Crossed: A Jayden Morrow Mystery (Jayden Morrow Mysteries) [Kindle Edition]

C.J. Graves (Author)

Book Description

Safe life in a small town just got dangerous.

Jayden Morrow moves to Grasshopper Hill, NC and becomes a private investigator expecting life to be safe. After dodging bombs in Iraq as an MP, cheating husbands and insurance fraud seem like a walk in the demilitarized zone. But when a young girl is found murdered at a local Christian rock concert, Jayden's military instincts kick in, and any hope for peace and quiet blows up in her face.

The case plunges her into the midst of a powerful church family. Hirshel Lightner, the head pastor, tries to crush her investigation. Even worse, Jayden finds herself attracted to Hirshel’s son-in-law, Adam--a man who could be the killer. If Jayden isn’t careful, she might be the next victim.

Product Details

• File Size: 526 KB
• Print Length: 201 pages
• Publisher: C.J. Graves; 2 edition (April 10, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007TBWW68
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,091 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Feisty, funny, fantastic female protagonist! September 23, 2012

By Susan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are looking for a book with a female heroine both men and women can look up to, check this book out. This is a well written murder mystery written in the 1st person. I LOVE the way the author writes. The protagonist is witty and seriously entertaining. Ms. Graves has an irreverent, dark humor that is such fun to read. I found myself reading slowly, simply in order to savor the wildly entertaining visuals in her hilarious metaphors. Things like, "Honey, you need to plug yourself back into society..." "Yes, but only one prong at a time." Look, I can't really explain it -- you just need to read the first few pages on Amazon and you will fall in love with this author's style.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I want more!! June 11, 2012

By Checkers97

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Graves has certainly started an excellent series, and I can't wait for more to be published! Her characters are real - strong but also flawed. Graves has a tremendous descriptive ability, making it easy to imagine the settings and the characters. Very easy to "get lost" in this book - and so hard to put it down once you've started! Characters are well-developed, but there remains some mystery in them - so that continuing to develop them will seem like a natural progression - as if you were getting to know them. Graves story development draws you in, whets your appetite, and leaves you hungry for more. Her characters are interesting, complex, and have a fabulous sense of humor! Buy this book - and any others - by Graves. You won't be disappointed!

36 of 47 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Started out good October 17, 2012

By Robin A. Patrick

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

At first I liked this book. I liked the writers style and the lead character. Although the tough as nails female lead is the routine in most novels, I thought the author added some character background that was very interesting and had the potential for fascinating growth.
Being a Christian though it got hard to take pretty quickly as it was good guys vs the bad guy Christians.. Of course in real life you will find false Christians, even to this extreme, but this was major stereotyping and, as I said, it got old. Kind of like getting smacked repeatedly. By making everyone so blatantly good or bad did not allow for depth of characters, including the otherwise engaging female lead, Jayden.
I made it halfway through the book and even though I liked the style, I already knew the ending. --- I mean, who else but the nasty Christians would be the root source of all the evil.
I did flip to the back to read the end and thought the irony of this book was that the lead character was as much, or more, prejudiced and unaccepting as the stereotyped Christians.
So, liked the style and the set up for the lead character, but not the flat good vs bad characters.

More About the Author

Ah, the dreaded profile--right up there with root canals and query letters.

Let's see...

I grew up poor, chubby, and fatherless in a small Pennsylvania town. (Ouch.) But none of this has stopped me from becoming super-wealthy, movie star-svelte, and happily married, living in a fabulous area of North Carolina. (Okay, some of this may be exaggerated.)

So what is the truth? What IS truth, for that matter? And how much does it matter for a fiction writer? Despite the deliciousness of these questions, they will have to be answered by greater minds than that of C.J. Graves. But here are a few bits of information that are mostly true:

-I have a B.A. in Interior Architecture and Design from the University of North Carolina.

-I lived in Japan for a couple years. Konnichiwa!

-I started out writing nonfiction, then screenplays, then novels--three different genres. (I may have writing ADD. Is there a support group for that?)

-I like rolling on the floor with sweaty guys and hitting people. (I know what you're thinking, but before you get all excited, I'm talking about mixed martial arts not BDSM!)

-In my previous life, I was a harried mother of twelve, living during the Victorian era. (I don't know if this is true, but it seems a reasonable excuse of why I don't have children and enjoy period movies.)

So this is me--kind of. How about you? If you like mysteries, dark romances, and/or paranormal YA, please try my books--Crossed, Belted, and Antichrist 16. Happy reading!