November 23, 2016

A Murder Among Friends


"Now, why don't you tell me from the beginning." ~ pg. 170

Marcus Agaston is a radio station reporter. During the summer of 2005, his friend Catherine, a pregnant surrogate for a gay couple, goes missing. When her body is found, Marcus searches for her killer to bring her justice. Meanwhile, Marcus' childhood friend's persistent demands for money (borderline blackmail) cause Marcus's husband, Sam, to get involved. Betrayal of friendship becomes this story's theme as clues are uncovered. Marcus is beyond shocked when he eventually comes face-to-face with the killer.

"Yes, yes, such a tragic, tragic end...such a horrible situation." ~ pg. 221

Mystery/Crime Fiction is my favorite genre. I love when books keep me guessing, skipping my daily naps to continue reading, turning the pages until I am finished. Criteria of a good mystery novel, to me, is a good enough crime with realistic characters that leads me to doubt whodunnit. I don't need unnecessary details to throw me off the trail. I don't mind characters I love to hate. And I especially love when characters get caught up in some unpredictable shit. Most importantly, I cannot be distracted by tons of grammatical errors (this book has a few typos but not so many that the normal reader's eye will catch). Finally, the mystery has to be damn good! Such is the case in A Murder Among Friends.

"Think it's a serial?" ~ pg. 84

The chapters have catchy yet revealing titles such as, Friendly DisclosureFriendly Questions & Lies, and Unfriendly Confrontation. Although I suspected one of the characters early on, I could not figure out the motive so dismissed my thoughts. Peppered with colorful language and dialogue, the author wrote the characters in fully-fleshed out details making it even more suspenseful to figure out the mystery. As I read along, I wondered could one of the likable characters actually be guilty of this cold heartless murder? Well, I recommend you pick a weekend where you can relax and get all the way into this story to find out.

A Murder Among Friends is a great debut novel that put author Jennifer Lewis Williams on my to-read radar. Bookhearts, you should check her self-published novels out too!

Title: A Murder Among Friends
Author: Jennifer Lewis Williams
Published: April 2013
Pages: 265
Edition: Paperback
Challenge: Popsugar—A Murder Mystery
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

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