Can’t believe how quickly the weeks are flying in, to start this one off I have a review of Criminal Misdeeds and there is a giveaway for those of you in the US.
–
As far back as the Shatners can be traced, they have been breaking the law and running from it. It’s a family tradition. Now Carrie Shatner is a detective and crime-scene technician with the Wyatt County Sheriff’s Department in Eastern Texas. Over the years, she has tried to distance herself from her family’s criminal activities. But that is easier said than done.
The Shatner family is celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Wyatt County Fairgrounds in their usual style: illegal fireworks, homemade moonshine, and a near brawl. After shutting down the party, Carrie does a final sweep of the fairgrounds and finds a dead body in a dumpster.
Good news: the dead man is not a Shatner. Bad news: the Shatners are now suspects in a homicide investigation. Soon the fairgrounds are overrun with law enforcement, including Sergeant Jerrod Hardy, a Texas Ranger. The victim is Kyle Vance, Carrie’s ex-boyfriend and a member of the Palmer family, who have been feuding with the Shatners since the Civil War.
Despite serious misgivings, Hardy allows Carrie to help him investigate. He knows she physically couldn’t have beaten Vance to death, but he wonders if she is covering for a family member.
Amazon UK | Goodreads | Amazon US | B&N
–
–
I’ll be pretty upfront and say that I get the impression that a lot of this was lost in translation, it might just be me but I think if I were from the US then I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
There were a lot of occasions during the book where I felt like maybe there was some humour being injected that I just wasn’t getting and some ways of phrasing or sayings that I couldn’t quite pick up. It did make for a lot of re-reading on my part just to see where I had picked it up wrong,
There are a lot of characters in this book, there are two feuding families and a host of law enforcement who want to see most of them locked up. It did sometimes get quite difficult to keep track of who was part of which family or what relation they were to each other.
Even though the story is based around a murder, I think the most entertainment comes from the interactions within and between the families. I mean I would have run a mile if they were my family but they are like a loveable rogue, you know they are up to no good but want to stay around them anyway.
Carrie was a sassy and strong character, she would have to be to be in that family, and the tension between her doing the right thing with regards to the law or doing what would help her family was an interesting dynamic.
I think that if you like a light-hearted murder mystery and happen to have the right kind of humour then you’ll enjoy this book.
–
–
–
So there is a pretty cool giveaway on this tour, so if you are from the US then click the link to be in with a chance of winning…
one of two $10 Amazon gift cards
–
–
Randee Green’s passion for reading began in grade school with Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, as well as a master’s and an MFA in Creative Writing. When not writing, she’s usually reading, indulging in her passion for Texas country music, traveling, or hanging out with her favorite feline friend, Mr. Snookums G. Cat.
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook
–
everywhere-and-nowhere.com 
I enjoy family dynamics in a story so I will probably read this in the future.
LikeLiked by 1 person