Book Title: Open Season for Murder by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 10)
Category: Adult fiction (18+), 318 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: June 1, 2015
Content Rating: PG-13 – Lauren Carr’s mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex. There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Spring is in the air. In Deep Creek Lake, the burst of blossoms on the trees has the effect of a starting pistol in the race to get the resort area ready in time for the seasonal residents return to Spencer, Maryland.

​This year, the Spencer Inn, Mac Faraday’s five-star resort, has the added duty of preparing for the Diablo Ball, an annual benefit event that used to kick off Deep Creek Lake’s summer season. The exclusive gala has drawn in A-listers from across the country—including suspects and witnesses connected to Ashton Piedmont, a young woman who had disappeared while skinny dipping in Deep Creek Lake five years earlier—days after the last Diablo Ball.

Intrigued by a mysterious phone call from a young woman claiming to be Ashton, retired homicide detective Mac Faraday can’t resist diving head first into the cold case. But he’s not the only one. Someone behind the scenes has gone to a lot of trouble to bring Ashton Piedmont’s friends and enemies to the Diablo Ball—which promises to be a gala event to die for!

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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 have read almost all of the Mac Faraday books by Lauren Carr. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to read all of the books in order, so now I’m catching up. This is the tenth book in the series, and now I’m ready to read the latest book.

Five years after Ashton’s disappearance, everyone who was possibly involved receives a fake invitation to the exclusive Diablo Ball at Spencer Inn. Someone has deliberately piqued Mac’s interest in the case and he and his brother, David, decide to re-open the cold case. There are multiple suspects, more murders, twists, related cases, and a surprise murderer.

There are so many characters! There are usually a lot of characters in Lauren’s books, but I think this one has more than usual. There is a list of characters at the front of the book, though, which helps. Most of the people Ashton knew are rich kids of millionaires and billionaires. It’s difficult to get the truth from them, so this is a whole new challenge for Mac and David. Luckily, they have a lot of help from David’s girlfriend, Mac’s wife, the police force, Gnarly, and more.

This is the first Lauren Carr book I’ve read that needs proofreading. The words that really stand out are a couple of words that are incorrect, but they wouldn’t be picked up by a spell checker. For example, several times drool was spelled droll.

I definitely recommend Open Season for Murder. If you like murder mysteries with intrigue along with romance and humor, this is the series for you.

“There’s lots of drama, crimes, murder, and laughter that surrounds the Diablo Ball. As usual, Gnarly is in the middle of everything. Hated to have to keep putting this down. I loved reading Open Season for Murder.”– review by Rhonda Laney, readalot

“Mac Faraday does it again! I loved every minute!”– 5-star review by Texanne

About the Author

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—over twenty-five 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, 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  ~  facebook  ~  instagram ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads

Giveaway

Enter to win a $50 PayPal gift card courtesy of the author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries!
(one winner)

Gleam

Continue reading →

Book Title: A Wedding and a Killing by Lauren Carr
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery (Volume 8)
Category: Adult fiction (18+), 275 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: September 13, 2014
Content Rating: PG-13 – Lauren Carr’s mysteries are murder mysteries. Sometimes, the murder does happen on-stage. There is no graphic violence or explicit sex. There is some very mild language (hell or damn, very few and far between) No F-Bombs!

Not wanting to wait until their big day to start their life of wedded bliss, Mac Faraday and his lady love, Archie Monday, decide to elope to the little church where his ancestors had all married—along the tranquil shore of Deep Creek Lake. However, before they can say, “I do,” the sanctuary erupts into chaos when Gnarly finds a body in the church office.

In A Wedding and a Killing, Mac and his team discover more questions than answers. What kind of person walks into a church and shoots a man for no apparent reason? How do you solve the murder of a man who has no enemies in the world? Which of the seemingly kind-hearted church members is really a cold-blooded killer?

Then, there is the all-important question, how long do Mac Faraday and his lady love have to wait to get married?

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Buy the Book:   
  Audible ~ Amazon
B&N ~ BookBub
Add to Goodreads

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 have read quite a few of Lauren Carr’s books and Mac Faraday is the first character of hers that I read about. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to read all of the books in order, so now I’m catching up. This is the eighth book in the series.

Mac and Archie are getting married in a quiet ceremony but one of the church staff is found murdered by Gnarly, Mac’s German Shepherd, during the ceremony. Since it’s no longer the right time to get married, they start to investigate the murder. There are several twists, more murders, and an old murder that ends up needing investigation. One murderer was a surprise, the other wasn’t.

Even though the main plot is to solve the murders, there are some sweet romances that add a lot to the story.

There are quite a few characters but there is a list of characters at the front of the book in case it’s needed, which is nice. One thing I enjoy about reading a series is the ongoing character development of all of the regular characters which Lauren Carr does well.

I definitely recommend A Wedding and a Killing. It has a great ending! If you like mystery and intrigue along with romance and humor, this is the series for you.

My favorite part of this book is the short story The Gnarly Rehabilitation Program. Gnarly has always been my favorite character (and what a character he is!). Gnarly and dogknappers make a hilarious combination.

“Five Stars. A Wedding and a Killing has lots of action, suspense, murders, mysteries and humor.” – Review by Rhonda Laney, readalot

“There is actually a mystery within a mystery in Carr’s new book. It’s a tangled, twisting adventure that adds more dead bodies along the way. Carr’s characters are lively, her plots complex, there is always just enough humor to set a lighter tone.” – Review by Allene Reynolds, Mystery and Me

About the Author

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—over twenty-five 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, 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  ~  facebook  ~  instagram ~ pinterest ~ bookbub ~ goodreads

Giveaway

Enter to win a $50 PayPal gift card courtesy of the author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries!
(one winner)

Gleam

Continue reading →