Old Loves Die Hard

A Mac Faraday Mystery

By: Lauren Carr

Narrated by: James C. Lewis

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

Old loves die hard...and in the worst places.

In Old Loves Die Hard, Lauren Carr continues the rags-to-riches story of Mac Faraday, an underpaid homicide detective who inherits 270 million dollars and an estate on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, from his birth mother on the day his divorce becomes final.

Mac is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up-and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac's private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors.

The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac's murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife's lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac's old cases?

With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn's reputation, before its five-stars - and more bodies - start dropping!

©2016 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2016 Terri Lynn Zaleski

Lauren Carr is amazing

Lauren Carr is becoming one of my favorites. Her writing is well rounded. The characters have back stories, there is humor, and there is suspense. You will want to jump right into the next book wen you finish this one!

Awesome listening time

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK

I have read a few of Lauren Carr’s book and I love them! Eventually I will review them all! Old Love’s Die Hard is book two in this series, and another awesome book from Carr, and I enjoyed seeing Mac Faraday in a twisted case to take on. But this time it involves Faraday himself, when his wife shows up and she and her lover are found murdered in his personal Suite. Now that’s one for the books. How will Faraday get out of this one? 

I loved following this story, with its many ups and downs and the many twists and turns as the story unfolds. Carr creates the best characters that really grow on you as you keep reading. I love that this is a series, because I get to read about some of the same characters in several books! But I have to say my favorite character is Gnarly, Mac’s Dog. I love this K-9 and love following his journey as he stays right with his owner. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll stop here. And I’ll tell you, if you love a good cozy murder mystery, this is an awesome choice for you.

I review the audio version of Old Loves Die Hard and enjoyed it so much. Jim C. Lewis does such a fantastic job reading this book. His voice is smooth and just the voice you want to listen to for the hours it takes to read a book. If you enjoy listening to books instead of reading them, this is the one you want to listen to.

I do want to say, you might want to check out the first book in A Mac Faraday Mystery, It’s Murder My Son. But either way, these books can be read as a stand alone too! 

A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Murder makes a call when Mac's ex visits

Old Loves Die Hard
A Mac Faraday Mystery #2
By Lauren Carr

Mac Faraday's life is about to get a whole lot more complicated when his ex-wife "drops in" on his new life. Just over a year ago, his wife left him for the promise of a better life, one that had more money attached to it. And on the day his divorce from Christine was finalized, Mac inherited millions from his biological mother. And now she's back seeking a second chance. But Mac has moved on, and instead of inviting Christine back into his life, he puts her up for the night at the Spencer Inn. And now he is about to become suspect number one in her suspicious death and the murder of the man she left him for.

As Mac, Archie Monday, and the Spencer police force seek answers, more bodies start turning up. And there is an interesting and unexplained link to several past murder cases. And someone seems determined to keep Mac from discovering the answers he seeks, and they are more than willing to permanently silence his questions.

Now I enjoyed this book in the audio format, which was narrated by James C. Lewis. I found the narration to be well done, though I did play it back 1.4 times its normal playback speed. I listened to it at the pace I would have been reading it in print. At the default speed, this book comes in at less than 8 hours of listening - perfect for a week of commuting, exercise, or chores.

I do have to admit Gnarly is my favorite character - I just love all the antics and trouble he gets into. I mean, who wouldn't want to inherit a German Shepherd with a knack for committing crimes on a regular basis? And a dishonorable discharge in his past? Gnarly is a unique and memorable character who, in my opinion, makes the series what it is.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion, all thoughts expressed are my own.

A great cozy mystery

I read one of the later books in this series in 2020 and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to be accepted on this group of book tours. I really love the author's writing style, and I was excited to jump back into this universe.

Mac Faraday is one of the few enjoyable detective leads I've read. Starting back this early into the series made me like him even more actually. It really showed how much he's grown as a character from the beginning of the series.

Lauren Carr writes great cozy mysteries that I highly recommend!

I received a gifted copy of this book via iRead Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

great

OLD LOVES DIE HARD by Lauren Carr was the second book in the A Mac Faraday Mystery series. I have to say I have certainly jumped around a lot in the series and read a lot of it out of order, so I was really glad to get the chance to go back to the start of the series and get to learn a bit more about the start of this rags-to-riches story of Mac Faraday. I liked the inclusion of the old cases and the mystery of his ex-wife's death. I enjoyed the narration of the audiobook as well as the narrated really nailed all the voices!

