What’s the couple next door really hiding? Vintage fashionista and amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter finds out in this engrossing cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders. In a small town like Oakwood, Ohio, everyone knows everyone else’s business—except for Charley Carpenter’s standoffish new neighbors, who tend to keep to themselves. But behind closed doors, … themselves. But behind closed doors, Paxton Sharpe’s habit of screaming bloody murder at all hours of the day keeps Charley awake all night. Coupled with the stress of the increasingly delayed expansion of her shop, Old Hat Vintage Fashions, the insomnia is driving Charley crazy. Her only distraction? The local paper’s irreverent new advice column, “Ask Jackie.”
Jackie’s biting commentary usually leaves Charley and her employees rolling on the floor, but her latest column is no laughing matter. An oddly phrased query hinting at a child in peril immediately puts Charley on high alert. After arriving home to a bloodcurdling scream next door, she follows the noise into the basement and makes a grisly discovery: the body of Judith Sharpe’s adult daughter.
With Detective Marcus Trenault off in Chicago, Charley decides to take matters into her own hands. Convinced that the murder is connected to the desperate plea for help in “Ask Jackie,” she embarks on a twisted investigation that has her keeping up with the Sharpes—before a killer strikes again.
Leslie Nagel’s delightful Oakwood Mystery novels can be enjoyed together or separately:
THE BOOK CLUB MURDERS | THE ANTIQUE HOUSE MURDERS | THE ADVICE COLUMN MURDERS
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The Advice Column Murders
Oakwood Mystery, Book #3
Leslie Nagel
5 Stars
Synopsis:
What’s the couple next door really hiding? Vintage fashionista and amateur sleuth Charley Carpenter finds out in this engrossing cozy mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Club Murders.
In a small town like Oakwood, Ohio, everyone knows everyone else’s business—except for Charley Carpenter’s standoffish new neighbors, who tend to keep to themselves. But behind closed doors, Paxton Sharpe’s habit of screaming bloody murder at all hours of the day keeps Charley awake all night. Coupled with the stress of the increasingly delayed expansion of her shop, Old Hat Vintage Fashions, the insomnia is driving Charley crazy. Her only distraction? The local paper’s irreverent new advice column, “Ask Jackie.”
Jackie’s biting commentary usually leaves Charley and her employees rolling on the floor, but her latest column is no laughing matter. An oddly phrased query hinting at a child in peril immediately puts Charley on high alert. After arriving home to a bloodcurdling scream next door, she follows the noise into the basement and makes a grisly discovery: the body of Judith Sharpe’s adult daughter.
With Detective Marcus Trenault off in Chicago, Charley decides to take matters into her own hands. Convinced that the murder is connected to the desperate plea for help in “Ask Jackie,” she embarks on a twisted investigation that has her keeping up with the Sharpes—before a killer strikes again. (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. I enjoyed getting to spend time with Charley, her best friend Frankie and her detective boyfriend Marc. Charley is smart, hardworking and can get feisty at times. When there is a murder next door, Charley knows she has to do what she can to help find the killer. And she will not give up until she does just that. The secondary characters add a lot to the story and I really love the relationship between Charley and her dad.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. I felt that the writing style let me know the characters a little better through their actions and words. The author is very talented in creating suspense from just the written word. I found myself swiping pages as fast as I could to see what was going to happen next. This book is a little edgier than most cozies I read with a little more language but that did not bother me at all. I thought that the mystery was well paced and well developed. There were enough clue to sift through and suspects to consider and solving the mystery was not easy at all.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy. I have read all three books in this series and I have loved them all. I cannot wait for the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Random House Publishing Group-Alibi, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate
I’m a big fan of this series.
