“My first day as a sleuth was more Stephanie Plum than Miss Marple.” Jessica Huntington, amateur sleuth with a shopping jones and a black AMEX card, finds out money can’t buy happiness, or save your neck. Her well-planned life in shambles, she’s hiding out near Palm Springs. When her best friend’s husband is murdered, Jessica and her friends are soon stalked by scoundrels in pantyhose, stilettos, … stilettos, Bruno Maglis, and Armani suits. Roger Stone had something that got him killed. What was it and what will they do to get it back?
Even in a desert paradise life is full of surprises, like A DEAD HUSBAND.
What readers have to say about A DEAD HUSBAND…
TOP 500 Reviewer: “Don’t pass by this book without buying it – excellent read”
TOP 1000 Reviewer: “A delicious plot, full of intrigue, murder, mystery, misfortune and mishap”
**“This book has everything! Suspense, colorful characters, romance, and a beautiful and interesting setting, all woven together with intelligence and wit.”
“Hard to put down, action-packed mystery”
“Fun, funny, fast!”
“Fast flowing, entertaining, mysterythriller”
“Sheer enjoyment!”
** “Great Characters! Fast Paced with a Murder to Solve!”
***** “A sleuth in Gucci shoes!”
A DEAD SISTER, book 2, out now!
A DEAD DAUGHTER, book 3, out now!
A DEAD MOTHER out late 2015
~~~~~
LOVE A FOOT ABOVE THE GROUND–Bernadette’s love story and the mystery of Guillermo’s disappearance. PREQUEL to the Jessica Huntington Series also OUT NOW!
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Jessica finds her husband in bed with another woman and heads home to her mother to lick her wounds. A party to celebrate the divorce ends with a grisly murder. Jessica can’t turn her back on her best friend’s dilemma and soon finds herself trying to solve a mystery while danger lurks around every corner!
A complex plot and lots of humorous situations make this an enjoyable read.
I give A Dead Husband 4 lovely kisses- Entertaining Read!
I really enjoyed this amusing mystery, a story about Jessica Huntington, a lawyer whose own screwy life was superseded by that of a best friend, the lady who found her husband dead the morning after she’d spent the night with a twenty- year-old bartender. Closing in on finding answers, with periodic madcap shopping trips to keep her from sinking into a pit of despair, Jessica shows a surprising ability to get answers to each question that pops up and get into trouble while she’s at it. You’ll love the way the story unfolds. The mastery of the author leads you from page to page so you can’t put it down. 5 stars! would give more if possible!
Mystery, Murder, Money and Mayhem
Jessica Huntington-Harper is on the heels of a divorce. With her life in flux and her shopping addiction burning up the Amex, she decides to retreat to her mother’s home that is currently sitting empty.
Her drunken divorce party is the perfect set up for her best friend’s husband to be murdered. Though Jessica isn’t a defense attorney, she finds herself helping her friend out and fending off attackers with cell phones and heels, dodging the mob and wondering what her life was turning into.
It was a fast paced witty mystery that will pull you in. I recommend the Dead Husband as the first in this series!
A Dead Husband is an engaging book. The story is well-crafted and interesting, and Jessica (the main character) is funny and realistic. I’d love a friend like Jessica! The author paints vivid pictures and has created a full cast of quirky characters. This is a book I’ll re-read.
Do intricate suspenseful crime and mystery stories make your pulse race? Throw in drug cartels, dirty cops, murder, and a good cop’s reputation on the line, and you have the makings of quite the juicy story in A DEAD COUSIN by Anna Celeste Burke
A DEAD COUSIN is the fifth installment of the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities, and starts like a bullet fired from a Glock 22.
Right after an undercover operation led by Detective Frank Fontana seems to be in the can, Jessica receives word from his daughter Evie her dad’s been taken by some men right in their home. The clever girl manages to hide due to a safe word she’s been taught in case of imminent danger, and Jessica rushes to the rescue, her trusty poodle in tow.
Once the team arrives to inspect the crime scene, suspicion arises as one of Frank’s colleagues Detective Rikki Havens wonders if Frank has crossed the line – the damning evidence found in Frank’s safe has seen to that. Fake ID’s, a one way plane ticket, and passports with Frank’s picture, and lots of money, along with an old ledger with numbers and initials – what do they mean? More importantly, whom does the ledger really belong to?
