Screenwriter Harry Essex claims there are “A thousand ways the desert can kill.” According to Auntie Agnes, a local tribal elder, an elusive killer is working hard to make it a thousand and one.
Louie Jacobs, a minor tried as an adult, was convicted of murdering Sacramento Lugo—his best friend and Auntie Agnes’ nephew. There’s plenty of evidence that points to Louie, and Louie supposedly … supposedly confessed. Sacramento’s aunt is adamant that Louis didn’t do it.
After reviewing Louie Jacob’s case, Jessica agrees to try to get it reopened. She and her “Cat Pack” friends are soon caught up in another tricky whodunnit when they discover the main suspect is an illusory figure—the Cleaner Man. Does such a man even exist, or is he a creature of spirit and imagination? Who else has a reason to want Louie behind bars or dead?
Grab your copy of A Dead Nephew Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery #6 by USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Anna Celeste Burke.
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A great story for an awesome series!
Jessica and her Cat Pack are growing in more ways than one. I love the members that make up the Cat Pack and how their characters have evolved throughout the series. They work as a fine-tuned machine to catch the bad guys. Anastasia, Jessica’s fur baby, even got in on the “take down the bad guy” action in this story. What a great scene!
I especially like the writing style of Anna Celeste Burke. She is a gifted storyteller who creates an exciting and entertaining novel while keeping it clean. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the next book in the series.
Louie Jacobs has already been convicted of murdering his friend. All the evidence pointed to him. Though he is a minor, he has been tried as an adult and convicted.
However, the murdered boy’s aunt believes that Louie is not guilty.
That was when the Cleaner Man comes into the picture. The story is about how Jessica and her friends track the real murderer is the story.
Tension filled and sprinkled with enough humour, the characters and the plot kept me hooked till the very end. Special mention has to be made about Jessica’s poodle. I really liked that dog!
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I am hooked on the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series! A Dead Nephew is the sixth book in the series and I loved it! When Louie Jacobs is arrested and convicted of the murder of his best friend there are doubts about his guilt. Jessica and her friends, known as the “Cat Pack” investigate the crime. When stories start circulating about the person responsible, the Cleaner Man, they begin to wonder is he is real or just a figment of someone’s imagination. But why would someone frame Louie for the murder? Is he telling the truth about being innocent? What does their investigation show? You won’t want to put this book down! It’s definitely a page turner. Excellent cast of characters and a very well written mystery. I highly recommend this series and this book!
A Dead Nephew earns 5/5 Desert Palms…Compelling Entertainment!
“My friends are like me…as curious as cats.” —Jessica Huntington on her “Cat Pack”
From the first rumors of a “white-hatted” stranger, stalkers in the periphery, and secrets the powerful will do anything to keep secret, Anna Celeste Burke set readers onto a dramatic cozy adventure with a bit of an edge. Aunt Agnes, a well-respected member of the local tribal community, is convinced the man convicted of her nephew’s murder is innocent. The young man’s body was found in an isolated area of tribal land, and with the immediate arrest and quick conviction of his close friend, even Jessica was suspicious; suspicious enough she agrees with Aunt Agnes the young man was railroaded and decides to work on the incarnated man’s appeal.
Jessica’s “gut feelings” are a key element to uncovering all, but not without some nail-biting personal peril in and about the Desert Cities of California! Using a first-person narrative from Jessica’s perspective, Anna Celeste Burke’s writing style uses descriptive language to paint a clear picture of the desert community and dialogue that keeps readers engaged in the emotions and providing insights into the characters’ personalities. The murder mystery and subsequent investigation were compelling and complex, and the “el hombre limpio,” The Cleaner Man, is scary; the details of Tahquitz legends, mysterious deaths, and a clash between tribal and state law enforcement were fascinating…and the dynamic between the “Cat Pack” and their interactions with law enforcement make for an extraordinary series. The final reveal, understanding, and the last scenes were just plain, “WOW!” One of Burke’s signature writing elements is providing titles for each chapter which is its own little mystery; I try to discern her rationale or inner meaning for her choices.
