Books On Tour: Taken to the Grave

I have found a new series to get into (my list is getting long).

The second in the Detective Jo Fournier series by M M Chouinard was entertaining and intriguing (and sometimes that is a difficult combination to achieve).

From the first death in the office of a college professor, I had a feeling that I was going to like this book. Having worked in higher education, I am always interested in how accurately portrayed it is. I am happy to report that the author does an excellent job of detailing the politics and pitfalls of higher education faculty and staff.

The mystery itself was also gripping. By the time Jo and her partner, Arnett, caught on to the links between the victims, there were so many other questions to answer that I was kept off-balance as to who the killer might be – there were a few red herrings that helped to complicate the investigation. I did not mind those because they were well-written and did not seem gratuitous.

I liked how the author interspersed a few chapters from the killer’s perspective. This gave the depth to the motivations and made the story more interesting. I also appreciated the “cat and mouse” aspect to the search for the killer, because there were a few times that I couldn’t tell which characters were the cat and which were the mouse. To be kept guessing equals a good read in my book.

Usually I do not like it when there is random personal background thrown into a story, but in this book it worked. I enjoyed Jo’s visit to Louisiana and would love to see more about her family. I think it was good background to her character.

There were a few places where I felt that I missed a reference from the first book, but ultimately it did not diminish my interest in the story. In fact, I had to go out and grab the first one to fill in the backstory. In other words, this can be read as a standalone.

If you are a fan of crime thrillers, look no further. Go and get this one now!

Buy Links

Amazon: https://geni.us/B07VSPZGKRSocial
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2ZacLdW
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2HffEEg
Googleplay: http://bit.ly/2MpSlM0

In a town full of secrets, the truth won’t stay buried…

When a girl’s body is discovered in a park in the sleepy Massachusetts town of Oakhurst, local detective Jo is shocked to the core. Because the girl is the second innocent victim to turn up dead in three days. And just like the first, a tarot card has been left by the body. The meaning of the card: betrayal.

After uncovering a series of threatening messages targeting the girl, a student at the university, and the first victim, her teacher, Jo thinks she’s locked the killer in her crosshairs. The primary suspect is a volatile ex-military student with an axe to grind for failing grades, and the frightened town is out for his blood. But the next day, a much-loved member of the community is found dead in her home, a tarot card in her mail. There’s no clear motive to link her death to the others, and the message on the card this time is even stranger: domestic bliss.

With a fourth body and card appearing the following day, Jo knows she’s running out of time to crack the code and bring the killer to justice. And the pressure only gets worse with heart-breaking news about Jo’s father forcing her to choose between helping her family heal or the victims’ families get justice. Can Jo find the twisted murderer sending the town into a panic before another life is lost? Or this time, will the dangerous killer find her first?

A completely addictive detective thriller that will keep you guessing into the early hours of the morning. If you love Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh and Lisa Regan you’ll love Taken to the Grave.

Author Bio

M.M. Chouinard’s first fiction story was published in her local paper when she was eight, and she fell in love with Agatha Christie novels not long after. While pursuing a Ph.D in psychology and helping to found the first U.S. research university of the new millenium, the stories kept rattling around inside her skull, demanding to come out. For sanity’s sake, she released them. She’s currently at work on her seventh novel.

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