Real Murder

A Lovers in Crime Mystery, Book 2

De: Lauren Carr

Narrado por: Mike Alger

When Homicide Detective Cameron Gates befriends Dolly, the little old lady who lives across the street, she is warned not to get lured into helping the elderly woman by investigating the unsolved murder of one of her girls. "She's senile," Cameron is warned. "It's not a real murder."

Such is not the case. After Dolly is brutally murdered, Cameron discovers that the sweet blue-haired lady's "girl" was a call girl who had been killed in a mysterious double homicide.

Meanwhile, Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton is looking for answers to the murder of a childhood friend, a sheriff deputy whose cruiser is found at the bottom of a lake. The deputy had disappeared almost 20 years ago while privately investigating the murder of a local prostitute.

It doesn't take long for the Lovers in Crime to put their cases together to reveal a long-kept secret that some believe is worth killing to keep undercover.

©2014 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2017 Terri Lynn Zaleski

Awesome Book!

I love how Cameron and Joshua interact in this book. This book has humor, great characters, mystery, multiple crimes, and unexpected twists. I really enjoyed the character of Dolly in this book too! I find that Lauren Carr writes awesome police procedurals, if all of the crime shows are anything to go by. I love the banter in the books, the thought process for solving the case and tying details together. Mike Alger did a great performance too. He adds to the enjoyment.

murder mystery perfection

My Thoughts…

So, I’ve been lucky enough to get the chance to review this entire series even though it began years ago. It’s particularly exciting because I don’t have to wait years to read each sequel. It’s a lot like Netflix through my audiobooks, I get to binge listen. Listening in this way makes remember the details from book to book much easier.

This installment was very interesting in its construction. There are multiple murders inside this storyline spanning decades, showing the cultural differences years can make in solving a crime. When a prostitute and her client are murdered in a brothel, the police barely attempt to solve the crime because no one interested in justice for these victims. In the present day, however, the victims jobs and recreations are of less concern than a killer running free.

The way in which these murders are woven into the lives of our lead characters is intricate and well thought out. Bringing in some of the drama from the previous novel, Joshua and Cameron continue their teamwork to solve a very personal crime to Josh. Luckily, there skill and relationship seem up to the challenge.

I love the personal touches Lauren Carr always puts into her work. The bright and colorful animal characters bring heart into any situation. She loves to use food to anchor time and events, which is exactly what most people do. We gather around food and use it to comfort and support each other. In this particular series, an ice cream sundae is the star, and each time it is talked about, I’m jealous that I can’t get one in real life.

Conclusion

If you enjoy mystery or crime novels, you should be reading Lauren Carr. She’s a great writer, with good stories and even better characters.

*Special thanks to Lauren Carr, Acorn Book Services, and iRead Book Tours for a copy of Real Murder in exchange for an honest review.

Great Listen

Real Murder (A Lovers in Crime Mystery #2) by Lauren Carr was just as great of a read as Dead on Ice! The series continues to follow Homicide Detective Cameron Gates and Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton. I felt like I connected with Cameron more in this book as I felt like she had more passion behind her desire to solve the case with how the old lady she formed a friendship with ended up dead and "her girl" ended up being a real person that was murdered. The story was riveting and the author did a great job of keeping the story to a fast pace without causing me to miss out on any details!

Irving the skunk cat is my hero

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

I’ve read a lot of Lauren Carr books, but this one was one of my favorites. I love the humor and trust between the couples and family members. Cameron is an awesome female character. She stands well on her own but I also like that her man, the sexy grey fox Joshua Thornton, is willing to pamper her a bit as she recovers from a concussion. Cookies always help.

Murders occurring over the span of three generations provide the background for this story. I really loved the old, fancy whore house aspect. The main characters, Cameron and Joshua, are great about sticking to the facts and not coloring the old murders with their ideas about prostitution. The prostitutes were treated like real people in this story, even if they had minor roles. And Dolly made me laugh out loud more than once. So funny!

I know that I mentioned in the past that I thought it was silly that Cameron’s cat got to ride around with her at work (in her cop car), but I really like this cat. He’s colored like a skunk and a large Maine Coon cat on top of that, so plenty of people are a little afraid of him when they first see him. I would love to spend an adventure traipsing around with Irving.

Joshua and Cameron have more than murder on their minds. They were recently married (second marriage for both of them) and Joshua’s adult children had a little problem with them not having a standard wedding. But I loved that Joshua’s adult daughter had a secret of her own when it comes to relationships – ha! Joshua had to grow up a little and realize his kids are adults (and his youngest son is quickly becoming an adult).

The murders were well laid out and then wended together. Since I’m well familiar with Carr’s works, I knew right away that these multiple murders would come together into one large mystery but I don’t want to spoil things for others so I won’t give details. The one that surprised me was the young man in water with his car. On the surface, it had some similarities to the missing officer, but the truth behind it were surprising.

The action is well spaced out with plenty of humor and character growth. I was never bored and I didn’t want to put it down even though I really needed sleep. 5/5 stars.

The Narration: Mike Alger gave a really good performance on this book. Sometimes I find his female voices lacking or a little cartoony, but he really provided a quality narration for this book. I love the way Joshua talks to Irving (the cat who is a little territorial about his woman, Cameron). And I love how Joshua’s son sounds a little like him but also manages to consistently sound younger. Alger’s voice for old Dolly was great, especially when she was telling some little naughty joke. There were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

It a TearJerker

There a murder or murders that no one want to unsolved. It seem that their a killer that has yet to be answered. It all starts with the discovery of the missing sheriff deputy Mike Gardner and his cruiser in the lake.

There are more mysteries to solve and it all get started once Joshua and Cameron some what gets involved. Joshua on the case with his case and Cameron deals with a case that involes a sweet old lady that is her neighbor and named Dolly. Cameron wants to find closer or answers for a mother that lost her son.

Who killed Ava Tucker and her young man? Are they all connected or not? Why was Mike looking into a local hooker murder and is it a family secret that got him killed? Hunter seem like he want to find his fathers killer. You will be surprised at how it ends.

Laura does a remarkable job of bring her characters to life. You feel the their love for each other. Tracey seem to have found her love in Hunter Gardner. Will they marry and have a happy life together. We see how Cameron and Joshua deals with their marriage issues and their love for each other as well. They seem to work well together.

If you are a mystery fan or murder fan. Then you are missing out on these author books. Lauren Carr books are must read books. She will have you leave satisfied but hungry for more. This book was no different. I love how they are all intertwined.