend it to those who like a light, fun mystery.
July 26, 2011
Debut novel by a friend of mine who spins a wonderful mystery/romance. I was kept guessing without being so confused that the reveal was totally befuddling so that I'd feel cheated. Great humor and great characters. Looking forward to the next one! And I'm not really a big fan of mysteries.
Want to Read
September 21, 2010Received my free copy today - thank you Cathy !!! Looking forward to getting into the book !
May 25, 2011
Brilliant first book-well done. Light, easy to read, nice balance of mystery, romance and some comedy. Characters seemed real to me and I cannot wait for the next one.
August 9, 2011
Not so good.
January 7, 2012
Really enjoyed the way the author intertwined the new author experience with the mystery. This book kept me guessing to the end. It was delightful.
May 13, 2013
Thought I'd enjoy this mystery series, was surprised by the presence of romance. Was pleased that the romance didn't ruin the mystery and was kept at an appropriate level.
October 9, 2014
An enjoyable mystery with an appealing protagonist. A newly published mystery author finds herself in the middle of a real life mystery and tries to help the police solve it with predictable results.
January 8, 2012
Another fun read. I'm happy to have found so many entertaining books FREE for my Kindle. (TGFK)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews