Rural Pennsylvania’s Vance Township Police Chief Pete Adams is down an officer and has been dealing with extra shifts as well as a pair of bickering neighbors, one of whom owns a machete and isn’t afraid to use it. Golden Oaks Assisted Living is outside Pete’s jurisdiction, but a murder in the facility his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father calls home makes the case personal. Paramedic and Deputy …
Paramedic and Deputy Coroner Zoe Chambers has been itching for an opportunity to take the lead in a death investigation. She gets her chance when her boss is hospitalized and not only assigns her to the Golden Oaks homicide but puts her in charge of the county coroner’s office.
As if she doesn’t have enough to handle, a long-lost, over-protective, older half-brother walks into her life threatening to drive a wedge between her and the man she loves.
A second dead body leads them to realize the case may have dark ties to a distant past…and if Zoe doesn’t untangle the web of lies, Pete will be the one to pay the ultimate price.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
CRY WOLF by Annette Dashofy | A Henery Press Mystery. If you like one, you’ll probably like them all.
more
Dollycas’s Thoughts
We are back at the Golden Oaks Assisted Living Center again as one of its new residents is found dead in his room. With Pete’s father living there, Zoe and Pete feel the pressure to be sure his dad is safe but it also gives them the opportunity to nose around the place. When the coroner lands in the hospital Zoe gets the green light to investigate the murder. He even puts her in charge of the whole coroner’s office. Pete, down an officer, has his hands full with a couple of neighbors fighting over mowed grass. The machete one guy was wielding gets everyone’s attention. They are both thrown for a loop when a man contacts Zoe claiming to be her brother from a relationship her father had prior to marrying her mom.
This book is just 276 pages and it is packed full with goodness. The pace is fast and it was impossible to put down.
Ms. Dashofy has created characters in this series that grab you immediately whether this is the first story you have read or the 7th. Pete and Zoe are surrounded by a strong supporting cast, each unique, and well-drawn. Zoe’s life is already full and having a possible step brother added to the mix was a great twist. Zoe lost her father at a young age so she is excited to learn about Jason Cox. But could his appearance in her life be too good to be true?
Again, the author twists some medical and social issues into a great mystery that includes a plethora of suspects and situations full of drama. Secrets, lies, and half-truths turn the story in many different directions. A second murder makes everyone take a step back and look at the case with new eyes. The realistic take on PTSD was so well done. Being a cop is hard, taking a life in order to save another is totally a life-changing moment. The strong family-like connection between Pete, Zoe and his officers have enhances the way this was handled.
I totally enjoyed this story as I have enjoyed every book in this series. Small town, fantastic characters, and a great mystery. You can’t go wrong with any book written by this author.
WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS!
Annette Dashofy’s Cry Wolf (Zoe Chambers Mystery Series Book #7) will leave you breathless! This book may be read as a stand alone, but to get the full impact, the Series needs to be read in order. EMT Zoe Chambers is back and her life is more complicated than ever since she’s also having to fill in as the Deputy Coroner. Her man, Pete Adams, Chief of Police of Vance Township is busy, too, because he’s short staffed so he’s working doubles. There seems to be a rash of crime in their corner of the world. Dashofy has weaved a masterful story of neighbor vs. neighbor, secrets from the past, nursing home victims vs. murder, a woman desperately in need of the love of a family and how all these incidences are intertwined. They need to find the killer soon or Zoe or Pete may be the next victim. The ending is full of suspense and will leave you breathless! I was provided an ARC of this book by Henery Press and Edelweiss. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence. I have preordered a copy of this book for my own personal library.
Intriguing and enjoyable book! While visiting his father at the assisted living home, Pete and Zoe run into Pete’s former field training officer from his days of working in Pittsburgh. The man is now living in the facility as well, but doesn’t seem to be making any friends. Shortly after leaving, the man is found dead in his room in an apparent accident, which is later determined to be murder. Zoe is called in as acting coroner after Franklin ends up in the hospital. In addition to the murder, Zoe receives a call from a man who claims to be her older half-brother. She goes to meet the man, Jason Cox, and finds herself feeling attached to him and believes he really is her brother. Pete has his doubts, but can’t seem to find anything criminal in his past. Also, the husband of the sister of Pete’s training officer is causing problems with his horse farmer neighbor and eventually the man ends up murdered with the horse farmer as the prime suspect. Can Zoe and Detective Wayne Baronick catch the killer of Pete’s friend and can Pete and his officers, including new officer, Abby Baronick, sister of Wayne? Also, is Jason really Zoe’s brother? Intriguing storylines and I enjoyed also seeing how Zoe and Pete both tried to get officer Seth Metzger back on duty after he killed a woman in the line of duty. I highly recommend this series!
