“Lauren Carr is a master storyteller who combines the humor of Janet Evanovich and the investigative skills of Patricia Cornwell. She is always at the top of my reading list.” Reviewer: Sherry Fundin, Fundinmental, As Eye See It“Lauren Carr could give Agatha Christie a run for her money!” Reviewer: Charlene Mabie-Gamble, Literary R&R“Lauren Carr’s books are never boring, that’s for sure. They … sure. They entertain, give us a good mystery to dig into, keep the reader guessing, give us a few good laughs and make us eager for the next book. Warning: Lauren Carr’s series are addictive, so be ready to read more than just one book!” Reviewer: Laura Fabiani, Library of Clean Reads
“She is an amazing author that draws you into the story, makes you fall in love with the characters (they feel like family!) and keeps you guessing right to the very end.” Reviewer: The Working Mommy Journal
“Lauren Carr does a good job of moving the quirky storyline along nicely with an abundance of witty dialogue. And you have no idea who the good guys are and who the bad guys are until the end.” Reviewer: Every Free Chance Book Reviews
In today’s hectic world, many whodunit fans don’t have time to get their mystery fix diving into a whole novel. Lauren Carr’s SPRING THAW AND OTHER MYSTERY SHORT STORIES is for these fans—but that doesn’t mean whodunit fans who do have time can’t dive in as well.
A novella, Spring Thaw features retired federal agent Chris Matheson from Lauren Carr’s newest bestselling cold case series. When his late father’s former friend is indicted for the seven year old murder of a church bishop, Chris renews old broken friendships to thaw out the cold case.
Featuring Mac Faraday from Lauren Carr’s popular Mac Faraday Mysteries, an estate auction turns into a deadly affair after Gnarly’s antics cause Mac to purchase a gem of a dress, which isn’t his color in Killing Bid. (Previously published in Lauren Carr’s BEAUTY TO DIE FOR.)
Beauty to Die For features the Lovers in Crime, Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates in a race against the Angel of Death to clear the name of a dying woman’s son, who was framed for murdering Miss Pennsylvania. (Previously published in BEAUTY TO DIE FOR.)
Countdown to Murder returns to the Lovers in Crime where Cameron and Joshua try to solve the murder of a young pregnant widow before it happens. (Previously published in BEAUTY TO DIE FOR.)
Mystery fans will see that every dog has his day, especially if that dog is Gnarly. In Lucky Dog, Gnarly helps Mac Faraday to solve the murder of a wealthy society girl. (Previously published in BEAUTY TO DIE FOR.)
Dog Loving Mystery Fans will get a special treat when they read The Gnarly Rehabilitation Program. In this Gnarly Mystery Short, Bert and Ernie learn the hard way that crime does not pay when they dognap Gnarly. (Previously published as a bonus feature with A WEDDING AND A KILLING.)
Gnarly, the rambunctious German shepherd, is also featured in Lauren Carr’s Christmas short, A Gnarly Christmas. It is Christmas day and Gnarly has been up to his old tricks again. Now he’s in the doghouse–or rather the boathouse–after stealing the Christmas feast! Moments after Archie and Mac leave Spencer Manor, Gnarly hears a call for help from Rocky, the Maltese down the street. Four assassins for hire have invaded the home of Rocky’s elderly owners. While the home invaders wait for instructions from a mysterious caller, Gnarly must plot to stop them. Can Gnarly save Christmas with only the help of an 8-pound Maltese dressed in an elf suit? (Previously published as a single short story by the same name.)
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I listened to this collection of short stories as I was driving around before Christmas. In some cases I sat in the car, not only to avoid going out into the frosty air, but because I didn`t want to leave before a story ended. Of course, for me, a big attraction to any Lauren Carr novel is the inclusion of the dogs. They add so much to each tale.
Even the human characters Lauren writes are well developed and interesting. The narrator does a fabulous job of giving each additional personality. Still, Gnarly claims a special place in my heart.
The stories are well plotted, with twists and taking time to reveal who done what and why.
While crime is never a good thing, you will enjoy laughs as you listen.
When I like a series, and Lauren has several that I’ve been enjoying, I also like to grab any side or short stories collections that go along with them. Spring Thaw dips into a couple of her series. Each one has a lot of characters and the author provides a list at the beginning of the books explaining who’s who . By the end of the first book in each series these characters were so memorable I no longer had to refer to her list to know who was who. So when I started reading each of these stories, the characters were familiar and I just dove in to see what was going to happen.
I quickly engaged with the character’s, human and critters. And the mystery was established without fanfare so the author get right to the meat of it. I enjoyed the dialogue, either cracking a grin or laughing while following along. And the critters are a huge bonus. They’re all shapes and sizes and have unique personalities. It’s common for them to steal the limelight.
