Dying to Read: Christian Mystery book review

    Lorena McCourtney has published forty novels. Two of her novels, Invisible and On the Run, have received Daphne du Maurier Awards of Excellence. Two of her earlier novels, Forgotten and Whirlpool, were RITA finalists. She and her husband Jim live in southern Oregon.

You'll find a book excerpt and a book club guide
toward the bottom of this book review!

Book Summary:

    Lorena McCourtney has spun a fast-paced and witty romantic mystery in her new book, Dying to Read.  From the very first chapter, she grabs your attention and keeps you hooked until the very end:

   All she wanted was a paycheck. What she got was a murder.

    Cate Kinkaid's life is . . . well, frankly, it's floundering. Her social life, her career, her haircut--they're all a mess. Unemployed, she jumps at the chance to work for her PI uncle, even though she has no experience and no instincts. After all, she is just dabbling in the world of private investigating until she can find a "real" job.

    All she has to do for her first assignment is determine that a particular woman lives at a particular address. Simple, right? But when she reaches the dark Victorian house, she runs into a hungry horde of gray-haired mystery readers and a dead body. This routine PI job is turning out to be anything but simple. Is Cate in over her head?

Julieanne's Review:

    I had an extremely busy week with the girls and their exhibits and contests at our local county fair, and then we had over 30 people at our home to visit some out-of-country guests on Sunday afternoon.  Needless to say, by the time Monday morning rolled around, I was exhausted.  I hadn't planned on reading Dying to Read in one day, but I was not feeling well most of the day and needed to sit down and rest. 

    At first, I wasn't really excited about Dying to Read.  It wasn't boring, but it was a mystery, and I don't read a lot of mysteries.  As well, this book had comedy and a slight bit of romance woven through it as well, and the level of words and paragraphs isn't quite like I'm used to (a bit deeper in content is more what I prefer...but not too deep!).  Most of the characters were telling lies throughout the book, so as I got deeper into the story, it became fun to figure out who was telling the truth - and who wasn't.  By the time I finished reading Dying to Read, I had a good laugh or two, figured out some of the "whodunit" before the last page, and just all in all enjoyed reading this book.  It is light reading, but fun!  And while there are a few romantic threads woven in the book, I love how the author, Lorena McCourtney, chose to leave it with a kiss on the cheek, a hug, and maybe one other quick kiss, and not cross the line into inappropriate romantic details.  Well done!  And a fun read!

An excerpt from Dying to Read:

Book Club Discussion Guide:

Dying to Read  is available August 2012 at your favorite bookseller - from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Julieanne
Joy In Our Journey.com

I received one paperback copy of Dying to Read in exchange for my honest review of this book.  No other compensation was provided. 

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