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Meredith Cole

Posed for Murder Hardcover – February 17, 2009

by Meredith Cole (Author)

15 ratings

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Lydia McKenzie is an artist whose medium is the camera. She’s having her first one-woman show. It is a series that ties to actual murders committed in the city’s past. Her method is to find a model—someone who can match in a general way the actual female victim—and pose her in the clothes and position in which the actual victim was found. The night of her showing, however, is disappointing; the owner of the gallery makes her pay for the invitations down to the stamps, hang the whole show herself, and rush for the usual wine and snacks. But what happens next is much worse: two plainclothes policemen shut down the event and take Lydia in for questioning. A young woman whom she knew well, and who was the model in one of her photographs, has been murdered. Worried that the police aren’t doing what they should, Lydia and another friend set out to find the killer.

The winner of the celebrated St. Martin’s Minotaur/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition, Posed for Murder presents a snapshot of crime in a lasting and memorable story.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Minotaur Books
Publication date

February 17, 2009
Dimensions

5.81 x 1.01 x 8.6 inches
ISBN-10

0312378564
ISBN-13

978-0312378561
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cole's entertaining debut, winner of Minotaur and Malice Domestic's Best First Traditional Mystery competition, introduces fine art photographer Lydia McKenzie. Before the cheap wine is gone, the police arrive at Lydia's first New York solo exhibit, a collection of meticulously reconstructed homicide scenes, to inform her that one of her models, a good friend, has been killed and posed in the same manner as one of Lydia's photos. After another of her models suffers the same fate, attractive NYPD Det. Daniel Romero warns that Lydia may be next. Lydia begins to investigate, albeit in amateur fashion. Several members of her artist critique group make promising suspects, one of whom is arrested, but too late Lydia realizes she and the NYPD may be mistaken. She soon has cause to be grateful for her newly acquired self-defense techniques, learned at her best friend's insistence. Contemporary Manhattan, viewed through a struggling artist's eyes, lends social and cultural interest. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Life imitates art with dire consequences in this provocative first novel. Intrigued by a book about past murders in her Brooklyn neighborhood, photographer Lydia McKenzie enlists friends to pose like the bodies pictured in the book while she shoots the scenes. So it’s not surprising that the first gallery show of her black-and-white deathlike photos is interrupted by detectives investigating the actual murder of one of Lydia’s model friends, her body found displayed just as she was photographed. While Lydia and best friend Georgia—both models for photographs themselves—seek out the murderer, another model’s body is found posed in the same fashion, Lydia is threatened when her apartment is ransacked, and a third model disappears. The pool of suspects is small, since the first murder required inside knowledge of Lydia’s work, and Cole provides a red herring before revealing the actual killer. This won the St. Martin’s Minotaur/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition, and while its intriguing premise will attract readers, its pedestrian prose and the too-predictable unraveling of the plot lessen the book’s impact. --Michele Leber

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books; First Edition (February 17, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312378564
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312378561
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.81 x 1.01 x 8.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,951,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #81,231 in Women Sleuths (Books)

Customer Reviews:
15 ratings

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Kindle Customer

A Picture-Perfect Mystery

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2009

Verified Purchase

Having just finished Meredith Cole's engaging Posed for Murder, it's easy to see why it won St. Martin's Minotaur/Malice Domestic's Best First Traditional Mystery competition.

From the first page, Cole sets up an imaginative and suspenseful premise. Fledgling photographer Lydia McKenzie is about to open her first exhibit, a staged series that recreates unsolved murder scenes. But before the night is over, she'll learn that someone else is reenacting these killings, except in their case, it's for real. Even worse, the victims are her models and friends.

McKenzie is a likable and believable amateur sleuth. Cole surrounds her with a colorful cast of supporting characters, who, as the story progresses, turn out to have secrets that will keep you guessing as to which of them, if any, is the killer.

Cole excels at capturing the flavor of McKenzie's Brooklyn neighborhood, where a new wave of trendy art galleries and creative artists live alongside their more traditional neighbors. Her vivid descriptions of this exciting community were enjoyable in their own right.

