Murder Among Strangers [Hardcover]

Kensington (Producer)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fourth Kate Austen mystery (after Murder Among Us) will delight fans of the Walnut Hills, Calif., artist and bring new ones into the fold. When Kate stops in a downpour to help a frightened young woman alone in a car missing a rear wheel, she pays a harrowing price. The woman, Sheryl Ann, protests that her friend Bobby, the car's owner, will soon be back with a spare. Kate opens the trunk, where she sees a dead body just as Bobby returns. Bobby knocks Kate out, throws her in the trunk with the corpse and drives them all to a hunting cabin in the Idaho wilderness. Kate manages to escape home to California, only to learn that the police have found Bobby dead in the cabin, but no trace of Sheryl Ann. Suddenly, Kate is the chief suspect in Bobby's murder, unless she can find Sheryl Ann and have the woman clear her. Michael, Kate's police-detective lover, comes to her defense, but he has personal problems at work as well as a full caseload of his own. Determined to absolve herself and discover who killed Bobby and why, Kate finds that her chief clue is an unidentified locker key sent to her by Sheryl Ann, perhaps unlocking the mystery to Bobby's past. Jacobs provides more than a few breathtaking surprises before wrapping up this heart-pounding story. (Mar.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; First Edition edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575665409
• ISBN-13: 978-1575665405
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,633,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, March 9, 2000

By 

joyce (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Among Strangers (Hardcover)

This book is an interesting blend of police procedural, woman-in-jeopardy, and cozy -- and it works wonderfully. It's darker and more complex than the previous books in the series, which I've also enjoyed. The narrative alternates between Kate's narraton and that of Michael, her policeman S.O. This is skillfully done and adds rather than detracts from the story. Kate stops to help a young woman stranded by the road and discovers a body (the woman's husband) in the trunk. Just when Kate realizes she's made a mistake in stopping, the woman's boyfriend returns. They throw Kate into the trunk with plans to dispose of her along with the body. Just when I thought I knew where this was going (another ho-hum wom-jep), the story takes a twist (0ne of many) and Kate escapes, only to be later accused of murder herself. The book, particularly the first and last parts, radiate with suspense. I litterally couldn't stop reading

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder Among Strangers, April 2, 2000

By 

Amy J. Alessio (Roselle, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder Among Strangers (Hardcover)

Jonnie Jacobs is a masterful writer who blends appealing, multi-faceted characters with page-turning suspense. While her previous Kate Austen books were delightful mysteries, this one brings the series to a new level of excitement with more plot twists than a reader would imagine possible. Any reader who thinks they know the extent of character Kate Austen's sleuthing talents, will appreciate again her strength and depth in every chapter as she finds herself in peril after peril. Love-interest Michael finds himself in peril on the job in this title, too. Anna and Libby continue to enhance the Kate Austen stories with their realistic personalities. Each Jacobs book tops the previous one, and I eagerly await the next one!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This mystery takes you on a roller coaster ride, February 26, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder Among Strangers (Hardcover)

Many people consider California the state of choice as the sun seems to shine there. However, on occasion driving rain occurs. On one of those nights, Kate Austen on her way home sees a car stopped in the middle of the road. The lone inhabitant of the vehicle is a frightened, cold young woman. Sheryl Ann tells Kate that her boyfriend Bobby went to find them help for their flat tire.

Kate persuades the bewildered Sheryl Ann to take a blanket out of the trunk. At the moment the trunk is opened Bobby returns and quickly realizes that Kate saw the corpse that was lying inside the trunk. He knows they must dispose of Kate. They abduct her planning to murder her later. However, the two women have illogically bonded already. Sheryl Ann frees Kate before she vanishes. The police arrive only to find the bullet-ridden body of Bobby. They suspect Kate killed the "victim" and even her police officer significant other has doubts about Kate's story.

The fourth Kate Austen mystery is better than the precious previous three novels in this delightful series. The characters are sharper and much clearly defined. The compelling story line is exciting and fast-paced while the narration propels the plot forward. MURDER AMONG STRANGERS shows Jonnie Jacobs has the ability to hypnotize her audience by making them care about Kate, her children, and her significant other within the inside of a mesmerizing novel.

Harriet Klausner