GRIPPING, SUSPENSEFUL & CHILLINGLY REALMichaela’s love interest and Dottie’s nemesis, Lieutenant Slade McKane, and the Richmond Police are puzzled by multiple murders where young victims are missing parts of their body. When a beautiful young mother turns up dead at a downtown hotel, the action escalates. Meantime, Michaela and Dottie, along with hero dog Angel, investigate medical … dog Angel, investigate medical malpractice and funeral home fraud only to learn more about mortuary science and body organs than they ever wanted to know.
“Missing Parts may be the best Michaela McPherson yet! It’s a powerhouse read!”
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Ms. Lucci writes delightful novels that take us away from the mundane everyday life to the sparkling world of the rich and, very crotchety Dottie and Mic, a down-to-earth, retired police officer. Easily one of the most fun series to read especially if you like crotchety. Sometimes I want to smack her upside the head.
Michaela McPherson and her police dog Angel are retired from the police force, but that does not stop her from investigating crime. When someone gets ashes of a loved one from a crematory that has metal filings in, they suspect they received the wrong remains. Young people targeted for stealing their organs and a funeral home that is suspect. This is a great story line that is a page turner.
Countess Dottie and Mic are a powerful duo, very ably supported by retired police dog Angel. Irish Cajun Lt. Detective Slade seems to lag and be a bit off with his timing, as well as being a bit domineering when it comes to Mic. Perhaps the man is trainable with a whistle, like the hero dog.
The thugs that have been chased all over the map are in Richmond as a part of an organ trafficking scheme. Mic going in without backup and Slade not being on top of his tech almost costs both the ME and Mic their lives. And the slippery thugs remain elusive.
Methinks either Slade needs a tech / responsiveness upgrade or Mic needs an upgrade in the beau department. My opinion? The dog is a bigger hero and not stuck on pr and ultimatums. He’s chip traceable and you know where he sleeps at night, unlike the disappearing detective, who disappointed Mic and stayed away for months before- yet still with the demands and dictums!
An exciting and action packed adventure!
The Case of the Missing Parts: A Michaela McPherson Crime Thriller, my first read from author Judith Lucci which is pretty amazing considering I own 31 books by her going back to 2016. Now I see why I own so many books by her, an excellent read! “I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.” (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
If you’ve never read any of the Michaela McPherson Mystery books before, you’re in for a treat! If you’ve read them before, you already know what I’m about to say, but I’m going to say it anyways. You’re in for a treat! Judith Lucci has created a family on paper and they all live within the pages of this series. The Case of the Missing Parts is Book 5 in the series, but each book is equally as good as the next one and each one is able to be read as a standalone or in order. Myself, I prefer to read the series in order so that I can savor each delicious bite, but to each his or her own…
So, on to Michaela and her latest shenanigans. Seems like lovely Michaela’s plucky sidekick the Countess Dorothy Borghase had promised to look into the case of a friend’s son’s ashes, who she said had been cremated, but what was returned to her were not his cremains but someone else’s. Dottie imperiously summoned Michaela to her house to accompany her to look into the case of the mistaken identity, but Michaela knew how to hold her own when faced with the overbearing countess. Knowing that time spent with Dottie took her away from her time with the handsome Lieutenant Slade McKane, Michaela was loath to spend too much time on what looked at first glance to be a grieving mother’s mistake. Michaela soon realizes there might be something worth looking further into.
Meanwhile, Slade is faced with a case as gritty as he’s seen in his career with the Richmond Police Department. Someone is taking organs from victims and selling them on the black market, and they’re doing it right under their noses in Richmond! They’ve got to figure out who is doing such a heinous thing before the body count continues to rise!
One more time Dottie and Michaela prove to be great sleuths!
A well written perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start. Another mystery thriller to keep you turning the pages. This one was how Slade and Michaela start working on solving the mystery. A few extra characters help but easy to follow along. Hope this isn’t the last in the series and the stories are all standalone reads.
Judith Lucci has done it again! The Case of the Missing Parts is another phenomenal read. She has taken a current disturbing crime that occasionally makes the news, that of organ stealing/selling, and weaves a very realistic story that is, at the same time, informative, horrifying, and enthralling. Throughout the story you get to intimately learn about Michaela, Slade, and Dottie and get to know their heart for justice and rightness. You will get so involved in the story that you won’t be able to put it down !
Mic, Angel and Dottie are at it again. One of Dottie’s friends, Reba, supposedly received her son’s ashes. The problem is that these ashes are not her son’s. After visiting with Reba and her daughter-in-law, Allison, Mic and Dottie are off to the funeral home to supposedly pre-plan a funeral. There is something off about this funeral home, but Mic can’t put her finger on it. Meanwhile Slade and Charlie are investigating awful murders. The victims are all missing body parts. This book kept me up reading half the night and I started right back reading with my not so early morning coffee. Great characters, action and a fantastic plot. I highly recommend this awesome medical thriller!
Loved this book, and there were a few nailbiting moments in it..yikes
This is one of those books you won’t be able to put down until you’ve finished. Then you’ll wish you’d paced yourself so the book would last longer haha.
Outstanding story!
Dottie makes me laugh with her jealousy towards Slade, but irritates me at the same time.. Mic deserves some happiness.
I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
I love stand alone books in series, like this one, where the main character(s) or hero/heroine(s) live and we get to see them in future books. I love how the characters are fleshed out to a point where you feel like they’re people you know in real life. The topic, of black market body organs, which I thought had been an urban myth, is a very lucrative business. The book is unputdownable, fascinating, with nail biting and nervous wreck moments, entertaining reading. The book would make a great movie.
I love a good medical thriller and Judith Lucci can always be counted on to provide one. Having lived in Richmond, I find it enjoyable to visit my former home and catch up with Michaela McPherson and her friends and colleagues. This time, someone is stealing organs and leaving butchered bodies behind. It’s a race to stop the slaughter before the next victim is targeted, which might be a little too close to home. The action is fast paced and the killers are frighteningly evil. Will they be apprehended or escape once again to terrorize another city? I can’t wait to read the next installment in this thrilling series.
Michaela McPherson, a retired homicide detective, her retired police dog, Angel, Slade McKade, Michaela’s boyfriend and Countess Dottie Borchese are involved in this case and other mysterious happenings in the 5th installment of this series. The Richmond Police Department is kept busy as bodies are being found around Richmond, Va with their vital organs having been removed. Although this may be considered a cozy mystery, Author, Judith Lucci writes a more in depth story line than most other cozies. I received an ARC from the author of this timely book regarding vital organs being sold on the black market.
The comments and review of the above are of my honest opinion.