Whirlpool (Julesburg Mystery Series #1) [Paperback]

Lorena McCourtney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

In this novel, a small town heroine tries to get on with her life after a painful divorce only to find herself thrust into the middle of arson and murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pretzel-like plot twists drive this first whodunit in The Julesburg Mysteries series by an award-winning romance writer for both the general and inspirational market. Former high school "porky princess" Stefanie Canfield is now a cute, svelte divorce who runs the Fit 'n' Fun health club. She's bitter about God, who she believes has abandoned her. Stress brought about by a car accident and exacerbated by Hunter Blackwell divorcing her for live-in blonde "liposuction queen" Trisha Duvall has caused Stefanie to occasionally black out and lose her memory. When the family lumber mill burns down, Stefanie is the prime suspect. She's thrown together with her old love interest, insurance investigator Ryan Harrison, who's determined to prove that Stefanie is innocent. Romance is, of course, rekindled. But when Trisha turns up dead, Stefanie despairs. Could she have experienced an "episode" and killed Trisha? Or was it the devious Hunter? Or her good friend Val Halstead, who has a mysterious link to Trisha? Or Val's ex-husband Damon Halstead, the creepy bestselling author of occult mysteries? A few far-fetched developments make the reader wince; Stefanie seems determined to be stupid suspected of torching the mill, she risks jail time by breaking into Hunter's home. She also invites the hated Hunter to a cozy dinner for two, and Hunter accepts, despite his belief that Stefanie murdered his fiance. However, McCourtney's colorful characters help sustain the momentum right up to the surprising conclusion. With the Christian market clamoring for suspense novels, this should entertain both McCourtney's romance following and CBA mystery buffs.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"McCourtney's colorful characters help sustain the momentum right up to the surprising conclusion."
-- Publishers Weekly (Publisher's Weekly ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Revell (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800757769
• ISBN-13: 978-0800757762
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #193,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lorena McCourtney is a long-time resident of Southern Oregon and enjoys using Oregon settings in her books. She wrote numerous short stories for children before moving on to romances and now to mysteries, often with a bit of humor. She won the American Christian Fiction Writer's Mystery "Book of the Year" and twice won the Daphne Du Maurier Award of Excellence.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read!, May 12, 2005

By 

Michelle Sutton (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Whirlpool (Julesburg Mystery Series #1) (Paperback)

I was in the airport traveling and purchased Whirlpool in Cinncinati's airport in the Christian section of the bookstore there. I don't usually read mysteries, so I was pleasantly surprised at the depth and intricacy of the plot. I cared about the characters from page one and I really loved the romantic element weaved throughtout the story. The ending was terrific and very satisfying! Now I'm going to have to read more books by this fabulous author. I'd recommend Whirlpool to anyone who loves a great mystery with engaging characters and an intelligent plot.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get Sucked In, June 5, 2003

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whirlpool (Julesburg Mystery Series #1) (Paperback)

Stefanie Canfield is trying to adjust to the hard changes her life has thrown at her recently, including a divorce and the death of her mother. When the mill she co-owns with her ex burns to the ground, she finds herself in the unpleasant position of being a suspect.

Ryan Harrison never wanted to return to Julesburg, but his job as arson investigator brings him back. The only bright spot is a reunion with childhood friend Stefanie. But their relationship becomes strained when she finds out what his job is. The fact that he is trying to bring her back to God doesn't seem to be helping. When she is accused of murder, however, all bets are off.

This is an intriguing book that is equal parts mystery and romance. The author does a good job of balancing the two elements. As a die hard mystery reader, I felt the mystery aspect was a little weaker then it could have been. The first chapter is a little rough while giving us the background we need to understand the characters. However, these two elements only dampened my enjoyment slightly. I got so caught up in the story and characters that I couldn't put the book down. The spiritual sub-plot felt natural and added another layer to an already engrossing book.

Christian fiction fans rejoice! There's something in this wonderful book for everyone. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment., September 22, 2011

By 

Suzi B. "Avid reader" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: WHIRLPOOL (The Julesburg Mysteries, Book One) (Kindle Edition)

I really liked the Ivy Malone novels and so I decided to try the Julesburg series. I was very disappointed. The heroine in Julesburg is not anywhere near as engaging as Ivy Malone. She comes off as a bit whiny. And not too bright. The author has the heroine do things that are just plain stupid merely to advance the plot. I'll skip the rest of the books in this series.