Book #Review ~ Death Waits in the Dark (A Writer's Apprentice Mystery, Book #4) by Julia Buckley ~ #CozyMystery @BerkleyMystery @juliabucks

About the Book:

Writer's apprentice Lena London is back and better than ever when her friend bestselling suspense novelist Camilla Graham needs help solving a town murder that hits a little too close to home...

It's summertime, and Lena and Camilla are busy working away while a town vandal runs amok. Things get even more complicated when Jane Wyland pays Camilla a not-so-friendly visit and gives her an ultimatum: reveal Camilla's husband James's family secret, or she will. Lena assures Camilla that nothing will come of the woman's threats, since the family has no secrets to hide.

When Jane Wyland is later found dead, they're convinced that whatever secret she was planning to expose led to her death. With Lena's assistance, Camilla is determined to solve the case before the finger points at her...

Amazon

Print Length: 304 pages

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: April 2, 2019

Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC

ASIN: B07FC45PJZ

My Review:

Death Waits in the Dark is another fantastic book in the Writer's Apprentice Mystery series. Having picked up almost where book 3 ended, Lena is living the dream as a co-author to her favorite author, Camilla Graham. With Nikon in police custody and baby Athena back in the arms of her mother, Victoria, Sam's ex-wife, life is starting to resemble something normal....that is until a blast from Camilla's past barges into her home and threatens her with exposure of a family secret unless Camilla, herself, comes clean. The only problem is, Camilla doesn't have an scandalous secrets to admit to anyone so she had no idea what Jane Wyland is even talking about. When Jane is found dead shortly after her visit to Camilla's, Lean knows they have to figure out what the secret is that she thinks ultimately lead to Jane's death.

I love Lena's character and her love and affection for everyone around her. Her relationship with Sam has been taken to the next level and they are so cute together. Lena's relationship with her mentor, Camilla, is one of mother/daughter (at least to me) and there is genuine affection between them - and with Camilla's guy, Adam. I love how Cliff was introduced in book 3 and how he fits right in with everyone in Blue Lake. 

The twists, turns, and red herrings kept my mind actively trying to put the pieces together of this mystery. I didn't feel like there were any dull or slow moments as we spent more time with Lena, Sam, Cliff, Belinda, Doug, Allison, John, and of course, Camilla and Adam. It wasn't until the very end that I was able to put the pieces together and have the "ah ha" moment right along with the characters.

I reviewed a paperback I own.

My Rating:

#Book #Review ~ A Dark and Twisting Path (A Writer's Apprentice Mystery, Book #3) by Julia Buckley @BerkleyMystery #CozyMystery

About the Book:

Writer's apprentice Lena London is happily working on a new collaboration with her idol and bestselling suspense novelist and friend Camilla Graham, but her joy is short-lived when a dark cloud descends upon the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana...

Lena's best friend, Allison, is in a panic. On a walk in the woods by her home, Allison discovers the body of her mail carrier, an argumentative man who recently had a falling out with Allison's husband. Lena quickly realizes that Allison has nothing to worry about as the murder weapon points to a different suspect altogether: Lena's embattled boyfriend, Sam West.

Sam was cleared of his wife's murder when she was found alive, and now someone is trying to make him look guilty again. Surveillance video of a break-in at his house shows a shadowy figure trying to incriminate him by stealing the weapon from his desk. Lena and Camilla work on a suspect list, but a threatening note and a violent intrusion at Graham House prove that the devious killer has decided to write them into the plot.

Amazon

Print Length: 300 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
ASIN: B077CRJ71C

My Review:

A Dark and Twisting Path is another fantastic book in the Writer's Apprentice Mystery series. Having picked up almost where book 2 ended, Lena is living the dream as a co-author to her favorite author, Camilla Graham. Sam is still helping investigate the disappearance of his ex-wife, Victoria's, daughter. The baby is still missing after being kidnapped by Victoria's ex, Nikon and now Sam is the target of a murder set-up.

During the continued investigation into the kidnapping, Lena's bestie Allison, finds their mailcarrier dead in her backyard. Evidence is eventually revealed as to why he may have been killed, especially when the murderer tried to incriminate Sam in yet another death. Fortunately, Sam has a surveillance system and was able to record the break-in and subsequent theft of the murder weapon.