Another great read

Love this series, love the characters, especially Gnarly, but I also like the other characters

Great second book in series

I liked this book but wanted the back story from book one in the series. Since its not available in audio format I bought the kindle version for a big whopping $.99. Best dollar investment I could ask for. Since I prefer audio I used the text to voice feature on my Kindle. Sure makes me appreciate all of the wonderful narrators available through Audible!

I hope the rest of the series is as enjoyable as the first two books.

Great Mystery

If you could sum up Old Loves Die Hard in three words, what would they be?

Complicated, Fun, Well Developed

What other book might you compare Old Loves Die Hard to and why?

Most of Lauren Carr's mysteries are very similar in style.

Which character – as performed by James C. Lewis – was your favorite?

I didn't feel that I connected with any of the characters in particular as performed by this narrator.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I really enjoy the character conversations. I don't think there was any one point that stands out in my mind as moving--but, I find myself myself smiling and feeling at ease with Carr's characters throughout the book.

Fun mystery - twists & turns keep you guessing!

Mac Faraday is a retired homicide detective who is trying to get accustomed to the estate, Inn and wealth that he inherited from his natural mother. The estate comes with his mother’s research and computer assistant, a beautiful young woman, Archie, and an unruly German Shepard, Gnarly. The two (Mac and Archie more than Mac and Gnarly) have a budding relationship which they are just about to explore when Mac’s inebriated ex-wife, Christine, shows up at the door wanting him back.

Mac takes Christine off to the Spenser Inn to sleep out the night. Before the next morning rolls around Christine and her ex-lover, the man she left Mac for, are found murdered. Mac would make a great suspect since his only alibi for the remainder of the night is Gnarly. Mac’s half-brother (and best friend) happens to be the local police chief. David must interrogate Mac but once he rules him out as a suspect, they tackle the investigation together. After all, the dead man had a handful of files form Mac's old cases with him and a list of names that is a mystery.

I enjoyed the hassle and craziness provided by Mac’s ex-sisters-in-law and a law colleague and wife of the estranged lover and a Judge, all of whom show up wanted something from the deceased’s possessions. They add color to the investigation as David and Mac try to locate the mysterious woman who was caught on camera entering the suite but never leaving.

The story moves along well with humor, action and intrigue. The romance is on a slow simmer while Mac copes with his children and the loss of his ex. It is nicely handled. This is the third book I have listened to from this author. I recommend Ms. Carr for easy, fun cozy mysteries.

Audio Notes: James C. Lewis does a decent job with the narration. He does not necessarily try to create a voice for each character but he still conveys the nature of the personalities. I’m sure these mysteries would read well in print/ebook but I really enjoy the ability to listen to them in audio.

I received the audiobook for tour review.

It's great to return to Mac Faraday

Note: Even though this is Book 2 in the series, it works fine as a stand alone novel.

Set in Maryland, Mac Faraday is looking forward to a nice companionable evening with his neighbor Archie and his dog Gnarly when his ex-wife Christine unexpectedly shows up. She wants to reconcile but Mac isn’t even going to consider it. Making sure she’s safely ensconced at the nearby resort for the night, he plans to have a final conversation with her the next morning when she’s sober. However, she and the man that wrecked their marriage, Stephen, are both found dead at the resort. The plot thickens when Stephen’s room is searched and old case files that concern Mac are discovered.

It was nice to return to Mac Faraday’s neck of the woods. I have previously enjoyed Book 5, The Murders at Astaire Castle. Here, I get to know more about Mac’s origins. He’s a retired homicide detective who unexpectedly inherited a fortune from his birth mother. He’s also got a half-brother (David), the large mansion he now resides in, and the local resort. With no day job, the mystery of his ex-wife’s murder becomes the focus of his keen wit and all his energy.

As with every Lauren Carr novel I have experienced, this mystery has layers, some of which go back decades. For some reason Stephen was looking into old case files, several of which were tied to Mac in some way. The Chief of Police (David) has to take a hard look at Mac before he can be cleared in the murders, and their blood relationship ruffles some people’s feathers. Now I did find it a little too convenient that David was OK with Mac investigating the murders. Even with him cleared, he still has a stake in the outcome of the investigation. While it makes for great drama having Mac run around asking tough questions and discovering clues, I did have to work hard to suspend my disbelief on this point.

