Love the Sinner: Gracie Lee Mystery Series #1 (Life, Faith & Getting It Right #5) (Steeple Hill Cafe) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lynn Bulock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2007

1 Dead Body + 3 Suspects = Gracie Lee's First Mystery!

I, Gracie Lee Harris, do hereby declare I had nothing to do with the murder of my two-timing, con man husband. But I do know three women who could have killed Dennis: his devoted mother who gave him her life savings -- which he squandered; his disillusioned daughter who gave him her college fund -- again, squandered; and his pregnant almost-fiancee, whom he'd left with empty promises and unpaid bills. With the help of some new friends at church -- and the Lord -- I'll find the killer . . . Hopefully without becoming the next victim!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gracie Lee Harris has bad luck. The man who persuaded her to move from Missouri to California and wooed her into a second marriage gets into an automobile accident a few months after the nuptials. He's in the hospital five months, and then just as he's seeming better, he's murdered! Who's responsible-his devoted, doting mother? His daughter, whom he'd bilked out of thousands? Or his pregnant lover? Gracie Lee is determined to find out. Along the way, she makes a new best friend, rediscovers Jesus, and decides California's not all bad. This first mystery in a presumed series has many flaws. The reader could perhaps tolerate the plot's contrived coincidences (e.g., Gracie Lee and the "other woman" happen to show up at the same women's gathering at Conejo Community Chapel). Less forgivable is the flimsy characterization and stilted dialogue-especially when conversations turn to Christianity ("You're going to survive, with God's help and guidance, and we're all here to help you get through it"). Finally, newcomers to the Conejo Community Chapel women's group find community and deep understanding after about 10 minutes-not a very believable portrait of how friendships really develop.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A fast moving plot with many twists and turns will keep readers entertained." -- Romantic Times BOOKreviews

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Steeple Hill (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373785895
• ISBN-13: 978-0373785896
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars loving the sinner, January 6, 2008

By 

Grateful Gramma (Southwest Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love the Sinner: Gracie Lee Mystery Series #1 (Life, Faith & Getting It Right #5) (Steeple Hill Cafe) (Mass Market Paperback)

Fun read! Yes, it's improbable that Gracie and her husband's pregnant "fiancee" would show up at the same small woman's group but God does work in mysterious ways. And, yes, it's unlikely that friendship would develop so quickly among the women in the group but it does happen. What should be even more unlikely is that Dennis, Gracie's husband, would be such a scoundrel, preying off woman after woman, but the evening news tells us that it happens! Despite the deaths and the miserable people in this book, it was enjoyable. I think I'll look for the next in the series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hate the sin?, March 5, 2007

By 

Deborah "Books, Movies and Chinese Food" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Love the Sinner: Gracie Lee Mystery Series #1 (Life, Faith & Getting It Right #5) (Steeple Hill Cafe) (Paperback)

Gracie Lee Harris has moved to California and married a man who has turned out to be two timing con man. He has not only gotten into a car accident with her car and taken her money, he's also gotten another woman pregnant! And it's someone from Gracie's small group from church! Then if things couldn't get any worse, he gets murdered in the hospital! Gracie finds out there are several suspects that could have done this including her (evil) mother in law and her (nasty) step daughter. She has to discover who the murderer is before she becomes the next target.

This was a fun book. It's not your normal Christian happy family novel. There isn't really a happy, let's tie up all the ends, everyone hugs ending. And Dennis commits huge sins that he never repents for. Which is fine with me, to me that is more realistic than him getting a deathbed conversion. I really could not stand her mother in law or her step daughter. I know mothers are usually blind to their children's faults but Edna was just unbearable. I also found it interesting at how the ex-wives got along well with each other. Of course they had something in common, but it was interesting at how there wasn't any animosity. Although I did find it rather unbelievable that both Gracie and Heather would turn up in the same small group at church. I mean unless God planned it that way on purpose, the odds of a wife and her husband's mistress that were miles apart showing up together, is not strong. I thought Gracie had a good relationship with her son as opposed to Dennis' relationship with his daughter. I enjoyed reading about Gracie learning to use instant messaging to talk to Ben. It's cool when parents try to relate with their kids and I like reading about adults who do attempt to learn how to use the computer as opposed to those who just write it off as only something for the younger generation. Reading this book also shows how AIM could save your life! Good fun read, lucky for me I have the next book in the series on my bookshelf.