Customer Reviews

Too Near The Edge (Cleo & Tyler Mysteries)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cleo is a grief therapist, one who combines her skills in psychology with the paranormal. Through her practice, she connects loved ones with the recently deceased through a combination of soul searching, meditating, and the paranormal. When Sharon is referred to her by a friend, Cleo is in for more than she bargained for. With an unusual and quirky cast of characters, this book kept me up reading all night long. I definitely enjoyed the myriad of twists and turns, as well as the author's writing style. Overall, this was a home run!

Too Near the Edge, by Lynn Osterkamp, is an interesting story about trust, lost, and suspicion. This book tells the story primarily of Cleo and Sharon, a psychic and a widow who are trying to unravel the mystery of Sharon's late husband's death.

Lynn Osterkamp did a sensational job of developing her characters. She does a great job of raising suspicions with many of the characters, which makes it truly difficult to guess which person could be responsible for Sharon's husband's death. Each time the evidence begins to lead to one character, Osterkamp presents new information about another character that raises one's suspicions all over again.

There were a few grammatical errors here and there, and the end leaves one wondering what happens to a few of the characters, but the plot of this story certainly made up for it. Too Near the Edge does a great job of keeping its audience in suspense and keeps one guessing throughout. Once again, Osterkamp does a great job.

Theme: 5
Narration: 5
Character Development: 5
Plot: 5
Setting: 4
Style: 4.5

I received this book through the Librarything Member's GIveaway program.
This is a book that could have used a good round of extra editing, both grammatically and story-line wise. The first issue is that it begins really slowly, for the first few pages it drags in building up the plot. The author made the rough choice of writing in the present tense, which is never the best option unless the author is a master. It's just very limiting.
The characters themselves are not as original as they'd need to be to make the book work, their actions are predictable except when they are so random the reader is left staggering and turning pages (or in my case epages) to see if there was anything I missed.
The middle section is better crafted, the pacing is steadier and much more amusing than the beginning, but as we get closer to the end, the plot stasrts to unravel again.
Some of the characters seemed superfluous, like Tyler, the main character's spirit guide, who offers nothing substantial to the story at all. Actually, the fact that the main character is a "psychic" makes no real difference.
It wasn't a horrible book, but it also wasn't anything to write home about.

I might be the odd person out, but I did not enjoy this book. I had to force myself to finish the story.
I didn't understand why it was a Cleo and Tyler Mystery ~ Tyler wasn't part of the story other than to appear and not offer anything. A spirit guide should guide if that is what he is.
There was a lot of focus on food, drink and clothes~ time would have been better served being less concerned about menu and more concerned about unique characters. At this time I don't see how there could be a series following because they don't stand out enough to draw a person in.

I did finish the book, but I felt as if it was a story by a high school student opposed to a published author and I want a bit more out of a book than that ~ regardless the price.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It might be the first or near first in a new genre-the psychic cosy. Lynn Osterkamp has combined elements of her professional experience and the community of Boulder, Colorado into a nicely crafted plot. The result is a very readable mystery that kept me wondering who really pushed Adam off the edge of the Grand Canyon right up to the point where the culprit was unmasked.

Several things work well in this book. First, the author weaves the neighborhoods and surrounding natural features of Boulder into the story in ways that made me feel like I was there or at least could easily visualize them. That's a rare gift and certainly one that bodes well for future books. The variety of characters also works. There are numerous players, but they all have a logical fit in the story. Nobody seems like a throw-in. While their emotions edge close to 'over-the-top' at times, they never cross that invisible line that starts turning them into caricatures.

The psychic aspect works because the author has done her homework, particularly in terms of educating the reader regarding how Cleo, the protagonist, got started in that aspect of her grief therapy practice. Having spent 27 years in the mental health field, I can attest to the idiosyncrasies of psychologists and Lynn captures some of that very nicely in this story. It is also worth noting that in the acknowledgements, the author credits her local Sisters in Crime group with helpful criticism and feedback. This group is one of the best things to happen to women writers and demonstrates the author's desire to get things right before publication.

