A clever thief with a sinister calling card has invaded Braxton campus. Meanwhile, a string of jewelry thefts, remarkably similar to an unsolved eight-year-old-case, is taking place in town.When a body is discovered at the campus, Kellan is called in to investigate. And if the latest murder isn’t enough to keep him busy, Kellan partners with April to end the Castigliano and Vargas crime family … family feud.
As the summer heat begins to settle in Wharton County, what other surprises are in store?
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I signed up to join in a cover reveal blog post for James J. Cudney’s 6th book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries series. It’ll be released soon enough, and in jumping on board I almost cried to think that I’ve let myself get so far behind! I love everything that I’ve read by this author so far, and there is really no excuse to my slacking off. So, a mere two days ago, I picked up book four, exactly where I left off on the Wharton County happenings, and this morning I breezed right through to the finish. I couldn’t put it down, and as I devoured the very last pages it dawned on me that this could likely be my favorite ending so far! I thought I had it all figured out, but I was wrong. Talk about an unexpected climax! Whoa, has James J. Cudney’s writing really kicked up the suspense aspect a notch(or ten). This cozy series is climbing to thrill ride extravaganza, way to execute a twist to be remembered, Mr. Cudney!
Mistaken Identity Crisis is a fairly short book, a bit smaller than some of the others, so it can easily be read a minimal amount of sittings, one even if you have the freedom in time. It’s been months since I finished book three, yet as soon as I cracked this one open, that feeling of familiarity took over. A part of me actually felt like I was right at home in Wharton County, surrounded by friends and family that I’ve known all my life. Kellan, the main man is his usual calm, collected, and genius self. In the face of everything deadly and chaotic, he manages to keep a steady head on his shoulders, and his best judgement in play. Emma, his daughter, is the same little sweetheart as always, ever the fun loving smarty pants herself. Nana D. is still my favorite old lady, full of grit and sarcasm, only now she’s inaguarated and at the ripe young age of 75 she gets to pull the strings of Wharton county as none other than the mayor. Which we knew was coming as she ran the race in book 3. Kellan’s family makes you raise an eyebrow in question, for one reason or another, just as in every other book, yet you just love them! AND, his mobster inlaws are at their mob(ish) finest… or not so finest, all figures of speeches aside.
The lingering mystery that is Kellan’s supposedly late wife, who isn’t really dead, has always been hovering over Kellan and Emma’s head like a plague, and in Mistaken Identity Crisis everything about her and the Castigliano’s is finally brought to light. Talk about unexpected twists and turns there! There is never a dull moment in this family, and Kellan has done the right thing to protect his daughter from them as much as possible all the while walking the fine line of danger within all because of the blood running through her veins. Kellan is such a great dad, it’s one of my favorite aspects of this entire series!
What’s amazing is that not only is Kellan dealing with the stress and blackmail of his in laws, along with their lifelong enemy mob family, but there’s also been another murder on campus. A strangulation made look like electrocution nonetheless. Kellan finds himself right in the middle of the investigation once again, as he’d made friends with the man killed, AND because his brother Gabriel may just have connections to the whole mess…. BUT, is everything it really as it seems?
Once again, there are SO many aspects and clues into play that no regular mind could possibly keep it straight. Lucky Kellan has a knack for sorting clues, and finding anything looked over in the chaos. One piece at the time the puzzle comes together, and in the exact right places throughout the story. Then the ending happens… it’s as if the entire book just jumps from your fingertips and slaps you across the face before screaming, “I got the best of you again, you fool!” The ending is brilliant, and it ties literally every single piece of the story together. Hands down five stars. Yet again. I’ll be reading book 5 next week!
Another great Braxton Campus Mystery
This is the fourth of the Braxton Campus mysteries by James J. Cudney that I have enjoyed, and it very much feels like a much anticipated family reunion.
The author has cleverly added new characters and story lines in each successive book so as not to overwhelm the reader, and this fourth mystery has plenty of new interesting players and plots to keep us coming back for more. And should you be concerned that you might not be able to keep up with the new characters, there is a very helpful list of the cast members and their roles in the front of the book.
Kellan Ayrwick is kept very busy in this book and is stretched thin between his job as a professor teaching a summer course, supporting his grandmother as she prepares to take office as the new Mayor, solving the mysterious series of robberies eight years previously, now being repeated which appear to implicate his brother, and being the go between for his supposed dead wife Francesca’s mob family and their mafia rivals.
