New to the game. But that won’t stop her.How does a woman disappear in a town of a thousand people? That’s a 28-year-old mystery Isabel Long wants to solve.Isabel has the time to investigate. She just lost her husband and her job as a managing editor of a newspaper. (Yes, it’s been a bad year.) And she’s got a Watson – her 92-year-old mother who lives with her. To help her case, Isabel takes a … her case, Isabel takes a job at the local watering hole, so she can get up close and personal with those connected to the mystery.
As a journalist, Isabel never lost a story she chased. Now, as an amateur P.I., she’s not about to lose this case either.
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I could identify with Isabel Long starting over after the lost of her husband and her job she had for many years as the managing editor of a newspaper. She has her 92 year old mother living with her and decides to work on a cold case that she covered 28 years ago. She finds a part time job at the local watering hole that also serves food where the locals and as Isabel calls them, “The Old Farts” and turns into an amateur P.I. to get clues while they eat and drink. I didn’t turn into an amateur P.I. but like to read about them but I did work for a well known company for 25 years and they had a buy out and I had to start over and had many jobs doing things that helped me learn a lot more over the last 25+ years since that buy out.
Another great read from Joan Livingston. Wonderful characters. Brilliant setting while the dialogue is authentic and brings the characters alive. The story unfold nicely with plenty of twist and turns.
This is the first in a (so far) three-book series. I love the narrator and main character Isabel Long. She’s a recent widow and former reporter/editor of a small New England newspaper who’s turned PI. Isabel is smart, funny, attractive, brave, and in her 60s. Those characteristics rarely describe fictional women. Her 93-yr-old romance/mystery reading mother acts as a Watson to Isobel’s Sherlock.
The series is funny, intriguing, and the plots surprised me. I loved the slow, somewhat uncertain and bumpy romance that grows through the series (Redneck Revenge and Killing the Story). Highly recommend this series.
I am partial to diving into a good mystery series having “cut my teeth” on the late great Sue Grafton’s books. I was delighted to find Chasing the Case with the engaging and quirky heroine, Isabel Long. Joan Livingston has laid out much promise here for many books to follow and to enjoy Isabel’s exploits along with a cast of other compelling characters. The setting of western Massachusetts is also well laid out and becomes, in part, a character. The cold case aspect of Book 1 was an added bonus for me. I look forward to reading the next ones!
Joan Livingston knows how to tell a convincing tale. Her characters in Chasing The Case are originals and totally believable. What’s more they are likeable – I found myself loving the relationship between Isabel and her Ma. It is evident that the author knows about life and social politics in small Mid-Western towns. The sense of place is strongly conveyed – one can almost feel the cold of the Mid-Western winter and smell the whisky fumes and sweat in the Rooster Bar and Grill, the local night club.
However, the author’s greatest skill, in my opinion, is her ability to create a complete character with a few deft phrases. I was hooked from the start.
When her job as a successful small-town newspaper editor becomes untenable, Isabel Long decides to spend her time investigating a 28-year-old unsolved mystery – the disappearance of a local woman. It was a case that she’d worked on as a cub reporter, one of the few crime cases in her career that the police hadn’t solved. Isabel knew she could do better. Recently widowed, Isabel is also coming to terms with her newly single life and caring for her elderly, but sharply intelligent mother.
With a fast-paced plot laced with humour and lively, believable dialogue, we join Isabel on her journey to the shocking truth.
Isabel, as a character was so convincing that I had no trouble believing in her ability to conduct her investigations; she deals easily with crusty locals and draws information from reluctant and initially hostile suspects. I also loved the depiction of Isabel’s budding romance with her new beau.
This story whisked me away to a world so different from my own, but made me feel as if I really knew it. With its twisting plot, colourful characters, and intriguing mystery, this story held my interest every step of the way. In short, I really enjoyed this book, and can’t wait to read more in this series.
This is a terrific first book in a series. I really warmed to the protagonist, Isabel, who had spent her whole career in the newspaper business. She’s a well-drawn, believable character, the kind you trust to tell a story with authority and knowledge. Throughout Isabel’s long career, she worked in various capacities, including as a reporter for her small town. Though she’s not a native to Conwell, her coverage of local events made her privy to all the goings on, from the mundane to the unfathomable.
Now that Isabel finds herself at a stage in her life where she’s recently widowed and suddenly unemployed—thanks to the sale of the newspaper—she moves her mother in with her so they will both have company. Adjusting to not being a vital part of a daily newspaper and not having the companionship of her late husband, Isabel turns her focus to a 28-year-old missing persons case that she had covered as a reporter.
Along with her 92-year-old mother—an avid mystery reader—Isabel begins a methodical, under-the-radar investigation into the disappearance of Adela Snow Collins. As she soon learns, it’s hard to keep secrets in a small community, unless it’s to cover up a brutal crime.
The author has set up a wonderful premise for a series, creating a cast of quirky characters, including the Old Farts and the proprietor of the Rooster, the only bar in town. I look forward to seeing what Isabel gets up to next!
This is an excellent mystery in a fine original voice. I really enjoyed this book and hope you will too!