Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed. Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer. Before long, the case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 424 pages (Paperback)
Source: Review Copy
Publication Date: July 20th 2015 by Acorn Book Services
Genre: Mystery
Series: A Thorny Rose Mystery
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audiobook
I've been meaning to read Lauren Carr for years, I remember when I first started blogging and everyone was reading her books and I had every intention of trying her sooner...but well..you guys probably know what happened. My little to read pile took on a life of its own and a lot of books got pushed down on my list.
Do not let the purple cover lull you into a false sense of security. This is not your grandma's cozy mystery. Kill and Run is the first in a surprisingly dark and sexy mystery/thriller series. I was one of those people who took one look at the cover and thought I knew what I was getting into but ended up being pleasantly surprised!
I enjoyed that Kill and Run was not just my first venture into Carr's writing but also Murphy (the male lead's) first case as well and what a case to have. Five dead women seemingly unconnected at first but as he pulls the threads of their lives finds a connection that's closer to home than he'd like and with a little help from his new bride Jessica Faraday things become very clear to him that nothing is as it seems.
There were lots of plot twists and turn in this one and just when I thought I knew what was going on with the murderer and the characters, the author switched things around on me and I loved it! The characters were great and there was more than just brutal murders to keep me interested in the story. The two main characters Murphy and Jessica were great together. They played off each other well and they sounded like a real married couple to me. I love how they bickered together but boy the steam coming off them sometimes made it hard to read! Plus there were a lot of laughs (and a lot of animals) to off set the darker undertones of the series as well.
Overall, this one surprised me a lot in a great ways. The writing is great, face paced and both the characters and the plot had substance. I didn't find either lacking and I'm super stoked that the author lived up to my expectations. I'm only sorry that I haven't tried Lauren Carr's books sooner. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a murder mystery with an edge. Not sure I would call this a thriller but it's definitely very edgy and isn't one that I'd miss.
AUTHOR BIO:
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
GIVEAWAY:
