Book Review: MURDER IN FIRST POSITION - An On Pointe Mystery Book 1 by Lori Robbins

About the Book 

Ballerina Leah Siderova knows the career of a professional dancer is short. But rarely is it as brief as that of her rival, Arianna Bonneville, whose rise to stardom ends when she is stabbed in the back. 

New York City police detective Jonah Sobol fixes upon Leah as the prime suspect. After all, she was the one who found the body, she had the most to gain from Arianna’s death, and it was her name Arianna whispered, just before she died. 

Leah is desperate to clear her name, and she begins her own investigation, collaborating with her best friend and her ballet coach. As the three dancers sort through backstage intrigues, attempted blackmail, and a tangle of romantic liaisons, the noose around Leah’s neck grows tighter. 

Ballet, with its merciless discipline, is all Leah has ever known. Is that enough to keep her one step ahead of the police — and the killer? 

Review 

For Leah, her best friend, and her ballet coach are the only people on her side. Even the choreographer she helped and mentored turns on her. Certainly the detective isn't on her side. She's good at ballet, but sleuthing is a new adventure.

This was an engaging mystery with an unexpected twist at the end. The characters are well developed and the pace is steady. The reader has a good sense of Leah's mindset, her fears, and her feelings of having been betrayed. Well done. 

This is the first of four books. I'll be adding the rest, if only to see if maybe Leah discovers Jonah Sobol might not be as bad as she thought. 

Amazon 

The On Pointe Series

Murder in First Position

Murder in Second Position

Murder in Third Position

Murder in Fourth Position

About the Author 

Lori Robbins is the author of the On Pointe and Master Class mystery series. She won the Indie Award for Best Mystery and the Silver Falchion for Best Cozy Mystery. Short stories include “Leading Ladies” which was cited in the 2022 Best American Mystery and Suspense anthology. She also is a contributor to The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers Cookbook. 

A former dancer, Lori performed with a number of modern dance and classical ballet companies and now writes full time. 

Lori’s experiences as a professional dancer, English teacher, writer, and mother of six have made her an expert in the homicidal impulses everyday life inspires.

AmazonAuthor ~ Website ~ Instagram ~ Facebook

Book Review: LAST GIRL MISSIING (A Detective Callie Ford Mystery Book 1) by K.L. Murphy

About the Book

She wanted to avenge her father. She needed to save herself. 

When Detective Callie Forde is called to the home of a missing teenaged girl, she doesn't initially suspect foul play. Hampstead is a quiet college town. It's safe—if you don't count the other girl. But as the hours wear on with no sign of Natalie, the police are forced to consider the teenager might have been abducted. 

No one is more surprised than Callie when all their leads are eerily similar to that of another case, the five-year-old cold case that ended with a botched investigation, a shooting, and her father in a wheelchair. Determined not to make the same mistakes he made, Callie races to find the girl, avenge her father, and maybe, stop history from repeating itself.  

Review

Callie Ford returns home, determined to find the person responsible not only for the missing girl of the past but for the devastating effects on her father. She's now the detective he once was and another girl is missing. The trail of clues reminds her of the previous case and she asks her father questions about the case, though initially he's not very responsive. Callie's uncovering secrets, some going back to the original case. Her search for the killer now puts Callie in danger. 

The story has all the elements of a thriller and at the same time, her struggle with her father is poignant. It is well-written, the pace is good, and character development is strong. The suspense and tension kept me reading. This is the first in a series and I'm looking forward to the next in the series. 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

AMAZON

About the Author 

K.L. Murphy is the award-nominated author of Her Sister’s Death, a 2023 Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Mystery and the January 2023 Once Upon a Book Club Pick. 

She is also the author of the Detective Cancini Mystery Series: A Guilty Mind, Stay of Execution, and The Last Sin. Her short stories are featured in Deadly Southern Charm and Murder by the Glass. Last Girl Missing, the first book in her new crime series, published in July of 2024.

Book Review: THE STORIES THEY TELL A Homefront Mystery #2 by Liz Milliron

Synopsis:

It’s December 1942 and Betty Ahern is enjoying her fledgling career as a private detective, investigating everything from missing jewelry to wandering boyfriends. But when Bell Airplane co-worker Emilia Brewka, whose grandmother recently died, wants Betty to prove the death was murder and not natural causes, Betty thinks Emilia’s grief has her seeing things that aren’t there. 

After a member of the visiting Polish government in exile is murdered, she learns the grandmother may have contacted him about a secret involving a wealthy Buffalo family–a secret that goes all the way back to the Old Country and the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian war. Suddenly, murder looks more than possible.

Betty and her friends travel between Buffalo’s working-class neighborhoods and the city’s high society, determined to unearth the secret and find justice for Emmie’s grandmother. But mixing with the upper class quickly becomes dangerous and potentially deadly—both for Betty’s career as a detective and herself.

Review:

Think World War II, 1940s, and at home, women have replaced many men in the factories. As a point in history, the war opened doors for women to work and to think outside the box. Betty Ahern is one of these women. She's working in the factory building planes and leaving her mark on the part she adds. She also likes to think of herself as a solver of mysteries, much like her fictional idols. When a co-worker seeks her out, Betty is ready to find a lost item as she's done in the past. Only the co-worker's focus is on her grandmother's death and she's sure it was foul play. Betty agrees to investigate, along with her friends, Dot and Lee. A link they discover leads to a dead end and another murder, this one not questionable. Betty pursues her leads and the body count rises.

Milliron did a nice job of capturing the ambivalence around women working in the factories or any where else men would have been if not for the war. The characters express the worry and concerns of those left at home for their loved ones. For Betty, that's her brother and boyfriend. 

The story is well-written, well-paced, and there are enough twists to keep the reader guessing. Betty is a memorable character with ambitions and caring for others. This book is easily read as a stand-alone mystery. There's history, humility, and humor, as well as a mystery to be solved.  

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

AMAZON