A Fun Mystery - Detective Style Series
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Western scene courtesy of Pixabay.com |
I have just recently become a fan of Patricia McLinn and her series called Caught Dead In Wyoming. I was looking for a mystery to read and the title of the series caught my attention since my youngest lived in Wyoming for a while several years ago.
Suffice it to say, I have not been disappointed in the books. I just started the 4th book in the series last night. Ms. McLinn has me captivated with her plots and characters. Each book has moved along nicely with plenty of interesting little twists and turns.
I think one of the things that has captivated my attention is the ability of Ms. McLinn to describe living in a small town in a believable and sometimes humorous way. The stories take place in and around a small town in Wyoming. Having grown up in a small town, I recognize the excellence in her writing by the characters she has included in her make believe town. Every small town would have people like them. One of my most favorites is the check-out gal at the one and only grocery store, Penny. That woman is hysterical!
The premise of each book is that E. M. Danniher (Elizabeth) has had a rather successful career as a TV news broadcaster in cities like Chicago, New York and Washington D.C. All was fine until her divorce. Her now ex-husband was on the management side of television and had really messed her up in the last contract that he had her sign. Should I mention she didn't pay close enough attention to the dirty little details until it was too late?
So, Elizabeth finds herself working at a small little television station in Sherman, Wyoming. She is to finish out her contract with the network in this western town. The only job that the station manager will give her is a consumer affairs position called "Helping Out". No longer will she report on National News but will help people resolve problems with defective toasters and such.
It doesn't take long for an event to crop up that causes Elizabeth to use her journalistic detective skills and to solve a mystery and crime.
I do not like to spoil stories for people so I am not going into a lot of detail for each of the books that I have read so far. What I will say is that the cast of characters that the author has created are so well thought out that you almost feel as if you know them. I also get the feeling that the author knows first hand what it feels like to be an outsider in a small town. All of this makes the stories enjoyable and the plots believable because they seem so real and are entertaining to boot.
The main character, Elizabeth, is funny, smart, good at her job but also a little broken and vulnerable. She finds a way to make some new friends and enemies. All in all, I think that if you like to read mysteries that this series; Caught Dead In Wyoming is a great one for you to begin to read.
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Ah... another new (to me) mystery writer. Thanks for the introduction to Patricia McLinn and her "Caught Dead in Wyoming" series, Beverly. I will definitely be adding these books to my list of books to get and read. I am especially drawn to the idea of the main character working in television, as my hubby was in broadcasting (radio AND TV) his whole career, so I'm sure I will 'recognize' some traits about the main character Elizabeth right away! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great mystery series! Having lived in a small town and being rather familiar with the small town atmosphere, I can well imagine that any investigation by an "outsider" would meet with a lot of obstacles. Sounds like I would also be happy that Elizabeth found a place to heal (hopefully!)
ReplyDeleteBev, I will be looking for these books as I really like that genre of writing. I want to feel like I know the people in the story so that it becomes almost real to me. Love your review, thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteI live in a small town, too, and I just grabbed this book. It was free on Kindle tonight. I know the author just wants to hook me so I'll buy the other books, too.
ReplyDeleteGot it and can't wait to read it! Thanks for the enticing review, Bev. I do love a good mystery with a sense of humor!
ReplyDeleteI love books where you really get to know the characters. This sounds like an interesting series. Thanks for the recommend.
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