This cozy was a good one. Sometimes I find that the cozies I read are lacking in one area or another. I enjoy them, but they are also easy to put down and pick up later. Not this one. The biggest draw for me was that it was totally engaging from beginning to end. Truly interesting to read, I found myself creating theories about characters right from the start. Each character was unique in personality and several could have committed the crime. I was happy to find that I couldn't predict who the real murderer was until I got to the last few chapters of the book.

I really liked the main character, Sheridan. She was easy to relate to and I could easily see someone like her in the real world. The fact that she was in her forties, divorced, and worked full-time makes her someone readers can connect with. Her romance with McMann was slow to emerge in the story and didn't overtake the drama as it unfolded. It was well portrayed.

I also enjoyed learning about life at a small four year college and seeing the personal and professional turmoil that ensued when something big like this happened in such a small town. There was a decent amount of action once the story began coming to a head. It kept me turning the pages and there was no way I was putting the book down once the suspense began! I found that I was satisfied with the ending and was thrilled to find out that there was another book coming in the series. I will definitely be picking it up very soon. If you like cozies, this is one not to miss! ( )

This Review was originally posted @ Readers' Muse

When the writer contacted us for the review, we sort of jumped into it right away. Murder of a Womanizer, Psychologist in the play. Bring it on! Given my dear co-blogger's pile of “To-Read” books is overflowing, I dived to reading it.
Psychology professor Dr.Adam Millberg is found murdered in Cold Creek college's rec center. The usual suspects : Girlfriend (Plenty there), Ex-Wives ( again plenty : 4), colleagues and the students. The story follows the investigation of the murder narrated by Adam's Colleague Dr.Sherdian. Enter State police office Brett McMann who has been assigned to investigate. He takes Sherdian's help to crack the case and love blossoms between them (Well...okay! The case gets cracked).
There are multiple suspects ranging from Sherdian's colleagues Kim, Ali to various other staff and students in the college. Thanks to a fact that Adam was playboy and traps every other women with his charm. Our protagonist seems to be one amongst the handful women who didn't fall for his antics and kept him at arm's length. Thus she is chosen to “help” the cop out. Turns out Adam slept with a lot of women, took photos/videos of them in the act and blackmailed them. Not only did he simply blackmail, he kept ledgers of the blackmail.
Predictably, that turns out to be the motive for his murder. That's the ironical part of the book. Normally in a crime novel, the motive is elaborated then the murderer is found. But in this book, the murderer is “found” and the motive is later elaborated before the murderer is officially arrested.
The writer has done a rather good job of not revealing the suspects till almost mid way of the book. She kept me guessing till the very end. Initially the book seemed rather mysterious. It sort of lacked that suspense element in the start. But as the story line progressed so did the suspense element. The plot sort of peaked only when Sherdian's car gets vandalized. That is actually when the reader begins to really suspect whom the murderer might be.
There are strong influences of Nancy drew in Christa's writing. Though the story line is unique, for a seasoned Nancy Drew reader the similarities are hard to escape.
What I loved about the book: The writer clings on to that mystery and suspense element very well. The writing was clean sans that usual twisting redirection one finds in a mystery book
What could have been better: Way too many suspects and characters. Every other woman seem to have had an affair with Adam,

VERDICT: Definitely worth a read though it has the usual recepie for a crime novel

RATING: 3.8 on 5
( )

This Review was originally posted @ Readers' Muse

When the writer contacted us for the review, we sort of jumped into it right away. Murder of a Womanizer, Psychologist in the play. Bring it on! Given my dear co-blogger's pile of “To-Read” books is overflowing, I dived to reading it.
Psychology professor Dr.Adam Millberg is found murdered in Cold Creek college's rec center. The usual suspects : Girlfriend (Plenty there), Ex-Wives ( again plenty : 4), colleagues and the students. The story follows the investigation of the murder narrated by Adam's Colleague Dr.Sherdian. Enter State police office Brett McMann who has been assigned to investigate. He takes Sherdian's help to crack the case and love blossoms between them (Well...okay! The case gets cracked).
There are multiple suspects ranging from Sherdian's colleagues Kim, Ali to various other staff and students in the college. Thanks to a fact that Adam was playboy and traps every other women with his charm. Our protagonist seems to be one amongst the handful women who didn't fall for his antics and kept him at arm's length. Thus she is chosen to “help” the cop out. Turns out Adam slept with a lot of women, took photos/videos of them in the act and blackmailed them. Not only did he simply blackmail, he kept ledgers of the blackmail.
Predictably, that turns out to be the motive for his murder. That's the ironical part of the book. Normally in a crime novel, the motive is elaborated then the murderer is found. But in this book, the murderer is “found” and the motive is later elaborated before the murderer is officially arrested.
The writer has done a rather good job of not revealing the suspects till almost mid way of the book. She kept me guessing till the very end. Initially the book seemed rather mysterious. It sort of lacked that suspense element in the start. But as the story line progressed so did the suspense element. The plot sort of peaked only when Sherdian's car gets vandalized. That is actually when the reader begins to really suspect whom the murderer might be.
There are strong influences of Nancy drew in Christa's writing. Though the story line is unique, for a seasoned Nancy Drew reader the similarities are hard to escape.
What I loved about the book: The writer clings on to that mystery and suspense element very well. The writing was clean sans that usual twisting redirection one finds in a mystery book
What could have been better: Way too many suspects and characters. Every other woman seem to have had an affair with Adam,

VERDICT: Definitely worth a read though it has the usual recepie for a crime novel

RATING: 3.8 on 5
( )

4 STARS

I kept having to put back up and down for different reasons today and was able to get right back into the story. I did not like the murdered man Adam and just felt disgusted with him and a few other characters. I just felt mostly negative feelings towards the characters.

I was impressed with all the details or getting ready for school and subject for teaching. It came across like a lot of extra time put in the book. It made the Character of Sheridan Hendley come alive for me. The characters were mostly smart educated people.
I would like to see more of Sheridan and Detective McMann and friends.

The setting for this book is small town called Cold Creek, VA, A college town.

Sheridan is asked to work with Detective McMann and show him around and help him with the contacts he will need after the murder of a Professor.

Sheridan tries to make sense of the murder and because she is seen with the detective a lot people have been doing a lot of gossiping about them. She has been targeted by someone.

This is a smart read that rather than a emotional read for me. It is also a clean read.

I would like to read more from Christa Nardi in the future.

I was given this ebook to read so I could give a honest review and be part of its blog tour. ( )

This book started slow for me. There was a murder, obviously, right at the beginning but it seemed like nothing more really happened for the first 50% of the book. There were lots.. and lots.. and lots.. of details about the main character's day to day activities and the many members of her faculty. There was a light romance angle and after the first half of the book the mystery did pick up a bit. The story came together. There were many reasons and many people who could have committed the crime. I was strongly convinced I knew who had something to do with it because of things pointed out in the story by the main character, and it turned out I was right.The how and why came out at the very end, and it fit well.
I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )