It's Murder, My Son

A Mac Faraday Mystery

By: Lauren Carr

Narrated by: Mike Alger

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

“An exciting mystery with plenty of intriguing and enigmatic characters, It's Murder, My Son is not a read that should be missed for mystery fans.” (Midwest Book Reviews)

What started out as the worst day of Mac Faraday's life would end up being a new beginning. After a messy divorce hearing, the last person that Mac wanted to see was another lawyer. Yet, this lawyer wore the expression of a child bursting to tell his secret, which would reveal Mac as heir to undreamed of fortunes and lead him to the birthplace of America's Queen of Mystery and an investigation that will unfold like one of her famous mystery novels.

Soon after she moves to her new lakefront home in Spencer, Maryland, multi-millionaire Katrina Singleton learns that life in an exclusive community is not all good. For some unknown reason, a strange man calling himself “Pay Back” begins stalking her. When Katrina is found strangled, all evidence points to her terrorist, who is nowhere to be found.

Three months later, the file on her murder is still open with only vague speculations from the local police department when Mac Faraday, sole heir to his unknown birth mother's home and fortune, moves into the estate next door. Little does he know as he drives up to Spencer Manor that he is driving into a closed gate community that is hiding more suspicious deaths than his DC workload as a homicide detective. With the help of his late mother's journal, this retired cop puts all his detective skills to work to pick up where the local investigators have left off to follow the clues to Katrina's killer.

©2010 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2019 Terri Lynn Zaleski

very interesting

The first book in the series. I thought it was well written and well plotted

Where it all began

I had the pleasure of listening to and reviewing this book some years ago. And now it’s back with a new audiobook addition, this time narrated by Mike Alger (instead of Janean Jorgenson). It was so good to pick this book up again. The Mac Faraday mysteries are my favorites by Lauren Carr and I love this opening tale that introduces us to Mac, Gnarly, and Archie.

Mac Faraday receives the best news of his life on the toughest day he’s had yet. Just finalizing his messy divorce, he learns that his deceased birth mother who put him up for adoption has left him a fortune. Now Faraday has moved to Spencer Manor in an effort to connect with the mother he never knew. But murder lurks just around the corner and Mac puts his DC detective skills to use.

I’ve been listening to several Lauren Carr books recently and I love that they can be explored as stand alones. It was great to go back to Book 1 and see how things got started for Mac, how he met Archie, learned about his mom, and adopted Gnarly dog. While this isn’t my favorite book of the series, it’s a solid start to an entertaining murder mystery series.

Set in Spencer, Maryland, the Spencer Manor sits next to the lake in a gated community that harbors many secrets. Mac is new to wealth and he finds it takes some skills to navigate this new economic reality he’s landed in. It’s good that Archie is there to help him fit in. She was Robin Spencer’s assistant and lives in the guest cottage.

A few months before Mac moved in, a neighbor in the area was strangled to death. Katrina was a very charming woman who had a stalker. Of course, the husband Chad has to be cleared first but after 3 months, there are few clues to David (the local police officer) to continue on with the investigation.

I really enjoyed learning about David in this book. He’s Mac’s younger half-brother. The two have never met and it’s a bit awkward. Toss in David’s current problems with his boss, Chief of Police Roy Phillips, and David’s got a few reasons to be angry. Things get even more aggravating for the two experienced investigators when Phillips brings in his ‘expert’, a crime fiction author. Awkward, indeed!

Gnarly was the star of the show once again. He has his own insecurities and is something of a klepto. Mac has to learn about this the hard way and Archie does her best to keep Gnarly out of trouble. Of course, that all goes out the window when Gnarly turns up with a human skull. Good boy! Er… maybe not. Where did you get that? No! You can’t eat it! Here! Have my breakfast instead.

There are lots of characters in this novel and I sometimes had trouble keeping up with all of them. I think it could have been slimmed down a bit and the plot would have been less tangled. I also would have liked a bit more Archie. I feel she’s underutilized even though I know she comes into her own later in the series. Still, it’s an entertaining read and I’m glad I skipped back to this book to see how things got started for Mac. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Mike Alger is at his best as Mac Faraday. I don’t think I could picture any other voice for Mac. Over all, this is one of his better performances. I like his voice for David as he does a great job of making him sound related to Mac but also younger. His voice for Archie is also well done. The pacing is perfect & there’s no issues with the technical recording. If anything, Alger could have a little more variation in voices. 4.5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

You will be hooked on this series

The book that began it all! I have read and listened to other books and spin-offs in this series so I was excited to get back to where and how it all began. By now I know a few of the secrets and am fond of the main characters. Audio book narrator Mike Alger does a fantastic job of distinguishing voices. It is a joy to listen to him. I tend to sit in the car after I have arrived at my destination just to listen a bit longer.
Homicide detective Mac Faraday is about to have his world knocked off its axis. He just went through a messy divorce and was ready to file for bankruptcy. He knew he was adopted, but was unprepared to discover who his birth mother was. He is about to find out almost more than he can handle.
Oh - and I might mention he inherits a fortune and a community. What a community!

That does not change Mac's natural inclination to solve mysteries, specifically murder. Along with discovering his heritage, he is determined to solve a cold case in which his newly acquired half brother is a targeted suspect.

I had to laugh when everyone is calling Mac Mick, and there are times when he slips up and can't keep his own name straight. Of course Gnarly is also a source of entertainment. I appreciated getting to know more about his background.

