AUDIBLE DETAILS:
A Fine Year for Murder: A Thorny Rose Mystery, Book 2
- Narrated by:
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
Book Title: A Fine Year for Murder by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 430 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: Jan 31, 2017
Available for review in: Print, Audible audiobook and ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF)
Will send print ARC books to: USA & Canada
Tour dates: Feb 1 to 28 and March 1 to April 14, 2017
Content Rating: PG -13 (Lauren Carr's books are murder mysteries, therefore they do include murder. The Thorny rose mystery series are her more adult series, which pushes the envelope just a bit more than in her other series. A Fine Year for Murder deals with a case pertaining to the brutal murder of a whole family (happens off-stage). The book does include some mild intimate scenes between the young married couple. Also has some gritty sexual references during the investigation. Mild swearing, but no F-Bombs.)
Book Description:
After months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle of the night when, in darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out at Murphy.
When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may have witnessed the murder of a family living near a winery owned by distant relatives she was visiting and suppressed the memory.
Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims, Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker, a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an end to the Thorny Rose couple?
Audible Review:
A cozy mystery at its BEST! This book has strong characters with strong voices, which was blended perfectly with the quick plot and developing story. I felt like I was never really certain which way the story was going to go...which was awesome! I feel like listening to the book really allowed me to be part of the action, being there along side the characters. I have never read/listened to Carr before and I am certainly going to be diving into more of these wonderful character driven books.
Book Details:
Book Title: Kill and Run: A Thorny Rose Mystery by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 350 pages
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: September 2015
Available for review in: Print, Audible audiobook and ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF)
Will send books: USA & Canada
Tour dates: March 1 to April 14, 2017
Content Rating: PG
Book Description:
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?
Book Title: Kill and Run: A Thorny Rose Mystery by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 350 pages
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: September 2015
Available for review in: Print, Audible audiobook and ebook (mobi, ePub, PDF)
Will send books: USA & Canada
Tour dates: March 1 to April 14, 2017
Content Rating: PG
Book Description:
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?
Meet 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!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, 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, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Connect with Lauren: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook
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!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, 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, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Connect with Lauren: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook
Mystery
Series Written as Stand-Aloneswith A Dose of Cross-Over
By Lauren
Carr
Okay, first,
let me state that I am not a rebel. Yes, I have been known to go against the
masses on more than one occasion. Witnesses will testify that I have been seen
wearing white after Labor Day. Generally, I have never been a nonconformist.
When I was a
teenager, my rebellious streak lasted less than twenty-four hours. I came home
after curfew. My mother made it very clear that she was not going to let any
unruly adolescent get the best of her. For a week, she withheld hot fudge sauce
from my ice cream sundae.(It’s a miracle
I didn’t end up in therapy!) In no time, I was back on the straight and
narrow—never to buck the system again.
But there
are just certain things about which I have refused to conform.
Years ago
after my second Mac Faraday Mystery was released, I started getting emails from
readersasking me for the order of my mystery books. They would insist that they
had to read them in the order in which I had written them. At the same time,
other readers would postreviews saying that it was maddening trying to figure
out the order of my series and I should number my books.
The fact is
that the Mac Faraday Mysteries,the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, and now the
Thorny Rose Mysteries are written as stand-alones. Even though they have
continuing characters, who sometimes cross over into the other series for a
“guest appearance,” they do not need to be read in any particular order.
Reviewers have often stated this in their glowing reviews of my books.
Yet, I
wasregularly bombarded by readers asking for the order of my murder
mysteries—insisting that I should number each installment so that they could
read themin the order in which they were written.
For years, I
refused to number my books.
I had cut my
teeth on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Then I moved on to Agatha Christie’s
Hercule Poirot and Earl Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason. All of these are series
and none of these books are numbered.James Patterson, Lisa Gardner, and Tess Gerritsen don’t number the books in their
series.
