Friday, May 10, 2019

Review - A Justified Murder

Title:  A Justified Murder
Author:  Jude Deveraux
Series:  Medlar Mystery #2
Genre:   Mystery/Thrillers
Publisher:   MIRA
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  330
Date of Publication:  February 26, 2019
My Rating:  4.5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

New York Times bestselling romance author Jude Deveraux continues her breakout Medlar Mystery series with a twisted tale of guilt and revenge...

The small town of Lachlan, Florida, was rocked last year when two bodies were uncovered in the roots of a fallen tree. Despite their lack of investigative experience, Sara Medlar; her niece, Kate; and Jack Wyatt found themselves at the center of the mystery, working together to reveal the truth behind a decades-old secret in the sleepy town. After a narrow escape, they vowed to never again involve themselves in something so dangerous--until Janet Beeson is murdered.


When Janet's body is discovered, everyone is shocked by the violence of the attack. The sweet little old woman has been shot, stabbed and poisoned, but no one can imagine who would want to harm one of the town's kindest, most helpful residents. Sara, Kate and Jack are determined to leave this case to the professionals. But they are soon bombarded by townspeople eager to tell their stories and clear their names with the trio who solved the Morris murders. Even the sheriff is hoping they'll lend their skills to a crime that seems to have no explanation and no motive. And once the town gets talking, they begin to see that there are more secrets buried in quiet Lachlan than anyone could have imagined..


MY THOUGHTS:

Lachlan, Florida is a small town that had been relatively quiet for years. But, recently, the new trio of Sara, her niece Kate, and long-term houseguest, Jack Wyatt, recently solved a murder that went undiscovered for years. Things got quite dangerous and scary, and they certainly hoped that was a one-time thing.

However, a woman named Janet Beeson has been murdered, and it was a rather brutal one. Janet had a reputation of being a very kind woman, so the town is definitely confused by such a crime. At first they are determined to leave matters to the police, but the trio cannot help but become involved. Surprisingly, the sheriff even wants their help.

What ensues is long-buried secrets that are gradually revealed. I love how the three of them interact. I was hoping by this second story, that Kate and Jack would see that they are meant for one another. This busy story is delightful. There is mystery, suspense, humor, a bit of romance and even jealousy is evident. I think this lends to the excitement for further books in this series. 

Many thanks to MIRA and to Edelweiss for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Jude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband's surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher.

She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers. 

Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation. 

Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.

Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.

Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident. 

Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy. 





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