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A Shot of Murder: An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery (A Charley Hall Mystery Book 1) by [Brenda Gayle]

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Brenda Gayle

A Shot of Murder: An Amateur Female Sleuth Historical Cozy Mystery (A Charley Hall Mystery Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Brenda Gayle (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

34 ratings

Book 1 of 5: A Charley Hall Mystery

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She’s a reporter with a nose for trouble. But when the story is murder, will she end up above the fold or buried in the back?

1948: Ontario, Canada—Charley Hall knows she’s a better reporter than any man in the newsroom. Frustrated to be demoted to the women’s page so her job on the city beat can be given to a returning soldier, she refocuses her energy into locating her brother who disappeared after his latest bender. She’s horrified when her search leads to the woman last seen with him, found dead with a bullet in her neck.

Driven to catch the killer and clear her brother’s name, Charley encounters a mysterious cop from out of town who’s showing an intense interest in the case. But as she uncovers the victim’s murky past, tracking down the shooter could land the gritty journalist in the obituaries.

Can this gutsy gal prove her investigative skills and live to tell the tale?

A Shot of Murder is the first book in the atmospheric Charley Hall historical cozy mystery series. If you like strong female protagonists, period pieces, and small-town misdeeds, then you’ll love Brenda Gayle’s compelling whodunit.

Buy A Shot of Murder to bring justice to the front page today!

Print length

146 pages
Language

English
Publication date

October 12, 2020
File size

1904 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

I could not put this book down! No word of exaggeration.... Gayle has crafted a mystery that kept me guessing right to the very end while also writing accurate historical fiction that made my little historian heart sing. - Westveil Publishing

It's a solid first book in a new series, and I'd recommend to cozy mystery readers, especially those who like a little historical twist. - Novels Alive

The writing style was...the slow drip of honey off a spoon into a cup of expensive, rich tea. -Unabridge Andra

This book was an intriguing, exciting, suspenseful, mystey read that fully captured my attention and kept me engaged throughout the story!!! - Fabulous and Brunette

A Shot of Murder is a brilliantly written story leaving one clue after another sending Charley in all different directions in her search for her brother. It kept me guessing right along with Charley from beginning to end. - The Avid Reader

A Shot of Murder is a delightful read. Ms. Gayle brings the unconventional heroine to vivid life, with dialogue that crackles and a strong sense of the comic. - Beyond Romance

Product details

ASIN : B08H5K4HMF
Publisher : Bowstring Books (October 12, 2020)
Publication date : October 12, 2020
Language : English
File size : 1904 KB
Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 146 pages
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #236,449 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,055 in International Mystery & Crime (Kindle Store)
- #2,193 in Women's Historical Fiction
- #2,323 in Historical Mysteries (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
34 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		44%
4 star		34%
3 star		17%
2 star		5%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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F.M.

Charley is a bit ahead of her time.

Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

It's right after WWII and Charley is a reporter for a London newspaper. Now that the men are coming back from war, she is demoted and put in charge of the Women's page. She is not happy. Her brother came back after much time as a POW and is presently an alcoholic and missing. Trying to find him leads her into the seedy bars of London. On a quest she can't give up, she meets interesting people and gets into a few messes. The characters are well developed and likable. The story is good, I enjoyed it. I must admit I thought I had the end figured out but was wrong. Read it and find out.

Helpful

Allykitten

An Intriguing, Exciting, Suspenseful, Mystery Read!!!

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020

---4.5 Stars---

This book was an intriguing, exciting, suspenseful, mystery read that fully captured my attention and kept me engaged throughout the story!!!

This book takes you on a time-hop all the way back to 1948, when men were considered superior to women; women were told they should stay home and take care of their men and have children; and that women have no place working in a man’s career field. Although, maybe not so far back, as many of these customs not only continue to remain current today, but are strongly encouraged in some communities; and women are still not equal to men. It is very interesting how much and really little things have changed in over 70 years!!!

This book starts out with the main character, Charlotte, aka Charley, losing her job position at the Kingston Tribune, a newspaper her grandfather founded. Charley is told that since the men are coming back home after fighting in the war and since women do not belong in the newsroom, she must give up her riveting investigation journalism assignments and move over to the women’s pages that write about stuffy parties and clothes – things Charley has no interest in. Charley has more than proven herself over the course of working at the paper for over five years and has shown she is a talented writer. So, giving up her investigation stories, especially when she’s on the trail of a hot story about two prison escapees – she is not going to take this lightly!!

This book then quickly catches up with Charley’s grandmother, aka “Gran,” who is worried about Charley’s brother, Freddie. Freddie’s birthday is over the weekend and Gran wants to plan a party and invite a bunch of his friends. She’s concerned he’s been so withdrawn lately and wants to cheer him up. Freddie had returned from the previously mentioned war, but he came back another person – someone deeply struggling with PTSD (technically PTSS now) and being haunted by demons and dark memories of battle. Although it seemed Freddie was getting better, minus the occasional bender or so, Gran and Charley realize he’s been gone for three days. Charley goes looking for Freddie, not sure what kind of jam she will find him in, but she certainly was not expecting to find a murder and a mystery along the trail! No spoilers here, but you will definitely want to check out this book to find out what happens!!

