Chris Matheson

Book Review & Giveaway: Chris Crossed Murder by Lauren Carr

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Book Title:  Chris Crossed Murder (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #4) by Lauren Carr
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +) 
Genre:  Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:   Feb 22, 2023

Content Rating:  PG-13 (Lauren Carr’s books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!

Description

​It proves to be a Christmas to remember when the Matheson family receives the horrendous news that Chris Matheson’s body has been found in the woods near an international airport.

Everyone is stunned—especially Chris Matheson.

The mystery deepens when they discover the victim has Chris’s federal agent badge and appears to have been investigating one of his old cases.

The Geezer Squad’s latest case is not only a whodunit but who-got-dun. Is this a case of mistaken identity? Was Chris the intended victim? If not, then they must identify the murder victim to find his killer.
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With Christmas days away, join the Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad as they race to piece together the clues to their most puzzling case yet.

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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from iRead Book Tours. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I love it when a book surprises me, and Chris Crossed Murder did that well. Chris’s old partner from the FBI asks for his help solving a murder that’s tied to a cold case that he’d investigated in the past. Of course, the Geezer Squad wants to help solve the case as well. And when someone tries to kill Chris, they have to figure out if it’s also tied to this case or if one of the many people who want him dead has found him. And who is that dead man that was not Chris Matheson?

Lauren Carr has a list of characters in order of appearance at the beginning of the book, and you may need it for this one. There are a lot of characters! Of course, several of the characters are the recurring ones in the Chris Matheson novels, but there is a host of others who are victims, witnesses, and suspects.

There’s so much more I want to say, but I don’t want to give any spoilers. Chris Crossed Murder is a page turner with twists and surprises around every corner. This is my favorite Chris Matheson book so far, and I’m looking forward to the next one.

About the Author

Selling over half a million books worldwide, Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—thirty titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor. 

The owner of Acorn Book Services and iRead Book Tours, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.  

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. 

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV. 

connect with the author: website ~ blog ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ twitter ~ pinterest

Giveaway

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Book Review & Giveaway: The Last Thing She Said by Lauren Carr

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The Last Thing She Said (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #3) by Lauren Carr

Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +),  386 pages
Genre:  Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:   July 22, 2019
Formats available for purchase:  paperback, ebook, audiobook (audible & itunes)
Tour dates: October 7 to November 15, 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 (Lauren Carr’s books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!

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Book Description

“I’m working on the greatest mystery ever,” was the last thing noted mystery novelist Mercedes Livingston said to seven-year-old Chris Matheson before walking out of Hill House Hotel never to be seen again.

For decades, the writer’s fate remained a puzzling mystery until an  autographed novel and a letter put a grown-up Chris Matheson on the trail of a cunning killer. With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris puts a flame to this cold case to uncover what had really happened that night Mercedes Livingston walked out of Hill House Hotel. Watch out! The clues are getting hot!

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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I have read several of Lauren Carr’s book and this is my favorite one so far. Chris Matheson’s mom took him to see a famous author when he was 7 years old and the author and her husband disappeared that very night. They were never heard from again but now, many years later, new clues come to light. Chris and The Geezer Squad have to find out what happened!

There are a lot of suspects and a lot of twists before they are able to solve this case. They even get some assistance from the Faradays and the Thorntons (from two of Lauren’s other series) before they can bring things to a close.

Pets are always a part of Lauren Carr’s stories but this has to be my favorite adventure with Gnarly (Mac Faraday’s dog) and Sterling (Chris’s dog).

I definitely recommend The Last Thing She Said, and even though it’s the third book in the series, it does stand on its own. If it is your first Lauren Carr book, there are a lot of characters but she has a list at the beginning of the book that you can refer to if needed.

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“Too many twists and turns to easily share about this book. Nevertheless, Carr has pulled off another “hit” that kept me reading in one setting until the clues were so well together that the villain fell into our laps…or Chris’s, LOL Carr has put a lot into the book beyond the mysteries this time…Characters enjoyed chocotinis, visited book stores…and even blundered into getting engaged (the ring had been purchased 4 months ago)… But, for me, a special thank you for the political spoof at a time when politics at the national level is devastating, gave me a laugh and lightened the load of it all!” – Review by Glenda Bixler, Book Reader’s Heaven 

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Meet the Author

 

 Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Thorny Rose, Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries—over twenty titles across four fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Instagram

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Audiobook Review & Giveaway: Winter Frost by Lauren Carr

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Book Title: Winter Frost (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery Book 2) by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 290 pages
Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Cozy
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: January 28, 2019
Tour dates: May 1 – June 28, 2019
Content Rating: PG (It’s a murder mystery and there is mild violence. Very mild swearing no F-bombs. No on-stage sex scenes.)

 

Book Description

It all started with a chance encounter in the city with Blair, his late wife.

Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad, working under the guise of a book club, dig into the events surrounding his late wife’s supposed death halfway around the globe. A state department employee shoots himself in the back three times. A CIA operative goes missing. A woman is targeted by an international assassin three years after being declared dead in a terrorist attack overseas.

Nothing is as it seems.

In his most personal cold case, Chris fights to uncover why the state department told him that Blair, the mother of his children, had been killed when she was alive. What had she uncovered that has made her a target? Who terrified her so much that she had gone into hiding and why are they now after him?

To read reviews, please visit Lauren Carr’s page on iRead Book Tours.
Buy Winter Frost:

 

 

 

My Review

I chose to listen to this book after receiving a free copy of the audiobook. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I’ve read several of Lauren Carr’s books including the first Chris Matheson novel, ICE. I enjoy her books and I like how the characters from different series are intertwined.

 

Chris Matheson’s wife Blair died overseas, and he has moved on and is dating his childhood sweetheart, Helen. On what is supposed to be a special date night, Chris sees his dead wife! He follows her but instead of catching up to her, he kills a hitman who was after Blair. Now Chris and the Geezer Squad are on the case along with Murphy, a character from another of Lauren Carr’s series.

 

Winter Frost is fast-paced and full of action and mystery. The characters are great, especially Chris’s mom, Doris, and his dog, Sterling. Doris is one of a kind and takes matters into her own hands when she needs to, sometimes with hilarious results. Sterling is a smart dog and can even change radio channels and win at card games.

 
I like the narrator. He’s narrated a lot of these books (if not all). He’s got a good voice and has good pace and timing.

If you like a good mystery with unique characters, a lot of action, humor, and a touch of romance, you’ll enjoy this book. Even though it’s the second book in a series, it stands on its own.
 

 

About the Author

 

 

  Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!Now, Lauren has added one more hit series to her list with the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Set in the quaint West Virginia town of Harpers Ferry, Ice introduces Chris Matheson, a retired FBI agent, who joins forces with other law enforcement retirees to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night.

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author:Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

 

 

 

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