Murder By the Way by Betsy Brannon Green – Combined Review

Murder By the Way

Author: Betsy Brannon Green

Publisher: Covenant Communications

Published Date: June 2012

Paperback; 280 pages

Genre: Mystery-Suspense

ISBN# 978-1-62108-123-4

Reviewed by: Shanda & Sheila

FTC FYI: review copy in exchange for an honest review

Summary

As Kennedy Killingsworth prepares to step into the next phase of her life alongside her soon-to-be husband, Luke, the past reemerges and interrupts with full force. Luke is suddenly called away to testify at a Marine Corps trial and is forced to leave Kennedy soon after they are declared husband and wife. Then an old business associate, Drake Langston, announces he is returning to Midway to finish renovating the town and needs Kennedy’s help to smooth things over with the locals. Kennedy jumps on board to distract herself from Luke’s absence. Little does she know that there will soon be plenty to distract her. After an unexplainable prison van accident leaves a woman dead and three prisoners missing, the town feels rattled and worried. As Kennedy (and her ex-husband, Cade) gets involved in investigating the crash, more and more mysterious events unfold, and if she’s not careful, she could be the next murder by the way.

First Line

“My second wedding day was off to a perfect start.”

Find Murder By the Way:

GOODREADS | AMAZON | KINDLE | DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK

Shanda’s Review

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series (Murder By the Book and Murder By Design) so I was excited to receive Murder By the Way for review. The beginning of the story was more “tell” than the rest as Kennedy reviews the events of the last little while, but the writing is good. Once things got going, it didn’t take long for me to find the rhythm of the story.

While Kennedy is an interesting character to me, and I’ve enjoyed seeing a bit of her toughness soften with her love for Luke, it is Luke that is my favorite character. Due to a sudden military trial, their wedding is rushed and Luke must leave to testify immediately after the reception. This means that he is “physically” gone for a large portion of the story, but with phone calls and texts to Kennedy he remains peripherally involved.

Another favorite character is Sloan. He is a former FBI agent, and I liked not knowing if he was a good guy or a bad guy. His actions could lead either way, and it isn’t until the end that the reader learns whether he is good or bad. (I’m not saying!)

One thing I was glad to see was that Cade, Kennedy’s ex-husband, steps up and we get to see the better side of him. He has a hunch and follows through, setting the mystery in motion.

Several of the well-known characters from Betsy’s previous novels are back, as frustrating as ever. And what would a Betsy Brannon Green mystery be without Miss Eugenia?

I enjoyed the story and was happy to be surprised by the twist at the end. It played out differently than I thought it would and I was satisfied with how the story ended. The last few pages of the book are recipes and I can’t wait to try Miss Eugenia’s S’more Cookies. All in all, a great third installment of the Kennedy Killingsworth series.

Sheila’s Review

Murder By the Way is the third book in the Kennedy Killingsworth series. It is just as good as the first two books in the series. I love the inclusion of the familiar and comfortable characters that Betsy Brannon Green’s readers have come to know and love. Some examples are Miss Eugena, Miss Ida Jean, Winston, Mark and Kate. These are characters from The Haggerty Series that I absolutely love!

Once again Betsy’s books are full of mystery, intrigue, humor, and of course a lot of good food that the characters are cooking and eating. Recipes are always included at the end of the book. One that I want to try the most is, Miss Eugenia’s S’More Cookies. In the book she deep fries them, but I think I will bake them the normal way. I also want to try, Miss Iris’s Lemon Chicken, which is a little bit healthier than the cookies.

I really like Kennedy in this book, but I wish that there had been more of her new husband, Luke. He has become one of my favorite characters. There wasn’t as much action as there had been in book two, but there was plenty of “interaction” with the characters. The characters had more opportunities to figure out things mentally this time around. The ending played out almost how I have been figuring it would, but with some added twists and turns. I wasn’t disappointed in the end, and it just made me look forward to the next book in the series. At least I hope that there is more to come. I am adding this book to my list of quick, summer reads. You can read this alone, but I highly suggest that you read book one and two in the series first. I give this book 4 stars.