Thursday , March 28 2024
The secrets of the past can often intrude on the present in unexpected ways.

Book Review: ‘Real Murder, A Lovers in Crime Mystery’ by Lauren Carr

Real murderEven in small towns there is a possibility of sinister evil, where the secrets of the past can turn even the most unlikely foe into a killer. Yet it is also true about small towns that dark secrets are often more difficult to extricate from gossip in an effort to reach the truth.

In Real Murder, A Lovers in Crime Mystery by Lauren Carr, we follow the exploits of Detective Cameron Gates. When she meets an irascible elderly lady she is fascinated by her stories. Yet her new friend, Dolly is labeled as senile and delusional. Dolly has been trying to get someone to help her investigate the murder of one of her girls. Yet as Cameron tries to decipher this story, she realizes that Dolly had never had children and understands the cautions from her friends.

In the meantime, Prosecutor Joshua Thornton is looking for answers to the disappearance of a close personal friend of his from long ago. The last to ever see him, Joshua is feeling like there is something important that must come to light. His friend is not just another missing person; he was a new sheriff deputy investigating the murder of a local prostitute on his own when he disappeared.

When Cameron’s friend, the elderly Dolly, is murdered, she struggles to make sense of things. Why would anyone murder such a sweet old lady? Yet when a cruiser is found in the bottom of a lake, and the body of Joshua’s friend comes to light, only these two, Cameron and Joshua, can find the tie that twists the two deaths together.

This is a fun and amazing journey into the past and into the mindset of a killer. Carr’s unerring description of character is spot on, and you grow to understand and have feelings for them as though they are quite real. The ability to create such realism has you unable to put down the story until its final page. Yet you will find yourself looking for more, missing the action and camaraderie, and hating on those who are responsible for the death of such wonderful personalities. The realism makes it personal, and that is a difficult chore for some writers.

If you love mystery and history and the interesting characters of small towns, you will be intrigued by this work. The oeuvre just keeps getting better. Carr has a particular way with infusing loving and trusting personalities into her character’s making them friends instead of just cardboard cutouts.

This would be a great book for a reading club or discussion group. The interest in reducing rumors into truths could add a great deal of spice to any meeting.

[amazon template=iframe image&asin=B00KMMQT6K]

About Leslie Wright

Leslie Wright is an author and blogger in the Northwest.

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