Customer Reviews

Murder On The Mind (Five Star First Edition Mystery)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was hooked before the end of the first chapter of Murder on the Mind. Who is Jeff Resnick and why is he having visions of a deer hunt? Then, after being visciously mugged, he wakes up with more issues than he had while he was just unemployed and down-on-his-luck. His half-brother takes him to Buffalo to recuperate. Here L.L. Bartlett add layers to the mystery surrounding Jeff. However, it wasn't just the visions that I wanted to know about; I wanted to know about the brothers and why they seemed so estranged. Where was the rest of Jeff's family? I wanted to know about Richard, the half-brother and Brenda, his girlfriend. Jeff seems to know as little about Richard as he does himself. Bartlett manages to weave a great mystery with equally great characterizations. Every page turned takes you deeper into the visions that Jeff has, the murder(s) and his strained relationships. When I finished 'Murder on the Mind' I wanted more. I anxiously await more Jeff Resnick mysteries.

MURDER ON THE MIND is a gripping debut by a skilled author. L.L. Bartlett pulls no punches when it comes to her characters, and ably draws us along to search for the answers right along with Jeff Resnick and his skeptical brother. Both brothers have plenty to learn about each other along the way--and they have to learn fast, because the murderer isn't cutting them any slack. It's a dark-edged story written with concise efficiency--be prepared to discover a fresh new reading experience (and to be glad you did!).

L.L. Bartlett's MURDER ON THE MIND is an exceptional debut mystery that adds a paranormal element to the enjoyment of unraveling traditional investigative techniques. Told in the first person through the eyes of a psychic sleuth, or perhaps brain damaged, MURDER ON THE MIND heightens the level of suspense as each new clue or vision arises.

A mugging in Manhattan, leaves former insurance investigator Jeff Resnick with broken bones and a fractured skull --- and completely dependent on his rich estranged half brother Dr. Richard Alpert and his girlfriend Brenda Stanley. Visions of a hunt and and a hunter stalking his deer prey terrify Jeff. The doctors diagnose brain damage. Days later, a local banker is found dead, his murder eerily similar to the details of Jeff's nightmares. Jeff believes the attack has left him with a sixth sense, a psychic ability to see murder before the event. Jeff uses his visions and his investigative skills to try to solve the crime but as he gets closer to the killer, danger arises from all corners. Will the police trust his revelations are due to psychic visions or attribute his knowledge to a more nefarious means? As Jeff becomes closer to his half brother, dangerous past secrets emerge touching his traumatic childhood. Somewhere danger lurks and Jeff must work hard and fast if he doesn't want to become a victim to one of the dark secrets he uncovers.

L.L. Bartlett writes a magnificent mystery! MURDER ON THE MIND mixes an eerie, psychic paranormal element with an investigative hunt for clues and facts, never sacrificing the mystery to an easy resolution. Intriguing twists keep the reader poised at ever page. MURDER ON THE MIND will appeal to a variety of readers from lovers of traditional mysteries to suspense lovers with its ominous, supernatural feel and even beyond these genres as moments of tenderness and fear both move the reader's heart. L.L. Bartlett truly leaves the reader guessing, never quite sure of the murderer's identity as terrifying details mix with an investigative trail more typical of light mysteries. The complicated psychological battle between Jeff and his brother might turn either way. With possible brain damage in play, is Jeff a reliable first person narrator? Will past secrets come to light to add another twist to this murder mystery? L.L. Bartlett's fine writing keeps the pages turning with eager anticipation until the very end.

Murder on the Mind, by L.L. Bartlett, is a remarkable story that pulls the reader in with subtle foreshadowing and rich character development. I appreciated the clarity of the writing, finding it moved the story along at a very quick pace, making it hard to put the book down until I had devoured the last page. L.L. Bartlett writes with skill, guiding the reader along Jeffrey Resnick's path as he explores a new found talent which forces him to help in solving crimes, and while he tries to convince everyone, including himself, that this talent is indeed something to trust. L.L. Bartlett weaves a story about psychic abilities into something that will leave the reader wanting more. Often, books with psychic phenomena in their plot line leave a great deal to be desired, but in Murder on the Mind, L.L. Bartlett provides solid action and intriguing twists and turns that are nothing but well executed. This was a book I thought about and chewed over for days after finishing it, and to me, that means it was an excellent story. I do hope this is the beginning of a long series following Resnick and his family, as I was left with a lot of interesting questions!

I read a promo blurb for this book and was intrigued--but cautious. The book market is replete with "paranormal" storylines, and not all are to my liking. Many often veer into "possession" and demons and external mind manipulation. Not my style. I prefer extra-sensory perception (ESP) that is entirely within the character.

