Customer Reviews

In Plain Sight (Ivy Malone Mysteries, Book 2)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ivy Malone picked the wrong family to mess with in Invisible, and she travels to a neighboring state to avoid the threats and retaliation attempts. She manages to hide out for awhile, and relaxes into life with a teenage niece. However, it seems that where Ivy is, there's a mystery to be solved.

Ms. McCourtney crafts compelling plots as well as her quirky heroine. A unique murder weapon awaits discovery and the book is full of little twists and turns. Ivy's thought life is rich with excellent and amusing word weaving. A realistic faith thread enriches the story and gives it nice depth.

A small thing comes to mind that would make this series almost perfect; Ms. McCourtney could work on increasing the speed of production of future books, as I am all of a sudden feeling a bit of melancholy. Where is Ivy and what's she up to now?

Wonderful, funny series. This book and the first one in the series "Invisible" are wonderful. You can't put them down. They are humorous, exciting and inspirational all at the same time. I can't wait till the next one in the series comes out!

Having been a fan of Agatha Christie for years, this was a surprising new series. The widow, slash detective, slash renegade is without a doubt a great new character. She is a senior citizen that has gumption. The author has created a lovable character who has a great deal of wit, charm, and of course cunning detective skills. The book is both entertaining and most assuredly not boring. If you would like to see a modern day version of "Ms. Marple", the incomparable Ivy Malone will not disappoint you. Looking forward to the next installment

If you like mysteries with fun, heart, and LOL's (Little Old Ladies - according to Ivy), this series is for you. :)

What a pleasure to read these books. Yup, I've read all 4 of the series (hope there are going to be more!). The first book, "Invisible (Ivy Malone Mystery)", is currently "FREE" on Kindle, so why not jump on it now? In the last few days, I've read/bought the other 3 books in the series, too.... "In Plain Sight", "On the Run", and "Stranded."

I am happy to recommend this series. Thank you for reading this review.

Ivy Malone has left her hometown in fear of the Braxtons who have threatened her after her testimony which convicted one of them for murder. She decides to stay with her niece and her family in Arkansas in hopes that she will be able to once again become a little old invisible lady again. Ivy stays with her grandniece and is prepared to enjoy a peaceful vacation away from the worries that follow her. Unfortunately she is mistaken to be a housekeeper and gets hired from a reclusive woman who turns up dead after firing Ivy. The reader snoops along with Ivy as she tries to find out who has committed the murder while unsuccessfully trying to get herself into any more danger.

I have become a huge Ivy Malone fan. Who knew little old ladies could be so much fun? This book is very like Murder She Wrote where the heroine is not someone you would expect to go around getting involved with murders. Ivy is not afraid of anything! I loved the twists and turns in this story. I love how Ivy takes advantage of getting away with almost anything because people prejudge her because of her age. This was a hilarious read also as Ivy manages to always get caught in unsuspecting situations and has to explain why she happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I also know how she felt when she got the chance to catalogue the library. I would loved to be able to sort through all those boxes of books with her. I did like also how the generation gap between Ivy and her grandniece was never a problem. I think that Ivy was more able to accept teenagers because she knows what it's like to be judged by other people, therefore she does her best to accept them for who they are. Ivy is a great character, I like her especially because she refuses to fall into the stereotype of a little old lady. I can't stand books where LOLs are gossipy, snoopy, crabby characters. Ivy is none of those things. This book is highly recommended for anyone who likes mysteries and having a good fun time while reading it.

I've read all the Ivy Malone mysteries. I would recommend that you read the books in order so that you can really get the fun of Ivy's predicaments.
Let me say first, that I am not a Christian. Despite that, I did not find Ivy's religious comments offensive. They're both short and not preachy. There are many twists in the plots of the Ivy Malone series. And, as an old lady myself (though not little), it was fun to read about a little old lady who has a lot of spunk, gets herself into dangerous spots, and makes you laugh at the same time. The stories are not as dark as Agatha Christie's. They do have unexpected endings, and you've got to admire Ivy's resourcefulness and her relationship with her granddaughter.
If you don't mind a bit of Christian thoughts thrown in, this is a fun read.

Another good read from Leona McCourtney---not too intense; just good entertainment with a faith-base. You don't have to read the four books of the series in order to enjoy them.

The second book in the Ivy Malone series is an enjoyable addition to the series. The Christian-themed parts aren't preachy at all and just serve as background for the character's life. Her faith is important to her and that is included nicely without detracting from the story. I enjoyed the book very much and will be reading book 3 soon!

Ivy Malone now appreciates being an invisible LOL (Little Old Lady) since avenging Drake Braxton begins to carry out his threat towards her after her testimony convicted his brother of murder. At first she ignores Braxton's harassment knowing from solving the murder of her best friend Thea (see INVISIBLE) that the police cannot help her. She no longer can ignore him when her house caught fire with her inside. Ivy consults with the Lord and decides it is time to go invisible again.

Her niece DeeDee Harrington and family are off to Hawaii so Ivy moves into their isolated family property near Little Tom Lake, Arkansas. An unfriendly enigmatic loner, Leslie Marcone, thinks she is the Harrington housekeeper and Ivy fails to correct him; he hires Ivy to be his housekeeper, which she accepts as she wants to uncover his secrets. Meanwhile two former lovers arrive while police sergeant Yates plays matchmaker between Ivy and his widower dad that is when he is not considering arresting her for interfering with an investigation that could leave her dead.

Everyone's favorite amateur sleuth LOL is back in a wonderful tale as she is as visible in the Arkansas side of the Ozarks as she was in the Missouri side. Ivy is as nosy as ever uncovering everyone's secrets, which places her in danger, but is comforted with her knowledge that the Lord is with her. Fans of a strong regional amateur sleuth tale with a subtle Christian message that augments understating of the heroic LOL on the lam will appreciate this fine tale that will surely bring Lorena McCourtney IN PLAIN SIGHT of the sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner

This is the second book in a series about a LOL, little old lady, and her adventures. The first one was fine, not great but readable (had a wonderful part with her off on a mini-adventure with a male friend she'd just met!). This one was better - cute and fun and well written, pretty believable with some fun moments. It has the tag of "Christian fiction," and that's in there, but not overwhelming, not too preachy.

I really enjoy the way the main character looks at the world and how well she handles things that are thrown at her. I'm looking forward to reading book three in the series.