Apart from trying to discover who murdered the contractor in the cable car, there are also secrets from the past that if revealed are going to impact the lives of those close to Kellan.
Luckily he has now formed a working relationship with the sheriff April Montague, although there is a promise of something more personal always lingering in the background. Also his friend Connor Hawkins formerly campus security but now a detective on the force is there as a back up and source of information. However with all the action going on and worry about his daughter’s safety, he is getting plenty of sleepless nights.
This is the most complex of the mysteries to date and certainly several new faces to get to know . I do recommend that you read the first three books in the series so that you hit the deck running with Mistaken Identity, or at least familiarise yourself with the cast list before reading the book. I have no idea where the next book will take us but I am looking forward to finding out.
This series is pretty dang addicting! And let me tell you from the beginning, my queen—Nana D—is back again. I said this last time, but she needs her own book! Seriously! And she’s mayor!
Kellan’s world spirals once again, and I loved being inside his head. What I really want for him one day is a nice vacation, because this boy deserves it! Throughout this series, he’s had amazing character growth and you feel for him because he always has decisions he needs to make!
The writing was on point, the descriptions were wonderful, and the thing is, the characters feel real here with dialogue that is spoken how people in real life would! The book is fast paced with plenty of mystery, and I already need the next one! Oh, and this is definitely my favorite cover in the series so far!
In “Mistaken Identity Crisis” super sleuth Kellan Ayrwick investigates a fourth murder, that has links to an eight year old cold case. He aspires to finding the killer, and aims to protect his brother Gabriel and his daughter Emma, while his estranged wife Francesca remains in the hands of the mafia.
The author skillfully introduces a new cast of characters, all included in a Who’s Who at the beginning of the book. He has a wonderful talent for character building, a unique sense of humour and an ability to keep his readers guessing until the end.
This time round I managed to identify the murderer, a first for me!
Mistaken Identity Crisis, the 4th book in the Braxton Campus Mystery Series, brims with mystery, murder, intrigue, wayward characters, and a burgeoning romance. The Ayrwick family’s strong bonds with Braxton University’s collegiate halls have broadened with the family matriarch, Nana D’s new role as Wharton County’s Mayor.
The main character, Kellan, begins a new semester with four women (Raquel, Imogene, Siobhan, and Krissy) who have related histories and a possible motive to kill. As the story progresses, their connection to a slew of unresolved jewelry pilfering that struck Wharton County in the past has resurfaced. How are the robberies tied to the murder of Quint Crawford? And which of these fault-finding ladies is the perpetrator?
Since Kellan moved back to Wharton County and assumed a professorial role at Braxton University, his life has been chaotic. Three murders, scrutiny by the Castiglianos, a mob family who supposedly kidnapped his estranged wife, Francesca, constant pressures of his family, and amidst everything, trying to protect his daughter, Emma. Now a fourth murder has crossed his path. A death his sleuthing tendencies won’t ignore, especially knowing his younger brother Gabriel could be involved.
Nana D is back as the Mayor, and she’s running an entire town and still bossing her family around. In book four, Nana D seems to always be in the background sizing everyone up, scheming up plans for her family, ready to pounce at the right moment. A clever woman, she sees all, knows all, and perceives when to act. She’s wrapped her fingers around every situation in her family and town. Now that she’s Wharton’s new Mayor, she wields power in a fashion like no other can.
“After squashing Town Councilman Marcus Stanton in a landslide victory, Nana D wouldn’t stop reminding everyone about the power she’d gained. Of course, she only planned to use it for good, but there was something unnerving and dubious about a woman with a Napoleon complex wielding control over us.”
Amidst this tangle of sleuthing, Kellan’s life is under constant scrutiny by the Castigliano mob family. How do they seem to know his every move? Kellan’s not taking too kindly to being ordered around. But to protect his daughter, he proceeds cautiously.
Finally! There’s some light in Kellan’s life. Like magnets Kellan and April, Sherriff Montague’s paths have crisscrossed since the beginning. Now the growing attraction between the two is on a collision course to romance. This is one relationship I wait eagerly to unfold. Cudney crafts temptation well with a brush of hands, lips that linger hungrily close. I wanted to shove the two together and say get on with it. But, no, Mr. Cudney leaves us just as desirous as Kellan and April with a build-up that’s bound to be steamy.
