writerbarbie92's review against another edition
5.0
I started the second Harper McClain novel early this week and promptly stayed up all night to finish it. I then realized my fatal mistake- I'd have to wait until March for any news whatsoever on book #3. This is unacceptable. Harper has drawn me in with her emotional and completely understandable obsession with crimes that go unsolved. Stories that go unfinished.
Savannah is once again beautifully portrayed. The heady, thick air of a late Georgian summer blows through descriptions of Spanish moss and architecture of the Old South. And yet the problems Harper encounters are those of just about any American city. The belief that the boyfriend always did it. A subtle hint of racism. And the omnipresent knowledge that the rich and powerful can usually get away with just about anything.
I honestly don't know what to think about the Harper/ Luke relationship at this point, but I know they have a lot to come in future books. They had a rocky time this go-around, and part of me wonders if it's partially because there might be something Luke knows and Harper doesn't. I'll keep this review theory free, I promise. I haven't even started on the developments in Harper's investigation into her own mother's murder! So very well written, compelling characters and beautiful prose. Loved it!
I was given an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Savannah is once again beautifully portrayed. The heady, thick air of a late Georgian summer blows through descriptions of Spanish moss and architecture of the Old South. And yet the problems Harper encounters are those of just about any American city. The belief that the boyfriend always did it. A subtle hint of racism. And the omnipresent knowledge that the rich and powerful can usually get away with just about anything.
I honestly don't know what to think about the Harper/ Luke relationship at this point, but I know they have a lot to come in future books. They had a rocky time this go-around, and part of me wonders if it's partially because there might be something Luke knows and Harper doesn't. I'll keep this review theory free, I promise. I haven't even started on the developments in Harper's investigation into her own mother's murder! So very well written, compelling characters and beautiful prose. Loved it!
I was given an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty is a riveting mystery with a strong woman lead. Although this second installment in the Harper McClain series can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Echo Killing for important details about an ongoing story arc.
One year after solving a copy cat homicide, Harper McClain's once strong relationship with the police is incredibly strained. With tension between them at an all time high, Harper is blindsided when her former love interest, Homicide Detective Luke Walker, is assigned to the murder of student and bartender Naomi Scott. He is paired with Detective Julie Daltrey who was at one time a valuable source for Harper. When Daltrey narrows the suspect list to Naomi's boyfriend Wilson Shepherd, bar owner Fitz and ex-boyfriend Peyton Anderson, Naomi's father Jerrod Scott, goes to Harper for help. He is certain that Wilson is innocent and he is hoping Harper can find the information that will prove someone else killed his daughter. Harper tries to keep an open mind but she has her own suspicions about who murdered Naomi. Will Harper find the evidence she needs to convince Daltrey that Wilson is innocent?
With her own mother's murder still unsolved, Harper wants to help find Naomi's killer. She tries to keep an open mind about Detective Daltrey's reasons for considering Wilson the prime suspect. Statistically, most women are murdered by someone they know and husbands/boyfriends are most often where investigations begin. However, Harper's instincts are telling her that Wilson is innocent and she is equally certain Fitz has no reason to kill Naomi. That leaves Peyton as her strongest contender but Daltrey insists he has an ironclad alibi. The more information she learns about Peyton, the more certain she is of his guilt. But his family connection to both the police and the newspaper makes it difficult to convince the detective to give him a second look. With or without police assistance, Harper continues to search for the evidence she needs to prove Peyton's guilt.
In addition to the investigation in Naomi's murder, Harper is dealing with serious problems in her personal and professional lives. The newspaper has undergone a series of layoffs over the years and there are rumors swirling that more are on the way. In her personal life, Harper is trying to ignore her lingering feelings for Luke whom she has not seen nor talked to during the past year. She is confused by the conflicted signals she is getting from him and Harper is not sure she wants to risk getting hurt by him again. Harper is also incredibly unnerved by the feeling that someone has been in her apartment and that she is being followed. Do these disturbing events have anything to do with the still unsolved break in at her apartment a year ago? If so, what does this person want from her?
A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty is a well-written mystery with a compelling storyline and engaging characters. Harper is a likable protagonist whose concern for the families of murder victims is admirable. She has become a little more cautious over the past year but she is not easily intimidated nor does she give up when obstacles are thrown in her path. The storyline with Luke is a bit heartbreaking and will leave readers wondering what the future might hold for them. Harper's tenacity to identify Naomi's killer pays off in the end and Christi Daugherty brings the novel to an action-filled and somewhat poignant conclusion. An enigmatic stranger brings news to Harper that will leave fans of the Harper McClain series impatiently awaiting the next release.
