An Enjoyable Mystery: Dearly Departed by Hy Conrad

 Hy Conrad is famous for many things, including writing episodes of the hit detective television series "Mr. Monk" (That I'm a huge fan of), and some of the Mr. Monk mystery books. He's also written the "Amy's Travel Mystery" series. Recently I enjoyed "Dearly Departed," in that series and recommend it! 

Hy created great characters in Amy, her boyfriend Marcus, and her mother. Together the three of them get involved in mysteries. In this book, a maid who inherited a fortune has passed, but she had been a confidant of various previous employers. When another dead body shows up, the mystery deepens, and Amy has to figure out which of the maid's former employers who attended her round-the-world remembrance services had motive to kill. The book kept you guessing and the characters came to life!  

Highly recommended! I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series!

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

Fanny and May Abel, the dynamic mother-and-daughter owners of a NYC travel agency, have just booked their biggest trip yet.  But with danger in the air, the itinerary may include murder…

Paisley MacGregor, a maid to the rich, made a dying request to send all of her wealthy employers on a first-class wake to spread her ashes around the world.  Amy has her suspicions about these “mourners,” especially when one has a life-threatening “accident” at the first stop in Paris.  And when a mysterious American stranger tagging along with the group has his ticket punched in the shadow of the Taj Mahal, Amy knows she may have a killer on her tour.

Who was this stranger, and what’s the connection to someone in her group?  Digging for clues while continuing on with the trip is a lot for Amy to manage, especially, when another mourner has a possibly fatal encounter with a Hawaiian volcano.  Back in the States, Fanny and Amy start to piece together a secret worth killing for, but someone is hot on their trail, and ready to send them on a one-way trip — to the morgue!

Book Review- The Fixer's Daughter by Hy Conrad: A Gripping, Page Turning Murder Mystery 5 of 5 stars

 I've read all of Hy Conrad's books in the Mr. Monk series and loved them all. Recently, as a fellow author, I was able to connect with him personally, and he gave me the honor of reading and reviewing his brand new mystery book called "The Fixer's Daughter."  This book was so great that I asked him if he'd consider doing a sequel with the characters. You should read it! 

Here's my review:

 The Fixer's Daughter by Hy Conrad: A Gripping, Page Turning Murder Mystery   5 of 5 stars

This book will take you in from the first chapter and make you picture the characters and situations, and keep you wondering about the murder presented off the bat. 

There are complex family dynamics between some of the characters that really play well, and keep you wondering how the lead character, Callie, is going to do what she has to without upsetting her brother and father. Callie, an investigative reporter doesn't stop until she gets to the bottom of the mystery and there's a mystery in a mystery! 

There is so much great material in this book, from how money and society intersect with the law, and real-life dangers presented from the on-line world. It will make you want to read the book in one sitting. 

I hope this becomes a series because the characters are so likeable. Truly a great mystery.   

ABOUT THE BOOK FROM AMAZON: The Fixer's Daughter pits father against daughter in a twisted tale of murder, deadly secrets and family loyalty. Three years ago, Callie McFee accidentally caused her father's political downfall. Once the most influential man in Texas, Buddy McFee resigned from office and became a "fixer", a person who makes big problems go away. 

  When a prominent CEO is caught trying to bury a raped and murdered girl, it looks like an open-and-shut case. But then Buddy steps in. Soon the wealthy suspect develops an alibi and evidence starts disappearing. Callie, an investigative reporter, used to adore her father. He was brilliant but honorable. Now she thinks he may be helping a cold-blooded killer escape justice. And then Callie discovers something even more troubling. The great Buddy McFee, the man protecting all the scandals in the state, is in the early stages of dementia. If this ever goes public, it would destroy his spirit, end his career and probably get him killed. Can Callie go up against her father and expose a ruthless killer? Can she do this and still keep his secret from the world? Or, as she inches closer to the truth, will she wind up getting both of them murdered?

5 Star Book Review: The Fixer's Daughter by Hy Conrad: A Gripping, Page Turning Murder Mystery

I recently had the opportunity to read a mystery novel before its release and provide an honest review. Hy Conrad, known for his work on the Mr. Monk television series and for his great paperback mysteries about the same series (I have them all ), is someone I connected with this summer via social media (as a fellow author). I've read and thoroughly enjoyed The Fixer's Daughter.
  First, about the book, then, why I gave it a 5 Star review
ABOUT THE BOOK: The Fixer's Daughter pits father against daughter in a twisted tale of murder, deadly secrets and family loyalty.
Three years ago, Callie McFee accidentally caused her father's political downfall. Once the most influential man in Texas, Buddy McFee resigned from office and became a "fixer", a person who makes big problems go away.
When a prominent CEO is caught trying to bury a raped and murdered girl, it looks like an open-and-shut case. But then Buddy steps in. Soon the wealthy suspect develops an alibi and evidence starts disappearing. Callie, an investigative reporter, used to adore her father. He was brilliant but honorable. Now she thinks he may be helping a cold-blooded killer escape justice.
And then Callie discovers something even more troubling. The great Buddy McFee, the man protecting all the scandals in the state, is in the early stages of dementia. If this ever goes public, it would destroy his spirit, end his career and probably get him killed.
Can Callie go up against her father and expose a ruthless killer? Can she do this and still keep his secret from the world? Or, as she inches closer to the truth, will she wind up getting both of them murdered?
ROB'S REVIEW

A Gripping, Page Turning Murder Mystery   5 of 5 stars

This book will take you in from the first chapter and make you picture the characters and situations, and keep you wondering about the murder presented off the bat. There are complex family dynamics between some of the characters that really play well, and keep you wondering how the lead character, Callie, is going to do what she has to without upsetting her brother and father. Callie, an investigative reporter doesn't stop until she gets to the bottom of the mystery and there's a mystery in a mystery! There is so much great material in this book, from how money and society intersect with the law, and real-life dangers presented from the on-line world. It will make you want to read the book in one sitting. I hope this becomes a series because the characters are so likeable. Truly a great mystery.   

