Christa NardiResenhas

law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, divorce, class-consciousness, dog, romantic, domestic-violence, women-s-shelter, empowerment, family-dynamics, friendship*****

First note that the Domestic Violence is not denoted, only efforts to empower the battered.
Stacie has been married for ten years and is nearing the end of divorce proceedings because of husband's infidelities. His sister is the battered woman who is scandal averse while the brother tries to advocate. Stacie only finds out how little she knows about her husband after he is murdered and she is flabbergasted as she tries her best to help the detectives (especially after she felt re-assured that she was no longer the chief suspect). Thankfully, she has a lot of friends to help her, a very concerned papa from another state, and a recent acquaintance turns out to be a patrolman. The rich certainly are different! Good world building and fine characterizations along with excellent sleuthing (even if she does faint a time or two). Looking forward to the next in series!
The voice artist is Naomi Rose-Mock who flawlessly delineates characters, emotions, and attitudes.
I won this audio in a giveaway!

dogs, relatives, rescue-dogs, volunteers, family, false-information, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, hoarding, bullies, kindness*****

Wish I could say that the personality of Jacob and his sister, Helen were pure fiction, but that would be a big fat lie. Lots of interesting characters, a convoluted plot full of dogs and delinquents, and a really great read!
Narrator Jeanne Pilgrim Mayo is excellent at making the differences in characters clear as well as adding more reality to the story itself.

A New Place, Another Murder by Christa Nardi is categorized as a Cozy Mystery, but it didn’t quite have that feel to me. It was a bit darker than the typical cozy, with a middle schooler being accused of murder. And how the drug storyline ended up being played out was a bit unusual for a cozy. While I thought it was good that Nardi was writing about it, since it needs to be talked about, it just didn’t fit into a cozy for me.

Then there’s the characters… this is a spin off of the Cold Creek Mysteries, and I’m not sure why it needs to be a spin-off just because the main character moves to a new town. Since it’s technically book one in a series, this is where you would be discovering the characters for the first time and getting to know them. But since there were five books before this one in the Cold Creek Mysteries, the reader has already had time to get to know them, and Nardi doesn’t spend much/any time informing the new read about them. This was disappointing for me because one of the reasons I go back to read more in a cozy series is because the characters have become like friends… not so in this case.

It was a well written book with some topics that need to be covered, but it just didn’t enamor me like other series have done. But I don’t want to persuade you from trying it yourself… just realize it’s not a typical cozy and that you may want to read the Cold Creek Mysteries first, starting with Murder at Cold Creek College.

Thanks to the author for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This is #5 in the series, but the first one I read. Taking place in the weeks leading up to Christmas, it would be perfect to read during the holidays, but was equally enjoyable in July. Stacie Maroni and her friends are doing some Christmas shopping at the mall, and for fun decide to check out the photos with Santa booth. A few minutes after they arrive, gunshots are fired, people run, and an elf is injured. Stacie and friends call 911, step in and calm the elf, (a 20-something young woman who was subbing for a colleague), and describe what happened to the police when they arrive. Turns out Stacie has been helpful to the police with past crimes (remember this is book #5) and they appreciate her input throughout the novel. This is a cozy murder mystery with several questions and suspects - who was the intended shooting victim? who was the shooter? What was the motive? Will Stacie throw off her bah humbug attitude and get into the holiday spirit?

I read an advance reader copy so am assuming the typos will be cleaned up before the book is released.

family-dynamics, college, professor, law-enforcement

The professor and the detective and another professor and the lawyer whose nephew is accused of murdering a truly obnoxious yet unqualified director of the local community theater. Too many suspects to count combined with personal family issues make for a lot of sleuthing and an absorbing read!

Stacie is drowning her frustrations of an upcoming divorce at a bar one night and wakes up to a knock on her door the next morning. Standing there are two detectives waiting to give her bad news. She doesn't take the death of her soon to be ex-husband well. I know I shouldn't laugh but one of the detectives just happens to be the man she had a drink with the night before. Can you say awkward? I wasn't surprised at all that she was a suspect because they always suspect the spouse. Stacie is beside herself with the news and now having to convince the detectives she is innocent.

The author describes the interrogation room perfectly and I was just as nervous as Stacie was when she started being questioned. I always wonder what goes through a detective's head while questioning a suspect. Stacie will soon find out that she has a hard road ahead as the investigation heats up. Stacie's father-in-law is a powerful and intimidating person. He definitely sent shivers down my spine. There is certainly no love lost between him and Stacie. I could picture him as this overbearing man who demanded everything to go his way. He is one person I kept my eye on during the story. Does he know more about Ted's death than he is telling? There does seem to be secrets floating around the family that could raise suspicion for several members.

The author tackles a tough issue dealing with domestic violence in a very graceful way. It is an integral part of the story and one that will leave several people stunned. The description of domestic violence in the story was hard to read about but I'm glad the author shed a light on a topic that needs more awareness. I really liked the story and found it to be intense at times which is exactly what I would expect due to the topic. The author is direct and really does a great job of showing how someone in a battered relationship thinks and feels. I was quite surprised at who the killer was. The book is very well written and I look forward to the next in the series.

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.

This cozy was a good one. Sometimes I find that the cozies I read are lacking in one area or another. I enjoy them, but they are also easy to put down and pick up later. Not this one. The biggest draw for me was that it was totally engaging from beginning to end. Truly interesting to read, I found myself creating theories about characters right from the start. Each character was unique in personality and several could have committed the crime. I was happy to find that I couldn't predict who the real murderer was until I got to the last few chapters of the book.

I really liked the main character, Sheridan. She was easy to relate to and I could easily see someone like her in the real world. The fact that she was in her forties, divorced, and worked full-time makes her someone readers can connect with. Her romance with McMann was slow to emerge in the story and didn't overtake the drama as it unfolded. It was well portrayed.

I also enjoyed learning about life at a small four year college and seeing the personal and professional turmoil that ensued when something big like this happened in such a small town. There was a decent amount of action once the story began coming to a head. It kept me turning the pages and there was no way I was putting the book down once the suspense began! I found that I was satisfied with the ending and was thrilled to find out that there was another book coming in the series. I will definitely be picking it up very soon. If you like cozies, this is one not to miss!

This Review was originally posted @ Readers' Muse

When the writer contacted us for the review, we sort of jumped into it right away. Murder of a Womanizer, Psychologist in the play. Bring it on! Given my dear co-blogger's pile of “To-Read” books is overflowing, I dived to reading it.
Psychology professor Dr.Adam Millberg is found murdered in Cold Creek college's rec center. The usual suspects : Girlfriend (Plenty there), Ex-Wives ( again plenty : 4), colleagues and the students. The story follows the investigation of the murder narrated by Adam's Colleague Dr.Sherdian. Enter State police office Brett McMann who has been assigned to investigate. He takes Sherdian's help to crack the case and love blossoms between them (Well...okay! The case gets cracked).
There are multiple suspects ranging from Sherdian's colleagues Kim, Ali to various other staff and students in the college. Thanks to a fact that Adam was playboy and traps every other women with his charm. Our protagonist seems to be one amongst the handful women who didn't fall for his antics and kept him at arm's length. Thus she is chosen to “help” the cop out. Turns out Adam slept with a lot of women, took photos/videos of them in the act and blackmailed them. Not only did he simply blackmail, he kept ledgers of the blackmail.
Predictably, that turns out to be the motive for his murder. That's the ironical part of the book. Normally in a crime novel, the motive is elaborated then the murderer is found. But in this book, the murderer is “found” and the motive is later elaborated before the murderer is officially arrested.
The writer has done a rather good job of not revealing the suspects till almost mid way of the book. She kept me guessing till the very end. Initially the book seemed rather mysterious. It sort of lacked that suspense element in the start. But as the story line progressed so did the suspense element. The plot sort of peaked only when Sherdian's car gets vandalized. That is actually when the reader begins to really suspect whom the murderer might be.
There are strong influences of Nancy drew in Christa's writing. Though the story line is unique, for a seasoned Nancy Drew reader the similarities are hard to escape.
What I loved about the book: The writer clings on to that mystery and suspense element very well. The writing was clean sans that usual twisting redirection one finds in a mystery book
What could have been better: Way too many suspects and characters. Every other woman seem to have had an affair with Adam,

VERDICT: Definitely worth a read though it has the usual recepie for a crime novel