A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty is a riveting mystery with a strong woman lead. Although this second installment in the Harper McClain series can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Echo Killing for important details about an ongoing story arc.
One year after solving a copy cat homicide, Harper McClain's once strong relationship with the police is incredibly strained. With tension between them at an all time high, Harper is blindsided when her former love interest, Homicide Detective Luke Walker, is assigned to the murder of student and bartender Naomi Scott. He is paired with Detective Julie Daltrey who was at one time a valuable source for Harper. When Daltrey narrows the suspect list to Naomi's boyfriend Wilson Shepherd, bar owner Fitz and ex-boyfriend Peyton Anderson, Naomi's father Jerrod Scott, goes to Harper for help. He is certain that Wilson is innocent and he is hoping Harper can find the information that will prove someone else killed his daughter. Harper tries to keep an open mind but she has her own suspicions about who murdered Naomi. Will Harper find the evidence she needs to convince Daltrey that Wilson is innocent?
With her own mother's murder still unsolved, Harper wants to help find Naomi's killer. She tries to keep an open mind about Detective Daltrey's reasons for considering Wilson the prime suspect. Statistically, most women are murdered by someone they know and husbands/boyfriends are most often where investigations begin. However, Harper's instincts are telling her that Wilson is innocent and she is equally certain Fitz has no reason to kill Naomi. That leaves Peyton as her strongest contender but Daltrey insists he has an ironclad alibi. The more information she learns about Peyton, the more certain she is of his guilt. But his family connection to both the police and the newspaper makes it difficult to convince the detective to give him a second look. With or without police assistance, Harper continues to search for the evidence she needs to prove Peyton's guilt.
In addition to the investigation in Naomi's murder, Harper is dealing with serious problems in her personal and professional lives. The newspaper has undergone a series of layoffs over the years and there are rumors swirling that more are on the way. In her personal life, Harper is trying to ignore her lingering feelings for Luke whom she has not seen nor talked to during the past year. She is confused by the conflicted signals she is getting from him and Harper is not sure she wants to risk getting hurt by him again. Harper is also incredibly unnerved by the feeling that someone has been in her apartment and that she is being followed. Do these disturbing events have anything to do with the still unsolved break in at her apartment a year ago? If so, what does this person want from her?
A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty is a well-written mystery with a compelling storyline and engaging characters. Harper is a likable protagonist whose concern for the families of murder victims is admirable. She has become a little more cautious over the past year but she is not easily intimidated nor does she give up when obstacles are thrown in her path. The storyline with Luke is a bit heartbreaking and will leave readers wondering what the future might hold for them. Harper's tenacity to identify Naomi's killer pays off in the end and Christi Daugherty brings the novel to an action-filled and somewhat poignant conclusion. An enigmatic stranger brings news to Harper that will leave fans of the Harper McClain series impatiently awaiting the next release.
princessofpups8's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
When a bartender colleague of her friend is found dead, Harper McClain has a lot on her plate but she is still a reporter at heart. Following events the previous year Harper finds herself shunned by the local police and they think they have the killer, Naomi's boyfriend. However Naomi's father doesn't believe it is him and Harper starts to follow her own leads. This bring her to the son of a wealthy politician who has links to the board of her newspaper. Fighting for justice for Naomi, Harper is also aware that someone is stalking her.
Not having read the previous book about Harper McClain I wa splaying catch-up to a certain extent but this is an engaging and pacy thriller that grabs anyway. It's a fairly standard American procedural with a modern setting and a few twists. On the whole very entertaining but without being completely unputdownable!
Not having read the previous book about Harper McClain I wa splaying catch-up to a certain extent but this is an engaging and pacy thriller that grabs anyway. It's a fairly standard American procedural with a modern setting and a few twists. On the whole very entertaining but without being completely unputdownable!
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
A 2019 staff favorite recommended by Jane. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sbeautiful%20corpse%20daugherty__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
lisaeirene's review against another edition
5.0
A Beautiful Corpse: Harper McClain #2 by Christi Daugherty
This is the second book in the series. Harper is back, front and center, still the crime reporter for the flailing newspaper in Savannah. Her personal life is also flailing a little bit. Her ex is back in town, but they aren't really back together and things are weird between them.