Like a fine thread, Cudney intricately weaves knotty twists and turns around four women suspects that held me captive, trying to solve the murder right along with Kellan. Black Calla Lilly flowers, left beside the victim’s body, sorority sisters, love triangles, jealousies, vengeance? A puzzle that just seems to grow larger and larger with missing pieces and some that don’t fit. This was one perpetrator I failed to ferret out. I didn’t see it coming. Kudos, Mr. Cudney!
Mistaken Identity Crisis culminates with a page-turning resolution of a mystery that’s bound Kellan’s hands since book one. A conclusion that ends one saga and starts another. Oh, that Nana D won’t quit. Just when Kellan’s life assumes some normalcy, she swoops in and stirs the pot again.
Mistaken Identity Crises is a page-turner with numerous twists and turns, mystery, and suspense. Lovable characters. A touch of humor. Light romance. A charming sleuth who can’t stay out of trouble. All ingredients for a perfect cozy mystery. Hmm, I see a haunted house and supernatural elements in book five. This is right up my alley. Mr. Cudney, thank you for the superb read!
I love returning to Wharton County to see what chaos the residents have gotten into next. This installment involves a prior hidden conspiracy that surfaces upon discovery of a new crime and murder. Plus the scary war between his wife’s family and a mafia vendetta heats up leaving Kellen Arywick running ragged from his work, home, and police investigation responsibilities.
Each book reveals more of the characters’ backgrounds and personalities, making it a treat to keep turning the pages until the end. Cudney gives readers another complex mystery where there’s no easy answers.
I had already read and thoroughly enjoyed the first three Braxton Mysteries by James J Cudney. Therefore I wasn’t going to let this one pass me by.
Kellan Ayrwick, a lecturer at the college, takes the front seat as an amateur sleuth once again when he stumbles across the body of the man who had been fixing the college cable car. Was it an accident or had he been murdered? But that isn’t the only thing that Kellan needs to work on. As the plot unfolds, he learns that his brother, Gabriel might have been involved; not only in the death of the man, but also of some jewellery robberies a few years previously. Then, if that isn’t enough. Kellan learns that his wife, who had gone missing, was being held hostage and he is told he must be the go-between to get what is needed to free her.
Somehow, Kellan juggles his activities as a sleuth and those as a lecturer at the college, as he tries to find a solution to all the problems. While, at the same time, trying hard to keep on the right side of the local sheriff, whose toes he has trodden on previously.
I found this to be another most enjoyable novel in the series. I will most certainly be buying book five – Haunted House Ghost.
Love reading a light mystery with a male protagonist. MC is really funny and the stories are complex.
I think this is the best one in the Braxton Campus series so far! I love this series anyway, but I really think this is the best one so far. This one had just a little more suspense and thrill aspects to it than the first three.
The addition of the mafia as a bigger piece of the story line helped to heighten the suspense in this one. There were also plenty of plot twists to keep me guessing all the way through. I did not see the biggest plot twist coming and that caught me totally off-guard (something I actually like a mystery to do).
The dynamics between Kellan and his family are well-explored in this book. We learn more about his brother, Gabriel; his in-laws; and his extended family.
I highly recommend this series to any cozy mystery lover. While each mystery can be read alone, the rest of the interpersonal dynamics are going to make a LOT more sense if you start from the beginning, Academic Curveball.
Kellan is overseeing the redesign of the cable car that runs between the North and South Campuses of Braxton. While checking in on the progress one morning, he is stunned to discover the body of the man hired to complete the remodelling. Now Kellan has this latest death to occupy his mind, while he has so much else on the go, with lots of goings on for Nana D., Emma, Eleanor, April, etc.
I believe this is my second favourite book in this series. I love the growing relationship between Kellan and April and his love for Emma is unparalleled. I’ll always love the first because it brought me to this wonderful author’s work, but this is great instalment and one I’m glad I didn’t miss. You shouldn’t either.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
What really happened to Francesca while all those postcards showed up in Braxton? I have been dying to find out!!
Also, Kellan finds a body in the college cable car and the death may be related to a rash of jewel thefts now and an old case from 8 years ago. Crazy, the thefts stopped at the same time his brother Gabriel left town and started up soon after his return.
A twisted, tangled, complex, snarled, intricate, complicated, story is what you find within the covers of this book. I am not going to lie, my main mission in reading this book was to get to the bottom of the Francesca mafia mob story. I have really grown to love Kellan and his daughter Emma and I really wanted to get the Francesca drama behind them. But I found myself hooked by every part of this story.