And what will that tiny key Jessica secretly pockets while the team searches the rest of the evidence eventually open?
Kudos on the side for the entertaining Anastasia the poodle – this smart pooch should receive the K9 cop award, for sniffing out certain clues the human police overlook – specifically the laminated card Jessica had once given Frank that states: “Don’t trust anyone. The devil was once an angel,” semi-buried in Franks’ front yard.
Yikes!
From there the crafty canine discovers other clues, so if Anastasia’s not awarded a medal, at least get her a huge bag of treats, in my opinion…
The action is expertly plotted and moves rapidly, holding this reader’s anticipated interest, and making me grateful there was a super story to look forward to, a much-needed escape from reality.
Although Ms. Burke references other murders committed in prior books of the series here (like the characters who’re responsible, or not), I had no trouble figuring out who began where and when – I thought this backstory information was cool, and a credit to Ms. Burke’s writing ability, since it didn’t confuse me, or take my head out of the story.
In fact, the lure contained in A DEAD COUSIN beckons me to grab the previous installments of this series, one of which is already on my Kindle.
Any reader who’s stoked by this genre would be as delighted as I with this fast paced, well-written yarn – So! You won’t find any spoilers in this review, but I will say this – the ending was sweet, satisfying, and nicely wrapped up a most intriguing mystery.
PS: Who else is unaware urine is not a good source for DNA? I watch enough crime shows like NCIS, and I’m also a crazy-wild fan of Burn Notice, but this topic never came up during my TV travels. I thought this is a fun fact to know. Thanks, Celeste!
A lot of action and who’s who’s to solve a mystery and a murder.
Fun, fun. The book reads like a who’s who of the rich and spoiled. But even the rich and spoiled only have one life to live. And they do that with class and originality. At least in this book. My first one from this author, but not the last one. Jessica Huntington is the main character and a driving force. By the way, I found it subtly entertaining that her last name is the same as a California beach town and yet the series is about desert cities and the story unfolds around the Palm Springs area. Anyway, this is a good mystery with twists and turns and some fun scenes. Highly recommended.
This review is for the audio book.
I enjoyed this story as its a nice little mystery, with plenty of twists as the story develops. The characters were a fun bunch.
Jessica is an unemployed lawyer and moves back to her child hood home to help come to terms with her impending divorce. She soon learns that a cheating husband is the least of her problems, when she receives a phone call from her best friend asking for her help. Laura has just stumbled over the body of her husband and her alibi is spending the night with Jessica….Well until she went home with the waiter that is. Jessica has to pull out all the stops and throw a few punches and shoes to clear her friends name.
This is the first story I have heard, read by this narrator but I liked her style and will look out for more books read by her as well as the next book in this series.
Enjoyed reading!
Jessica Huntington has moved back to her home where she grew up after splitting from her cheating husband. Jessica and her friends begin amateur sleuthing when one of her friends husband is found murdered at home after the girls had been out partying.
This book has great twists and turns and unexpected bad guys. A well written and an easy read!
I loved this book! Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
This is the first book in Anna Celeste Burke’s Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Series. Ms. Burke’s writing style flows smoothly, the storyline is well plotted and full of action, suspense, and mystery. The characters are well developed and although they are in trying to solve a difficult mystery and are in danger much of the time, Ms. Burke has managed to allow them to be humorous and witty at times. Ms. Burke has written a well thought out and interesting mystery, with a good story line, and excellent character development. There are lots of twists and turns and I was engaged from the beginning of the book. I highly recommend this book.
