REAL MURDER
A Lovers in Crime Mystery, #2
BY LAUREN CARR
Narrated by Mike Alger
Genre: Adult Fiction (18 +)
Category: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Length: 7 hours, 53 minutes
Release date: January 10, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13
Book Description:
When Homicide Detective Cameron Gates befriends Dolly, the little old lady who lives across the street, she is warned not to get lured into helping the elderly woman by investigating the unsolved murder of one of her girls. “She’s senile,” Cameron is warned. “It’s not a real murder.”
Such is not the case. After Dolly is brutally murdered, Cameron discovers that the sweet blue-haired lady’s “girl” was a call girl, who had been killed in a mysterious double homicide.
Meanwhile, Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton is looking for answers to the murder of a childhood friend, a sheriff's deputy whose cruiser is found at the bottom of a lake. The deputy had disappeared almost twenty years ago while privately investigating the murder of a local prostitute.
It doesn’t take long for the Lovers in Crime to put their cases together to reveal a long-kept secret that some believe is worth killing to keep undercover.
BUY THE BOOK:
REVIEW:
✪✪✪✪✪
HALL WAYS BLOG: AUDIO BOOK
REVIEW. As is always the case with Lauren Carr’s mysteries,
readers need to hold on tight and pay attention because the twists and turns and
multiple plots in Real Murder add-up to one crazy road trip. Real
Murder is the second book in the Lovers in Crime series, but it
stands alone just fine and the author does a good job of getting readers up to
speed. (Though now I am interested in reading book one, Dead on Ice, when
“the lovers” aren’t yet married.)
I jumped into Real Murder
without actually reading the book’s description. Having read (with my ears) several
other books by Lauren Carr, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. The downside of
doing this is that one of my very favorite characters in the book got murdered –
not a spoiler since it’s revealed in the book’s description, but the very short
time Dolly was in the story, she was brilliant. This just goes to show the
level of excellence of the author’s characterization talent. (Side note: I love that Cameron is so real and
shows readers that even the most kick-butt women who seem to have their acts
together still have self-doubts about their aging bodies and their
attractiveness. Even better? She knows the fault in her thinking, has an eff-it
attitude, and drowns her sorrow in fudge sundaes. REAL.)
Real Murder is
one convoluted story with an incredibly large cast of characters (and of
course, a few scene-stealing pets), multiple layers, and a lot of murders that span
decades. (I believe the print version may have a list of characters to help
keep them straight.) As you read/listen, you think surely there must be a connection
between all these people and the new and cold cases; however, Carr misleads and
redirects readers from every fully figuring out the answers. Maybe you figure out the killer, but can you
figure out the motive? Or maybe you figure out the motive, but can you figure
out who had it? Maybe you don’t have a
clue about any of it, but the bottom line is that you will be compelled to continue
until it’s all spelled-out in a fabulous and fully satisfying conclusion.
ABOUT THE NARRATION: Mike
Alger has been the narrator for all of Carr’s books that I’ve listened to, and
he does a great job in Real Murder. As is the norm for Alger’s narrations
(and most others), I listened at 1.25x. Technically, there weren’t any issues
and Alger’s pacing was even. Male characters are more natural sounding than the
voices of the females, and Alger nails the voicing of the slimy, shady men so
that readers’ ears will perk up and the distrust radar will turn on. The only thing that seemed off was Alger’s
pronunciation of “madame.” When in reference to a woman who runs a brothel, I
hadn’t heard this pronunciation before, so it caught me off guard every time.
Carr’s mysteries are always
engaging and Real Murder is a real escape and enjoyment. I highly
recommend this book to readers who love cozy mysteries, with quirky but
realistic characters that you won't want to let go.
Meet the Author:
With over forty years of writing and publishing experience, international best-selling author Lauren Carr has played an active role in the revolution of independent authors.
While studying for her college degree in English and journalism, Lauren worked as an editor and layout design artist with the federal government in Washington, DC. It was there that Lauren learned the foundations necessary for book publishing.
Lauren’s debut mystery, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Awards. On the heels of that success, she accepted an offer from a traditional publisher for A Reunion to Die For.
When it came time to publish her third book, Lauren rejected offers from two traditional publishers, choosing instead to independently publish It’s Murder, My Son, which made it to #1 in sales on Amazon in cozy mysteries. She has never regretted her decision to become an independent author.
Realizing that she could use her experiences to help other writers achieve their dreams to become published authors, Lauren established Acorn Book Services, offering professional services to independent authors.
The international best-selling author of over twenty-five murder mysteries, Lauren has gone on dozens of virtual blog tours (most with iRead Book Tours!) and has seen first-hand that how an author publishes is irrelevant to success. The key is exposure to potential readers. Virtual blog tours are an excellent avenue for book promotion. Book spotlights, reviews, author guest posts and interviews are forever, unlike in-person book events, which become a memory as soon as they have finished.
With her vast experience, it seemed only natural for Lauren Carr to jump at the opportunity to join the iReads Book Tours team. She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in West Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
You can usually find Lauren plotting her next murder mystery in her writer's studio on her mountaintop. Visit Lauren's website https://mysterylady.net/ to learn more about her murder mysteries, Acorn Book Services, and now iReads Book Tours!
Connect with the author:
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Giveaway!
WIN A $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD
courtesy of Lauren Carr, author of the Lovers in Crime Mysteries.
BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:
Lovers in Crime series spotlight / giveaway
Sept 9 - Amy's Booket List - review The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 10 - The Quirky Romantic - review of The Root of Murder / author interview / giveaway
Sept 10 - The Quirky Romantic - review of The Root of Murder / author interview / giveaway
Sept 11 - Hall Ways Blog - review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 20 - Locks, Hooks, and Books - review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Sept 20 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 20 - Nighttime Reading Center - review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 30 - Life as Leels - review of The Root of Murder
Sept 30 - Older & Smarter? - review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 30 - Older & Smarter? - review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 18 - B for Bookreview - Lovers in Crime series book spotlight / author interview
Oct 21- Nighttime Reading Center - review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 21- Nighttime Reading Center - review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 24 - Books Are Love - review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Oct 25 - Jypsylynn - review of The Root of Murder
Oct 25 - Jypsylynn - review of The Root of Murder
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Wow! Thank you for the wonderful review of REAL MURDER! I am thrilled that you have enjoyed this installment in the Lovers in Crime Mystery series! Have a great vacation!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lauren! I adore your mysteries, so it's a pleasure sharing them. Vacation? Did I have one?! ha!
DeleteThank you so much for the wonderful review of REAL MURDER. So glad you enjoyed it. I am certain each of your followers will enjoy it as well. Here's wishing each one luck in the giveaway!
ReplyDelete