Meredith knows three things: First, the man in the library begged her to help him. Second, he was afraid of his wife. Third, now he’s dead.While the evidence first points to a natural death, Meredith is certain there’s more to discover. People are tight-lipped in this small mountain village, and the man’s wife isn’t talking either. Then a second death occurs, with remarkable similarities. It’s … time to talk about murder. As a slow-burning relationship heats up in her own life, Meredith struggles with concepts of love and hate, belief and suspicion, and absolution and guilt. Nothing is clear cut…She must decide: Is guilt, like evil, something you can choose to believe in?
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This book was well planned out. Julie Howard took the time to provide the reader with enough details of events that happened in the previous book that this book could serve as a standalone. Meredith’s character and struggles are authentic as I have found myself in similar situations. Jamie seems like a little firecracker, but what 5 year old isn’t? This is a good book, but there are places within the book that the story seemed to drag on, thus the reason for 4 stars. I did feel as if I had to push myself to finish the book. The book read more as a general mystery even though it was also categorized as a cozy mystery.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Another wonderful mystery by this author, this is the second book I have read by her and I am falling in love with her writing! I love a good mystery and this author has now produced two that I have read. There is drama, adventure, humor, as well as that all-important intrigue and mystery! This book was a delight to read and if you haven’t read anything by this author yet, I recommend that you do!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Meredith has her hands full trying to raise two kids as a single parent. The last thing she needs is to get involved in a murder, but when a man tells her his wife is trying to kill him and then winds up dead, she has no choice. Her biggest obstacles are that this is a small mountain village and everyone likes to remain tight-lipped, while the other is that evidence makes it appear to be a natural death vs. murder. Can Meredith convince the police that it was a murder, especially now that a second death has hit this small town?
This book has a little bit of everything for readers of several genres including romance, mystery, suspense, and intrigue.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great writing.
Reviewed by JoAnne
Book provided by Julie Howard
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
Crime Times Two was a fast paced and quick read. Having not read the first book in the Wild Crimes series I was a little at a disadvantage but there was enough background information given to keep my interest. The story had a nice flow to it and there were multiple story lines going on that tied together nicely. The characters had a depth to them especially given most of their pasts but they had a strength to them as well. Meredith, a struggling single mom, was stronger than she thought given she had been a victim of domestic abuse but also other things that her husband had put her through. Her two kids were adorable and added another dimension to the story. Meredith’s friend Honey and lifesaver at times, was a force to be reckoned with and she didn’t let anyone tell her no. The ideas she came up with were often far-fetched but still worked out in the end or did they?
There was a small town feel to the story and all the gossip that went with it. Meredith and Curtis, the sheriff, had an attraction to each other but both were moving slowly and often times were fighting their chemistry. The cases he was involved in were the meat of the story and somehow Meredith was involved in them every step of the way. The crimes committed had twists to them and added a layer of suspense. There was anger, tears, hurt, along with real life concerns about bills, housing, cars and meals. There was laughter, making the best of a bad situation, lots of animals, jobs, secrets, some romance and ultimately love. There was some closure but the book ended too abruptly for me. According to Amazon this is a two book series but there were enough loose ends that I could see another book in the future (hint, hint). I liked how the book was separated into parts with a quote preceding each section. The cover was picturesque and helped me visualize the setting and the winding and perilous drive the characters took from one small town in Idaho to another.
Ms. Howard is a new to me author and I look forward to reading more of her books in this genre, especially the first book in this series, Crime and Paradise, which I just purchased.
Favorite Quote: …”Or a little brother. We have two houses too; our big house and our trailer.”
Meredith smiled. Two houses. She’d never considered their state of affairs that way. “We have lots, don’t we?”
Meredith met a man while she was in the library studying. She doesn’t know the man, but he begins to tell her that he is afraid his wife is going to kill him. And now he’s dead.
Evidence leads law enforcement to think it was a heart attack .. but Meredith knows better.
And then there’s another death in the small town that rarely ever sees murder.
Meredith, a widow with 2 small children feels somewhat guilty because she ignored the man in the library, and she’s going to do whatever it takes to convince the sheriff … who she kind of sees a future with … to look at the man’s wife.
This is a fast read, a bit of suspense, a bit of mystery, a bit of romance. This is second of a series that does well as a stand alone. There’s just enough information to give the reader a little background, but not too much that would keep the reader from enjoying reading out of order.
The characters are terrific … the kids are precious … and the small town residents are on the quirky side. I found moments of laughter and moments of tears. I look forward to reading the next adventure.
Many thanks to the author / The Wild Rose Press, Inc. / Netgalley for the digital copy of this mystery/suspense. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Meredith is involved in murder again. She’s busy raising her children as a single parent but tries to find time to help the victims. This story ended in a cliffhanger, my pet peeve