An intense crime novel with lighter moments and a nice pace to keep readers on their toes.
Once you discover this series you have to continue and will become attached to the players. This series has something for everyone.

Try this book!

Wow, lots of twists and turns, with great narration. Payback. It can be a heck of a problem. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

I just love Lauren Carr and her books

This is my third audiobook by Lauren Carr and it won't be my last, and not just because I am reviewing another book by her next week. In fact, since I am reviewing The Mac Faraday series book #1 and book #13, I'm going to have to read books 2-12. I just have so many questions, but for now, I will focus on the first book in this series, It's Murder My Son.

Here, we have a mystery series that begins in an extremely unlikely place. A police detective who retires because he learns he has inherited a massive fortune from his late mother, whom he never knew. As Mac begins to adjust to his new life, with a new dog, he finds he also has a new roommate and a mystery to solve.

This kind of mystery is different from the pulse pounding, gripping suspense novels that I am used to. Here we have a very funny, character driven mystery with a true whodunit plot twist. Mac Faraday was likable from the jump and easily became a hero we could root for. The other characters add so much nuance to the story that I reminded of Lauren Carr's other books and her ability to write a complete cast so well.

It must be mentioned, as I have in my other reviews, how much I like the dogs in these books. They are so extraordinary, with different facets to their personalities. They propel the story forward in a humorous way. At times, I even found myself yelling, "Just listen to the dog!" Which is really dumb, because if my dog was digging a hole, I probably wouldn't think he was being more than just a nuisance. I definitely wouldn't think he was finding solving unsolvable mysteries.

In conclusion, I just love Lauren Carr and her books, but I particularly loved this series. With a hint of romance, and a tough puzzle to solve, this is perfect rainy day couch reading.

Awesome Listen!

It's Murder, My Son by Lauren Carr is awesome! I loved the meeting of Mac Faraday with Archie and Gnarly. It was wonderful getting the back story on these favorite characters of mine. I had previously listened to a prior recording of this book, and I must say that Mike Alger has done a fantastic job bringing the characters to life in this book. He gives distinguished voices for the various characters. I loved the imagery in this book too. I can envision so much. There are unexpected twists, some great humor, well developed characters, a complex plot, and a surprise killer. I love it when I do not have the killer figured out. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator. This book is the first of the series and is a standalone listen. I loved it!

It's Murder, My Son

It’s Murder, My Son begins Mac Faraday Mysteries series by Lauren Carr. Readers are introduced to former homicide investigator, Mac Faraday. While trying to get by following a difficult and messy divorce, he discovers that his birth mother is a famous author, Robin Spencer. She passes away and leaves her fortune and home in Spencer to him. When he arrives in town to claim his inheritance, Mac finds out about the horrific, tragic and unsolved murder of Katrina Singleton, a wealthy woman of Spencer. With this revelation, he starts to put his detective skills to work. He teams up with other locals and a German shepherd named Gnarly to investigate the happenings of the town. What will they find out and will they solve the mystery before it is too late?
It’s Murder, My Son is a fun and entertaining suspenseful read. I love getting to know Mac Faraday and learning his background story. Of course, my favorite character has to be Gnarly. There is nothing like reading book with a spunky canine being part of the plot. I love the twists and turns involved that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was continually wondering what would happen next.
It’s Murder, My Son is getting a well deserved five plus stars from me. I am hooked on Miss Carr’s writing. I can not wait to get my hands on the other books in Mac Faraday Mysteries series. I look forward to find out what else Mac and Gnarly gets themselves into.
Great book!
I received the audio version of this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

An Wonderful Start to An Amazing Series

Mac Faraday has just hit rock bottom as he comes out of his divorce hearing. But things are looking up. It seems that he is the son of America’s Queen of Mystery, Robin Spencer and he has inherited her fortune. Mac retires to his new home in Spencer, Maryland but finds this his new neighborhood has a murder in it and he just has to stick his nose into the case to help out.

Katrina Singleton is rich and single. She made her living in movies and has now found that staying young looking is harder than she thought. Then someone calling themselves Pay Back starts stalking her. Could it be her ex that took off? What about the local author that seems to think he is the cat’s meow?

I have loved the Mac Faraday series since I started reading a while ago. When I had an opportunity to see how everything started I just had to jump at the offer. Mac may have just gotten the break of a lifetime with his inheritance, even if you consider Gnarly part of that inheritance, but he is still a cop at heart and can’t let the murder of Karina Singleton go unsolved.

I love the introduction to everyone and connecting the current to the beginning. Of course you have an amazing mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the end. This is a great series that you can skip around in but what better way to enjoy it than to read it in order. I also have to say that Mike Alger is the voice of Mac Faraday. He is an amazing narrator!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

Done Well

We meet Mac Faraday for the first time. He does from a divorcee to being rich in a matter of a few days or weeks. He is caught to be told he had inherent the Spencer manor at Spencer point. What a change from living in middle class.

Once he arrives, there been a murder for him to solve and he meets his neighbors and half brother. What a mystery of a neighbor and he end up with owning the dog. The author does a wonderful job of introducing us to the main characters.

This case seem to be break open once Mac shows up and what up with the police chief? He seem like he trying to keep the murders a secrets and what ever happen to him? There seems to be quite a few murders on the lose?

It seems his mother, Robyn try to help by giving her son a journal. Want to guess who comes with the house? I think this is planned by his mother a bit. Who to know for sure.

Amazing book

Another great book by Ms. Carr. I couldn’t put the book down. This lady is a great writer. Can’t wait for the next book.