Dashofy’s Cry Wolf is a nice evolution of the main characters — she’s managed to keep this series fresh and new and always engaging. Easy to get into, I didn’t want to put it down until I finished the book.
The Zoe Chambers Mysteries have jumped to the top of my favorite series to read — every book is engaging, well-written and a page-turner. In CRY WOLF, Police Chief Pete Adam’s father, who lives in an assisted living facility due to his progressing Alzheimer’s, is convinced that the residents there are being murdered. When one of the residents IS actually a victim of foul play, it’s up to Pete and Paramedic/Deputy Coroner Zoe Chambers to solve the case and keep Pete’s Dad safe. Add to the mix a rapidly escalating feud between neighbors, horses, and a long-lost brother, and Zoe and Pete have their hands full.
CRY WOLF is fast-paced and kept me turning the pages well into the night. The plot has several twists I did not see coming, and also introduces us to some new characters in Zoe’s and Pete’s life. Although this book is the seventh in the Zoe Chambers series, it can easily stand on its own, but you really don’t want to miss out on reading the earlier books which are just as captivating as this one.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and comments are solely my own.
Zoe and Pete are such a great team, and it’s good that they have many trustworthy allies, because it’s just one problem after another in Annette Dashofy’s CRY WOLF.
It begins with a knife attack on a man dumping grass clippings in a pasture despite warnings that it could cause the horses to founder and perhaps even die. (I didn’t know that. Did you? This is a most worthy bit of public education).
Things become complicated with a long-lost half-brother entering Zoe’s life, the death of Pete’s first partner/mentor in the senior living center, and Zoe filling in as acting coroner. New Officer Abby Baronick puts their duties in perspective, “We do what we must.” From there it’s a whirlwind of new and disabled officers, new responsibilities, hospitalizations, repairs on Zoe’s barn and house (will she and Pete be town mice or farm mice?), a maze of clues, and a blind “eye witness.”
Pete’s father may have been “crying wolf” in the past, but not with this death. The “professor” cried wolf calling the police because of the way his neighbor looked at him. (Pete’s saying “I realize he frightens you” and being rebuffed with “He does NOT,” reminded me of my own dealing with a complaining student, reassuring him that he had nothing to fear from the young woman seated behind him, as long as he kept his hands to himself. “I’m NOT scared of her.” Okay, then, moving on).
I loved the remembrance of Walden’s former incarnation as the drugstore where Zoe had bought CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST comics . . . friendly ghosts of past times.
I won’t spoil any surprises . . . but I couldn’t stop reading this one, and I LOVED the ending.
I have become totally engrossed in this series! I started it late last year and am excited to see where each book takes the characters. Zoe is a wonderful main character with many facets. She is an EMT and deputy coroner, she is in a relationship with the chief of police of her small town, she loves horses, she cares deeply about the people in her life and she won’t back down in any given situation. All of these things add to each new addition to this series, and she has grown over the course of the series. Each book has me from the first page and I can’t put them down until I finish it. The stories are intriguing and draw the reader into them, at times keeping you on the edge of your seat. When I read one I feel like I am revisiting old friends and can’t wait for our next visit.
Absolutely amazing. This series is so realistic. It has romance, danger, suspense, revenge and hope. Like I have said before, this author drops you right into an amazing and sometimes frightening mystery, with the police, paramedics and coroner front and center. Fantastic series
Cry Wolf
Zoe Chambers Mystery, Book #7
Annette Dashofy
5+ Stars
Synopsis:
Rural Pennsylvania’s Vance Township Police Chief Pete Adams is down an officer and has been dealing with extra shifts as well as a pair of bickering neighbors, one of whom owns a machete and isn’t afraid to use it.
Golden Oaks Assisted Living is outside Pete’s jurisdiction, but a murder in the facility his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father calls home makes the case personal.
Paramedic and Deputy Coroner Zoe Chambers has been itching for an opportunity to take the lead in a death investigation. She gets her chance when her boss is hospitalized and not only assigns her to the Golden Oaks homicide but puts her in charge of the county coroner’s office.
As if she doesn’t have enough to handle, a long-lost, over-protective, older half-brother walks into her life threatening to drive a wedge between her and the man she loves.
A second dead body leads them to realize the case may have dark ties to a distant past…and if Zoe doesn’t untangle the web of lies, Pete will be the one to pay the ultimate price.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
CRY WOLF by Annette Dashofy | A Henery Press Mystery. If you like one, you’ll probably like them all. (Goodreads)
Review:
This is one of my all time favorite series to read. It has everything that I look for in a cozy: engaging characters, an intriguing setting and top notch mysteries.
The characters are well developed and well rounded and they have grown so much from the first book. Zoe, Pete and Harry are some of my favorite characters ever. They seem very realistic to me and they care about each so much. They all have their problems and they are not perfect, but they work through everything and they always love each other. Harry reminds me of my dad at times so that makes it extra special. And we even get to meet Zoe’s half brother, which open up a whole other side of Zoe
The writing style flows smoothly and defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there in Vance Township, watching all of the action taking place. I felt like I was riding along with the paramedics and visiting the Assisted Living facility, meeting the residents.
