Twelve to Murder

A Mac Faraday Mystery, Book 7

By: Lauren Carr

Narrated by: James C. Lewis

Two people are brutally murdered in their summer place on Deep Creek Lake. Suspected of the murders, former child star and one-time teenybopper idol Lenny Frost takes innocent bystanders hostage in a local pub and demands that Mac Faraday find the killer. Can Mac save the hostages and himself from the wrath of the enraged has-been by piecing together the clues in less than twelve hours? Or will it be a fatal last call at the stroke of midnight?

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

Twelve to Murder is plotted well.

What made the experience of listening to Twelve to Murder the most enjoyable?

Twelve to Murder is plotted well. What could make it any more interesting? There a mastermind or is it an ill person to wants a two people dead. Is someone framing Lenny or is it just a ploy to have everyone to look elsewhere.

There are two other involved and what happens when they are killed. Who would want more money or is it drug related? Lenny Frost wants and demands Mac to find the killer in less than twelve hours or they and Mac will be killed. Why take hostages and demand on all this. There must be clues to why and what he wants.

Can Mac and David solve these mysteries and crime before it too late? You are in for thriller of a ride and once you get into the book you will not want to put it down. If you are not already a fan of Lauren Carr you will be after reading one of her books. It a never ending ride of Gnarly.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It a never ending ride of Gnarly.

What about James C. Lewis’s performance did you like?

Everything

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, but it was heartfelt and you just are as surpised as to the killer is each and every time your read one or her book or listen to.

Being used as a hostage? Have a beer!

Note: Even though this is Book 7 in the series, it works just fine as a stand alone.

With the gruesome murder of the Stillmans, the police of Spencer, Maryland are out in force. Unfortunately, they fail to corral Derrick Stillman before he talks to the press, throwing blame for the murders on former child movie star Lenny Frost. From there, we end up with a group of drunk baseball enthusiasts held hostage while Mac Faraday and his half-brother police chief David O’Callaghan dig into the sordid pasts of all these people, the victims and suspects alike.

This was a delicious murder mystery that brings together failed movie careers, hostage situations, double and triple crossing, and guilt trips. Also, we delve into Mac’s love life a bit as his girlfriend Archie pushes to know why he doesn’t want to take the next step. Meanwhile, Gnarly dog is having girlfriend trouble of his own as he was pimped out, only to return to his regular girlfriend, Molly dog.

My favorite scenes were the old timers at the bar who are nearly oblivious to being held hostage (if only everyone would quiet down so they could enjoy the ball game!) and then when David takes on the female stunt woman Sela Wallace and walks away with some injuries. I also liked the jokes at Gnarly’s expense (lovingly doled out). He did over eat a bit, and it was weird bar food, so of course he would have digestive issues later on.

As a minor quibble, Wanda at the police station is described the exact same way in each book. I think I only noticed this because I have been listening to these books back to back. The sentences are the same, explaining that she’s almost always at the office because her grown kids and their offspring moved back home and she’s avoiding that chaos. With that said, we actually get to know more about her in this book as she has several lines while folks gather at the police station to figure out this tangled mystery.

I liked how we had two alcoholics/addicts in this tale. One has obviously worked hard to clean up his act while the other only enjoys the drama of the cycle (treatment, recovery, falling off the wagon, binges, treatment, etc.). It pulled at the heart strings a bit to see how one was trusted over the other with the resultant consequences.

Over all, it was a good solid mystery with plenty of moving parts and more than one guilty person with more than one motive. I love the way Mac puts challenges in front of his hotel manager, a really good guy who takes his job seriously.

I received a free copy of this book via iRead Book Tours.

The Narration: James C. Lewis was OK with this book. His female voices were good but his range wasn’t that big. Often, I had to listen closely to keep track of who was talking unless it was a character with a distinct accent. The narrators keep changing for this series and I think that’s part of it. I had gotten used to Mike Algers and previously Dan Lawson did an incredible job on one of the books. Book 1 was narrated by a woman, Janean Jorgenson. As a stand alone, I would say this is a decent narration.

Loved it

Twelve to Murder by Lauren Carr is the seventh book in the A Mac Faraday Mystery series and it was a great addition to the series. Recently I have been listening to a lot of audio books in this series and so far this one is my current favorite of the series. I just really liked the quirky storyline and the way it made me laugh while also keeping me invested in trying to figure out the mystery!

Twelve to Murder ~ Review

Twelve to Murder
A Mac Faraday Mystery #7
By Lauren Carr
Narrated by James C. Lewis

It was the perfect early morning in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, at least it was. The peacefulness is broken upon the discovery of a double homicide. And the clue that is left behind points to a washed-up former child-star. But is the clue the killer's identity or an attempt frame Lenny Frost?

Mac Faraday and David O'Callaghan are determined to get to the bottom of this crime but before they can start putting the pieces together - Lenny Frost acts - taking hostages and demanding his name be cleared. And he's given them a timeline and the clock is counting down to midnight...

With time against them and a scarcity of clues Mac, David and rest of the Spencer police force have their work cut out for them. Fortunately, or not, Gnarly is on their side and Gnarly always gets his man.

To truly understand this case and all its complexities Mac and David will have to delve into the past of Lenny and that of the Stillman's, the couple found murdered in their summer home, If they can discover the why they will discover who killed them and why Lenny was implicated.

With the clock ticking down the suspense goes up. And with Gnarly around you know there will be laughs and awkward moments - after all a kleptomaniac German Shepherd is not to be ignored. The mystery is steady throughout and the identity of the killer is exposed in such a way that the reader/listener will be kept involved throughout the story.

The writing style is steady with no drag and the narration is a good blend with the story. The narrator, James C. Lewis, with his reading suits the pacing of the story. His voice is not grating and he does each character justice including Gnarly.

At 6 hours and 39 minutes, this is audiobook is a perfect for length for work commutes. If you are looking for an easy on the eyes book this is the perfect alternative. And if you are in search of a mystery that will keep you in suspense give this one a try. Audiobooks are the perfect foil for readers who like to skip ahead in their books

I was provided a free copy of this book by the author with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

GOOD.

Great story. All my favourite characters are in. Glad that Mac's and Archie's romance are progressing to the next stage. Gnarly as usual take centre stage!