Customer Reviews

For Richer, For Danger (A Broken Vows Mystery)

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After having thoroughly enjoyed Lisa Bork's debut novel, For Better, For Murder, I was excited to see that the next installment of the humorous mystery series was out. Jolene and Ray are back and they are taking care of a sweet baby girl whose parents have skipped town. This scenario is not only the set-up to an interesting and tightly-plotted mystery, but also sets the stage for a lot of growth and conflict in Jolene's relationships--particularly her and Ray's.

Lisa Bork seems to have a knack for creating memorable and likeable characters. I particularly like how complex Jolene is --she's strong, independent, compassionate, and funny, yet she is all too aware of her own flaws. Ray is a great counterpoint to her, a strong, alpha type male who sometimes can't help but wear his heart on his sleeve. But my favorite character is Cory, Jolene's plucky and outgoing mechanic/part-time actor. Bork has created a very unique and likeable character in him, one you're unlikely to find in other novels of this genre.

This book is a fun, breezy read, with enough plot twists to keep you guessing. The cast of characters are always engaging, and the bittersweet ending really tugs at the heart strings. Can't wait for the next installment!

"For Richer, for Danger" is the second in the Broken Vows Mystery Series. Not only is this book a good mystery, it's also a lesson in relationships and what can happen when good friends and life partners keep secrets from each other.
Protagonist Jolene Parker and her police-deputy husband Ray love each other deeply. But their marriage is rocky because Ray wants children and Jolene, for reasons I can't divulge here, does not. They become foster parents for an adorable baby girl and the experience draws them closer together as a couple. They want to make their parenthood permanent, but the adoption proceedings hit a roadblock when the given name of the baby's birth mother traces back to a dead girl.
Lisa Bork's characters are richly drawn and complex. "For Richer, for Danger" is not a typical cozy with frothy fun on every page. Rather, it makes a reader care about the characters long after the book is over. In this book, as in life itself, no one is ever guaranteed a happy ending. You have to work for it.

Reviewed by Susan Santangelo, author of "Moving Can Be Murder" for Suspense Magazine

This book did not have the ending that I was expecting. This is the first mystery that I have read where the the main characters' stories overshawdowed the mystery so much. 'For Richer for Danger' was more a story of relationships, trust issues, and all of the characters had flaws except for cute baby Noelle. I still enjoyed it, got involved in it and it made me think about whether or not it is good to tell everything to the ones you love. The characters were complex and well developed and I think I would like to read the previous book in this series, 'For Better For Murder'. I have gotten to know the characters so well that I don't want to close the door on them.

I read FOR RICHER, FOR DANGER on a bus tour and couldn't put it down! The characters are appealing, the tension rises and rises, until it concludes in a satisfactory finale. I'm looking forward to reading book #3 in the series.
Marilyn Levinson

Only Jo can tumble unto an old murder and a new one and while searching for the birth mother. This was an enjoyable and satisfying read that held my attention as I tried to guess who is doing what to whom. This story that will leave you wanting more. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

"For Richer, For Danger" is a wonderful reunion with many of the characters from Lisa Bork's debut novel, "For Better, For Murder." (If you haven't read the first one, don't worry...this one firmly stands on its own.) The web of relationships in this small town in the Finger Lakes region keeps you guessing who-done-it until the very end. One of the other threads in the story, the relationship between sleuthing Jolene Parker, her husband and deputy sheriff, Ray Parker, and their foster baby Noelle is just as compelling as the murder mystery, and just as suspenseful.

I was happy to see more local references to the Finger Lakes area in this second novel. It's just as quaint and homey as Bork describes, but much less murderous.

Can't wait for part 3. What more could happen in this small town? What trouble will Jolene find herself in next time?