MISSED CUE/deadly setup

LYNN SLAUGHTER

LYNN SLAUGHTER

Missed Cue

Review on September 15, 2023 by David Pereda

MISSED CUE is one of the best crime novels I have read in a while. Intricately plotted, tension-filled, cleverly developed, and populated with flawed and believable characters, MISSED CUE grabs your attention from the dramatic beginning and holds it throughout to the surprising end. The star detective of the police department, Caitlin O’Connor, is called to investigate the suspicious sudden death of the prima ballerina of Ballet Etudes, Lydia Miseau, who dies while performing Juliet’s death scene during the Romeo and Juliet dress rehearsal. Caitlin immediately suspects foul play–the star ballerina was in excellent health—but she, her partner Stan, the medical examiner, the toxicology expert, and everyone involved with the case cannot find evidence to declare Lydia’s death a homicide. However, there’s a long list of suspects. The tension ratchets as the book progresses, and Caitlin can’t find the necessary evidence to rule out Lydia’s death as a homicide, and Captain Singleton, Caitlin’s superior officer, gives her a deadline to wrap up her investigation. But this book is much more than a great crime fiction yarn. All the main characters are imperfect and reflect each other in their struggles with marriage, divorce, broken homes, lust, greed, revenge, and family relationships—beginning with Caitlin herself, who is in a relationship with a married man with two children, the medical examiner, and is in therapy with a psychiatrist. I won’t spoil the plot for you and the many obstacles Caitlin must overcome to ultimately discover the MISSING CUE and expose the person behind it all. I highly recommend this book. It’s an exceptional read, structured on several levels, and well worth the hours of sleep you will miss, flipping the pages deep into the night.

David Pereda purchased this book.

Missed Cue

Review in November 2, 2023 by J. F. Nodar

On the second page of the book ballet dancer, Lydia Miseau dies onstage in the last dress rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet.

Straight to the murder!

Wow! “I am going to love this book,” I thought to myself and indeed I did.

Enter homicide detective Caitlin O’Connor and her partner Stan to investigate.

Ms Slaughter has presented this reader with a murder mystery that has so much interpersonal relationships that is so real, so personal, that it was a delight to devour and devour, I did, finishing the book in five days.

I just could not put it down.

First, who does not love a detective with a messed-up life? Add to that a partner that you need to trust, but he might not be able to support you because of his personal demons.

Add a cast of artistic characters and you got one hell of a story.

Ms Slaughter did a wonderful job with this mystery by developing a well-structured storyline and introducing wonderful suspects with plausible motives.

The author kept this reader on his toes by throwing some curve balls into the story.

Just when I thought I knew who the culprit is, I was wrong.

I love it!

If you are looking for an exciting and vulnerable female, detective Caitlin O’Connor is your go to protagonist.

I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Jose’ F. Nodar purchased this book.

Deadly Setup

Review on December 29, 2023 by David Pereda

I loved this book. The characters are well-defined, and the plot moves fast and smoothly until the last page. Told from the point of view of seventeen-year-old Samantha (Sam) Hunters—the daughter of a New England heiress–it’s a richly layered, cross-genre novel that flows seamlessly from YA to legal thriller to Whodunit.

When Sam’s dad died of cancer five years ago, he asked Sam to take care of her mother—so when her mother starts dating and intends to marry a charming younger man named Adam Holloway, that rings alarm bells in her head. Sam makes inquiries and discovers the man is a sleaze with a gambling addiction and a shady past: he was married before under another name, his wealthy wife died in a highly suspicious boat accident, and he inherited millions of dollars he lost gambling. Sam tells her mom, but she’s adamant: Adam is the love of her life, and she will marry him. As Sam digs deeper into the man’s past and starts running around telling not only her mother but her friends and everybody who will listen about the man in an all-out effort to stop the marriage, Adam is murdered, and Sam becomes the prime suspect.

I won’t tell you the surprising end—although the author peppered the novel with enough hints pointing to the actual killer. This novel is for you if you like romantic coming-of-age teenage stories with unusual twists. I highly recommend it.
Deadly Setup

Reviewed April 2, 2024 - by J. F. Nodar

In the first five brief paragraphs author Lynn Slaughter sets up ‘Deadly Setup’ just beautifully and had this reader already hooked.

Teenagers always get in trouble, right?

Not Samantha Hunter, Sam to her few close friends. This protagonist is a bubbly, smart seventeen-year-old that just does not fit that description. Sam has just about everything a teenager would want.

Well, almost.

Before the death of her dad because of cancer, Sam promised him to take care of her mother. After his death, things were rocky at home with her mother, but Sam did well in school, had a few close friends and loved Hilda’s home cooking. All was going well until Mr Holloway walked into the picture.

Convinced that Holloway was up to no good and just trying to get her mother’s trust fund, she set out to convince her of this, but her mother would not believe her.

She confronts Holloway and, in fear of her life, grabs her father’s gun from a desk and fires a warning shot, leaves the house leaving Holloway alone, alive, and throws away the gun into some bushes.

Later, the police confront her, take her into custody, and inform her of the killing of Holloway.

As the dust settles, Sam finds herself thrust into a harrowing ordeal, grappling with mounting evidence and the haunting question: who truly ended Holloway’s life?

The title of the book tells it all as Samantha fights a web of deceit and deceptiveness, ending in a courtroom scene with a pleasant surprise for this reader but leaving the question unanswered: who killed Holloway?

Prepare yourself for a pulse-pounding pace and immersive storytelling, waiting for the climax of the story. It is a doozy!

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