Murder Creek

A college student becomes intrigued with the cold-case of a young girl when she drives across the Murder Creek bridge. A group of men and their horses were massacred at their campsite below in the 1800s. Coincidentally, it’s also the place where a young woman disappeared twenty years ago, leaving only a bloody clue in a tree. The story is set in a small town where everybody knows each other, and some of them know what happened two decades before.

Suen offers a concise whodunnit, narrated from the perspective of a young woman doing research for a class project. More like a novella than a full length novel, the story reads fast and keeps the reader interested. The narrator often displays her youth, spending as much time discussing coffee and the details of the meal as she does the clues that keep the story going, but it works. One or two chapters leave you hanging, as though she would get to a point, but then she stops. Like talking to one of my daughter’s college friends.

You can finish this in a single sitting. It’s not so scary as to keep you up with nightmares. Suen wraps it up neatly in the end. Worth a read.

Entertaining Mystery Novella with Something of a Paranormal Feel

Have you ever driven by some land feature with an unusual name—dead horse creek, lost miner’s canyon—and wondered what had happened there? The hero of Murder Creek, journalism student Eve Sawyer did when she drove over the bridge at Murder Creek. But for Eve, her reaction doesn’t stop with curiosity. Soon, she’s having nightmares about the gold miners brutally murdered on the creek’s banks in the 1800s. And sometimes, she isn’t even asleep—she’s just having coffee at her favorite diner. But while there is a bit of a supernatural feel to parts of the story, Eve’s investigation into the case of a girl gone missing from that location twenty years earlier taps more into her persistence and her ability to read people than the supernatural. In fact, all she learned about the girl from her visions was that she might not be dead. Why did she think that? Because the girl wasn’t among the dead men she saw wandering the banks of the creek.

If that sounds like an entertaining blend of amateur detective work and the paranormal, I’d agree. Eve tackles the mystery with the straightforward zeal of youth, opening many of her interviews with, “I need to know whatever you can tell me about her” or the like. And while I expected that to end in phone hang-ups and slammed doors in most cases, she got people talking. And slowly, she uncovers facts that even the horde of crime reporters failed to find twenty years earlier.

There were a few, minor stretches in plausibility that were not related to the supernatural. For example, in one case, Eve is checking twenty-year-old records after their owner said they kept them for seven. And she finds a pivotal clue, one that could easily have been destroyed any time in the last twenty years. Several of the emotional reactions seemed a bit strained as well. Take the reaction of a character that she accused of knowing the girl’s murderer: “‘Oh no, no.’ He cried out, shoulders trembling. ‘Please don’t.’” For a man who has been hiding the truth for years, his total meltdown after a couple of questions from a student fifteen to twenty years his junior felt strained. Another quick developmental edit would have helped the story. But the primary limitation of the book is its lack of tension. Eve did receive one threatening phone call, but for most of the book, she’s taking rides with men to lonely locales, having lunch at their home, meeting them at night, and so on. Often, it sounded like she was on a date, not tracking a vile criminal. And while Eve’s ESP, or whatever she has, might have told her it was OK, it’s difficult to feel tension when the hero doesn’t show much.

Overall, Murder Creek is a fun, fast read with a plucky, persistent hero who may (or may not) have some connection to the paranormal. All it needs to be a great story is a bit more realistic tension.

Something about Murder Creek draws Eve Sawyer’s interest. Maybe it’s the name or the fact that the name is based on real murders. Decades before, a woman named Lacey disappeared near there. Desperate to figure out what happened to her, Eve goes on an investigation for her journalism class. As she gets tangled in the town’s dark secrets, she ends up getting a target put on her back. She has to get to the bottom of the truth before it’s too late.

Eve was a spunky and resourceful MC. She was easy to follow along with, and her skills as a journalist made the story even more interesting. There were a lot characters sprinkled along her journey, most of them dedicated to keeping her from the truth. I had a fun time learning about all the secrets of the town. In some parts, the scenery was described with such detail it was almost easy enough to see the events of this book playing out.

If you’re looking for a murder mystery with a hook, this is a must read.

Murder Creek
By: Jane Suen
5 out of 5 stars

The story Murder Creek by Jane Suen is an amazing book to read. It pulled me in right from the start and didn’t let go until I had finished the final page. It has mystery and suspense. I loved reading about the character of Eve Sawyer. She is drawn to Murder Creek and the unsolved disappearance of Lacey Walken. Eve is determined to find out what happened so many years ago. She is stubborn and resourceful. Will Eve find out what happened to Lacey? Read this book to find out. This story had me following the clues with Eve and I felt like I was right there with her investigating. There are interesting and intriguing additional characters that are introduced. Some of them are helpful to Eve and others are not. This is a story that is captivating, and you will find yourself not able to put it down. It is a book that I would highly recommend reading.

I loved this mystery! I am still so immersed in life at MURDER CREEK that I’m in complete denial that the story is over. I want to keep reading! The characters feel real and their stories are so compelling that I am at least half convinced MURDER CREEK is a true story. The mystery is well-paced, with clues delievered at just the right frequency to keep you guessing if Lacey died or disappeared all those years ago, wondering what happened and who was responsible. Eve was a great character to get behind, and there were just enough surprises and twists at the end to bring closure and satisfy the reader. A very well-written, enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

I just finished this story and was pleasantly surprised as I usually don’t go for novellas or short stories. However, the description of this book struck a cord with me from my college days. As I read I enjoyed Eve’s journey into the mysteries of the two incidents at Murder Creek, her research, interviews, and analysis. Also, although I had an inkling of the resolution of the missing persons case, I was surprised at the involvement of others. I highly recommend this book.

Murder Creek isn’t the first book that I have read by this author but it was one of the best in my option. I was sucked into the story from page one and even though it’s different than what I normally read, it was fantastic. Eve is our main character and she is great. She is dedicated and I enjoyed being able to see where her she was headed next and the clues she was following. The whole story is an investigation and I couldn’t wait to follow it to the end and solve the mystery. I am looking forward to reading more by this author!

Murder Creek – Jane Suen

5-stars

Murder Creek by Jane Suen is a truly phenomenal murder mystery read! I have read and loved all of this author’s work but this book is my absolute favourite so far!! It’s detailed, intriguing, easy to follow, thrilling and captivating. Even though this is a shorter read the storyline still felt well rounded and it flowed seamlessly.

Like always when I dive into a book by this author I found myself unable to put it down, I couldn’t wait to get answers to all of my questions and I really enjoyed getting to know Eve, she was a great main character.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, it’s one that should not be missed, and I look forward to reading more from Jane Suen in the future!

Murder Creek by Jane Suen is a short, quick mystery read. Lacey went missing 20 years ago. Eve is in town to work on a journalism report and gets drawn into Lacey’s story. Will she find out about the skeletons in Murder Creek’s closet?
This is an interesting read and I didn’t want to put it down. Eve is a good character and the story kept me intrigued. I wanted to figure out the mystery to Lacey’s disappearance and all the secrets of the town. I have enjoyed several other books by Jane Suen and was glad to read another of her stories.

What a read! Jane Suen is a new author for me and I absolutely loved this book. It was fantastically written, flowed from chapter to chapter and completely and utterly pulled you into the read! It had you on the edge of your seat with the suspense and mystery that is weaved through this read. This read was written in such a way you could mentally visualise what was happening in the story, and it made you believe you were there alongside the characters living out the story. With not wanting to give to much of the story away, you will definitely not be disappointed you picked up this read!
I can’t wait to see what else this author brings, ill be eagerly waiting for whatever comes next!