Lovers in Crime

Book Review & Giveaway: The Root of Murder by Lauren Carr

sleepygirl21 Comment

Homicide Detective Cameron Gates learned long ago that there is no such thing as a typical murder case. Each mystery is special in its own right—especially for the family of the victim.The homicide of a successful executive, husband, and father seems open and shut when the murder weapon is found in his estranged son-in-law’s possession. The circumstantial evidence is so damning that when her step-son, J.J. Thornton, agrees to act as the defendant’s public defender, he assumes his first murder case will be a loss. Only the report of a missing husband proves that this case is not as open and shut as it seems. Strap on your seat belts for a wild ride in this mystery rooted in decades of deception that sprouts into murder.

Buy the Book:
Amazon.com 
Add to Goodreads

My Review

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

I have read quite a few of Lauren Carr’s books, and I’m never disappointed. Although she writes several different series, most of the characters are related in some way. Since the family is getting ready for a wedding in this book, several of the characters from other series are in this book.

The Root of Murder is the fourth book in the Lovers in Crime series. I have read the first three books, so I was looking forward to reading this one. This is my favorite book in the series so far. The cases that Cameron and Joshua are working on become so intertwined that they might as well be working on one big case.

Solving two murders and a disappearance is a big part of the book, of course, but the Thornton family’s story is just as entertaining. It’s obvious that Joshua has done a good job raising his children. They’re all responsible and in good, loving relationships.

I definitely recommend The Root of Murder. It has murder mysteries involving people Joshua and his children have known all of their lives. That means extra drama, and there’s always a little humor here and there. I even caught myself laughing out loud once. Thankfully, I was at home at the time. I’m looking forward to reading the next Lovers in Crime book.

About 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. 

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors.  

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

Amazon * iBook * Audible * Barnes & Noble * Kobo Smashwords

Goodreads * Website

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/518e72841/

Book Review & Giveaway: Real Murder by Lauren Carr

sleepygirl21 Comment

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 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.

My Review

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

I have read quite a few of Lauren Carr’s books, and I’m never disappointed. Although she writes several different series, most of the characters are related in some way. So, even when I start a new series, I usually know a little bit about one or more of the characters.

Real Murder is the second book in the Lovers in Crime series. I recently read the first book, Dead on Ice, and I like reading series in order when I can, so I was looking forward to reading this one.

Joshua Thornton and his new wife Cameron are once again involved in a case. An old friend of Joshua’s disappeared several years ago, and his body is finally found. Joshua makes it his mission to find answers. At the same time, Cameron is working on another case involving the murder of a sweet old neighbor. The way these cases end up being intertwined is clever.

The murder mysteries are interesting, but the relationship between Joshua and Cameron is also an important part of Real Murder. They’re newlyweds but they do have their moments. They got married without a big wedding which is causing some friction with Joshua’s adult children. Joshua and Cameron do a good job at making things work even if sometimes it takes them a little while to figure things out. Lauren Carr does a great job of making the characters “real.”

I definitely recommend Real Murder. Along with the mystery and drama there is a little suspense and humor. I’m looking forward to reading the next Lovers in Crime book.

About 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. 

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors.  

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

Amazon * iBook * Audible * Barnes & Noble * Kobo Smashwords

Goodreads * Website

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/518e72841/

Book Review & Giveaway: Dead on Ice by Lauren Carr

sleepygirl21 Comment

Dead on Ice is the first installment of Lauren Carr’s new series (Lovers in Crime) featuring Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates.

Spunky Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of Cherry Pickens, a legendary star of pornographic films, whose body turns up in an abandoned freezer. The case has a personal connection to her lover, Joshua Thornton, because the freezer was located in his cousin’s basement. It doesn’t take long for their investigation to reveal that the risqué star’s roots were buried in their rural Ohio Valley community, something that Cherry had kept off her show business bio. She should have kept her hometown off her road map, too—because when this starlet came running home from the mob, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.

My Review

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

I have read quite a few of Lauren Carr’s books, and I’m never disappointed. Although she writes several different series, most of the characters are related in some way. So, even when I start a new series, I usually know a little bit about one or more of the characters.

In Dead on Ice, a body is found in an old freezer in the basement of the cousin of Joshua Thornton. Cameron, Joshua’s girlfriend, is the investigating officer. She has to delve into the town’s past which some find awkward and uncomfortable. But Cameron is a strong woman and up to the task.

I not only like the murder mysteries in this book (yes, mysteries), but I like the relationship that is budding between Joshua and Cameron. And since there are kids involved, it can be complicated. Joshua and Cameron do a good job at making things work even if sometimes it takes them a little while to figure things out.

I definitely recommend Dead on Ice. Along with the mystery and drama there is a little suspense and humor. I’m looking forward to reading the next Lovers in Crime book.

About 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. 

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors.  

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

Amazon * iBook * Audible * Barnes & Noble * Kobo Smashwords

Goodreads * Website

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/518e72841/