I was hoping for and got an appearance from Mayor Gnarly, a mischief making German Shepherd that stole my heart the moment I met him. Yes, you read this right, he was actually elected Mayor. Lauren describes him so clearly it’s like I’m watching his scenes, not reading them. When he’s kidnapped by two bungling thieves, he actually made me snort and think, oh no, you didn’t. LOL
If you’ve read Lauren’s books, you’ll enjoy these fun nibbles. If you haven’t, you can easily read this collection and meet some of the stars. There’s plenty of humor, snark and twists to keep you entertained.
Spring Thaw: A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery Novella and Other Mystery Short Stories is a collection of seven novellas by Lauren Carr. These novellas include:
Spring Thaw: A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery Short – Chris Matheson gets caught up in a cold case murder mystery of a bishop and his father’s former friend is the accused.
Killing Bid: A Mac Faraday Mystery Short – Mac Faraday gets into a predicament because of his German shepherd, Gnarly.
Beauty to Die For: A Lovers in Crime Mystery Short – Joshua and Cameron has to help solve a murder of a beauty queen, Miss Pennsylvania.
Countdown to Murder: A Lovers in Crime Mystery Short – Joshua and Cameron finds themselves helping a pregnant widow.
Lucky Dog: A Mac Faraday Mystery Short – Mac gets the help from Gnarly to solve another murder.
The Gnarly Rehabilitation Program: A Gnarly Mystery Short – Gnarly gets abducted!
A Gnarly Christmas: A Gnarly Short Story – It is Christmas time and Gnarly gets himself into a little bit of trouble.
I enjoyed every one of these stories. Since I have just discovered Lauren Carr recently, I got a good taste of what her other series are about They are fun and entertaining stories with laugh out loud humor. My favorite story would have to be A Gnarly Christmas. That pup sure knows how to cause trouble. This one is the one that made me giggle throughout. So much fun!
Spring Thaw: A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery Novella and Other Mystery Short Stories gets a well deserved five plus stars from me. I cannot wait to read full length novels the series the stories are from. Most definitely worth a read. Highly recommended!
I received an audio version of this book from the author. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
I was curious to see how Lauren Carr would do with a short story, she does so well with full length novels. It was no surprise that I loved them…ALL. Long or short, she can spin a tale that keeps you spellbound.
Spring Thaw, the novella gets us started. Chris would be chaperoning his daughter on a class trip to Hershey Park. I’m guessing they’ll find more than chocolate. His faithful companion, Sterling, went most everywhere with him. He is a retired police dog who had been injured in the line of duty. Sterling’s undercover getup had me cracking up. Fabulous critter with huge personality.
The collection features many of the characters from her series, from human to critter. Kept me laughing and pondering, trying to cypher the ending as I read. Standing in line? Waiting in the doctor’s office, any time you have a few minutes, you can read one of these shorts.
I especially loved A Gnarly Christmas. Talk about an exceptional character, Gnarly steals the show. Ends on such a sweet note, perfect for the holiday season.
I loved them all. Lighter than her novels, but still plenty of villains and danger to go with the smiles and laughter.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Spring Thaw by Lauren Carr.
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I only found the work of Lauren Carr a few years ago. Although late to the game compared to her other fans, I dove immediately into deep water and have managed to read all of her full-length books. However, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to read shorter works by this author. All I can say is “Bravo.”
Spring Thaw contains seven short stories – Spring Thaw, Killing Bid, Beauty to Die For, Countdown to Murder, Lucky Dog, The Gnarly Rehabilitation Program and A Gnarly Christmas. They all contain what I consider Carr’s classic strengths – intelligent, strong characters (both men and women), quirky pets that can steal the limelight, interesting story lines, a plot that needs solving (sometimes darker, sometimes lighter) and humour (sometimes a touch, sometimes an all out party).
And despite the shorter length, each story was still fully told.
What was best about reading this book of short stories, it that often I lose sleep when I start a new Carr mystery. I just keep turning those pages until the wee hours of the morning, totally caught up in the plot. The next day sees me happy but dragging. With Spring Thaw I was able to read just a story or two and put the book down while I savoured those stories on their own. This meant I finally managed to stretch out reading one of Carr’s books for a full three days I think. WOW! A record for me. In the end, while I enjoyed all the stories, I particularly loved the humorous ones featuring Gnarly. He is one crazy character and his antics made me smile.
I hope the author will consider offering more shorter stories in this format. It makes it so easy to tuck into a shorter period of reading into the end of a busy day.