After reading the free sample chapters of Murder on the Mind I was more caught by the very ESP circumstances of protagonist Jeff Resnick. I bought the Kindle edition and started reading....

And couldn't stop reading.

The first-person presentation was well executed and I was drawn in to Resnick's unique mental circumstance as well as his personal reuniting with older half-brother Richard Alpert. Jeff Resnick had been victim of a brutal New York City mugging that left him physically and economically stranded. Richard, a doctor and heir to millions, rescues him and takes him to their boyhood city of Buffalo, where Richard currently lived. Jeff must overcome his often negative feelings toward his brother and deal with depressing memories in mini-mansion where he lived after their mother died.

Throughout his recovery, Resnick is bombarded with images of a ghastly killing that soon becomes public knowledge; but Resnick had known about it long before the crime was committed. ESP. Is he going mad? Does he really have a gift? He begins his own investigation into the crime.

The story development was a good as the character development. Descriptions weren't limited to the gory and gruesome, but included persuasive descriptions of Buffalo, its where's-my-heavy-coat weather and surrounds. Richard and his significant other, Brenda, were complete and interesting. This being the first of a series, some things were left to develop in later books, such as Jeff's relationship with Maggie.

Did this book have any faults. Of course. Nothing is perfect. I was a bit let down with the ending, which seemed a bit contrived. There were a few standard mystery-writer clichés that might have been left out. None were terribly detracting. Murder on the Mind is a gripping and well wrought mystery.

In Manhattan Jeff Resnick leaves a bar after winning some money playing pool. Outside, two teenage thugs demand he gives them his cash. He says he is out of work, but hands them what he has. They tell him it is not enough so they use a "Reggie" baseball bat to batter him.

Jeff's half-brother Richard Alpert brings him to recuperate in the Buffalo area where he lives with his lover Brenda. As he heals Jeff suffers nightmares and visions that include seeing someone filleted. When Richard's banker Matt Sumner is found murdered just as Jeff envisioned it, the New Yorker believes he has psychic abilities. He persuades a cynical Richard to assist him making inquiries with the victim's family and banking pal; not realizing that no one wants the siblings to investigate with one person killing again.

MURDER ON THE MIND is a strange but interesting who-done-it because of Jeff's psychic abilities that do not keep him or his sibling out of trouble once they begin to make inquiries. The reaction of those they question is priceless as no one wants to cooperate and seemingly everyone appears pleased that Matt is dead. Though Richard and Jeff hardly know each other considering they are siblings, fans will realize first hand how much the older brother cares. The killer is in plain sight yet most fans will miss the obvious clues. This fine paranormal amateur sleuth will send readers shuffling off to Buffalo to accompany Jeff on his investigation.

Harriet Klausner

L.L.Bartlett's Murder on the Mind is an enticing read -- from its intriguing cover and deeper into its story filled with twists and turns -- right till the end. The story pulled me in from the beginning. I really cared about Jeff Resnick and then met the brother he knew little about and the brother's girlfriend, and I was drawn into their family, pulling for them and wanting to know more. Barlett gives us a great read with this story. I look forward to many more.

Am just finishing reading 4 of these books by Ms Barrett. All of them were extremely good reads. Thanks to my Kindle 2 I am finding all kinds of authors I never heard about before. That is the case here. Downloaded and read all of them.

After a brutal mugging in NYC, Jeff Resnick struggles to patch up his life, accept his new psychic abilities, and attempt to use those abilities to help solve a gruesome murder of a banker in Buffalo, New York. The slim book is tightly written and moves briskly forward, a great asset for any mystery. A former insurance investigator downsized out of a job prior to the mugging, Jeff takes the tantalizing clues his on again/off again psychic abilities provide and combines them with sound detective skills to hunt down the killer until he pushes the killer too far threatening his domestic situation. The main plot is intriguing, well done, and a solid read for any mystery lover. The secondary plot surrounding his domestic situation plodded a bit and lacked depth. Still, it's a four out of five star read for the mystery reader in me. For those mystery readers who like the psychic angle, it might climb a bit higher.

After a wicked mugging in New York Jeff Resnick moves to Buffalo to recover at his half-brother's home. Jeff's concussion results in vivid dreams or are they really dreams? In the newspaper Jeff reads a local banker was murdered. It is at this point, Jeff knows he is not having dreams, but visions. Jeff and his brother are then on a quest to decode the visions.

This is a well written book. I liked it because it does not include a lot of useless detail that makes me skip ahead to the end of a book. I finished the book and immediately ordered the other three books in the series.