I love Lena's character and her love and affection for everyone around her. Her relationship with Sam has been taken to the next level and they are so cute together. Lena's relationship with her mentor, Camilla, is one of mother/daughter (at least to me) and there is genuine affection between them - and with Camilla's guy, Adam. A new character is introduced and I love how this new person fits right in with everyone in Blue Lake. I love the extra dark tone in which the last few chapters of the book were written and what it means for the rest of the series.

The twists, turns, and red herrings kept my mind actively trying to put the pieces together of this mystery. I didn't feel like there were any dull or slow moments as we spent more time with Lena, Sam, Cliff, Belinda, Doug, Allison, John, and of course, Camilla and Adam. It wasn't until almost the very end that I was able to put the pieces together and have the "ah ha" moment right along with the characters.

My review copy is my own paperback.

My Rating:

Death with a Dark Red Rose (A Writer's Apprentice Mystery #5) by Julia Buckley ~ #Book #Review ~ #Cozy #Mystery ~ @BerkleyMystery @juliabucks

Book Details:

Print Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: February 25, 2020
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
ASIN: B07SSQ1M8N

Amazon

About the Book:

Writer's apprentice Lena London is enjoying life in Blue Lake and being newly engaged, but is soon drawn into the terrifying disappearance of one of her closest friends....

Lena is starting to feel like having it all may actually be possible! She and suspense novelist Camilla Graham are busily plotting their next novel and she's got a brand-new diamond ring on her finger thanks to her fiancé, Sam West. The only blot on her Blue Lake life is a strange new corporation that has come to town called Plastisource. They seem to be intent on gobbling up prime real estate and changing the landscape of Lena's lovely adopted home.

When she and Sam get a call from their good friend (and Blue Lake detective) Doug saying that his girlfriend--and Lena's pal Belinda--isn't answering her phone and missed a date with him, they all head out to her home. The trio is shocked to discover that Belinda's purse and phone are at her house, along with a single red rose on her countertop--but Belinda herself is missing. Has she been abucted? Could the strange new corporation play a role in her disappearance? Lena is determined to find out and rescue her friend because she knows that the truth can be stranger and much more deadly than fiction....

My Review:

The Writer's Apprentice Mystery series just keeps getting better and better with each book. I've read all 5 so far and they are truly amazing. I love Lena's character and her love and affection for everyone around her. Her relationship with Sam has been taken to the next level and they are so cute together. Lena's relationship with her mentor, Camilla, is one of mother/daughter (at least to me) and there is genuine affection between them - and with Camilla's guy, Adam. The introduction of Cliff in a previous book also brings a nice, loving component to Sam's life and, in turn, Lena's. 

The mystery in Death with a Dark Red Rose begins with the abduction of Belinda, a friend and the girlfriend of local detective, Doug. What starts out as a missing person snowballs into a mystery full of missing, and presumed dead, employees of a plastics manufacturer who unceremoniously decides to set up shop in Blue Lake, shady characters, peeping toms, and danger no one saw coming. I was wholly engaged in this book and did not put it down unless I absolutely had to (I'm looking at you, day job!).

The twists, turns, and red herrings kept my mind actively trying to put the pieces together of this mystery. I didn't feel like there were any dull or slow moments as we spent more time with Lena, Sam, Cliff, Belinda, Doug, Allison, John, and of course, Camilla and Adam. It wasn't until almost the very end that I was able to put the pieces together and have the "ah ha" moment right along with the characters.

One of my favorite cozy series', I was a glad to be back in Blue Lake and can't wait to visit again.

I was provided a copy of this book to review.

My Rating:

#Book #Review ~ Death in Dark Blue (A Writer's Apprentice Mystery, Book #2) by Julia Buckley ~ @juliabucks @BerkleyMystery #CozyMystery

Book Details:

Print Length: 300 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
ASIN: B01KGZVP0M
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QKmJ4M

About the Book:

In the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana, Lena London is settling into her dream job, but someone is making her life a nightmare…

Things are beginning to go right for Lena. She’s got a new job assisting suspense novelist and friend, Camilla Graham. She lives rent-free in Camilla’s beautiful, Gothic house. She even has a handsome new boyfriend, Sam West.

