Book Review: THE BODY BUSINESS (A Samantha Newman Mystery Book 1) by Gay Yellen

About the Book (from Amazon)

A missing friend... A jealous rival... 

An investigator with motives of his own. With a great job and a steady guy, Samantha Newman has it made until her best friend at work disappears and doubt creeps in. Is there some ugly reality behind her firm's success?

When she turns to the FBI for help, they send Carter Chapman, a man on a mission, and it doesn't include a headstrong corporate executive with her own set of problems. But after a terrible event puts them on the same path to discovery, they each have to decide if some secrets are worth the price. 

Fast-paced, fun, and full of surprises, The Body Business is Book 1 in the Samantha Newman Mystery Series from award-winning author, Gay Yellen. 

Review 

Samantha is putting pieces together, yet doesn't know what the puzzle will reveal. There's a sleazy co-worker who started on the job at the same time as Sam and immediately told Sam to stay out of her way. Then people start disappearing or dying suddenly. Most recently, it's Sam's best friend. For days, she hasn't returned Sam's calls. At the same time, she's broken up with Derek, who she brought into the company and is rising fast to the top. She doesn't trust him or anyone else. She sends a message to the FBI.

Yellen has a fine, well-developed cast of characters. As she tells the story, I had to agree with Sam that something was off. The FBI agent who finally responds has his own agenda, but comes around to Sam's thinking soon enough. The plot moves at a quick pace and the ending makes sense. If you like mysteries with multiple subplots, lots of action, and twists and turns, you'll enjoy this book. It kept my attention and the other two books in the series are now on my TBR list.

AMAZON

About the Author 

Gay Yellen began working life as a stage and TV actor, then moved behind the camera for the American Film Institute (AFI) as Assistant to the Director of Production. A former magazine editor and national journalism award winner, she was contributing book editor for Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), an international thriller and New York Times Notable. 

Her award-winning Samantha Newman Series of romantic mystery novels includes The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News. 

Gay lives in Texas. She loves connecting with book clubs and community groups in person and online. You can contact her through her website or at GayYellen@gmail.com    

X   ~  Goodreads  ~  AMAZON  ~  FACEBOOK  ~ INSTAGRAM

A Glimpse of Killer Nashville and Bouchercon in Nashville, TN

The last few weeks (8/22-9/2), I attended Killer Nashville and Bouchercon - both writer's conferences, and both in Nashville, TN. The major difference is that Bouchercon caters to fans (readers) as well as writers. This was my first Killer Nashville and I met some interesting people. The first photo below is the cozy mystery panel I was on along with CB Wilson, JD Webb, DL Mitchell, and Kay DiBianca, with Susan Parker moderating. Of note, DL Mitchell won the Silver Falchion Award for Cozy Mystery. It was a fun panel and CB Wilson explained succinctly that a cozy mystery was "a Hallmark movie on steroids." Would you agree with that?

The second was romantic suspense vs. romantic mysteries. That panel included Kathleen Caraway, Lynessa Layne, me, and Gay Yellen. I just finished a book by Gay Yellen - review coming soon. 

Between the two conferences, my husband and I enjoyed Gatlinburg, before returning to Nashville for Bouchercon. We visited the Great Smoky Mountain State Park and stayed in a cabin near the park. This is the sunrise from our deck. 

This is my third Bourchercon and they've all been a little different. Bouchercon 2024 was held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville. If you've never been to this hotel, it is phenomenal (and larger than life) with a conference center.  I attended a number of panels, saw some people I met at Killer Nashville and previous Bouchercons and made new friends.  

One of the panels I most enjoyed was entitled "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." The panel was moderated by Linda Hurtado Bond, and the panelists were Harlan Coben, Tom Farrell, Elise Hart Kipness, Andrew Welsh-Higgins, and Jonathan Brown. Very entertaining and informative. Not exactly cozy, but I'm a fan of Coben and may have to try some of these other authors.

I participated in a panel on Sunday morning - "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" moderated by Sara Glenn, along with Nicole Asselin, Carolyn Eichhorn, and MS Green. The focus was on cozy mysteries, why we write them, and where we get our ideas. It was a fun panel and I now have more authors to add to my TBR list.

I enjoyed my 10 days in Tennessee, but I came home exhausted and won't be doing back-to-back conference weekends again any time soon. In between, I ready many books so reviews will be coming slowly but surely.