Recipes, of course, Burke is a trained chef…Disney Institute! Readers can always count on several easy to-follow recipes for any occasion: Italian Beans and Green, Tangy Spicy Chicken Margherita with Easy Homemade Pesto, Simple Garlic and Olive Oil Linguine, and sweets like Italian Cream Cake, Vegan Brownies, Italian Lemon Drop Cookies (Anginetti), and Chocolate Amaretti Cookies.
I always anxiously await the ‘next’ in the Jessica Huntington series because they are all SOOO good, The Cat Pack is back with danger, murder, and blackmail headlining this installment with a bad guy that just takes your breath away and makes you sit back and just go WOW. There are plenty of twists and turns as you work your way through a complex mystery which is actually a three-fer all tied up nicely into one. This book was such a page-turner for me, I had trouble putting it down because I just HAD to find out who the killer was! Fun, interesting characters that give you just what you ache for in a well written, well-developed mystery! You don’t need to have read the others to enjoy this, but you will enjoy it all the more if you read them in the order they were written to get a little backstory on the characters. Another winner here without a doubt!
Another fun story in the series. Jessica has her beliefs as does her aunt. When the “cleaner man ” comes back to the desert….can she help find out who the desert murderer is? Find out in this story..
WOW!! This book is three mysteries in one. All three are interconnected and related to the death of Sacramento Lugo but are distinctly individual mysteries. I think this is the most complex of the entire series. There were plenty of twists and turns to hold my attention and keep me guessing from beginning to end. Jessica and the Cat Pack are once again on the trail of ‘la cream de la crud’ in the desert cities of southern California. They solve the mysteries as only this unique group of characters can. The Cat Pack is expanding with the addition of several new members who bring their own unique skills and perspectives to help solve the crimes. I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series. If you like well thought out mysteries with likable characters and a dash of humor, I urge you to read the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mysteries.
When the aunt of the deceased Sacamento Lugo, feels that his best friend accused of killing her nephew is innocent, she seeks out Jessica to investigate.
Louie Jacob, not only found with a knife in his hand, and believes he’s the reason that his best friend is dead. Sacramento warned Louie about the Cleaner Man. When Louie tries to mention the Cleaner man, no one believes him; except Agnes, the aunt of the deceased.
When Jessica & Kim interview Louie, they learn of some inconsistencies and decide to take the case. They need to find this Cleaner Man, a man described as having an appearance of all white, with a big white cowboy hat and white cowboy boots too. The Cleaner Man glows. They don’t know if what they are dealing with is a spirit or human?
There is one person that is not at all happy, that Jessica might let a killer free, that is Sacramento’s father, John Lugo, who pays a visit to Jessica and she drops some unexpected news into his lap.
While Jessica is investigating one case, it leads her down more mysteries.
This was a fun read, filled with lots of twists and turns; as well as, several mysteries involved that kept you guessing. There is quite the cast of characters with lots of humor.
I received an ARC and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.
Jessica is an attorney who has been asked by an aunt to investigate the murder of her nephew. The aunt believes that her nephew’s best friend was wrongly convicted. Jessica agrees to look into it and becomes convinced that Louis did not murder Santiago. While the story does not have many twists and turns, the story becomes deeper and more interesting.
This the first book I’ve read in this series. I thought it was a bit confusing in the first few pages, where the author tries to introduce a lot of characters that I would have known from earlier books. Don’t let that stop you from reading the rest of the story. You will understand all the characters and their inter-relationship before too long.
I found the story to be well written and I really enjoyed it. The story evolves into an interesting investigation that I think mimics a real life investigation. The more you read, the more complicated the cascade of events becomes.
I recommend this book.