So, when I
created the Mac Faraday Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, and the
Thorny Rose Mysteries,numbering each installment never occurred to me. Like
those mystery authors I adore, my books don’t have a series arc in the storyline
that makes it necessary for fans to read the books in order. There’s no
cliffhanger at the end of one book that forces the reader to go on to the next
book for the resolution. There’s no personal drama between the characters
spilling across multiple books. Sorry, readers, there’s no serial killer
stalking Mac from one mystery to the other. The murder case begins and ends all
in one book. All issues between the continuing characters get taken care of
within a single installment.
I don’t do
this because I believe in being kind to my readers. It is purely for selfish
reasons. I hate series arcs. It’s the realist in me. When I finish a mystery
that ends with the serial killer stalking the protagonist or his family,
planning to make his move in the next book, I feel like drowning my kindle in
the bathtub.
What if I
get hit by a train before the author releases the next book? Or worse, what if
the author gets hit by a train and never finishes that storyline? Then everyone
is left hanging not knowing if the serial killer is going to kidnap, torture,
and dismember the hero or not.
But, in
spite of my objections, some readers had insisted from the beginning that they
needed to know the order of my books. They were always very kind about it. Many
would outright confess that they were obsessive compulsive.
I didn’t
realize how badly some readers needed their books numbered untila book signing
event for Old Loves Die Hard, the second book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries.
To my
surprise, everyone was buying It’s Murder, My Son, the first book in the series, while Old Loves Die Hard, the new release, sat there like a reject. I
couldn’t understand why no one wanted the newest book in the series. It was
getting rave reviews. Time and again I was told, “I want the first book in the
series.”
“But they
are written as stand-alones,” I would object.
“I need to
read the first one first,” would be the reply.
So I would
sign It’s Murder, My Son and send
them away.
By the end
of the day, I was frustrated. Yes, I was selling books, but I had only sold a
couple copies of my later book while my first one was selling like hot cakes.
Maybe I got a little pushy when an older woman asked me to sign It’s Murder, My Son. I may have been a
little firm when I told her that my books are stand-alones.
“There’s no
continuing drama or cliffhangers. You do not have to read them in order. Here!”
I shoved Old Loves Die Hardin her
direction. “This is my latest. Read it. You’ll see for yourself that the
mystery is a stand-alone. In no way are you going to be lost reading them out
of order.”
To this, the
woman placed her hands on her hips and shot me a glare. “All of you authors say
that about your books and you’re all lying!”
So I sold
her It’s Murder, My Son.
But I still
refused to number my books—until Amazon.com threatened to take away my hot
fudge unless I started numbering them.
Order! Order!
The number
next to the book title is the number for the order in which it was written. Dead on Ice (Lovers in Crime Mystery)
was written afterShades of Murder
(Mac Faraday Mystery), which introduced the Lovers in Crime characters.
Likewise, if you want to see Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday meet and fall
in love, you will want to read Three Days
to Forever before Kill and Run
(the first installment in the Thorny Rose Mysteries
Joshua
Thornton Mysteries:
These first two books were written
many years ago--at a different time in Lauren's life. They are heavier and
contain a different tone with less humor than her newer books.
1) A Small
Case of Murder
2) A Reunion
to Die For
Mac Faraday
Mysteries:
3) It's
Murder, My Son
4) Old Loves
Die Hard
5) Shades of
Murder (introduces the Lovers in Crime:
Joshua Thornton & Cameron Gates)
7) Blast
from the Past
8) The
Murders at Astaire Castle
9) The Lady
Who Cried Murder
10) Twelve
to Murder
12) A
Wedding and a Killing
13) Three
Days to Forever
14) Open
Season for Murder
16)
Cancelled Vows
17)
Candidate for Murder
Lovers in
Crime Mysteries:
6) Dead on
Ice
11) Real
Murder
18) Killer
in the Band
Thorny Rose
Mysteries:
15) Kill and
Run
19) A Fine
Year for Murder
Lauren Carr
Mystery Novel
20) Twofer
Murder (Summer 2017)
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