Mr. Cudney has blended together an amazing story that I just could not read fast enough. Kellan is teaching a summer class, Emma is going to a day camp, Nana D has won the mayoral race, the sheriff is warming to Kellan, the mob has come to Braxton, Francesca may be nearby, Hollywood is calling, there is a thief robbing jewelry, and, oh yeah, there is that dead body in the cable car, and the killer left a big clue. So you see what I mean, there is a lot happening and the pace is pretty quick!
This author has really excelled since the first book in this series. He has gotten more comfortable with his characters and Braxton. The characters continue to grow and he sets a scene in a way that it is easy to visualize. The dialogue is tight and the interactions between the characters are realistic. Nana D. continues to be my favorite character. The mysteries are real puzzlers and I didn’t slide in the last piece until everything was revealed. The story has a few emotional moments too. I was so pleased with the ending and am excited to see what happened next.
Another Perfect Escape from James J. Cudney. While this book can be read on its own, you will enjoy it more if you start at the beginning of the series.
This novel is #4 in Cudney’s Braxton Campus Mysteries and it’s the best so far! Part of it for me may be that I feel like I know the characters as I started with book 1 (although they can all be read as stand-alones as well). Protagonist Kellen is in rare form once again as he attempts to solve another murder and a jewelry heist dating back years ago. We learn more about his “dead” wife and see his sweet relationship with his daughter and his comically caustic barbs with Nana D (seriously my favorite character ever)! The writing is clever, so very funny, and realistic at the same time. Fortunately #5 is in the works too so we fans are eagerly awaiting the next installment!
Thanks to James for the delightful ARC!
One thing I love about this book and the entire series is the relationships. There are several key connections to focus on but all are done really well. The beauty of these relationships is they help the readers connect with the series more and make us want to find out what happens next in the lives of these well-fleshed out characters. There are a couple partnerships I adore.
Kellan and April: Well… I’m not sure I saw that coming, and are we really sure that’s where it’s going? They’re so wonderfully awkward together; just a couple books ago they could barely stand each other. Cupid strikes and a tentative friendship blossoms, then that amicability develops into something more natural and chemistry filled. Their banter plays really well into this and I’m happy to see Kellan finally appreciate how good April is at her job!
Kellan and Emma: Their father-daughter relationship has always been a sweet spot and in this story, we see it at a deeper level and feel it too. There are a couple of scenes where readers can really feel for Kellan, the parent who wants to protect his little girl.
Kellan and Gabriel: The sibling relationship is a delight to watch unfold, especially as it is quite different from the Kellan-Eleanor relationship. We see Kellan fighting for his brother, challenging his brother, teasing his brother and being messed with in return. It’s such a fun interaction to read. Gabriel himself is a very complex character. I hope we get to see more of him and Sam. I also can’t wait to find out more about Gabriel’s mysterious ex!
Kellan and his parents: Kellan has a bit of a breakthrough with his dad, Wesley. This shows the family patriarch in a more human capacity and shows him as a devoted father who really does want the best for his kids. I like the constant growth in these characters and their relationships.
Kellan and Francesca: How does one cope with a not-so-dead-deceased-wife?? How Kellan and Francesca circle each other and try to figure out their crazy reality, while keeping Emma’s needs a priority, makes for intriguing reading.
There are several scenes/ sub-stories I thoroughly enjoyed in this book:
• Kellan ‘handling’ Marcus Stanton.
• The calla lily story.
• Continued interesting tidbits about the town’s history.
• The playing out of the Kellan-Francesca saga.
• The introduction of Cristiano Vargas.
There are a lot of characters in Mistaken Identity Crisis. It may be a wee bit hard to keep track of them all in the early chapters, especially if you’re not a series follower. That said, the author does a good job of differentiating each one and building up the relationships. It does get easier as the story develops.
The mystery itself is truly well-done. There are enough red herrings to really throw us off the trail. Setting up several characters as possible culprits, keeping readers guessing through mean-girl-wars and throwing in various past relationships. The clues are laid in each conversation and some are hidden in plain sight but yet not obvious. In reality we have three crimes to figure out. Even if you pick up on any of these people from the get go, the motives, opportunities and true identities are sufficiently muddied to keep you guessing.
In terms of standalone viability, I don’t think you can get the best experience if you haven’t followed some of the threads from earlier books. That said, it’s still an enjoyable read on its own. Additionally, a major series arc comes to an end in this one, opening up Book 5 as a ‘new beginning’ of sorts.
Overall, another fantastic instalment. I said it for Book 3, but Book 4 really is the best yet. I wonder if Book 5 will usurp it? Can’t wait to find out.