Customer Reviews

I Shall Not Want : Psalm 23 Mysteries Book Two (The Psalm 23 Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"I Shall Not Want" is a fun cozy mystery. This book is the second in the series, but you don't need to read the first book in order to understand this one. However, this book promptly revealed who the murderer was in the previous novel, so you'll want to read the first novel before this one if you're intending to read it.

There's an underlying humor to this mystery, and the characters were engaging and interesting. I figured out whodunit long before the characters did (due to understanding mystery forms, not because the characters overlooked obvious clues), but the writing was good enough to keep me reading and enjoying it.

While the "police stuff" was generally good (and safely vague), I did wonder about the scene where two men entered a dark, apparently deserted morgue to set the corpse of a murder victim on an examination table and promptly left. Wouldn't they need to process the body (paperwork) and refrigerate it until it was time to examine the body?

Though the main characters were a church secretary, a rabbi, and an atheist police detective, there was very little religious content. Certainly, none of the characters tried to convert each other.

I was reading an advanced reader copy, so this may be changed in the final version. However, several times the rabbi referred to God as "Jehovah" in his casual conversations. First, that's not the Hebrew spelling of God's name. Second, he also referred to God as "Yahweh" once, near the end. Third, Jews--even those not highly devout--don't casually refer to God by His personal name. They even write "G-d" rather than "God" when referring to Him. Also, when asked to pray before the Thanksgiving dinner was eaten, the rabbi gave a very Christian-style prayer rather than a Jewish one. Granted he's a cool character with a mysterious past, but I didn't find him very convincing as a devout Jewish believer let alone the leader of a synagogue.

There was no sex and minimal gore (mainly just references to pools of blood). There were a few uses of both explicit and "he cussed"-style bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel, especially to those who like dogs and mysteries.

This book was an advanced reader copy provided for review purposes by the publisher.

Reviewed by Debbie from Genre Reviews

A dog can be quite the gift. But not much of one when it's paired with murder. "I Shall Not Want" tells of a string of murders of homeless people as they were granted a dog by a charity organization. Joseph Tyler and Cindy find themselves charged with getting behind the meaning of these murders, a challenge that doesn't seem as it will be easy, as the truth has plenty of reason to keep itself hidden. "I Shall Not Want" is a riveting mystery that will keep the pages turning.

I SHALL NOT WANT charms the reader especially someone who belongs to a religious organization. The main character is a church secretary who gets entangled in a series of murders happening citywide! The author deftly carries the characters thru this mystery novel with a light wit and allows the reader to become a behind-the-scenes onlooker!

This was my first book by Debbie Viguie, and I could not put it down. It moves so very nicely and there is never a dull moment. I enjoyed the characters and the small town feel of the location. I have heard that Debbie writes a book a month. I told a friend that she needs to write a book a week to keep up with my desire to keep reading her books. A person gets "hooked" on Debbie with the first book they read. Can't wait to read more of The Psalm 23 Mysteries series

I downloaded this book along with some other free offers. While I wouldn't say it was a page turner, the plot was interesting and I enjoyed not having to skip pages of explicit sex and being assaulted by strong language. Obviously written by a Christian but not preachy. If you are offended by reading about people who go to church and pray when in trouble, then skip this. Don't complain if you do read it, since the title should be a clue. I for one am glad that Christians are expanding into genres such as murder mysteries and fantasy. My only complaint is that I never got a clear picture of Cindy. She did not develop in my mind as a real person. Maybe the author did this in the first book.

...to keep real diamonds in the vault."

Even a woman? Oh really? EVEN A WOMAN?

I can't remember the last time I read something this insulting. In contemporary genre fiction, no less.

That line, my Amazon friends, was delivered by a police detective. He's a recurring character and one of the good guys in this series. After all, he got his wife a dog because he works so much. Good trade, I think.

Jeremiah the rabbi attends an charity evening function on a Friday evening followed by a non-emergency telephone call to Cindy on the Sabbath. Huh?

Sorry. This was my first and last Psalm 23 book. Call me a heathen.

I love mysteries, and this second book in the series did not disappoint. Church secretary, Cindy, again finds herself embroiled in a mystery as the bodies of homeless people start piling up, and the dogs they were given at a charity event turn up missing. Rabbi Jeremiah tries very hard to stay out of the fray, but he ends up in the middle of it, despite his best efforts. The mystery behind the rabbi deepens considerably in this book, and we the readers are left wondering just who is this Jeremiah.

Just like the first book, the author manages to keep any gore at a minimum which makes the story thoroughly delightful. I can handle the more detailed mysteries and thrillers, but to have a nice, light mystery is such a welcome change. Although a reader will be perfectly able to follow this story without reading the first in the series, I highly recommend you do so. It will make this one even better.

The plot was okay but the main character was weak in so many ways. I didn't like the many references throughout the book to the previous book because I didn't read the first one. I'll read the next one if the price is right but it's not at the top of my list.

A few months have passed since numerous grisly murders were committed during Passover (or Holy Week, depending on your leanings). Just as things are getting back to normal, someone else starts killing.

Like "The Lord is My Shepherd", church secretary Cindy really just wants to lead a quiet, SAFE life. But when she stumbles into another murderous plot, she's anything but safe.

Her friendship-under-fire with Rabbi Jeremiah has been almost non-existent since Easter; she in her circle and he in his. But they find themselves again hunting a killer before it's too late.

The depiction of temple doings and church workings is imperfect, but not a deal-breaker; it's a *story*, after all. I think there were fewer bodies than in the first installment. I enjoyed the book.

I totally looked forward to reading this second book in the series. The reader is again introduced to another mystery that Cindy has somehow stumbled upon. She is just that kind of unlucky. As the description states, church member, Joseph has started a charity where homeless people are given rescue dogs in an attempt to give them an opportunity to care about something and hopefully reconnect them to getting re-engaged in society. It is a wonderful cause until these recipients are being murdered and the dogs are being taken.

I could say that it is a little far fetched that Cindy has somehow gotten herself entangled in this mess, but truly that is what cozy series are about. Just like a soap opera, calamity follows the same people along like a shadow. I suspend belief when I read and know that this is not likely to happen to every church secretary, but then again, I do know some people whom trouble does follow.

It was nice seeing Cindy and Jeremiah interacting again although I do hope that the author doesn't try to push them together romantically. I also enjoy Mark the detective even though he can be a bit abrasive at times. Who wouldn't be a bit snarky when they are continually dealing with amateur detectives like Cindy and Jeremiah (although he is less abrasive about their involvement this time around).

If I had one complaint it wouldn't be about the different rules and regs I have see with the rabbi being out on a Friday and the like. I am highly under qualified to make any comment on that as I do not know the laws that people of the Jewish faith follow. I think that if the way the rabbi acts is wildly incorrect enough to toss a person out of the story, that is a shame, because I certainly hate when inaccuracies shove me out of a story. For me on this part, ignorance is bliss. I think I was more put off by Cindy's co-worker dressing way out there when she works at a church. I'm not a prude, but I work in a Christian ministry and typically dress codes do apply (of course outside of work is all you). You wont catch our staff members in fishnets and a mini. It may work with the character's personality but it wouldn't work at any church I have dropped by. However, I have never popped into a Presbyterian office...so what do I know really?

All in all, I enjoyed the pace of the story and could see where other characters could be involved in future stories. I liked again not knowing who the killer was from the get go. That is a rarity. It was also nice seeing several theories bounced around which all sounded legitimate. Nothing was obvious and everything was explored. The book stands well on its own, but does mention the first mystery so I would read that one first if you are planning on hitting the whole series.