After being under attack by the media and his neighbors, Sam has recently been cleared of suspicion for murder. Journalists and townsfolk alike are remorseful, and one blogger would even like to apologize to him in person. But when she’s found dead behind Sam’s house, Lena must dodge paparazzi as she unravels the many mysteries that threaten to darken the skies of her little town and her newfound love with Sam.



Death in Dark Blue is book 2 in Julia Buckley’s A Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series. Picking up where book 1 ended, Lena and Sam are still trying to find the whereabouts of his missing ex-wife Victoria. He was cleared of her murder, with the help of Lena. There are some out there who still don’t think Sam’s innocent but one blogger in particular feels awful for condemning him. Set to apologize to Sam, everyone is shocked when her body is discovered near Sam’s house. Lena knows Sam wasn’t involved and works to figure out who took the poor girl’s life.

I enjoy cozy mysteries that have more than one mystery. This one has two; the continuation of Sam’s missing ex-wife and the death of the blogger. Separate, yet smoothly written, both mysteries co-exist without overshadowing each other or falling flat.

The setting is interesting and there is continued, wonderful character development. I befriended the characters and felt like I was in the story with them. I was excited for the addition of Belinda, a research librarian. She was such an asset to Lena. There were twists and turns that keep me on the edge of my seat. The author did a fantastic job with book 2 in the series.

My review copy came from my public library’s interlibrary loan program.

My Rating:

Book #Review ~ A Dark and Stormy Murder (A Writer's Apprentice Mystery, Book #1) by Julia Buckley ~ #CozyMystery #BookReview

Book Details:

Print Length: 301 pages

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: July 5, 2016

Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC

ASIN: B016JPTK46

Purchase Link: Amazon

About the Book:

An aspiring suspense novelist lands in the middle of a real crime, in the first in a captivating new series by the author of the Undercover Dish Mysteries.

Lena London's literary dreams are coming true—as long as she can avoid any real-life villains...

Camilla Graham’s bestselling suspense novels inspired Lena London to become a writer, so when she lands a job as Camilla’s new assistant, she can’t believe her luck. Not only will she help her idol craft an enchanting new mystery, she’ll get to live rent-free in Camilla’s gorgeous Victorian home in the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana.

But Lena’s fortune soon changes for the worse. First, she lands in the center of small town gossip for befriending the local recluse. Then, she stumbles across one thing that a Camilla Graham novel is never without—a dead body, found on her new boss’s lakefront property.

Now Lena must take a page out of one of Camilla’s books to hunt down clues in a real crime that seems to be connected to the novelist’s mysterious estate—before the killer writes them both out of the story for good...

Lena London is a huge fan of Camilla Graham – so much so that Camilla is Lena’s inspiration to become a writer. When Lena is offered a job working with Camilla, she is over the moon. Lena moves to Camilla Graham’s estate in Indiana where she not only gets to work her dream job, but all amenities are paid for my Camilla, as well. She can’t believe her luck. That luck runs out shortly after accepting the job and taking up residence with Camilla. Lena becomes the subject of small-town gossip and then stumbles over a real dead body in Camilla yard. Lena and Camilla learn firsthand what it takes to locate clues, fit them together, and hope they don’t become the next victims.

A Dark and Stormy Murder is the first book in the Writer’s Apprentice Mystery series. The author sets the tone for the series with likable characters, a solid foundation, and a continued plot line that carries over into at least the next book. I always enjoy mysteries that have more than just the main problem or theme. This story includes another storyline that is almost as strong as the main murder mystery and I loved how the author wove it all together. Separate, yet smoothly written, the two events co-exist without overshadowing each other or falling flat. 

The character development and world building had me befriending the characters and feeling like I was right there with them. I enjoyed the idea of Lena, as an aspiring writer, getting to not only meet the author who inspires her, but also becoming said author’s apprentice. I really enjoyed the mystery-in-a-mystery concept and because I waited to so long to start the series (which I regret) I don’t have to wait to read the next book. Cliffhanger be darned! This is a series I will be continuing. 

I was given a copy of this book to read.

My Rating: