Customer Reviews

Murder Among Us: A Kate Austen Mystery

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kate Austen is an amateur sleuth, school teacher and mother, so I was expecting a light, maybe even frothy read. To my great delight, it wasn't. It offered more substance instead. The story moves along quickly and there are flashes of humor, but it's subtle humor. The characters seemed very real to me, and the storyline very believable. Kate's relationship with her daughters, her signifiant other and her mother-in-law were all developed and felt right. I intend to search out the author's other books.

This was a well plotted, suspenseful mystery. Again, the characters are well written and very likable. The relationships between Kate and her girls continues to grow, and the humor is still great. I was sure at the beginning of the story that I knew who was the murderer. Then came many twists and turns that had me guessing until the very end. Kate Austen is a wonderful heroine. It is enjoyable to watch her character grow with each book. Murder Amoung Us was intricate and a wonderful read! This is one of my favorite series.

I really enjoyed this book. It was the first I read by Jonnie Jacobs although the last one written (so far!) by her. I went back a read her earlier 2 books in this series and enjoyed them as well. Reminds me of the Christine Bennett series by Lee Harris (amatuer slueth with policemen mates).

I ordered the 3 books in this series and was very disappointed. Just another not very interesting story about a not very interesting woman amateur sleuth with the same old detective boyfriend. Definitely not a "page turner" and really disappointing. I had hoped for something like Lee Harris writes. Forget that.

"Murder Among Us" is Jonnie Jacobs' third book in the Kate Austen mystery series. In many ways, I found it to be "darker" than her previous two, but far more intriguing. The plot is suspenseful and takes the reader down many roads as well as through a few blind alleys!

In this riveting mystery, Kate is coping with a visit from her soon to be "ex-mother-in-law." While Andy is no longer living in the same household, he and Kate are still on friendly terms, largely for the sake of their daughter, Anna. Kate has no desire to stay married to her charasmatic, but flighty husband. Her affections are still for the dependable Dectective Michael Stone,who has been living with her - at least prior to her mother-in-law's visit!

Libby continues to live with Kate and continues to be beligerent and sullen in typical fashion of her teenage status. Anna continues to be 5 going on 21.

In addition to Kate's consulting job, she is also teaching art at the local high school. Unfortunately, her work is less satisfying when a student becomes the latest victim of a serial killer. Kate feels compelled to bring relevant information to the police - not only for justice of a dear student, but because she fears that Libby is also being targeted.

"Murder Among Us" shows the extent that Jacobs is excelling at her craft. I especially was appreciative that she more fully explained how Kate was making ends meet as well as her character's realism in dealing with her children. There were times that I found it really difficult to admire the "parenting skills" of the title character because I am more of a disciplinarian - but I have to say that Kate's character and laid-back attitude is FAR more realistic of our society! In the real world, teenagers and children talk back to their parents!

This is a very good mystery series, which keeps improving. I look forward to reading the next sequel, "Murder Among Strangers."

This is the first Kate Austen book I've read, and I'm definitely going to read the earlier ones. The characters are interesting but believable and the plotting is tight. Highly recommended.

This is a well-written, entertaining mystery with believable characters. It kept me guessing and turning the pages all the way through. But more than that, it has stayed with me now that I've finished. The plot is a lively one, with many twists and turns. It is also one that has made me think. Highly recommended.

As with her earlier books, Jacobs kept me turning the pages. She does an excellent job of creating realistic, entertaining characters readers care about, and the writing is smooth and vivid. The plot twists and crisp dialogue keep the story moving along nicely. The story is a nice mix of amateur sleuthing and police procedure, and I especially like that Kate's boyfriend cop asks for her opinion and suggestions on matters where she has more experience than he does. This is a polished, thought-provoking mystery.

For the past five months, Kate Austen has lived with her police officer lover as she awaits the final divorce decree from her spouse. However, when her soon to be ex-mother-in-law Faye comes to visit her grandchild, Kate's paramour Michael, being uncomfortable with the situation, moves out of their home. Faye's visit comes at a time when the townsfolk are on edge due to the recently brutal murder of a young woman. When a second murder similar to the first occurs to one of Kate's students, the feisty high school art teacher decides to investigate.

Although Kate has become involved in murder investigations before, this particular one has a very personal edge to it. Kate feels guilty because the victim was to meet with Kate, who missed their appointment when she was called into the principal's office. Life gets very macabre for Kate when her family begins to receive objects that appear to have been sent by the killer. Determined to protect her family, Kate continues to track down the culprit, unaware that when the perpetrator is discovered, grief, not justice for all, will be the judgment.

MURDER AMONG US is the by far the best Kate Austen novel in the series to date because of the brilliant handling of the killer's identity by Jonnie Jones. Although the final revelation feels genuine, readers will find no triumph with the uncovering of the killer's identity, only sorrow that the person was so disturbed as to commit the crimes. Ms. Jones demonstrates a true genius at work by getting readers to feel sympathy for the devil.

Harriet Klausner

I didn't think this was a great book, but I did think it was a good one. The characters are believable for the most part, and Kate is a down-to-earth person whom it was nice to spend some time with. I liked it well enough to order a book from her other series.