I really enjoyed the mystery and suspense themes the author was able to instill throughout the book. I felt just as intrigued as Charley when she stumbled upon the crime scene. Curious, suspicious, and concerned – how could Freddie be connected to all this?!

I haven’t read too many books that take place around this time period, in 1948, shortly after the war – especially a book that takes place in Canada! Of course, I remember (some!!! LOL) of my American History in school, but I don’t recall the impact of other supporting countries such as Canada. So, this was a very interesting topic that I was excited to learn about.

I enjoyed the strong, compelling historical content that filled these pages, and I appreciate the author's in-depth amount of research that she conducted while writing this story.

This book fell more so on the shorter side at only 150 eBook pages!! However, it felt very concise and to the point, that I think it was the right length as any longer would feel more like rambling on. I enjoyed the short chapters that kept the story on point and the adorable newspaper images at the end of each chapter.

I am a huge mystery book lover! However, sometimes I can be a bit harsh on judging amateur sleuths in mystery books as it seems ridiculous for someone with no training and often no street smarts to go chasing after a homicidal maniac!! However, I feel like this was not the case as Charley was a more complex character with investigative journalism training (on the job counts!!) and the investigation was tied to finding Freddie and more that I can’t say lol. But basically, Charley was no silly, ditzy female walking toward the scary villain screaming lol!!

I really liked Charley as she was strong, smart, driven, independent, sassy, witty, caring, and compassionate!! She was a likable, genuine, relatable character that was easy to connect with.

There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few very unexpected twists and turns that you won't see coming!
I also enjoyed all the extras the author included in her book, such as the "Author's Note," which provided further background and insight into the story line. The author also attached a special sneak peek into the next book in the series, "Rigged for Murder," which got me excited to go on the next mystery adventure with Charley!!

This book is Book One in the “A Charley Hall Mystery,” Book Series. It can be read as a standalone. Currently, it looks like the author has written four books in this series, with the first three books already available for sale at any major bookstore. Book Four is listed to be released on November 23rd. It seems all four books revolve around the main character, Charley. As previously mentioned, I have become a fan of Charley - and the author, Brenda Gayle, of course!!! I look forward to checking out the rest of this book series and seeing what other exciting adventures Charley uncovers!!!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all historical mystery readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lisabet Sarai

An engaging heroine and a great sense of place

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020

All through the war, while brave Canadian boys were off battling Hitler, Charley Hall – née Charlotte Stormont – held down the News Desk at the Kingston Tribune. Aside from being a crack writer, she’s persistent, persuasive, clever and a bit pushy – but then, when you’re digging up a story, you can’t afford to be a shrinking violet. With the troops coming home from the front, though, the females who very capably assumed their jobs are being forced back into their traditional roles. Much to her dismay, Charley’s boss wants to give her news writer position to a man, and have her take over the women’s pages. Her society grandmother, whose family founded the paper, agrees.

Meanwhile, Charley’s brother Freddie, a sensitive young man with a serious weakness for alcohol, has disappeared. While looking for him, Charley stumbles upon a blood-soaked murder scene. Nobody local knows the deceased woman, reportedly named Mary Brown, and no one has any leads on the apparent sharpshooter who precisely pierced her carotid artery, but the bloody footprint left on the porch is too small to belong to a man.

Charley is focused on finding her brother. Solving the murder isn’t her primary intention. However, as she tries to track him down, the trail leads her back to the murdered woman, as well as to a former boyfriend, now an ambitious politician, and his elite parents. Meanwhile a surly, suspicious police detective from Toronto dogs her steps, interfering in her research but occasionally saving her hide. Eventually she puts all the pieces together and rushes off to save Freddie, well aware that she might be too late.

A Shot of Murder is a delightful read. Ms. Gayle brings the unconventional heroine to vivid life, with dialogue that crackles and a strong sense of the comic. Even minor characters like Charley’s curmudgeon boss Sherman and the bumbling domestique Chantal feel real and memorable. The story is firmly situated in both time and place. Though I don’t know Kingston, Ontario, at all, I managed to get a sense of both its neighborhoods and its social strata. A few historic details – the manual typewriter, the telephone in Charley’s room, Grandmother Stormont’s disapproval of Charley’s wearing trousers – along with references to the horrors of World War II – helped cement the historical background. I haven’t read that many recent tales set in this period, but in fact the social conflicts of the time play an important role in delineating Charley’s personality and predicament.

I should also mention that the book design and editing are impeccable. In this day of sloppily assembled ebooks, I really appreciate the care that clearly went into this book’s production.

The mystery plot struck me as a bit implausible, mainly because almost every character ends up being intimately involved. I suppose this might be viewed as a weakness. However, that didn’t diminish my enjoyment. I was reading because I enjoyed hanging out with Charley, not because I really cared “who dunnit”. On the other hand, I would love to see her take on a more realistic and intellectually challenging mystery. She has the potential to be a top-notch literary sleuth.

All in all, A Shot of Murder is great entertainment. I’ll keep my eyes out for the next Charley Hall mystery.

2 people found this helpful

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