Title: A Grand Murder
Catherine O’Brien Mystery Series #1
Author: Stacy Verdick Case
Genre: Mystery; Crime
Published: August 2011 – Before The Fall Books
About: (Goodreads synopsis) When a prominent local businessman and friend of the chief of police is murdered on the front steps of his posh Grand Avenue Hill home Catherine O’Brien a pithy, vertically challenged, St. Paul, Minnesota, homicide detective with a monstrous coffee habit and her partner Louise are given two days to find his killer.
They soon discover their victim had a list of people with motives to murder him, including his fashion designer ex-wife, his mistress’s husband, and the chief of police. The only evidence they have to go on is a missing cell phone, a stolen book, the victim’s letter opener, and an ugly pair of Alpaca wool mittens.
My take: This post is more my thoughts about the book than a true review. I liked Catherine. She’s very good at her job as a detective but is also quirky enough to be interesting. She loves her job and her husband but struggles to find a balance. She’s not as successful at attaining that balance as she is at catching murderers. Luckily, her husband loves her and understands that she loves her job.
That doesn’t tell you much about the murder mystery, does it? I’m never sure how much to share about a mystery. What I will say is that I was satisfied with how the case was solved. I wasn’t sure who the murderer was so I was kind of surprised – along with the detectives, I might add.
I really hope the personal lives of the main characters (Catherine, Gavin, and Louise) are explored a bit more in the books to follow. I’d like to see if Louise and the guy back at the station get together. And will Catherine survive vacation with her husband 🙂
Source: I bought it.
Bookfan 