Archie is a wonder with modern electronics and worked closely with Mac’s birth mother (a famous mystery writer) for over a decade before she passed away. She’s become friends with Mac and there’s potentially a romance building between the two. While I do like her character, the author doesn’t really do much with her. Christine, who dies pretty early on, has more influence on the story than Archie does.

There’s this one side character who is of South American decent and works as a maid. The plot felt a little weak when Christine’s sisters immediately equated this person to a South American maid they had years ago. How many documented and undocumented South American women work as maids in the US? Too many to count. So I did feel that it was a really big leap for everyone to assume this maid was the same one who worked for the sisters in the past. While this leap did move the plot forward, it could have been done much better.

Otis the squirrel added some perfect comedic relief. I also liked Gnarly’s klepto behavior, not that I want to encourage it. Still, it was funny how he was so picky about what dog chew he stole from the store.

The answer to the big mystery wasn’t what I was expecting. I liked the surprise, but I felt the execution was a little far-fetched. I wanted a bit more build up or a few more details – something to help me buy into it. Even with that, I found the over all story to be engaging and entertaining. I really like Mac’s character.

I received a free copy of this book via iRead Book Tours.

The Narration: James C. Lewis makes a really good Mac Faraday. He sounds like a retired cop. I also liked how he managed to make David, Mac’s half-brother, sound related. His female voices could use more femininity but each character was distinct.

A new love

I loved this book. What's not to love when a dog nearly gets arrested for shop lifting? It's that kind of story and the mystery is pretty good too. I did get slightly confused with so many suspects, motives and dead bodies but once things started to get pieced together it became a real who done it with plenty of twists. The author knows how to entertain the listener/reader and keep them hooked with a mystery that keeps you guessing, humour that will keep you laughing out loud, mischievous animals that you just have to love and wonderful characters that feel like old friends. This is the type of book, actually the whole series has proven to be, that you want to get to the end to find out what happens but at the same time you don't want to reach the end. Off to start the next book.
When the woman he used to call his wife turns up on his doorstep drunk, the only thing Mac can do (other than slamming the door in her face) is check her into the inn he inherited from his mother just hours after the divorce was finalised. The problem is the man she dumped Mac for and who also dumped her when he got bored is staying there too. Sparks fly and Mac has his hands full trying to stop her from killing him in a very public fight. Unfortunately by the morning both of them are found dead in Mac's private suite and it is only the fact that his step brother, David, is the detective in charge that Mac isn't arrested. Can Mac prove he had no reason to kill either of them? The more he investigates the murder to clear his name, the more he has to wonder who the main target was. Evidence leads to some surprise secrets and past cases that will put his and the people he loves in danger.
I liked the narrator. He used different voice for each of the many characters, helping to make it easier to follow.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A satisfying mystery

I have enjoyed spending several hours over the past week walking around my town even though I have actually been thousands of miles away in my head. It's what I love most about listening to a good audiobook - exercise without realising it! Old Loves Die Hard is the second in Lauren Carr's Mac Faraday mysteries series, but I was able to fully enjoy the story without having read the first instalment because concise recaps fill in the gaps. Mac is now ridiculously rich after an unexpected inheritance, but still wants to spend his life solving local crime of which there is rather a lot in Spencer.

Carr introduces us to a large cast and, although she has a good eye for characters, I wasn't always immediately able to remember who was who in the early chapters. I thought that James Lewis did a good job of the narration though which helped immensely. His creation of numerous different voices meant that, once the book was underway, I could often tell who was speaking without being told. I was surprised by how much Mac and Archie were able to be involved in the police case despite being civilians themselves. Enough money opens many doors! In this aspect I was reminded of vintage British mysteries such as Agatha Christie novels where amateur sleuths tend to be the most adept. Carr's emphasis on the affluence and old money of the Washington communities also helped reinforce this vibe.

The mystery itself is intricately plotted and ultimately satisfying to unravel. A good level of concentration is needed throughout the story and I think I did miss some of the clues. I had worked out some elements but not others so felt both pleased with myself and surprised at the end.