Charley is a sleuth in a small town where keeping secrets is impossible except for her new neighbors. She hears fighting from the odd family. There are two step-kids one from each parent and twins who are only four. Charley is staying with her dad after he had a heart attack. There is a letter sent to Dear Jackie in the local newspaper that makes Charley think it’s her Young neighbor. Then, the young girl is murderer and Charley and her boyfriend, detective Marc, begin looking into it. The wife is then killed and someone is being set up. This is a very interesting mystery with great characters. 5
Great plot and tricky. Language in first 2 books very, very rough. Lots of cursing. Don’t care for that. No need and seems forced. By book 3 cleaned up and book moved smoothly with all the suspense intact. Characters are extremely interesting and each book has entirely different plot. Will continue reading.
A good cozy read for a Saturday afternoon
Great beach read or just a ‘need to relax with a fun read’ book.
This was a great mystery, and fun to read! The plot had several twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I realized that I didn’t have a clue as to who the true culprit was! Entertaining from the first page to the last!
This book is very good but not a 5 when I hold it up to my best authors. It is full of turns and twist and is fun to read. I will probably read another from this author.
I read this as an ARC read and loved it!
This is the third in the series and a really fascinating tale with a solid female lead and very supportive male plus a LARGE cast of characters, a few of whom are not quite thoroughly introduced. I’ve actually read each of the stories and really enjoy Ms Nagel’s writing and plots, but the time between books was, for me, sufficient to fail to recall the characters’ previous roles unless redescribed. This is one of those trick areas for an author who doesn’t want to bore the regulars with detailed descriptions of each minor actor, but without at least a loose outline of who’s who and his/her relationship with the others, it can be a bit hard to follow the action at first. Nonetheless, “Advice Column” stands well on its own as an independent story while watching the growing relationships within the town in the larger arc adds a bit of spice.
A number of fairly serious issues are tackled, all bearing on the intricacies of family relationships. Domestic abuse, incest, step- and half-siblings, and more make for a complicated and snarled plot. Unwinding such tangles is our heroine’s strength. I am looking forward to the next in the series!
Love this series! Have read all the books.
This book is OK. If you have nothing better to do and can get it cheap, then go for it. The characters start out interesting, but do not build. The mystery also starts out interesting and continues as the best part of the book, but int a page turner. I did not order the next book in the series.
This was the first book I read in the Oakwood Mystery series and in the beginning I thought it would be nice to know a bit more about the main characters but further on into the story it was fine and didn’t make a difference anymore.
Some very lovable main characters with a great family relationship and a very fast paced mystery. Interesting twists and turns kept me guessing until the surprising reveal.
There was so much going on that it is hard to put it into a few words her – I had a great time reading!
The first books were mentioned in this installments but no details on the cases or the perps were given. I’d love to go back and read the first books in this series.
I requested this book from NetGalley and am thankful that Alibi and the author provided me with an advance copy.
Charley Carpenter, Oakwood’s resident vintage shop proprietress/part-time sleuth, is at it again when murder rocks too close to home – specifically the house next door. Soon after she’s approached for help by her new neighbor’s visiting daughter, Charley finds the woman brutally murdered in the basement, and discovers all is not what it seems behind closed doors as she begins her investigation. Hidden secrets abound in this very well-written cozy in Leslie Nagel’s Oakwood Mystery series. This third installment is, in my opinion, the best yet. I was absolutely floored at the end, as I’d pegged someone else for the murderer, and even had to go back and look at all the clues the author had cleverly woven into the story. Well done! A+
Murdered for Advice
(Disclaimer: I was provided an Advanced Readers Copy of the book by Net Galley, decided to read it and provide my honest review.) The Advice Column Murders the last book of the Oakwood Mystery Series by Leslie Nagel is a 5-star masterpiece. I will confess that regrettably that I have not read the first or second books in the series beforehand but I will go back and do so. As I read, I could feel that I was missing connections or past history that characters shared that would have made the overall storyline that much richer for me. The world-building and its nuances are excellent and enhance the believably that you can be in Oakwood, Ohio. The author’s true talent lies in character building. All the characters are the fabric of the storyline with rich dialogue that carries the reader hungrily from one page to the next. MY RECOMMENDATION: The Advice Column Murders, the last book of the Oakwood Mystery Series is 5-STAR A MUST READ. –Tex.