Celestial Reviews: Review and Giveaway: Kill and Run by Lauren Carr ( A Thorny Rose Mystery Book 1)

Kill and Run (A Thorny Rose Mystery Book 1)

Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
Before long, the case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?

Kill and Run was the first book I have ever read by Lauren Carr, and the first mystery novel that I have read in quite some time. My love of books started with The Hardy Boys Mysteries, before evolving, and every now and then I find myself absorbed in great mysteries like this one.

The story was long, detail oriented, with bits of comic relief throughout it. I enjoyed every word, despite the begining being a bit slow. But a few chapters in and I didnt want to put the book down. I even freaked out my boyfriend yelling "What??!" a few times. Yea.

There is more than one angle to this story, and they all come together beautifully. Im not sure if I should have read any of her other books first, because some of the main characters were already introduced in other books, from previous series.

Cameron Gates finds a lead in the murder of her first husband, which connects to the investigation our lead male character, Murphy, is conducting. And soon, they are both working together to meet the same end goal. Its a plot twist I didnt expect and thoroughly enjoyed.

While I did feel like I knew who the killer was, I second guessed myself A LOT because of twists and turns that Lauren Carr expertly weaved into her story. The ending was great, fulfilling, and I want more. I found a new favorite author and I cannot wait to dive into the rest of this series and start the others. I highly recommend this series if you are a fan of Mystery novels.