I love Jessica Huntington and her Cat Pack! And don’t forget Anastasia, the dancing poodle who really gets to shine in this book! A Dead Nephew is another amazing adventure. Ms. Burke has created a cadre of characters I would love to meet. Her stories are always imbued with descriptive desert scenes and multi layer mysteries with an abundance of clues and possible motives. Now Frank is going to be working with Jack Wheeler! What a neat way to merge to series. I am eagerly awaiting the next book!
It feels like I waited forever for this 6rh in the Jessica Huntington series to become available! I really love all the characters–but especially Jessica, a poor little rich girl with a heart of gold and her housekeeper Bernadette. Of course her dog who is a love bug and oh so intelligent. He is really sweet but don’t try to hurt one of his pack!!
Jessica, a lawyer, is known to be a magnet for trouble. In this one she almost gave in to her shopping addition with her Black American Express card. Luckily she realized she would be able to spend money on two of her friends who had just gotten engaged. The cat pack (her friends who help her with investigations)-are truly a bunch of lovable kooks!
Auntie Agnes is positive that Louis is not the killer of her nephew Sacramento. She enlists Jessica’s aide. There are twists and turns as Jessica and friends try to find the real murderer–all while dining on Bernadette’s delicious cooking in between running around looking for clues. You will find some of these recipes at the end of the book.
Now I have to wait for the 7th in this series! Of course that will not stop me from reading all the others that Anna Celeste Burke writes.
This book can be read as a stand alone but if you haven’t read the 1st 5 I suggest you do!! There is a kind of continuity that you will appreciate!
Murder, Fraud, and Much More in this Fantastic Book
A Dead Nephew is the sixth book in Anna Celeste Burke’s Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series. Ms. Burke’s descriptive writing style always pulls me into the lives of the characters, allows me to experience the beauty of the desert, and feel the emotions she raises in her characters. The storyline flows smoothly, and even though the tension is often high, humor is sprinkled throughout the pages of this fantastic book, and Anastasia, Jessica’s lovely poodle, will steal your heart in more than one scene. The well-developed characters are three-dimensional and affable, the mystery is complex, and there are lots of twists and turns and red herrings to keep the reader engaged. A lot is going on, and Ms. Burke does an excellent job of tying up all the loose ends. I highly recommend this book.
When Louie Jacobs is wrongfully accused and convicted of murdering his best friend, Sacramento Lugo, Jessica Huntington agrees to look into the case. Even though all the evidence seemed to point to Louie, a minor, as the perpetrator, and he confessed, Auntie Agnes is convinced he’s innocent, she tells Jessica that a man known as the Cleaner Man is the guilty person. The Cleaner Man’s real name is unknown, but Louie’s description of the way he dresses to his physical appearance would make one think he’d stand out in a crowd, but Jessica and her friends, the Cat Pack, who help her with investigations, find the man to be quite difficult to locate. Their search for the elusive man turns up a multitude of other crimes and places them in some fear-provoking situations, and sends Jessica on national rollercoaster.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
“Crime is stupid, Criminals are stupid”
Sacramento Lugo, only son of a tribal elder is dead, and know one knows why. His best friend Louie Jacobs is in jail for the crime it seems like he was bullied into confessing to. Auntie Agnes turns to Jessica and the Cat Pack asking to find out what is truth from fiction. However, what they find is going to change everything in the end as they wade through corruption, land scams and extortion, stepping on toes and tripping over obvious clues as well as cover-ups in this mystery wrapped around family and tied with psychological red tape…. with happy news interwoven throughout that might change everyone’s lives.
In this book, the 7th in the Jessica Huntington series by Anna Celeste Burke, it takes a while to untangle the three mysteries that are intertwined in one of the most complex mysteries of this very enjoyable series. Anna Celeste Burke’s wonderful sense of humor and talent for description takes us into areas we may never know existed, and possibly, teaches us something along the way…at least I always learn something…. Highly Recommended 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author. It was my choice to read and review it]