I'm happy to add this to the Hartland Library and can think of several patrons that will enjoy reading it as much as I have. A winner for sure.

Too Near the Edge is a well-crafted murder mystery of the "cozy" genre, set in Boulder, Colorado. I've never been to Boulder, but author Lynn Osterkamp has done an excellent job of laying the scene for me so that I can appreciate the flavor of the local culture without detracting from the plot of her mystery. In a town where most people are health-conscious and into new-age types of remedies, where the term "pet guardian" has legally replaced "pet owner," it is not unusual to find Cleo Sims, a grief counselor who assists her clients in overcoming their loss by contacting their departed loved ones. Cleo, surprisingly, does not come off as a nut or a particularly strange individual, and her down-to-earth character makes her interest in spiritualist affairs seem natural, almost ordinary.

The mystery itself is well-constructed. As Cleo becomes involved in the life of her new client Sharon, whose husband may or may not have been pushed over the edge of the Grand Canyon, we meet a variety of suspects with complex and engaging personalities. At first, it seemed to me that the solution was going to be simplistic, something you could see coming halfway through the novel, but I was wrong. Osterkamp handles her red herrings well and I especially liked how various characters related the same events differently during Cleo's investigation, leaving you to wonder which ones were lying and which ones were honestly giving their true interpretation.

I usually resist getting involved in "series" mysteries because for me the novelty of the characters wears off, but in this case I sincerely hope that I will see another Cleo Sims book in the future, and that it includes a few of the more interesting people encountered in this one!

I could not agree more with all of the 5 star reviews. From the first page to the last page, this book grips you and wont let go. I love "Can't put down books" although hubby tries to get my nose out of the book. Good story, good writing. I want to read more from this author!

The Good:

It was free! And thus worth every penny.
Fast moving, engaging, and a quick read.
Overall, a good story.

The Bad:

Seriously, do I need to have a detailed description of what the main character ate for every meal?
Likewise, do I need to know what clothes she and her friends are wearing in every scene?

The Ugly:

It's odd that Tyler earned a place in the series name, because he adds precisely ZERO to the story.

Conclusion:

I enjoyed the book, but won't read another of this series because of the endless food descriptions and "Tyler, the pointless ghost".

I downloaded the free book less than a week ago. The story - the first in the Cleo/Tyler Mystery series- is set in Boulder, Colorado and the author describes the area, restaurants, scenery in great detail while developing her story. Cleo Sims is a grief counselor who uses a "controversial" method of ghost contact with some of her clients who have unresolved issues with their departed loved ones. This first book deals with a wife wanting to find out if her dead husband did in fact just slip and fall into the Grand Canyon or did something sinister happen. Before the book ended I was already looking to see if there was a next book in this series and indeed there was - "Too Far Under" for just 99 cents.

I enjoyed the book immensely. I found it held my interest and kept me in suspense until the final pages. Needless to say I have devoured both books and look forward to the next book in this series.

It's a good read, fine mystery novel. Fairly suspenseful, and the author is quite good in her descriptions of clothing and food; a bit too much for me, as a guy, but I can see how this appeals to women.

My only real complaint is the way Cleo interacts with Tyler, the dead surfer-dude. Clearly Tyler has his own way of being with people, doesn't like and won't respond to being bombarded with specific questions, but Cleo is clueless and repeatedly peppers the poor guy with a zillion questions each time he shows up. It's a very realistic way the average American woman treats a guy. I would have much preferred to see Cleo calm down at least a couple of times and work with Tyler on his terms.

The real test for me is, would I want to read anything more by this author? Yes, I would, and even pay for it, but I'm a cheapskate so wouldn't pay more than $3-$4 dollars for a novel, which I would read once and delete. Since e-books can't be given away, I simply won't pay as much for them as a paper book.