DEATH UNDER A FULL MOON
(Wilbarger County Series #2)
by
Dianne Smithwick-Braden
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Date of Publication: February 4, 2016
# of pages: 268
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This second installment of the Wilbarger County Series joins Sheriff Wade Adams and Lizzie Fletcher as they investigate murder. Wade and Lizzie attend a dinner party near the small community of Rayland, Texas. One week later, one the guests is murdered. With his only female deputy out on maternity leave, Sheriff Adams makes a quick decision to deputize Lizzie. That decision proves to be good for the department but damaging to their relationship. The Sheriff and his deputies follow every possible lead to no avail. Lizzie happens to overhear a conversation that gives them the break they need. With little time to spare, Sheriff Adams and his team rush to prevent yet another death.
PURCHASE LINKS:
HALL WAYS REVIEW: In Death Under A
Full Moon, author Dianne Smithwick-Braden returns readers to Wilbarger
County, Texas where murder, mystery, and romance are in full swing again. This second book in the series works just
fine as a stand-alone book, but knowing the background stories from book one, Death
on Paradise Creek, definitely enriched the reading of book two.
Smithwick-Braden brings back her core characters, but
plenty of new, colorful, and memorable ones are added-in to keep readers entertained
and guessing about who is the murderer and what might be the motive – there are
LOTS of possibilities for both. Though
the story is heavily detective work and investigation oriented, and at times
the dialogue gets a bit tedious with suspect interviews, there are also several sub-plots and side
stories thrown in that add variety and breaks from solving the case. Readers will enjoy the vivid descriptions of
the Halloween party (If this is based on a real event, I want an invitation!)
and the blue norther that blows in during a baby shower, both scenes in which the
Paradise Inn is showcased for a bit.
With book two happening about a year and a half after
the events of book one, readers miss seeing the courtship and development of
the relationship between Lizzie and Wade. The author does a good job of establishing
how close they’ve become and the fondness they have for each other without shoving
it in readers’ faces. When their romance has to be put on hold, possibly even
ended, it’s sometimes painful to read the scenes where they are working
together and have to be nothing but professional. I have to give Lizzie credit
for being willing and able to go from equal partner to subordinate employee; I
am pretty sure I couldn’t go from waking up in bed with someone to saying ‘Yes
Sir’ to him like Lizzie does. I really wanted to see at least a spark fly
between them on the job – even a gaze held too long – but they both kept it
professional. Dang mature people.
The reviewer at My
Book Fix Blog said that the mystery reveal was a Scooby-Do ending, and that
is the perfect description for it -- though Smithwick-Braden manages to
surprise the readers with her reveal. (Spoiler: It’s not Old Man Smithers!) The author’s writing style is laid-back, easy
to read, and natural, and special spellings allowed for readers to hear the
Texas accents in some of the characters’ speech. My review copy was an eProof,
so it’s possible it was not the final version, but there were a lot of very
basic errors and typos that another editing sweep would easily clean-up. As it stands, the errors could be a
distraction for some readers.
I look forward to the next book in the Wilbarger County Series
(there is one, yet untitled!) and what mysteries may unfold there. Thank you to the author and Lone Star Book
Blog Tours for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest opinion –
the only kind I give.
Dianne Smithwick-Braden is a native Texas raised in rural Wilbarger County on the family farm. She is a graduate of Vernon High School and West Texas A & M University. She currently resides in Amarillo, Texas with her husband, Richard. She has been a high school science teacher in Amarillo since August of 1990. Dianne is an avid reader of fiction but murder mysteries are by far her favorite genre. Death under a Full Moon is her second novel and the second installment of the Wilbarger County Series.
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GIVEAWAY! ONE WINNER RECEIVES SIGNED COPIES OF BOTH BOOKS IN THE SERIES PLUS
DESKTOP NECESSITIES*!
(*Desktop Necessities includes: coffee mug, jelly beans, picture frame, pens,
mechanical pencils, sticky notes, and maybe a surprise or two more!)
DESKTOP NECESSITIES*!
(*Desktop Necessities includes: coffee mug, jelly beans, picture frame, pens,
mechanical pencils, sticky notes, and maybe a surprise or two more!)
May 23 - June 1, 2016
Check out the other great blogs on the tour!
5/24 My Book Fix Blog –
Review
5/25 Missus Gonzo – Promo
5/27 Country Girl Bookaholic – Review
5/28 Books and Broomsticks – Author Interview #2
5/29 StoreyBook Reviews – Guest Post
5/30 Hall Ways Blog– – Review
5/31 Texas Book Lover –
Author Interview #3
6/1 Blogging for the Love of
Authors and Their Books – Review
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