The real mystery for me is how will Cole follow-up her award-winning debut? I can't wait to find out.

Scott Sherman, author, Lambda Literary Award winner for Best Gay Mystery, 2009, First You Fall

One person found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

compelling, funny, and progressive

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2010

Verified Purchase

I had a hard time putting this book down. I found myself laughing out loud and chuckling to myself on almost every page. It's also refreshing to read a murder mystery where the woman is the hero. The humor, fresh perspective, and fascinating plot all make this book enjoyable to read.

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Bergers Book Reviews

Clever premise for murder

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2009

Lydia McKenzie's photography is unique. Fascinated with the unsolved murders of young women in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, she recreates these scenes posing her friends as models. But she never anticipated these photos would lead to someone's death.

When her friend, Marie, is murdered and posed exactly as she had been in one of the photos, Lydia is spooked. Someone had access to her work, and used it not only to kill her friend, but also to frame her for the murder. At times working with the homicide detectives assigned to the case, but also occasionally withholding information, Lydia tries to figure out who would want to murder Marie.

The killer is hot on her trail, and she needs to prevent the murders of any more of her friends, or herself, as she's been warned. It's a battle of wits that she's determined to win.

Posed For Murder uses a clever background for murder, setting this story in the arts community, with an unusual form of art. The characters are believable and well-developed. But the one flaw I found with this mystery was the conclusion and revelation of the killer. Without giving too much away, I was a little disappointed at who this turned out to be. But overall, this was an enjoyable and intriguing story, and I look forward to seeing more of this new author's work.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

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Sheri S.

Exciting murder mystery with style

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2009

Rating: 4.5 stars

"She had never killed so many people in so many ways". That is exactly how "Posed for Murder" begins with Lydia McKenzie relishing in her photographic genius. Her hauntingly brilliant photographs are being displayed in her first art show and Lydia is trying to take it all in. Lydia dressed her friends up as her models and recreated scenes of real murders she had read about described in great detail. Though she is worried that people might misunderstand her intentions of recreating unsolved murders of the past, she hopes that people can recognize them for their beauty and perhaps even help in the identification of the victims, who have yet to be recognized. However, nothing could have prepared her for what happens next. When one of her models and friend is found dead in the same pose as in Lydia's photo, the police begin a close investigation that leaves Lydia paranoid and in desperate need of answers. Being the independent woman that she is, Lydia decides to conduct her own investigation and becomes personally involved in a shocking murder mystery.

From the very first sentence, I was intrigued by the book and its compelling and unique plot. Although Lydia's photographs are creepy in some ways, I think her intentions to create beauty and honor the dead are commendable. Lately I've been reading a lot more mysteries and thrillers, but I'm always a little wary that I'll solve the case too soon and spoil the surprise. I'm happy to say that "Posed for Murder" kept me guessing until the very end and concluded with a satisfying twist. It comes as no surprise that "Posed for Murder" is the winner of Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition!

I loved that the main character was a strong woman and a great role model, not relying on others to seek out answers. She has her own funky fashion sense and stays true to herself. In the face of danger, Lydia rises to the challenge. She is the ultimate heroine and I loved following her to very end of the story.

Though this is Meredith Cole's first novel, she already shows much talent with her creative and well-crafted writing. I loved how modern and fresh the story was and the way it differs from traditional mystery books. I look forward to reading more from Meredith in the future!

[...]

One person found this helpful

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terrible

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2009

I wasn't going to write a review until I saw all of these 4and 5 star reviews. Seriously, people didn't know who the killer was? As soon as the killer was introduced, I knew who it was. I flipped to the end, confirmed it, and promptly put the book down. I'm not particularly clever so I don't truly believe that others were stumped until the end. Any good mystery writer does not make the killer the most obvious suspect, as it was here. The concept was good but I was already turned off by the writing when I discovered the killer. Maybe the series will get better as the author gets more experience with her writing. But I would not recommend this book.

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Posed for Murder Hardcover – February 17, 2009