Customer Reviews

Where the Truth Lies: Massachusetts Mayhem Mystery Series #1 (Heartsong Presents Mysteries #16)

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

 

 

What would you do if your aunt went missing? Especially if the police tell you she has committed suicide but there is no body, only a note. Casey Alexander, when faced with this dilemma in Where the Truth Lies by Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery, digs in her heels and starts sleuthing. No matter the frightening and dangerous actions that are taken to try to keep her from delving any deeper into her aunts disappearance, Casey keeps going.

She begins the search alone in her aunt's sleepy town of Pine Mills, but soon pairs up with local nursery owner Luke Kerrigan to follow the trail. Or does she pair up with him? As much as she finds Luke attractive, she has suspicions about his involvement in Liddy's disappearance. Does Luke have a reason to want Aunt Liddy dead? If so, did he kill her? Is he the one behind the threatening incidents that keep occurring? These are all questions Casey must sift through and answer even as her heart tells her to trust him.

Though there is much more to this plot, lots of unexpected turns and surprises, I'll stop right here before I inadvertently give a piece of the plot away. Wouldn't want to spoil the great twists in store for you. Twists that are guaranteed to keep you up at night reading when you should be in bed sleeping.

The Ludwig and Mowery writing duo have penned a solid mystery with a sweet romance that is equally as enjoyable. The characters are interesting and believable, the writing is tight, crisp and fast moving. Where the Truth Lies is the first cozy mystery in the Massachusetts Mayhem Mystery and I for one, look forward to the second in the series.

Can peace and contentment be found behind a computer monitor and camera lens? Casey Alexander thinks she's found her niche in Virginia Beach doing just that. After her father abandoned her and her mother died from cancer, Casey is searching for the meaning of her existence. At her mother's urging before she died, Casey accepted Christ as her Savior, but she thinks that's as far as her belief in salvation needs to go. Besides, why get fanatical about a God who allows such discord in the world?

A web designer, freelance photographer, and partner in publishing a local women's magazine, Casey finds more satisfaction in reading every mystery book she can get her hands on. When she hears the police believe her Aunt Lydia committed suicide, Casey races to Pine Mills, Massachusetts, planning to pull all her mystery solving know-how to the fore to prove her aunt met with foul play.

What happens next is a veritable roller coaster ride. Where the Truth Lies is a cozy lover's dream--so filled with red herring you could serve it on rye crackers.

The team of Elizabeth Ludwig and Janelle Mowery is a match made in mystery writer's heaven. They blend their styles in seamless fashion, so that you're left wondering who wrote what. No matter. The end result is very satisfying. I highly recommend this book and personally can't wait for the next installment.

This is a well written, page-turning mystery that kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. A funny, sweet and romance filled whodunnit. Really enjoyed it!

On its website, Barbour Publishing states, "Our Mission [is] to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement." Apparently all of their books have a religious tone to them, including their mystery series. Not necessarily a bad thing if you're expecting it, but I wasn't and I found it distracting and a little off-putting. Still, I might have been able to over-look it if the main character hadn't been so immature and downright annoying.

Overall, big disappointment. I'm glad I only paid $1.25 for it.

Hi
I really like this book and the characters are really down to earth. The writers did a really good job of writing this book.
I love mysteries and this book was filled with lots of twists and turns and wrong ways. It kept you guessing right to the end.It was a laugh that Casey used post it notes and got rather defensive if anyone tried to use them.It was good that it had a happy ending. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

I love to read a good mystery, and Where the Truth Lies is exactly the kind of mystery I enjoy reading. Instantly, I was drawn into the book and wondering, along with Casey, Luke, and Monah, "who dunit"? The plot had several twists and turns along the way and was intricately woven together to make a compelling mystery that left you guessing. Towards the end I knew "who dunit" but had yet to figure out the "where" and "why". The ending is always the most fun to read when everything that was perplexing comes to light, and Where the Truth Lies did not disappoint.

Casey was a neat character. I chuckled over her "sleuthing" abilities--I'm not sure if I would trust a bunch of detective novels to help me in real life as implicitly as Casey did. It added a neat angle to the story. Luke was instantly a likeable character. Kind, outgoing, protective, lovable--I must admit that if I had been in Casey's shoes it would have been very hard for me to suspect him capable of murdering someone he loved. Monah was the comic relief to this book, in many ways. She was such a friendly, spur-of-the-moment, playful woman that you can't help but grow to like her.

I didn't find anything inappropriate in this book. The story between Luke and Casey is simple and sweet, and they do kiss a time or two. Mainly, though, they are just worried and concerned about the others welfare, which was sweet.

As I said, the plot was intricate and compellingly woven together. Towards the end I really needed to pay attention to the mystery as Luke and Casey tossed around multiple ideas of who might have had reason to silence her aunt. Just the kind of mystery I like--ones that aren't easily solved or put together. When I finally reached the end, I was satisfied with the conclusion and taking my hat off to Elizabeth and Janelle for thinking of such a great mystery. They don't make it easy on the reader (or the characters!) and I had to pull out my ol' "thinking cap" as I tried to piece together the clues in this Massachusetts Mayhem Mystery. They really did a wonderful job on this book and I am looking forward to reading more mysteries by them!

Special thanks to the author for sending me a review copy. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.

I found the main character rather childish the way she would try to think like a fictional character in her favorite mystery series. The plot held no surprises and ignored some avenues it could have explored. I almost didn't even finish this book.