Coda to Murder by J. Q. Rose

Blurb:

Pastor Christine Hobbs has been in the pulpit business for over five years. She never imagined herself caring for a flock that includes a pig, a kangaroo, and a murderer.

Detective Cole Stephens doesn't want the pretty pastor to get away with murdering the church music director. His investigative methods infuriate Christine as much as his deep brown eyes attract her.

Can they find the real killer and build a loving relationship based on trust?

Review:

Coda to Murder came from my publisher, MuseItUp Publishing, Inc., and Ms. Rose is a colleague of mine.  That said, please know that I always give honest reviews and have lost a friend from The Muse over a review I gave to her book.

“Coda” is categorized as a Contemporary Romance, although it would also be a good fit in the Inspirational genre, one which I normally avoid.  Ms. Rose and I discussed this subject when I was about half-way through the book.  She was worried the book was too preachy.

Christine Hobbs is a minister who gets involved in a murder mystery within her own congregation when someone kills the music director right there in the church basement.  Living in the parsonage and having keys to the church, Christine is the prime suspect.  How can she possibly lead her flock with possible murder charges hanging over her head?  How can she sleep at night knowing a murderer is on the loose?  And the murderer just might be someone she knows.  To add to her sleepless state, she can’t get that pesky, hunky (darn it!) detective out of her hair or out of her mind.

Christine doesn’t just preach her religion; she lives it.  She practices it from the moment she awakens to the moment she falls asleep.  She begins and ends her days with prayer and throughout the day she mutters little “booster” prayers.  Nothing big—no fancy Masses.  Her prayers during the day are as simple as “Please don’t let the murderer be here now,” or “Thanks, God.”  I was raised in a church similar to the one Pastor Hobbs shepherds, and this book brought back some fond memories to me.  I mutter similar prayers:  "Please, Goddess:  Let me make it to the bathroom," and "Thanks for the cool parking spot, HP (Higher Power)."  The names vary.

Having drifted in a different direction and not needing to be roped back, I didn’t want to read a preachy book.  I respect people who live what they believe, whether or not they’re in a position of leadership—but if they are in that position, then I especially think they should live what they preach.  Christine, however, is also very human.  She eats pizza and has an occasional beer with her best friend who teases her about the hunky detective.  She questions her feelings about him and asks both her human and Divine BFFs for advice before deciding whether or not to trust him.

Did I mention that she even helps her parishioners care for their pets?  The cat she adopts when one elderly parishioner dies is kind of a given.  But the pig and the kangaroo?  Well, they’re kind of what drew me to this book.  And I’m really glad they did.  It wasn’t preachy at all.  It was a fun read about a woman who lives and practices what she believes.  I can respect that, and enjoy my friend’s talent for spinning a tale that keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering who did it and laughing out loud at the same time.  Yeah, it's a great Contemporary Cozy Mystery Romance with a bit of Inspiration thrown in if you want some.  I highly recommend Coda to Murder.

Length:  151 Pages

Price:  $5.50

Buy Link:  http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=680&category_id=68&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

You’ll notice I always include the publisher’s buy link.  That’s because authors usually receive 40% of the book price from the publisher.  Editors and cover artists usually receive about 5%.  When you buy a book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or another third-party vendor, they take a hefty cut and the author, editors and cover artists receive their cuts from what is left.  So, if a book costs $5.99 at E-Book Publisher.com and you buy from there, the author will receive about $2.40.  If you buy the book at Amazon, the author will receive about $0.83.

Downloading the file from your computer to your Kindle is as easy as transferring any file from your computer to a USB flash drive.  Plug the USB end of your chord into a USB port on your computer and simply move the file from your “Downloads” box to your Kindle/Documents/Books directory.  I actually download my books using “Save As” to a “Books” file I created on my computer that’s sorted by my publisher, friends, and books “to review,” and then transfer them to my Kindle from there.  That way, if there’s a glitch with my Kindle, the books are on my computer.  Your author will be happy you did when he/she sees his/her royalty statement.

Thanks for visiting.  RIW