 

 About the author

› Visit Amazon's Hy Conrad Page

 Following

Biography

Hy Conrad has made a career out of light mystery, earning a Scribe Award and garnering three Edgar nominations. Along the way, he developed a horde of popular games and interactive films, hundreds of short stories and a dozen books of solvable mysteries, published in over a dozen languages. In the world of TV, he is best known for his eight seasons as a writer and co-executive producer for the ground-breaking series "Monk." Other shows include “White Collar” and “The Good Cop”.

As a novelist, Hy has authored the final four books in the "Monk" series as well as the series, “Amy’s Travel Mysteries”.

2 Great Mysteries: newest from Mr. Monk and Murder She Wrote!

While on vacation over the last two weeks, I read two great paperback mysteries in my 2 favorite series: Murder She Wrote and Mr. Monk. Both highly recommended!!
 SAD NOTE: The 2nd writer of the Mr. Monk series has called it quits, so this is the final in the Mr Monk series. It's really a sad day because I love them and have read and enjoyed all of them! 

 Here are the summaries of each book:
1) Mr. Monk and the New Lieutenant by Hy Conrad (4.5 STARS) 
(based on the great detective series of the 2000s) 
SUMMARY: Monk and Natalie have finally settled into a new office routine—but the detectives soon have another problem to deal with: Captain Stottlemeyer’s new lieutenant, A. J. Thurman—a man of limited skills whom Monk finds insufferable.
   Despite Thurman’s presence, Monk and Natalie attend the funeral of Judge Oberlin, and it’s a good thing. In typical fashion, Monk examines the body in the casket—and finds evidence of poison. The judge was murdered.
   When Captain Stottlemeyer shows the same symptoms the judge had shown, Monk detects the work of a diabolical killer who wants both men dead. With his friend in danger and an enemy close, Monk will have to put his reservations aside to crack the case in time.

To order on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Monk-New-Lieutenant-Conrad/dp/0451470591
2) Murder She Wrote: Death of Blue Blood by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain (5 STARS!!) 
(based on the TV series that ran for 12 seasons from the 1980s and 90s)
SUMMARY:  In the newest mystery in the USA Today bestselling series, Jessica Fletcher is invited to ring in the New Year with British aristocracy. Too bad someone’s about to end the life of the party....
Jessica Fletcher and her friend Scotland Yard detective inspector George Sutherland are invited to attend a New Year’s Eve Ball at Castorbrook Castle, thanks to her British publisher. Shortly after arriving in the idyllic English countryside, Jessica discovers the body of a lady’s maid in the garden.
  While their host, Lord Norrance, his snobbish third wife, other members of the household, and party guests squabble over the tragic death in tight-lipped, perfectly mannered, thoroughly British style, family relations are strained as old wounds are reopened and cutting remarks are freely handed out. And that’s only during teatime!
  As midnight beckons at the ball the next night, the earl offers a toast, complete with fireworks. But the merriment crashes to a halt when he falls ill and dies, apparently poisoned—and the number of suspects with a grudge against the lord of the manor sprouts like English ivy.
   Now it’s up to Jessica and George to find the killer—or killers—before another corpse welcomes in the New Year....
To order on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Murder-She-Wrote-Death-Blood/dp/0451468252

Another Great Mystery: Mr. Monk Gets on Board

Awesome Book!

 The paperback series "Mr. Monk" continues to be entertaining, awesome and fun with (new) writer Hy Conrad. Hy took over for Lee Goldberg who wrote many books in the beginning of the mystery book series based on the TV show. 
  The latest in the series that I just enjoyed,  called "Mr. Monk Gets on Board" came out in paperback in May 2014 (there's a newer one out on my "to read" stack). 
   This is another classic Mr. Monk story involving the OCD detective taking a cruise with Natalie Teeger, his once assistant, now boss of the "Monk and Teeger  P.I." business. This story as it turns out, was one the writer originally pitched for the show, but wasn't made for television because the producers couldn't find a cruise to allow them to "stage a murder or two" because it looked bad for business, even if it was just for television. 

Mr. Monk and Natalie

   Obviously, the story was updated for the book series, in which Natalie graduated from assistant to full-fledged private investigator, and it's classic Monk. The mysterious murder in the beginning is wrapped up somehow (you'll find out) in the cruise that Natalie and Mr. Monk take to promote their new business venture. While on the ship, they also have to solve another murder or two. It will keep you guessing and is totally entertaining in the "Monk" way. 
   Another in the series that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Come to think of it, every book in the series has been that way- and I highly recommend all of them. 
   There are very few mystery books that I keep, but the Mr. Monk series is one, and Murder She Wrote is the other! - Rob