Jessica Huntington-Harper is a wealthy lawyer whose law practice is in trouble due to the housing/economic downturn and she’s filed for divorce after she caught her cheating husband, Jim Harper, in a compromising position with a well-known Hollywood starlet. Jessica takes refuge at the Rancho Mirage home where she grew up. At first glance, Jessica comes across as a woman who is spoiled, selfish, only cares about herself, and is a high-end shopaholic; however, she is completely opposite (other than the shopaholic addiction) and is smart, energetic, and witty. Even though Jessica is drowning in her sorrow, when her best friend, Laura Stone, discovers her husband, Roger, has been brutally murdered in their home and is worried she is the prime suspect, Jessica immediately rushes to her aide. Although Jessica isn’t a criminal lawyer, she agrees to help prove Laura’s innocence. She contacts a college acquaintance Paul Worthington, who is a well-known criminal lawyer, to help her with the defense of her friend. Paula sends one of his firm’s in-house private investigators, Jerry Reynolds, to help Jessica as she launches her investigation into Roger’s death, placing herself and those close to her in harm’s way.
Ms Crosby does a great job of fleshing out her characters so that they take on a very real presence, reminding me of people I come across in my daily life. Combine this with a great plot and Spare Change is a wonderful read for anyone. Ethan Allen Doyle has seen more in his miserable 11 year old life than most kids, including witnessing a murder. He decides to strike out on his own and find the grandfather he has never met, Charlie Doyle. Ophelia Westerly has been single and alone all her life. When Charlie sweeps her off her feet she agrees to marry him, even though there are whispers about their age difference. But their joy quickly turns to sorrow when Charlie dies and she is left trying to pick up the pieces and figure out what happened. And to add to her surprise, Ethan arrives looking for his grandfather. This story does some unexpected twisting and turning- you’ll have to read it for yourself!
An intriguing and thrilling book. Jessica Huntington-Harper is wallowing in the fact that she is getting divorced. After a crazy night out of drinking with friends, her friend, Laura, calls to inform her that Laura’s husband, Roger, has been murdered. Jessica uses her lawyer knowledge to help her friend and hires an attorney she went to law school with. The law firm sends a P.I. and he, Jessica, Jessica’s friend Tommy, and pool boy Brien all get involved. Along the way, Jessica is attacked a couple of times and it seems like Roger had gotten mixed up in something bad. Can Jessica save her friend from being charged with her husband’s murder and find the real killer? I loved the characters and seeing how, despite her own problems, Jessica put everything aside to help her friend. I hope to read more of this series and see what’s next for Jessica!
Was a real joy not to have figured out “who done it”. Enjoyed the characters and the devotion of friends to each other. Great ending!
This is a page-turner!! Jessica is back home after finding her husband in bed with another woman. Soon, a friend’s husband is found dead and she is the prime suspect and asks for Jessica to be her attorney. Jessica gets mugged but no one can tell her why. Not even the good-looking PI she hires to help find why the husband was murdered. I read through this book quickly because it kept me interested.
I am a fan of Anna Celeste Burke’s series “Georgie Shaw” so I thought I would try this series of hers. Well once again it is a winner. Jessica Huntington and her crew are a great read. Laugh, cry and shake your head. I am on to the next in the series “Dead Sister”
I recieved a free copy through voracious readers for an honest review.
This is book 1 in a set of cozy mysteries.
It has suspense, good characters and a good storyline all woven into one book.
I will read more from this author.
This was a fun romp in the desert, with Jessica Huntington as the tour guide. Jessica is recently separated from her husband Jim and has returned to her family homestead to lick her wounds. When her best friend Laura’s husband is murdered, Jessica jumps onto the scene to help her prove her innocence. With lots of action and really quirky characters, this book has plenty to like about it. I especially enjoyed the scenes at the spa and the character of Bernadette, housekeeper extraordinaire. The book was fast-paced and had a mystery in it that was believable, including elements of an Armenian mob. Fans of mysteries will enjoy this book, and like me, want to read more of the series.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Voracious Readers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
I loved Anna Celeste’s A Dead Husband book 1 in Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mysteries is a wonderfully written mystery. I found myself drawn in right from the very first page and I didn’t want to put it down. This book has action, humor, mystery and of course suspense. I loved the twists and turns, they kept me guessing right up to the end. I love the quirky characters and of course the delicious recipes. I have already started book 2 and book three is ready and waiting.
Promising new series from Anna Celeste Burke. I have enjoyed reading her Georgie Shaw series and thought I would try this one. Although the heroine comes from a very moneyed background (and I don’t) I could still relate to many of the issues she had and appreciated her compassion for her friends and her ability to think on her feet to get out of sticky situations. I look forward to reading more in this series.