An Excuse for Murder
An Excuse for Murder
By Vanessa Westermann
Secrets, murder, romance with all the suspense of a classic mystery.
Book Review, no spoilers I swear!!
Published by The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (Crimson Rose) (20 Mar. 2019)
Firstly I would like to thank Vanessa Westermann for sending me a free ebook copy of An Excuse for Murder in exchange for my honest opinion. All views are my own and unbiased.
I love romance novels and what better pairs with romance if its not mystery? But before I tell you my thoughts of this mystery romance, perhaps I should tell you what it is about. Give you an idea.
The Blurb:
As a former bodyguard, it should be easy for Gary Fenris to kill, especially when the motive is revenge. But Gary has made two mistakes in his life. The first was letting the woman he loved die on his watch. The second was thinking vengeance would bring him peace.
Local bookstore owner and amateur lock pick Kate Rowan loves nothing more than a good mystery. Her curiosity soon leads her down a trail of blackmail, obsession and death. Despite the risk - or maybe because of it - Gary finds himself drawn to Kate. When danger strikes, Gary is forced to face the fact that he used love as an excuse for murder. And he's got one last score to settle.
Thoughts:
the story I found to be slow and it took me a long while to get into the plot and sometimes I felt confused as to what was happening. However, I think that is partly due to the fact that the language and the genre not being my usual pick.
Gary is our main man, taunted by the past which has clearly affected how he thinks, his mind no longer think of possibility of a far away future but just for the next day instead, Gary no longer cares about what happens to him as the worse has already happened.
So what harm would murder do to him?
Kate is a strong female character with a thirst for mystery. I enjoyed Kate's attitude and gave me a bit of young Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher vibes as she refuses to go back away from possible danger. She is also a character who isn't afraid by any man or threat. Instead her stubborn and feisty attitude is what keeps her alive.
The way Westermann writes is clever as not only do you get to experience the story from Kate's point of view but also Gary's. Gary being the murderer it was interesting to see how his character was effected by his act and more importantly, how his act now ties in with whats happening right now. The way in which Gary thinks and acts reminded me of Jack Reacher, he is reserved, dangerous, yet has a heart and wants to do good by whats right.
I also liked how each chapter ended, with an engaging closure or revelation to keep you captivated throughout the book. The subplots of the other characters and how they tied in with the main characters and how the story from being a murder mystery throughout but with themes of love, loss and the unsaid words. The ending of the book is left to an open interpretation, leaving it to the reader to decide where and how these characters evolve after the end of the mystery.
All together, I enjoyed the book, I found it engaging and the slow burn suspense allowed there to be a development of the characters as well as the growth of a intense atmosphere that comes to an well awaited for end. It involved everything from a classic mystery and I would love for this novel to be the start of a series set involving these characters or in the location surrounding. I would gladly read those!
Rating: 3.5* out of 5
Overall, a good, interesting mystery romance with strong main characters. If you enjoy the genre of mystery then I suggest you give this book a try.
After all tomorrow is another day spent reading,
Till next time,
Phoebe x
An Excuse for Murder is available to but from amazon in both paperback and ebook.