Wednesday, March 14, 2012

A Grand Murder by Stacy Verdick Case



A Grand Murder is the first book in the Catherine O'Brien mystery series. When a prominent local businessman and friend of the chief of police is murdered on the front steps of his posh Grand Avenue Hill home, Catherine O'Brien a pithy, vertically challenged, St. Paul, Minnesota, homicide detective with a monstrous coffee habit and her partner Louise are given two days to find his killer. They soon discover their victim had a list of people with motives to murder him, including his fashion designer ex-wife, his mistress's husband, and the chief of police. The only evidence they have to go on is a missing cell phone, a stolen book, the victim's letter opener, and an ugly pair of Alpaca wool mittens.


MY THOUGHTS

A Grand Murder is an exciting and quick read.  Catherine O'Brien and her partner Louise had me in stitches many times.  They obviously know one another well, and their imperfections really make them human.  When a judge is stabbed and killed on a front lawn, Catherine and Louise are on the case.  The only drawback is that they only have forty-eight hours before their boss blows a gasket.  Then their prime suspect is murdered and they have to start from scratch.  The whole investigation is filled with cursing, humor, in-your-face clues and coffee.  

While I really enjoyed Case's debut and first installment in the Catherine O'Brien mysteries, I found some of the language distasteful.  I don't speak it and I don't want to read it, but I just glossed over it and kept turning the pages because I found myself invested in Catherine and Louise's investigation and their lives. Will I read the next in the series? Sure.  I'd love to re-visit these wonderful characters.  Case has a knack for pulling the reader in and keeping them guessing.  If you like cozy mysteries, pick this one up!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stacy Verdick Case was born in Willmar, Minnesota. After a brief stint as a military brat, where she lived in Fort Sill Oklahoma and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, her family moved back to Minnesota.

Stacy currently lives in a suburb of St. Paul with her husband and her daughter. Her Catherine O'Brien mystery, A Grand Murder, is available from Before the Fall Books. Her second Catherine O'Brien mystery Murder is a Family Affair, will be released shortly. Stacy is hard at work on her third book in the series.  Stacy's Blog


Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of A Grand Murder for review purposes only.  All opinions are my own.

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