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rellimreads's review
4.0
This is my 300th book of the year!
I enjoyed Brenda Whiteside’s Love & Murder series and was excited to see her new series, The MacKenzie Chronicles. Set in the small town of Joshua, Arizona this is too sexy to be considered a cozy mystery but has a lot of the same elements I enjoy in those. A tourist who holds a strong resemblance to a young man that disappeared nearly 30 years earlier amidst a murder investigation has the town stirred up.
For Magpie MacKenzie – it’s a whirl of emotions and memories. Zac Peachtree immediately notices the town noticing him, but the connection goes deeper than anyone realizes. While Magpie is 15 years older than Zac, attraction and more zings between them. They work to discover not only who the murderer is but whether they have a connection beyond the mystery. Amateur sleuthing, flashbacks to Joshua’s “hippy days”, and a bit a bit of a mystic element combine to give this a truly unique feel.
Whiteside does a solid job of worldbuilding in a book where the town of Joshua is an integral character as much as its citizens. While we definitely get to know Magpie & her father, Frank – there’s also a glimpse of Magpie’s siblings Harlan and Elidor. Not sure who gets the next book, but I’m looking forward to it.
I enjoyed Brenda Whiteside’s Love & Murder series and was excited to see her new series, The MacKenzie Chronicles. Set in the small town of Joshua, Arizona this is too sexy to be considered a cozy mystery but has a lot of the same elements I enjoy in those. A tourist who holds a strong resemblance to a young man that disappeared nearly 30 years earlier amidst a murder investigation has the town stirred up.
For Magpie MacKenzie – it’s a whirl of emotions and memories. Zac Peachtree immediately notices the town noticing him, but the connection goes deeper than anyone realizes. While Magpie is 15 years older than Zac, attraction and more zings between them. They work to discover not only who the murderer is but whether they have a connection beyond the mystery. Amateur sleuthing, flashbacks to Joshua’s “hippy days”, and a bit a bit of a mystic element combine to give this a truly unique feel.
Whiteside does a solid job of worldbuilding in a book where the town of Joshua is an integral character as much as its citizens. While we definitely get to know Magpie & her father, Frank – there’s also a glimpse of Magpie’s siblings Harlan and Elidor. Not sure who gets the next book, but I’m looking forward to it.
hugbandit7's review
4.0
This small town in Arizona is not for the faint of heart especially if you don't believe in ghosts or mystical traditions.
Magpie has lived in Joshua for many years and dealt with tragedy when she was a teenager, losing her mother and then later her boyfriend. She took on the role of surrogate mother to her siblings since her father was a mess after his wife died. These events shaped her life and here she is 28 years later blindsided by a man that came into town that resembles her missing boyfriend, Mark.
Zac is younger, 28, but has an immediate connection to Magpie that cannot be explained. They have chemistry and he doesn't seem to mind the age difference. He is pulled into a search for Callie's killer, Magpie's father's girlfriend that was killed when Mark went missing all those years ago. What he doesn't expect, nor Magpie for that matter, is that they are putting themselves in a dangerous situation that might not end well should the killer decide they know too much.
This book has a lot going for it - interesting characters, a mystery to be solved, an attraction between Magpie and Zac, family drama, and so much more. I enjoyed the back and forth in time and between the characters and their memories of the past and the history of Joshua. I was on the edge of my seat when Magpie finds herself in a sticky situation and wonder if she will be able to survive. There is also the buildup of the relationship between Magpie and Zac as they search for a killer and protect those they love. I especially enjoyed the mystical aspects of the book and how it affected the characters differently.
Since this is the first book in a new series, I wonder if the future books will focus on the other members of the MacKenzie family.
We give this book 4 paws up.
Magpie has lived in Joshua for many years and dealt with tragedy when she was a teenager, losing her mother and then later her boyfriend. She took on the role of surrogate mother to her siblings since her father was a mess after his wife died. These events shaped her life and here she is 28 years later blindsided by a man that came into town that resembles her missing boyfriend, Mark.
Zac is younger, 28, but has an immediate connection to Magpie that cannot be explained. They have chemistry and he doesn't seem to mind the age difference. He is pulled into a search for Callie's killer, Magpie's father's girlfriend that was killed when Mark went missing all those years ago. What he doesn't expect, nor Magpie for that matter, is that they are putting themselves in a dangerous situation that might not end well should the killer decide they know too much.
This book has a lot going for it - interesting characters, a mystery to be solved, an attraction between Magpie and Zac, family drama, and so much more. I enjoyed the back and forth in time and between the characters and their memories of the past and the history of Joshua. I was on the edge of my seat when Magpie finds herself in a sticky situation and wonder if she will be able to survive. There is also the buildup of the relationship between Magpie and Zac as they search for a killer and protect those they love. I especially enjoyed the mystical aspects of the book and how it affected the characters differently.
Since this is the first book in a new series, I wonder if the future books will focus on the other members of the MacKenzie family.
We give this book 4 paws up.
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