A Willing Murder: A Cozy Mystery – A Small Town Romantic Suspense Novel of Justice (A Medlar Mystery Book 1)

I have always loved Jude Deveraux,s books. In fact she is one of my favorite authors. However, this book didn't read like any of her others. Had it not had her name on it i would have thought it was written by someone else. The plot was good and the story idea was good but the story telling was disjointed. It read more like an observation. It was just "off". The climax wasn't climatic and details in the storyline were missing.

I pre-ordered this because I have always loved Jude Deveraux books, but this was such a struggle to get through. Sadly, the characters are unlikable and the dialog ridiculous at times. The storyline could have had potential, but the middle-schoolish writing made me sorely regret the $15 I wasted on this book.

Jude Deveraux is losing my interest. Have loved her up until her last three books. Feels like she is rushing plots/storylines. Seems to me that she is using a ghost writer and they have fallen down on the job. I typically preorder all of her books but I don’t think I will be doing that any longer.

Kate Medlar is a real estate agent who learns that her aunt is famous author Sara Medlar. Wishing to get away from her three domineering uncles and her dependent mother, she accepts a job in Lachlan, Florida where her Aunt Sara has retired. Her mother does all she can to prejudice Kate against her aunt, but Kate is eager to see for herself. She also hopes to find out about the father her mother never talks about from his sister Sara.When Kate arrives, she finds a pleasant and welcoming aunt who has a house guest. Jackson Wyatt is the contractor who remodeled Sara's home and is a sort of adopted grandson, the grandson of Sara's first love. Jack is in a cast from a recent accident that killed his younger brother and left him with a broken leg.Unknown to the town's residents, Sara is Jack's silent partner in his remodeling business. The two of them take Kate to a recent purchase of Jack's to get her opinion as a realtor. It is an important house in Jack's memory since it was the home of his childhood crush Cheryl Morris. His eleven-year-old heart was broken when the sixteen-year-old and her mother disappeared on her birthday.They arrive to find that weather has taken down a tree near the house and tangled in its roots are the skeletons of Cheryl and her mother Verna. Since the police aren't interested in the old crime, believing that Jack's biological father was likely the killer, Sara, Kate and Jack put on their detective clothes and decide to solve the case themselves. Unfortunately, someone doesn't want the case solved and soon there more deaths surrounding their investigation.I enjoyed this story even though I had a pretty good idea of who the murder was rather early in the book. I liked the relationship between Sara and Kate. I also loved the relationship between Jack and Kate. Their bickering was amusing. I can't quite decide if there is a romance in their future or not and am eager to read more in the series to find out.

This is a new genre for Jude Deveraux and I wasn't sure what to expect. There is definitely a different style and tone compared to her other books. But what has always made her brilliant is her characters and that remains the heart of this story and why I am anxiously looking forward to the next book in the series to come. I really enjoyed getting to know Sara, Jack, and Kate and experiencing them getting to know each other. As for the mystery, it was intriguing, especially how they go about solving it. It was nice that they are portrayed as the amateurs they are rather than natural born detectives. In short, get started on this series now. I think there is more fun to come with them.

Absolutely hard to put down and with an ending I never expected! I would love for the story to continue, I enjoyed the 3 main characters so much and would like to know more about them.

Murder Mystery is a new genre for Deveraux and she’s nailed it! Cannot wait for another! The characters are well fleshed out; the story line is cohesive; and the suspense heightened. Best of all there’s an underlying romantic and comic mood throughout. Brava, Jude Deveraux! More! More!

I order this book as soon as it came out because Jude Deveraux has never failed keep me spellbound by one of her books. I had an idea who one of the bad guys were from the start but was surprised and amazed by the twists at the end.

Not as good as some of her previous series of books but still a fab read

Waiting to be read

Great murder mystery but Kate and Jack didn't get together

Brilliant book as always

It had its moments, but overall boring and predictable. I have read all of Jude’s books, most are pretty good. This one I struggled to finish, the last couple chapters were the best. I found myself skimming through just to finish this book. Her other books are much better and riveting, I usually enjoy reading her work.. this book was hun drum.