Castle Cay (Julie O'Hara Mystery Series Book 1)

So if you are looking for a good mystery-this book is great. If you are looking for romance mixed into the mystery, you will be disappointed. So the mystery is that a close friend of the main character-Julie-has died and is considered a suicide. She is convinced that it is not a suicide. She goes to the funeral and starts talking to his other friends and relatives looking for more information to confirm her belief that he did not take his own life. This book has a lot of flashbacks and changes perspective to other characters in the book on a regular basis. I usually don't like that, but it works ok in this book. It can be a little distracting but it does add to the story more than it detracts. Julie's flashbacks are a way to give us her back story and how complicated her history is with the deceased friend and how it relates to "castle cay". She gets that confirmation and begins her quest in earnest to find his killer. The story is really too complex to delve into here, but the characters are great and it is well written. I really liked the mystery part, but it did seem like the book just went on and on, when it could have been done much sooner and still been a great book.The part that I didn't like about this book is that I found it under "mystery romance", but there was very little romance. We did see some romance in her flashback about her first husband. But there was nothing in the present about her relationship with Joe. There was no real description of their attraction for each other, it's more vague references here and there. There is a kissing scene that is way too vague-in literally two and half paragraphs we are told that they kiss and go into the bedroom and then there is a very short vague description of their intimate encounter. Then we are told at other places in the book that they spent the night together. There is some dialogue here and there that shows their feelings for one another, especially Joe's feelings. But there is no spark, no attraction, no sex scenes. Don't get me wrong, I don't need a description reminiscent of a porno movie or anything, but come on let's give them a little sizzle...describe some passionate kisses at the very least.So bottom line if all you care about is a good mystery, this is definitely full of that. If you want your mystery to have some sizzle and romance, you will be disappointed. I was.

The characters were interesting and the book included lovely descriptions of Key West. I'll definitely read more of her books.

I am giving this effort a hopeful four stars in recognition of solid potential for the protagonist and several of the ancillary characters, should they reappear, and I will read more by this author.Not an overly complicated plot but it was at least distracting from the sometimes shallow relationships between the characters, who didn't have a whole lot of depth anyway and seemed somewhat unnecessary. One easy-to-spot relationship didn't seem to serve any purpose whatsoever upon disclosure. Lots of finger-pointing...whodunit (and why), who's REALLY related to whom, who's gonna hook up with whom, who's got the warmies for who else, etc.It should be noted from the gate that if any potential reader is in any way homophobic, this is probably not the book for you. I thought their characters were well presented and their relationships with one another and the protagonist (and others) were well done and I had no problem with the physical intimacy, which I didn't feel was graphic or intended for "shock value".I was intrigued by the protagonist's vocation, a body language expert, but unfortunately that aspect of her character was sort of glossed over. It could prove a very interesting and useful tool if it were a larger part of future plots, and since she is promoted as an expert courtroom witness in pursuit of her career I am hoping this will be the case.One detail that is still puzzling to me is why you would start a novel with a protagonist who makes a significant point of emphasizing to other inattentive characters that her name is Julia, not Julie, and then throughout the rest of the book is referred to as Julie (even some reviewers can't get it right). Either don't detail the mistaken name issue, or just stick with either name from the beginning.That said, for those keeping score, here are the standings as far as heads-ups for most reviewers' declared turnoffs:1.) Some profanity;2.) No paranormal, supernatural, sci-fi, or magic components;3.) No gooey romance, in fact very little at all;4.) No religious or heavyhanded alternative lifestyle agenda or promotion (however there are homosexual characters and some resulting physical intimacy);5.) Mild heterosexual intimacy;6.) No graphic violence;7.) No child or animal abuse;8.) No cliffhanger ending;9.) Grammar and punctuation police, have at it.

Wow...this book was edge of your seat murder mystery! I loved the depth of the characters with the twists and turns. It was a great read..entertaining and plot twisting!

Multiple plots skillfully intertwined. As you are reading and feel that you know what will be happening it "takes a sudden surprise turn". Then it all falls in place right at the very end.you

Julie started out her working life in car sales but is now an expert in body language and is sometimes used as an expert in jury selection. When her best friend is found dead, she is immediately suspicious of the suicide verdict and feels compelled to seek the truth. Whilst this was a relaxing read, the plot could have been a whole lot tighter if the author hadn't relied so heavily on such large chunks of flashback to fill in the background. Because all the back stories were revealed in flashback, the book was sadly lacking in suspense and there were absolutely no surprises for the reader. Nevertheless, all the relevant detail was well-researched and informative and the only thing that really grated for me was the use of the nickname 'Merlin' which was rather unnatural and didn't really work. However, the characters were likeable and well-drawn and on the whole, it was an enjoyable read.

Julie O'hara cannot believe that her close friend, artist, Marc Solomon commited suicide, even though the police think that the case is clear. She is determined to find out what really happened and begins her own investigation. Given her own past connections with the Solomon family, Julie's personal tragedy and her memories of Castle Cay are inevitably brought back into sharp focus. The final truth about what happened to Marc involves much more than Julie could possibly have imagined.This is an easy-to-read and enjoyable mystery. It took a few chapters to get into it due to a silly niggle I had with 'Julie' who starts off as 'Julia' but her name is misheard and from then she becomes 'Julie.' - even, it seemed, to herself. It's strange but it took me a little while longer than it should to get to know the character because of that and I found it to be a detail I would have rather have been left out altogether! However, reading other reviews no one else has mentioned this so it's probably just me!I very much liked the idea of Julie being a body language expert, i thought that was unusual and wished that aspect had been used in the story even more. I see from the title that this is the first in a series so maybe that will be developed more in subsequent books - I hope so! Good, well-written mystery.

This was an odd mixture. I almost baled out in the first few pages. I dislike being given descriptions of settings and characters in such florid, and minute detail. What am I supposed to do with my imagination? Mark it as 'not needed on journey' and stow it away? I ploughed on in the hope that things would improve. Further into the story the level of detail dissipated, but the characters, settings, and plot became less engaging. The ending was inevitable, and somewhat rushed. After such a detailed beginning, all the loose ends were tied up in a few pages. As I said, an odd mixture.

A different take on a murder mystery. The book conjours up images of wonderful scenery and lifestyles most can only dream of. The mystery is triggered by Julie being unwilling to accept her best friend would take his own life and takes a turn into a story of gangsters, drugs and the art world, a strange mix...but it works. This book is the first of a series but is a standalone with a neat ending. With a number of suspects it took me a while to guess the murderer, the author skilfully manages to keep you guessing.

You know, sometimes you get a book that you become so immersed in time doesn't exist? Well this is one of them.I saw the front art work and the title and although the author was unfamiliar to me it made me want to know more. The precis looked interesting and my kind of read. I was not disappointed. If you like karma and justice to win for a change, I recommend you read this one. I am certainly a fan now.