RATING: 3.8 on 5

This Review was originally posted @ Readers' Muse

When the writer contacted us for the review, we sort of jumped into it right away. Murder of a Womanizer, Psychologist in the play. Bring it on! Given my dear co-blogger's pile of “To-Read” books is overflowing, I dived to reading it.
Psychology professor Dr.Adam Millberg is found murdered in Cold Creek college's rec center. The usual suspects : Girlfriend (Plenty there), Ex-Wives ( again plenty : 4), colleagues and the students. The story follows the investigation of the murder narrated by Adam's Colleague Dr.Sherdian. Enter State police office Brett McMann who has been assigned to investigate. He takes Sherdian's help to crack the case and love blossoms between them (Well...okay! The case gets cracked).
There are multiple suspects ranging from Sherdian's colleagues Kim, Ali to various other staff and students in the college. Thanks to a fact that Adam was playboy and traps every other women with his charm. Our protagonist seems to be one amongst the handful women who didn't fall for his antics and kept him at arm's length. Thus she is chosen to “help” the cop out. Turns out Adam slept with a lot of women, took photos/videos of them in the act and blackmailed them. Not only did he simply blackmail, he kept ledgers of the blackmail.
Predictably, that turns out to be the motive for his murder. That's the ironical part of the book. Normally in a crime novel, the motive is elaborated then the murderer is found. But in this book, the murderer is “found” and the motive is later elaborated before the murderer is officially arrested.
The writer has done a rather good job of not revealing the suspects till almost mid way of the book. She kept me guessing till the very end. Initially the book seemed rather mysterious. It sort of lacked that suspense element in the start. But as the story line progressed so did the suspense element. The plot sort of peaked only when Sherdian's car gets vandalized. That is actually when the reader begins to really suspect whom the murderer might be.
There are strong influences of Nancy drew in Christa's writing. Though the story line is unique, for a seasoned Nancy Drew reader the similarities are hard to escape.
What I loved about the book: The writer clings on to that mystery and suspense element very well. The writing was clean sans that usual twisting redirection one finds in a mystery book
What could have been better: Way too many suspects and characters. Every other woman seem to have had an affair with Adam,

VERDICT: Definitely worth a read though it has the usual recepie for a crime novel

RATING: 3.8 on 5

4 stars

Dr. Sheridan Hendley and friends are back for the second book in the Cold Creek series. I enjoy this set of mysteries. I like that Sheridan did not find the body. So many stories all have the main character find it time after time. I like all the characters relationships with each other. We got to see another side of Max which was nice.

another death occurred on Cold Creek campus in the Arboretum. The police send for Sheridan and Kim to help calm things down. Police Chief Barney Pfeiffe rushes to arrest someone right off the bat. Sheridan does not agree with him. So comes up with an idea to help.

State Police detective Brett was called to stand by and see if he was needed. The police Chief Pfeiffe thought he was in town anyhow. Brett did not mind spending more time with Sheridan. While the Police Chief comes off looking stupid the rest of the cops don't. I like that Brett does not talk about his cases that he is working on unless it affects that person.

I am still not clear why the one suspect kept threatening Dr. Sheridan. But I guess in real life we don't get every question answered either.

The setting for this book is Cold Creek Collage in Virginia. It is a small college in a small town.

Their is a lot of mysteries to who the dead person was and why was he in town? Some suspects. Brett and Sheridan are getting closer together. This is a clean read.

I would like to see more of Dr. Sheridan and Brett and their friends back for another book.

I was given this ebook to read so I could give Murder in the Arboretum a honest review and be part of its blog tour.

4 STARS

I kept having to put back up and down for different reasons today and was able to get right back into the story. I did not like the murdered man Adam and just felt disgusted with him and a few other characters. I just felt mostly negative feelings towards the characters.

I was impressed with all the details or getting ready for school and subject for teaching. It came across like a lot of extra time put in the book. It made the Character of Sheridan Hendley come alive for me. The characters were mostly smart educated people.
I would like to see more of Sheridan and Detective McMann and friends.

The setting for this book is small town called Cold Creek, VA, A college town.

Sheridan is asked to work with Detective McMann and show him around and help him with the contacts he will need after the murder of a Professor.

Sheridan tries to make sense of the murder and because she is seen with the detective a lot people have been doing a lot of gossiping about them. She has been targeted by someone.

This is a smart read that rather than a emotional read for me. It is also a clean read.

I would like to read more from Christa Nardi in the future.

I was given this ebook to read so I could give a honest review and be part of its blog tour.

This book started slow for me. There was a murder, obviously, right at the beginning but it seemed like nothing more really happened for the first 50% of the book. There were lots.. and lots.. and lots.. of details about the main character's day to day activities and the many members of her faculty. There was a light romance angle and after the first half of the book the mystery did pick up a bit. The story came together. There were many reasons and many people who could have committed the crime. I was strongly convinced I knew who had something to do with it because of things pointed out in the story by the main character, and it turned out I was right.The how and why came out at the very end, and it fit well.
I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.