The Book Club Murders: The Oakwood Book Club Mystery Series

The Book Club Murders by Leslie Nagel is the debut novel in The Oakwood Mystery series. Charlotte “Charley” Carpenter owns Old Hat Vintage Fashions in Oakwood, Ohio (wonderful state). Charley is joining the Agathas Book Club to garner more customers (a higher end clientele) for her shop. But Charley does not enjoy the ladies in the group or their endless gossip. It seems someone else shares Charley’s opinion. Serena Wyndham is found on a mattress under a bridge. The killer staged the scene, but why? Charley is curious about the murder and does some snooping around. Then a second victim, Lisa Summerfield is found. She is also from the Agathas and her murder is reminiscent of a book the club read recently. Whoever is murdering these women knows the Agathas Book Club members and the books on their reading list. What does the killer have against the Agathas? Charley is determined to get answers and make sure the culprit pays for his crimes. The Book Club Murders is easy to read and has a nice small town setting. I had high hopes for this book (a mystery about mysteries), but I was not entertained. The Book Club Murders, unlike regular cozy mysteries, contains foul language and sex (neither of which are needed). Ms. Nagel overplayed the sexual attraction between Detective Marcus Trenault and Charley (steamy, sizzling). It was over-the-top and annoying. I wrote down “We get it. She dislikes Marc but is attracted to him.” This book was turning into a “bodice ripper”. An example is “attraction burned as bright as ever” (cliché and not the only one in book). The first murder occurs in chapter one which makes for a long book. I wish authors would lead into the murder. If it happens too early in the book, the readers quickly loses interest (and skips to the end to see if they correctly identified the killer). The author is a descriptive writer and provides minute detail on what seems like every little thing. Charley was not a likeable character. She is extremely nosy, determined, and has attitude issues. It is Charley’s way and get out of the way if you do not approve. I give The Book Club Murders 2.5 out of 5 stars (I did not like it). The mystery may seem complicated, but it can easily be solved. There is a good twist, but, if you are a regular mystery reader, you will see it forthcoming. The idea was good, but I was not partial to the finished product. There is an excerpt for The Antique House Murders at the end of the book.

An interesting entry into the series. Action-filled, though slow at times. Romantic and funny. 3 1/2 Book free for honest review.

This debut novel is the first in the Oakwood Mystery Series. It's billed as a cozy mystery, but it is much more. A bit cozy in that even though there are bodies falling here and there, nothing too graphic. It's a little romantic suspense in that it is suspenseful and there is definitely romance involved ... again, nothing too graphic. Charley Carpenter owns the Old Hat Vintage Fashions store. In order to be a success, she even joins the Agathas Book Club in order to perhaps get a few more customers among the rich and snobbish When members of the book club start coming up dead ..... police wonder if one of the other members is taking their mystery reading a little too far. Detective Marcus Trenault is lead investigator. Marcus and Charley have a history ... she had a crush on him way back in school. But it seems like every time they met, they wound up arguing. Today looks no different to either one of them. But Charley has the inside scoop about the other members and Marc is going to have to bite his tongue and use her as an informant. Not that Charley gave him any chance to say No! But when Charley gets too close, her life may be in danger. This was an enjoyable read. Charley is stubborn and opinionated, and not afraid to say so. Marc is arrogant in his own right. They say opposites attract ... and in this case, they really do! All of the suspects ... women who are rich, snobbish, witchy ... are described to a T. Since they all are hiding secrets, it was impossible to guess who dun it. There is a second book coming out early next year. I will be standing in line to get a copy. Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Alibi / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.