In the shadow of a past fraught with danger and tainted by loss, former pharmaceutical researcher Maggie O’Malley is rebuilding her life, trading test tubes for pill bottles as she embarks on a new career at the corner drugstore. But as she spreads her wings, things begin to go terribly wrong. A customer falls ill in the store. Followed by another. And then more. The specter of poisoning arises, … arises, conjuring old grudges, past sins, buried secrets and new suspicions from which no one is immune. As Maggie and her best friend Constantine begin to investigate, they discover that some of the deadliest doses come from the most unexpected places.
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Wonderful, gripping, and beautifully written. Love this series!
If you enjoy a book that seems to have danger around every corner, with non-stop action, you sure don’t want to miss this one.
I have read the first book in this series, and love it, and now the third which is equally good, and am so glad that I chose to do so, they are very entertaining and page turning books, ones that you want to get to the end and know the answers, but at the same time you don’t want them to end.
Maggie is a tough cookie, but with all that is going on, including her upcoming wedding, will she make it to the end. I love that we add a new character to the family, along with Vanilla, and her beloved Lark, that made her really stand out.
Will justice prevail, innocents get hurt, people die, why? You won’t be disappointed picking this one up!
I received this book through Great Escapes Book Tours and the Publisher Henery Press, and was not required to give a positive review.
“As Directed” by Kathleen Valenti is the third in the “Maggie O’Malley Mystery” series. New readers may not be familiar with the intricate the intricate backstory, but Valenti recounts any needed details as the story progresses. The book opens with a death of Claudia Warren, and she took too long to die.
Over the years, Magnolia ”Maggie” O’Malley has pretended to be a lot of things, even a newspaper intern, but her current profession is working at Petrosian’s Pillbox while taking classes to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy degree . She has recurrent headaches caused by a trauma a year ago, but she is determined to move past that. One day while she is working, Colton Ellis, a longtime customer, collapses and dies from poisoning. Maggie begins CPR and shouts to call 911. Things deteriorate when two more of Petrosian’s customers collapse, three customers in three days. Has Maggie made a mistake? Is this a copycat of the 1982 Chicago “Tylenol murders?” Wherever Maggie goes, misfortune seems to follow, and there seemed to be no shortage of misfortune in Hollow Pine.
The story contains multiple twists and turns as Maggie uncovers power-hungry real estate deals, gambling, redevelopment, professional jealousy, general nastiness, and borderline criminal behavior. The body count grows, and possible suspects are both colleagues and strangers. Which suspect committed multiple murders? Maggie finds the whole situation is disconcerting.
Valenti fills readers in on Maggie’s previous adventures and relationships throughout the story. Ordinary activities are mixed with the definitely not ordinary. Readers know what Maggie is thinking and planning, and her everyday schedule brings realism to the story. Maggie loves her classic car, a 1962 Studebaker Lark. She is “over the moon” at the prospect of marrying Constantine. Readers sympathize as she makes wedding plans and moderates the feelings of relatives about the cake, the dress, the venue, and the guest list. Readers understand her stress, her guilt, and her joy. Oh, and she adopts a stray dog, heartwarming reality at its best.
Valenti creates characters who are not always who they seem to be. Tension, humor, and small town politics keep readers turning the pages, but without headache inducing trauma, except for that ketchup guy. I received a review copy of “As Directed” from Kathleen Valenti and Henery Press. It is exciting and enjoyable, even with the multiple murders. Maybe in the next book, Maggie will have a church wedding, or perhaps just elope.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Customers are dropping like flies and Maggie O’Malley is always the one to find them. She thought things would be calm and routine at the local drug store where she is working as a pharmacy technician, but instead, murder victims are falling at her feet. They have been poisoned and both Mallory and her boss have been questioned. Her boss has closed down his store until the answers are found and the person responsible is in custody. Without having to work every day, Mallory and Constantine (Gus) have plenty of time to investigate but the path is twisted and secrets are uncovered.
Maggie is still recovering from an injury that occurred in an earlier book, but she doesn’t let the headaches and memory lapses keep her down. Also on her plate in her wedding to Constantine. No date yet but his aunt and hers are bulldozing as many plans forward as they can, even inviting themselves to a cake tasting Mallory hoped she and Gus could handle on their own. An old foe is stalking her and she has acquired a new one. A “TWO-FER” as Gus calls it. She also brings home a four-legged furry friend who worms his way into her heart. She drives a 1962 Studebaker Lark too. I like everything about Miss Maggie O’Malley.
As with the previous stories in this series, the author has put forth a very complex mystery with tangents going in several directions. The deaths are scary, was there tampering? Did Maggie or her boss make a mistake? When another customer is found dead at home, the local news guy is pointing fingers, trying to get the scoop, and being a real pain. That presses Maggie to work harder and faster to get answers. Nothing is really clear and the case has a lot of moving parts. At times it feels like she is going in circles but I was captivated every step of the way.
The story has a real ripped from the headlines feel (remember the Tylenol murders) and the ending packs a real punch. Action, danger, drama, are tempered with just a little bit of humor in the proper places. The book is balanced with Mallory’s real-life experiences. I really love the way Ms. Valenti tells a story. It’s not straight forward in your face. There are layers that need to be peeled and each little reveal moves the story along at just the right pace until everything tragically falls into place.
For me, this story was just what the doctor ordered, a Perfect Escape!