Giveaway of Priced To Kill

 

Thanks for stopping by for the chance to win a copy of Catherine Bruns’ new release PRICED TO KILL.  Catherine has graciously agreed to give away two copies of her book.  Be sure to read my review of this awesome book, too.  To be entered to win, you must leave a comment on this blog (not my Facebook page).  The winners will be randomly chosen tonight between 8PM to 9PM .  Be sure to leave an email address so I can reach the lucky winners.    For anyone who is so inclined, become a follower of my blog.  That’d be great.  Thanks for stopping by and good luck.

 

Priced To Kill

Cindy York series, Book #2

Catherine Bruns

5 Stars

Synopsis:

Some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried forever.

Real estate agent and super sleuth, Cindy York, has always been haunted by thoughts of her childhood friend, Paul Steadman, who committed suicide 25 years ago. A high school reunion and the prospective sale of his former home—where Cindy was the one to discover his lifeless body—bring the memories back in full force. New boss and best friend, Jacques Forte, pleads with her to accept the listing as their agency is going through some rough financial times.

But Cindy gets more than she negotiated for when new information comes to light that convinces her Paul’s death was anything but self-inflicted. Vowing justice for her friend, Cindy’s meddling only leads to further complications with the Steadman family as she quickly uncovers hot details to a very cold case. Cindy needs to close the deal and find a killer—before she too winds up six feet under! (Goodreads)

Review:

Cindy York never got over the suicide of her best friend twenty five years ago.  She cannot understand why Paul took his own life back when they were in high school.  It did not make sense then and it still does not make sense now.  When she is invited to her high school reunion at his house, she does not think she can go.  But when Paul’s brother, who now owns the mansion and is hosting the reunion, asks her to sell it, she has no choice but to go back to the scene of the suicide.   Her boss, the owner of the real estate agency that she works for, and who happens to be her new best friend, begs her to show the house. When she goes to the reunion, she uncovers new information that leads her to believe that Paul did not take his own life, but was murdered.  She owes it to Paul to prove this theory and uncover the killer.  

I really enjoyed the fact that the protagonist is older and more mature.  In many of the cozies I read, the heroine is younger and in many instances, single.  Cindy is older, married and has three children, one of which is teenager.  I thought this was a nice change of pace and I really enjoyed it.  She did not just do things without thinking of the consequences and did not take unnecessary chances.  It gave a different perspective on her actions and made her more relatable to me.  

Another thing that was different about this cozy was the fact that there was not a new dead body found by Cindy.  Instead, she begins to look into the apparent suicide of her best friend from twenty five years ago.  I found it refreshing that the protagonist did not stumble upon a dead body and become an immediate suspect.  How many times have you found a dead body during the course of your day?  Me either.  This was a refreshing change to the cozy formula.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The author is very talented in descriptive writing and much of the time I was reading, I felt like I was right there, watching the activities taking place.  The mystery was well plotted and had enough suspects and twists and turns to make it difficult to figure out who the killer was.  This book combined plenty humor, suspense, tension and heartache and they author blended them all perfectly.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  This is the first book I have read by this author, but I plan to read her other books as well.  I am sure they are as well written as this one is, and I know I am in for a treat.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review.  My honest opinion is that this is a great book and you will enjoy it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Priced-Kill-Cindy-York-Mysteries/dp/1530946794/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461034688&sr=8-1&keywords=priced+to+kill