Review and Guest Post: Murder by Perfection by Lauren Carr

About:

Perfection can be a fatal endeavor.

Frustrated with their busy schedules, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday attempt to find togetherness by scheduling a weekly date night. The last thing Jessica Faraday expected for her date night was to take a couple’s gourmet cooking course at the Stepford Kitchen Studio, owned by Chef Natalie Stepford―the model of perfection in looks, home, and business.

When Natalie ends up dead and Murphy goes missing, the Thorny Rose detectives must peel back the layers of Natalie Stepford’s life to discover that the pursuit of perfection can be deadly.

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My Thoughts:

Murder by Perfection brings us back to Jessica’s and Murphy’s lives and how they are dealing with their first year of marriage while both pursuing their career goals. Their ups and downs were just like other couples, always striving to put their marriage first, unfortunately demands from outside on their time make making time for each other difficult.  Spats and fights ensue, and angry words are left between them. Then the unthinkable happens and all are left with an urgency to make things right.

This was another tense read, but I think more so as the family is really pulling together to see that a tragedy does not end up falling into their laps as they all race against time to set things to right. I really liked seeing the familial love of father and son, brother and brother, and husband and wife. Again there is a lot going on in this story, many moving parts that author Carr expertly handles to make a tight story of thrilling suspense and mystery. The main story plot gave me the creeps as always anything like that does. As per usual we have the irresistible dogs and a fast becoming favorite AI character- Nigel the butler.

There is some mature content and a little bit of language, again if you like shows like Castle, you will enjoy this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Meet the Author:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Now, Lauren has added one more hit series to her list with the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Set in the quaint West Virginia town of Harpers Ferry, Ice introduces Chris Matheson, a retired FBI agent, who joins forces with other law enforcement retirees to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night.

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

​Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

​Connect with the author: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Instagram

Guest Post:

Ten Fun Facts about the Thorny Rose Detectives

By Lauren Carr

1)      Lieutenant Murphy Thornton USN of Lauren Carr’s Thorny Rose Mystery series is the son of Joshua Thornton of the Lovers in Crime Mystery series. Fans of Lauren Carr’s mysteries may have first been introduced to Murphy in her first two books A Small Case of Murder and A Reunion to Die For. In those two books, Murphy was only seventeen years old. He has since grown up.

2)      The female half of the Thorny Rose couple is Jessica Faraday, the only daughter of Mac Faraday of Lauren Carr’s Mac Faraday Mystery series. Lauren Carr fans may remember briefly meeting Jessica in Old Loves Die Hard in which her and Tristan’s mother was murdered.

3)      Murphy met Jessica when he foiled an attempt to kidnap her in Three Days to Forever.

4)      Murphy has an identical twin, Joshua Thornton Jr (J.J.), who is seven minutes older. J.J. was featured in Killer in the Band (Lovers in Crime Mystery) and appears in Murder by Perfection. Murphy and J.J. are mirror twins, meaning they are truly mirror images of each other. For this reason, J.J.’s heart, liver, and spleen are on the opposite side of his body from Murphy’s.

5)      Health conscious Murphy is a pescetarian, a vegetarian who eats fish. He also avoids alcohol, caffeine, processed sugar, and dairy products. Jessica drinks coffee loaded with gourmet creamer, sugar, and eats chocolate pop-tarts for breakfast.

6)      Jessica named her pure bred blue merle Shetland sheepdog Spencer after her grandmother, the late mystery writer Robin Spencer. Murphy calls the sheltie Candi after his first girlfriend who kissed and loved everybody—especially the basketball team.

7)      Newman, Murphy’s Basset Hound is a forty-five-pound couch potato who came with Murphy’s first apartment in Washington DC. Newman came with the worn recliner, left by a fellow navy officer sent overseas, that the mixed breed calls his home.

8)      A television addict, Newman taught himself how to work the television remote. Newman likes to watch the news and business report. He hates walks.

9)      Jessica’s younger brother, Tristan, is dating Murphy’s younger sister Sarah, a midshipman at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Tristan is a professional student at George Washington University. Originally, he wanted to be a paleontologist. Now he’s into computers. Tristan and Sarah met at Jessica and Murphy’s wedding in Three Days to Forever.

10)   Jessica and Murphy have a virtual butler named Nigel, the central computer that manages their smart house. A prototype, Nigel was designed by a team of computer experts, which included Tristan. In addition to controlling the house’s lighting, temperature, and pantry management, Nigel also manages the estate’s security, as illustrated in Candidate for Murder when the virtual butler and Gnarly the German shepherd take on a team of black ops assassins.

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