Killer Career [Kindle Edition]

Morgan Mandel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Robert W. Walker, author of Dead On, City of the Absent, says, "Killer Career hits all the right keys and notes! Author Mandel has hit her stride! A great read!"

Austin S. Camacho, author of Russian Roulette, says, "The roller coaster of joy and horror, love and terror made me dizzy until the final surprise."

Product Description

A lawyer's career change could be a killer when her mentor, A New York Times bestselling author, does more than write about murders.

Meet Tyler Jensen - a sexy bestselling author, with serious hangups.

Meet Dade Donovan, a just as sexy attorney, who wakes up to his true feelings when it could be too late.

Meet Julie McGuire, a lawyer, whose passion for writing leads to the death of more than one person.

Gray Bridges at http://the GenReview.com, says, "Killer Career is a delightful combination of love and murder. The protagonist, Julie McGuire, longs to change her job and her life. Julie soon finds herself struggling with more than the plot of her debut novel, she finds herself struggling for her very life."

Robert Walker, author of Dead On, says, "Killer Career hits all the right keys and notes! Author Mandel has hit her stride! A great read!" – For more, see Rob Walker’s review at Amazon’s print version of Killer Career, along with other reviews.

Austin S. Camacho, author of Russian Roulette, says, "The roller coaster of joy and horror, love and terror made me dizzy until the final surprise."

Cheryl C. Malandrinos of http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com, says, "Once in a while you find a book that forces you to steal moments away from work, the kids and all your other responsibilities just so you can sit down and read it. Killer Career is that book."

Unwriter Ron Berry at http://unwriter1.wordpress.com, says, “Morgan Mandel writes an intriguing tale that will keep you turning pages until the last shoe drops.”

Hagelrat at Un:Bound, http://hagelrat.blogspot.com, says, “I have been working long hours this week with special olympics and was failing at reading everything I picked up, putting it back on the shelf a few pages in, but this hit exactly right spot. It’s a cute cover…”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 388 KB
• Publisher: Choice One Publishing Co. (September 13, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002PDOPPG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,527 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE AND IN PRINT AT AMAZON - Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, Morgan Mandel's paranormal romantic thriller -

Fresh beginnings turn tragic when Dorrie Donato's husband, Larry, is killed in a hit and run accident a few months after starting a new job at the Life is for Living Institute. Discouraged and desperate, after suffering countless setbacks, 55 year old Dorie accepts an offer by Larry's boss, the famous Angel Man, to be the first to test an experimental pill designed to spin its user back to a desired age and hold there, yet still retain all previous memories. Being 24 again feels wonderful. The pill seems too good to be true. Maybe it is.


RE-RELEASED FOR 99 CENTS ON KINDLE - Two Wrongs, Morgan Mandel's debut mystery, a fast-paced tale of vengeance and the healing power of love, set in Chicago when Marshall Field's was still Field's and not Macy's, includes Frango mints and the Big Tree in the Walnut Room, as well as Morgan's alma mater, DePaul University. Danny's sister is murdered. His testimony sends Kevin to prison, but did Kevin really do it? Prison can turn the most innocent person into a killer. What will happen when Kevin gets out?
This book will later be re-released in print on Amazon. The current edition on Amazon is a printed vendor version of the original publication.

RE-RELEASED FOR 99 CENTS ON KINDLE - romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams, a Cinderella story about a straitlaced assistant whose good intentions to save her boss go horribly awry when she enters a reality show contest. Look for a brand new cover in Kindle, at a new, fantastic 99 cents price. A print re-released version will follow soon. Present printed versions on Amazon are vendor orders of the original version.


STILL AVAILABLE 99 CENTS ON KINDLE - Killer Career. A lovely lawyer's career change has disastrous consequences when her bestselling author/mentor not only writes about murders but is a participant. To save herself and her law partner, she must conquer her greatest weakness: claustrophobia.
ALSO IN PRINT FOR $13.95 AT AMAZON.

Morgan is the past president of the Chicago-North Chapter of Romance Writers of America, was the Library Liaison for the Midwest Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. She also belongs to Sisters in Crime and EPIC. Before being published in book form, she freelanced for the Daily Herald newspaper.

On Facebook: http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel
http://facebook.com/morganmandelauthor

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/morganmandel

Website: http://www.morganmandel.com,
Personal blog: http://morganmandel.blogspot.com,

Group blogs: http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com, http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com and http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com.

Youtube.com - Type morganmandel (oneword) for Morgan's channel featuring Morgan, other authors, and her dog, Rascal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Punchy romantic thriller, September 16, 2009

By 

carl brookins "Carl Brookins" (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: KILLER CAREER (Paperback)

This is one fine emotional story. Yes, if you read romantic mystery fiction extensively, you will likely have encountered elements of the story. It doesn't matter. This is a well-put-together novel that carries the reader briskly to a smashing conclusion.

Julie McGuire is a hot Chicago attorney in a small partnership with Dade Donovan. Their talents and hard work have built a successful law firm. But Julie harbors a secret life-long dream--to be a writer, a published author. One day at a local mystery convention she meets a lusty, talented and tormented author named Tyler Jensen. He's also more than passingly handsome in a sensual sort of way. Jensen offers Julie his help in the form of workshops and other ways to break in running on the fast track of publishing. How can she resist?