The mystery is well plotted and nicely paced. There were numerous clues to sift through and enough suspects to consider and the mystery was not easily solved., which is fine with me. The ending has a little bit of surprise, which we may find out more about in future books.
I would highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I think you need to put this on your Must-Be-Read list!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Henery Press, and Edelweiss, which I greatly appreciate.
This can be read as a stand alone but you may appreciate the characters more if you have been introduced to them in previous books of this series and have seen their growth. You will especially get a better understanding of the relationship between Zoe and her mother.
The book begins on a full moon evening along with all the zany calls police and medical personnel receive. A good portion of the action also relates to the Golden Oaks Assisted Living facility where the police chief’s father resides. Although Harry has some less than lucid moments, he is convinced that weird things are happening in his “hotel.” People seem to be dying quite regularly.
This time, the person who dies is a retired cop with ties to Pete, the police chief.
There are other secrets and weird behaviors that pop up on a regular basis throughout the book. Never a dull moment. And no rest for paramedic Zoe who must cover for an ill coroner, care for her horses on a farm that really isn’t, assist Pete and detective Wayne with hours of investigation and more. Out of the blue she also gets a phone call that leads her to believe she has an elder sibling she has never heard about.
Danger and emotional turbulence abound. It can not all be blamed on the full moon.
Cry Wolf is the seventh book in Annette Dashofy’s Zoe Chambers Mysteries series. This is the second Zoe Chambers mystery that I have read (No Way Home the 5th book in this series was the first) and this book is just as thrilling as “No Way Home”. Ms. Dashofy has penned a story that is exciting and suspenseful with take your breath away moments. Both books that I’ve read can be read as standalones. Readers will recognize marked character development reading the book series in order. Zoe Chambers is as a paramedic, and a deputy coroner. Both Zoe and her significant other, police chief, Pete Adams are essentially working two fulltime jobs. Unfortunately, much of their time together is quite limited and often involves dead or severely injured individuals. Pete’s father believes that there is some-one bumping off the residents of his home, Golden Oaks, in a deadly way. The list of potential murderers and motives is long. With the insight of other Golden Oaks residents, a bizarre mix of personalities and situations make this mystery a page turner that is difficult to set down. Intrigue rules! This superbly crafted cozy mystery has interwoven a blend of ethical, medical, social and procedural issues affecting individuals worldwide. Each set of circumstance portrayed gives the reader “food for thought” given each reader is likely to encounter one or more of the situations presented. Tough topics and situations with multiple avenues for future discussion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. For cozy mystery purist, be aware that it does contain some adult language. With that exception, I believe readers who appreciate a well written cozy mystery and/or the mystery genre will appreciate this great book.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from #Henery Press via # Edelweiss. All of the opinions expressed are my own
Cry Wolf combines the solid grit of realism with a personal warmth that make the characters and the story irresistible. From the first page, this novel pulled me into the lives of the people, most of whom I already love, and into the involved and unexpected plot. Like the earlier books, this offers not just a complex mystery but also the depth of character and relationships that despite the tears I shed, leaves me wanting the next book NOW!
When Pete Adams hears that a man has called Zoe out of the blue and announced that he is her half-brother, he is highly suspicious. From the moment she spots the stranger this woman, who generally keeps her emotions tamped down, opens her heart to him and has no doubts that they are family and Pete’s concern increases with every encounter.
Zoe is concerned when Coroner Franklin is unexpectedly hospitalized; on the other hand, she is excited that she will have an official role in the investigation of the suspicious death of Pete’s police mentor who has just moved into the assisted living facility where Henry lives. This murder leaves both Pete and Zoe concerned for his father’s safety but in moments of clarity the elder Adams refuses to leave and insists on helping with the investigation. The on-going Alzheimer’s line will touch the hearts of readers whether or that monster is part of their lives.
Amazing and complex story lines that elicit a variety of emotional responses and SUPER characters are the hallmark of Annette Dashofy’s Zoe Chambers series
Thanks to Henery Press and Edelweiss for providing me with the opportunity to preview the ARC of Cry Wolf. I can not wait to share another amazing Zoe Chambers novel with my friends.
loved it.
read her entire series and have enjoyed them all. Can’t wait for the next book!
Very good series. I have enjoyed reading the books. I like the rural setting and enjoyed the EMT and police jargon woven in the stories.
I loved Cry Wolf. As always with this series I could not put the book down. This book is exciting and engaging. It is full of mystery, adventure and incredible characters. The mystery is complex and has so many red herrings that you are kept guessing to the very end. A must read! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!