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thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing cools off a summer heat-wave in Blue Lake quite like a chilling murder! In Julia Buckley’s fourth installment of her Writer’s Apprentice cozy mystery series, a long buried secret surfaces and murder soon follows. With a menacing presence looming over the novel, readers will find this suspenseful cozy to be a perfect weekend mystery!
Bestselling author Camilla Graham and her apprentice Lena are avoiding the heatwave when an old acquaintance of Camilla’s Jane Wyland shows up unexpectedly. Jane is threatening to reveal an old secret about Camilla’s late husband James, and she won’t be reasoned with.
Things only get more bizarre when Jane Wyland is found murdered not one day after this mysterious visit. The most troubling part (besides the murder) is that Camilla has no idea what secret Jane was threatening to reveal!
But someone doesn’t want them to get to the truth…
I found Camilla to be such an intriguing figure in this novel. She’s reserved, talented, and distant. Yet she seems to be charmed by the most simple of life’s pleasures—pizza, for instance, is a novelty to Camilla. A party with friends is another novelty Camilla seems to not let herself experience. I loved seeing her wonder as she branched out a bit!
Lena herself has a fascinating storyline this book. When an accident occurs and it appears it may not have been so accidental, mysterious events follow. Lena finds herself hovering just on the edge of the answers she seeks, and she begins to doubt herself. Was it a memory or a fabrication?
This was ultimately a slightly different, but no less engaging, type of cozy. The murkiness of memory and the past seem to cast a shadow over the characters, giving it a somewhat ethereal feel. The mystery, though firmly grounded in reality, had a haunting feel to it made more prominent by Lena’s accident and reaction to her medication. And then there is a secret long buried in the past threatening to come to light.
A fresh twist on a cozy mystery that left me delighted!! Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Bestselling author Camilla Graham and her apprentice Lena are avoiding the heatwave when an old acquaintance of Camilla’s Jane Wyland shows up unexpectedly. Jane is threatening to reveal an old secret about Camilla’s late husband James, and she won’t be reasoned with.
Things only get more bizarre when Jane Wyland is found murdered not one day after this mysterious visit. The most troubling part (besides the murder) is that Camilla has no idea what secret Jane was threatening to reveal!
But someone doesn’t want them to get to the truth…
I found Camilla to be such an intriguing figure in this novel. She’s reserved, talented, and distant. Yet she seems to be charmed by the most simple of life’s pleasures—pizza, for instance, is a novelty to Camilla. A party with friends is another novelty Camilla seems to not let herself experience. I loved seeing her wonder as she branched out a bit!
Lena herself has a fascinating storyline this book. When an accident occurs and it appears it may not have been so accidental, mysterious events follow. Lena finds herself hovering just on the edge of the answers she seeks, and she begins to doubt herself. Was it a memory or a fabrication?
This was ultimately a slightly different, but no less engaging, type of cozy. The murkiness of memory and the past seem to cast a shadow over the characters, giving it a somewhat ethereal feel. The mystery, though firmly grounded in reality, had a haunting feel to it made more prominent by Lena’s accident and reaction to her medication. And then there is a secret long buried in the past threatening to come to light.
A fresh twist on a cozy mystery that left me delighted!! Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
zimm_zamm's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
lmd64's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
melinda1962's review against another edition
5.0
This 4th book in this series was very good. The mix of an old mystery, new crime and the characters was amazing. I read this in one day as I had to know the ending. I love all the relationships in this series: friends, colleagues, family and romantic relationships.
peggyemi's review against another edition
5.0
I have been a fan of this series from the beginning and each one continues to deliver a well plotted mystery full of artfully crafted characters. This installment is my favorite one yet. Ms. Buckley has crafted characters that are genuine, relatable, flawed and mature. The relationship between Lena and Camilla is one that continues to grow and evolve which is part of what keeps me coming back. I like that as the series continues we are getting to know the secondary cast of characters as the mysteries are no longer centered on Sam West, Lena's boyfriend. The mystery was well done and grabbed me from the start. This author knows how to wind clues throughout the plot to keep her readers guessing. The mystery in this story involved something that happened in the past, causing Lena and Camilla to revisit the time when Camilla first came to Blue Lake and married James.
This is a terrific series and if you haven't given it a try I would highly encourage it. It is well written with smart characters that pay an homage to the Gothic genre and mysteries that keep the reader engaged and interested until the final reveal. This series is an automatic pre-order for me and I look forward to many more hours of enjoyment from this author.
This is a terrific series and if you haven't given it a try I would highly encourage it. It is well written with smart characters that pay an homage to the Gothic genre and mysteries that keep the reader engaged and interested until the final reveal. This series is an automatic pre-order for me and I look forward to many more hours of enjoyment from this author.
brooke4131's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jessa_yes's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
melmo2610's review against another edition
5.0
This series has quickly become a favorite of mine, and this was my favorite of the set thus far. I love cold case or old mysteries that have to be solved in present day and this was one that kept me intrigued throughout. Very well crafted mystery with surprises and few truly tense moments. Looking forward to the next story...need it soon!
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
4.0
Number four in the Writer's Apprentice series has Lena and Camilla investigating Camilla's late husband's past after one of his friends is killed. I continue to enjoy this fun series, but there are just some off turns of phrases that give me pause. It's probably a regional thing and I usually get what they're going for by context, but there are places that just don't flow well and make me read them three or four times. It's mildly frustrating.