Synopsis (from Amazon): It’s a bittersweet reunion for Mac Faraday when members of his former homicide squad arrive at the Spencer Inn. While it is sweet to attend the wedding of a late colleague’s daughter, it is a bitter reminder that the mother of the bride had been the victim of a double homicide.
The brutal slaying weighing heavy on his mind, Mac is anxious to explore every avenue for a break in the cold case—even a suggestion from disgraced former detective Louis Gannon that one of their former friends is the killer.
When the investigator is brutally slain, Mac Faraday rips open the cold case with a ruthless determination to reveal which of his friends is a cold-blooded murderer.
One (or more) Sentence Summary: I have enjoyed all the Lauren Carr books I have read so far. Crimes Past, falls right into that category. Crimes Past is part of the Mac Faraday series. I recently reviewed the first book in the series, It's Murder, My Son and this is the 13th book in the series. However, you do not need to read them in order. They are stand-alone books, for sure.
Lauren always has lots of characters in her novels. Even though this was the 13th book, the characters (and animals) that were in the first book are introduced in a way for first time readers of the series to get to know them. Even as reader of a previous book in the series, it was not over done. It gave me a refresher of whose who. I don't care for books that take chapters re-introducing characters (this was not the case here).
As typically of a Lauren Carr book, Crimes Past involved more than one mystery (or murder) that Mac is solving. The book starts out with a wedding and a murder that took place 16 years ago at the Inn that Mac owns. Present day, the sister of the murdered bride 16 years ago, is about to get married at the Inn. Mac and his half brother David are determined to solve the 16 year old case. However, who can they trust? There seems to be some bad cops involved in the murder.
Wacky neighbors are another thing that does not add up and Mac knows something is off. Gnarly, Mac's trained MWD dog and the town mayor (yes the dog), is the cause of a neighbors dislike. In trying to figure out the neighbor and her dislike of Gnarly (come on, he is the Mayor), Mac stumbles into another murder.
In the end, Mac solves both murders, but I never figured it out. There are a lot of twists and turns and just when I thought I had the answers, I didn't. Great books with great characters (and animals), lots of things going on (more than one murder to solve) and will keep you guessing.
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns! Now, Lauren has added one more hit series to her list with the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Set in the quaint West Virginia town of Harpers Ferry, Ice introduces Chris Matheson, a retired FBI agent, who joins forces with other law enforcement retirees to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night. Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor. Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs, including the real Sterling, on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram
Thank you so much for the wonderful review of CRIMES PAST. I'm certain your followers will enjoy the Mac Faraday Mysteries as well. Here's wishing each of them luck in the giveaway!
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