Review - Sounds Of Murder By Patricia Rockwell

Title: FM For Murder
Author: Patricia Rockwell
Found At:  Amazon

Format: Paperback and E-Book

Book Description: When Psychology Professor Pamela Barnes discovers her department's star researcher strangled to death in the computer lab, she's determined to find out who did it. Will an accidental recording of the murder allow Pamela to use her expertise in acoustics to identify the killer? A unique cozy mystery--set in the world of academia and high-stakes research--full of excitement, humor, and romance.

In this first book from Patrica Rockwell, we meet Dr. Pamela Barnes.  I enjoyed the fact this book immediately immersed the reader into Dr. Barnes' life.  The academic politics came immediately into play and when a much-disliked colleague is killed, everyone becomes a suspect.  Patrica Rockwell made Pamela Barnes a delightful character.  Even with her being a professor, she  still was a very down to earth person.  She has a loving husband (who cooks!), a tense but loving relationship with her freshman daughter, friends who are her polar opposites and a job she loves.  

This book also shows the underside of the world of academia, with tenure issues, budget cutbacks and personality clashes.  After discovering the body, Dr. Barnes can't help but poke around to find out who killed the researcher.  The killer was never given away until the end and with so many possible suspects, the killer was truly a surprise.  This was an enjoyable read and I think the series potential for this will be outstanding.  Patrica Rockwell leaves you curious about what happens with Pamela Barnes next.  She seems to be a magnet for trouble and I really look forward to see her next adventure.

If your interested the 2nd book of the series is called FM For Murder .

My Review for FM For Murder is HERE.

TBR Thursdays

This meme was based off TBR Thursday orginally hosted by Book Love Blog where they announce the books in all forms and from all sources that they received/bought/picked up to read.  I didn't see a reason to change a good thing, so here is my version!   Leave a link to your TBR in comments...

 


"Sounds of Murder" tells a tale of academic intrigue and death. At Grace University, a small southern college, no one in the Psychology Department likes Charlotte Clark, so no one is particularly upset when she is found murdered in the department’s million-dollar computer lab. But because she discovered the body, Associate Professor Pamela Barnes feels obligated to find Charlotte’s killer. When she discovers a recording of the murder that was accidentally produced during Charlotte’s struggle with the killer, she begins her own investigation. Along the way, Pamela agonizes with her own conscience as she fights her growing fear. She attempts to understand her mysterious Department Chair, keep her curious colleagues informed, placate her protective husband, and avoid antagonizing a local rube detective who belittles her efforts--all while she struggles to make sense of the sounds on the recording. As she gets deeper and deeper into her analysis—trying to connect what she hears in the recording with sounds from people (and potential killers) around her--she gets closer and closer to the killer. However, the killer is observing Pamela’s efforts and resolving to stop her.

  


A woman of science.
A man of magic.
Hunted for their HeartsBlood.

Blood Magic.

Drawn into a world beyond her
comprehension and control, Dr. Salista Calon
must choose between science and magic.
Between her mind and her heart.

HeartsBlood...
A love taken to its dangerous conclusion

 

A dangerous cult has recently taken over the desert ghost town of Paradise, Arizona. Members worship at the feet--and in the bed--of its charismatic leader, Ethan Wycliff, and obey his orders blindly. They've already tried to murder one woman and they're implicated in the disappearance of another.
Nate Ferrentino, who works for private security contractor Department 6, has been assigned to infiltrate this group. It's a challenge he welcomes--until he learns that colleague Rachel Jessop will be going undercover with him. Thanks to their shared history, he'd much rather go alone....
The problem is, only married couples can participate in cult rituals. So, like it or not--and they don't--Rachel and Nate must pretend to be husband and wife. There's no choice. Because if Wycliff isn't exposed, if he isn't stopped, more people will die. And Rachel might be one of them.

In Banks's sexy ninth Vampire Huntress novel (after The Wicked), the first seal has been broken and Armageddon has begun. Lilith and her husband, the Unnamed One, are caught unawares while awaiting the birth of their angel-hybrid heir. Installed as Vampire Council chairwoman, Lilith calls on vampires, witches and warlocks (including Machiavelli, Jezebel, Genghis Khan and Medusa) to combat the forces of the Covenant, the Guardians, the Neterus and both Neteru Councils. She attacks her enemies Damali and Carlos Rivera where it hurts the most: their libidos. Soon the battle involves a Valkyrie, the Ark of the Covenant and bootleg music downloads. This end of days scenario is a wild amalgam of Christianity, vampire lore, world myth, functional morality, street philosophy and hot sex. 

Review: FM for Murder by Patricia Rockwell

Title: FM For Murder
Author: Patricia Rockwell
Found At: Smashwords and Amazon
Format: Paperback and E-Book

In this second offering by Patrica Rockwell, author Patrica Rockwell brings back Pamela Barnes to help investigate the death of a popular late night DJ heard over the airwaves.  I have to admit, the first chapter left me wondering but as I reached the surprising ending, it made perfect sense.  Pamela Barnes is a professor with a loving and overprotective husband and a lovely daughter. Along with her colleagues, the characters in this book are funny, engaging and easy to relate to.  In this novel, she was asked to help out on the case by the police, using her acoustic skills to see if she can discover any clues that might lead to who committed the crime .  The story is interwoven with a connected story, a mystery within a mystery, if you will, and I found myself reading, curious to know how both stories tied to each other.  The novel was engaging and kept you turning pages until the end.  The ending itself was such an unexpected one for me, I totally didn't see it coming.  Overall, the novel was well written and thoroughly enjoyable.

One caveat:  I haven't read the first novel - Sounds of Murder - and this novel made several reference to it that had me asking questions.  I plan on fixing that mistake as soon as possible and I will be reading it!