Tyler's sponsorship is not without its price. Will Julie pay the price? Will she give up hard-won professional recognition to chase her other dream? Is Tyler Jensen everything he says he is--and maybe more?

And what about Julie's partner, Dade? Can she, will she abandon this life-long partner? Questions arise almost as fast and in all manner of complexity paralleling the personal feelings that swirl around, rising and falling with the fortunes of the principals in this tense novel of romantic suspense. Mysteriously,

The novel is not without its problems. Mandel is adept at steadily increasing the level of tension, but sometimes takes too much time to make her points. There are situations in which the pace should be raised with fewer words. Overall, tighter writing would benefit the reader. Conversely, there are places where I wished for fuller descriptions of place and circumstance. The emotions of the characters are all there, laid bare. A little more context might have enriched the experience.

In the end these problems are overcome by the story and the interest the author ultimately develops in readers for the central characters.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent combination of suspense, thrills and romance!, December 31, 2009

By 

A. Pohren (IA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: KILLER CAREER (Paperback)

Have you ever wondered what goes through the minds of writers? Particularly writers of crime, suspense, murder, you know, the more aggressive types of novels? To be honest, I have several times. What must go through the mind of someone who can write bloody brutality, torture, death, and sometimes just plain twisted scenes? Okay, so yes, Stephen King comes to mind (no offense, Mr. King!). Well, author Morgan Mandel dives into just such a notion in her latest release, Killer Career. World renowned murder mystery writer, Tyler Jensen makes his career from coming up with twisted, graphic and torturous murder mysteries, that readers of the world gobble up and can't get enough of. While at a conference, he meets lawyer and aspiring writer Julie McGuire. Julie is no push over and speaks her mind very freely. When she dares to question him, he becomes highly intrigued.

At the end of the conference, there is a contest in which a few lucky winners are allowed to meet with Tyler for a bit of personal tutoring on writing, Julie just happens to be one of the lucky winners. Julie is thrilled by this and comes to the conclusion that she must put aside her thriving career as a lawyer to pursue her writing full time. Her partner and long time friend, Dade Donovan, senses something not quite right about the all-great mystery writer, Tyler. Julie knows she is upsetting Dade and putting him in a bind, but at the same time must follow her heart and desire. Dade wonders, however, just how far this desire goes - is it just writing or is it Tyler.

Meanwhile, strange and brutal murders are taking place around the city; murders that mysteriously resemble the plots within Tyler's books. Is this coincidence, copycat or something much deeper, darker and sinister? How will Julie deal with Tyler's obsessive love for her and the blooming feelings between her and Dade?

Killer Career is filled with delightful twists, turns and satisfying suspense. Readers will have a hard time putting this down, once they have begun the first page. Ms. Mandel shows a great talent for storytelling and quickly and seamlessly draws her readers into the lives of her characters. With excellent dialog, plotting, suspense and romantic tension, Killer Career is a must read for lovers of suspense, thrillers, romance, and those just plain looking for a great book! This is my first by Morgan Mandel and I anxiously await reading more!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviewing: "Killer Career" by Morgan Mandel, December 9, 2009

By 

Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: KILLER CAREER (Paperback)

Attending the Love To Murder Mystery Conference in Chicago pushes Julie McGuire to make a latent dream become a reality. A lawyer in a growing practice with old friend, Dade Donovan, she longs to become a writer. She is also enthralled by the enigmatic mystery author, Tyler Jensen, the conference keynote speaker.

He seems just as enthralled with her and begins to pursue her in a variety of ways. As she looks to gracefully end her career in the law and her partnership with Dade, it becomes clear that Dade isn't totally supportive of her future plans. Getting strange vibes from both men, Julie isn't sure what is going on or who is behind a series of increasingly strange and dangerous events.

Despite an interesting if a bit clichéd premise (the famous mystery writer loses himself during the writing process in dreams of murder that may or not be real) the novel doesn't reach its full potential. This is primarily because the pacing off the novel is consistently off. Scenes that should move faster drag on far longer than they should. Opportunities to slow down events to further develop characters are frequently rushed. That fact, along with heavy foreshadowing with certain plot points hit so often seasoned mystery readers laugh out loud, do not invoke the rising tension the author is trying desperately to create.

Unlike many who choose to self publish, author Morgan Mandell did obtain editing services and credits those individuals in her dedication. It is telling that the editing situation also led to some of the back of the cover blurbs and the occasional review from the same individuals. With such a small core group involved, it isn't surprising that some issues were not dealt with as effectively as they could have been with more outside objective input. While the novel is classified as "romantic suspense" the suspense angle is very much lacking for seasoned mystery readers. The romance is the classic triangle where both the possible bad boy and the obvious good guy both seek the attentions of the fair damsel who may be in distress from outside forces or forces from within the triangle relationship.

At the same time, at the core, there is a very good tale here. Plenty of action, intrigue and mystery, romantic elements and a heroine that readers can identify with and care about. Through the execution of the story is flawed at times for seasoned mystery readers, there are enough good things about the novel to make the overall read worth it.

Material provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2009