Harper is just trying to do her job when she gets a story that changes everything. Naomi Scott is a law student who also works as a bartender to make ends meet. She works at the same bar as Bonnie, Harper's best friend. Naomi is murdered and Harper is convinced the police are on the wrong path.
This was another good book. I really enjoyed the story. All the characters come to life, you really picture the world created. I couldn't put the book down.
This is the second book in the series. Harper is back, front and center, still the crime reporter for the flailing newspaper in Savannah. Her personal life is also flailing a little bit. Her ex is back in town, but they aren't really back together and things are weird between them.
Harper is just trying to do her job when she gets a story that changes everything. Naomi Scott is a law student who also works as a bartender to make ends meet. She works at the same bar as Bonnie, Harper's best friend. Naomi is murdered and Harper is convinced the police are on the wrong path.
This was another good book. I really enjoyed the story. All the characters come to life, you really picture the world created. I couldn't put the book down.
tbsims's review against another edition
2.0
the luke dialog is a bit clunky "I don't like what I'm hearing, Harper. This isn't right." "who the hell is this guy? Why is he messing with you like this?"
And the end - I'm fleeing my home because I don't feel safe but I'm wishing for [bad guy] to follow me?
huh.
And the end - I'm fleeing my home because I don't feel safe but I'm wishing for [bad guy] to follow me?
huh.
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
4.0
This second Harper McClain novel starts with a bang and doesn't let up. There's a lot going on in this one with some of it being new and some trickling over from the first book. Harper's determination shines through in spite of her less than stellar relationship with the police department, and her suspect this time doesn't do anything to repair that relationship. While we do get a satisfactory conclusion, there are still some unanswered questions to watch for in the next addition to the series. I would recommend reading the books in order to get Harper's backstory along with everything that led to her problems with the police department. All in all, this one is a solid addition to the series and the genre.
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a fantastic book. I only just read the Echo Killing which is the first book in this series earlier this week and I wish I had gotten into this series sooner. A Beautiful Corpse I felt was even better. I started this on Saturday night and couldn't wait to finish it this morning. And now that I have finished it I am already desperate for book 3! The way this book ended left it wide open with questions... questions that I am dying to learn the answers to.
It is a year since the events of The Echo Killing and Harper McClain is back doing what she does best at the newspaper. As the crime writer she is kept busy in this Savannah town, but after her actions she is on the outer with the local police. One night she is drinking and playing pool with her best friend Bonnie when a call comes in of a shooting in the tourist district. The 2 head over to the crime scene but soon realise that the victim is Bonnies co-worker Naomi Scott. Naomi's boyfriend is immediately under suspicion and arrested. Harper gets into the investigation and learns that there is another suspect, who has strong connections in town. The harder she looks the more danger she is in.
I love the character of Harper. She had a rough start to life - that you learn all about in The Echo Killing. Events in that book also devastated her. Her love life is also a mess but she gets on everyday, without a lot of sleep. She is stubborn and refuses to back down, even when her life is being threatened. But she is loyal to those that she loves, she would do anything to protect them. I look forward to learning more about her as the series continues.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
It is a year since the events of The Echo Killing and Harper McClain is back doing what she does best at the newspaper. As the crime writer she is kept busy in this Savannah town, but after her actions she is on the outer with the local police. One night she is drinking and playing pool with her best friend Bonnie when a call comes in of a shooting in the tourist district. The 2 head over to the crime scene but soon realise that the victim is Bonnies co-worker Naomi Scott. Naomi's boyfriend is immediately under suspicion and arrested. Harper gets into the investigation and learns that there is another suspect, who has strong connections in town. The harder she looks the more danger she is in.
I love the character of Harper. She had a rough start to life - that you learn all about in The Echo Killing. Events in that book also devastated her. Her love life is also a mess but she gets on everyday, without a lot of sleep. She is stubborn and refuses to back down, even when her life is being threatened. But she is loyal to those that she loves, she would do anything to protect them. I look forward to learning more about her as the series continues.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
aly36's review against another edition
5.0
Harper McClain is a report that cover the crime beat. What an exciting mystery! Would you investigate if someone got murdered close to you? I think this story was exciting and kept my attention. I have not read book one and I don't think I missed anything by starting with book two. I enjoyed this book and would read more. *This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.*