Murder In Half Moon Bay (Jillian Bradley #1) By Nancy Jill Thames

review Ø eBook or Kindle ePUB ↠ Nancy Jill Thames

For what it was, this was quite good.

From the beginning, we have a well-established cast of characters. Even though I can't really connect to middle aged women who frequent garden conventions in lavish hotels in their spare time, there's something about these characters that stands out as relatable just as who they are.

Then there's the whole setting. In a way, this reads kind of like a workplace drama or a locked room mystery with less suspense. I love the fancy Ritz-Carlton setting compared with the murder premise and the way different patrons approach all the happenings.

As an aside, this might also be one of my favorite MC / detective relationships. It's not typical cozy mystery romance, nor is it the blatant ignorance and refusal to work together from either or both sides because of perceived incompetence. Instead, it's a relationship built on trust, where both characters know their place. The police is happily married, and there's never a hint of romance between these two characters. As cozy mysteries go, it's a breath of fresh air.

The mystery itself is quite good as well. It doesn't exactly have a lot of red herrings, but is more subtle in the way the murder is solved and in all the clues that come together from different sources. It's not an easy one if you like to play along in mystery novels. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of cozy mysteries that wrap everything up in discussion after the fact, but in this case it actually works well.

Bonus: the dog talks (sort of)!

This was a lot of fun, and I might add the sequel to my ebook eventuals list. Paperback This was my first attempt at writing a full length novel. I gave it a 5 star rating only because it was a sheer miracle that I published it at all! Readers have told me they liked the characters I created and the plot, too. I must say that it was a very nice way to create a memory of staying at Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. The characters began to be formulated in my mind as I wrote each chapter and I have continued to develop them with each new volume. A gardening columnist, fashioned much after myself, a Yorkie, named after my husband to keep him ever present since Jillian Bradley is a widow, and a sprinkling of a few other characters to add dimension to the stories were all conjured up and woven together to present an entertaining reading experience for anyone who appreciates and enjoys the finer things in life.

When I've finished with the series, I'll go back and read them again. Only this time, I'll read for my own enjoyment.

THE JILLIAN BRADLEY MYSTERY SERIES

Murder in Half Moon Bay
The Ghost Orchid Murder
From the Clutches of Evil
The Mark of Eden
Pacific Beach
Waiting for Santa
The Ruby of Siam
The Long Trip Home Paperback 2 1/2 stars. Well this was one of those cozy mysteries that just did not make sense to me. The murder made sense but I just don't get why the main character got so involved. And I really did not get why the Chief of Police was so accomodating to her. It was just odd. She had no qualifications to do an investigation. She was nice enough but she and her friends were just too nosey for me. They barely knew the deceased. They were not suspects. I just found it all sort of annoying. The dog was cute though. Paperback I enjoyed Murder in Half Moon Bay over the weekend. It had just enough suspense, sleuthing, and action to move the story along and keep me reading even when I got tired. Some folks may criticize saying the relationship between Jill and the police was unrealistic, but it really reminded me of Murder She Wrote and a bit of the Ladies Detective group because Jill Bradley has her own Gardening Club of best friends who use their various resources to help investigate.

With a mystery I'm always pleased if I'm suspecting first one person and then another, and this provides lots of twists and turns, suspects and mixed motives.

Recommend for folks who like straight up mystery. Paperback A very sweet read - with a very interesting scenario behind the murders. BUT I found it extremely far fetched beyond believability about how Jillian was allowed, even encouraged to carry out her own investigation in conjunction with the police investigation- then later on when the FBI became involved they shared information with her and let her continue with her investigation.

Despite this, I did like Jillian as a character. Paperback

All Jillian Bradley wants is to spend a quiet weekend by the ocean and enjoy her afternoon tea. But a startling discovery draws Jillian and her garden club friends into solving a mystery that threatens her life and changes her future.
The unlikely team helps the chief uncover a series of mysterious events that lead to solving several murders, both past and present. Could it be the mean spirited conference director? Perhaps it's the wealthy widow on the make for her next husband; or maybe the killer is the haughty business woman who shows no regard for her brow beaten husband.
“Murder in Half Moon Bay,” Book 1 in The Jillian Bradley Mystery Series, introduces Jillian's little companion Teddy, a Yorkie who falls prey to danger but rises to become a sleuth dog in the next book. Murder In Half Moon Bay (Jillian Bradley #1)

Jillian and her three collaborators in the Garden Club head off for a conference in a swanky hotel. Even though I've been to conferences in swanky hotels, it felt very alien to my lifestyle, but I suspect some of my friends would be far more at home with the setting. It gave me the impression of a Californian version of Dallas. There were a lot of people introduced to me very fast, and who was with whom didn't really settle in my brain till quite late into the book, after one or two had been murdered! I think this may have been my post-Christmas disorientation, but sometimes I felt Jillian's conversations, especially with suspects, to be very short. Would these people really give her intimate details with clues so that she could solve the crime in such a short exchange?

Jillian and her friends sort of irritated me with their pushy involvement in the crime-solving. Why would the Police Chief welcome their involvement? How about them trampling over all the evidence? And she kept putting herself at risk in very naive ways. I think she was extremely lucky not to have been bumped off herself.

But from these comments you can tell a number of things (I hope). Jillian gets you involved in her world. The author does a great job in drawing you in to the plot and to some of the people. The setting is described beautifully and the plot itself hangs together extremely well. From something that seemed very light to start with, it gets very deep, and I liked the science link, which was very realistic. It's always good when you can't put a book down after you've passed the halfway point!

I'm not sure whether I want to join Jillian in some of her other adventures, I'm not the Miss Marple kind, but I may well give them a go. Partly because Teddy the dog is adorable! Paperback I finally got interested in the last third of the book, but never did get a 'suspended disbelief' factor to work. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and a lot of jockeying to figure out why they were important to the story, but I suspect the author's next book will explain a lot more. Definitely don't understand how the Chief of Police came to make a hotel guest a veritable 'partner' in the murder investigation. That would never happen in real life, so it spoiled the story flow for me in this one. Paperback I liked the story line very much. I did not like trying to keep track of all the characters! Before we even get to the possible suspects there is; the sleuth, her three friends, the dog, the sheriff, the bell-hop, the deputy and a couple I can't even remember now. I have a difficult time with names and I don't enjoy a book that I need to make a chart, just to keep track of who is who. However, if this is not a problem for you, then you will really enjoy the story. It is well written and has good mystery. Paperback This is the first book in a new series by an author I have never read before. It was well written, but the characters didn't ring totally true to me. While I enjoyed the story line and the book in general, I would have liked to feel like the friends were more laid back and the police chief not so easily to accept Jillian's help in solving the murder. Because there were so many twists and turns, I will read the next one in the series, however. I will still recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries. I did adore Teddy. Paperback This book is a good mystery written by the spirit of Agatha. The writer knows how to spin and exciting story without the usual gimmicks so prevalent in cozies today. I enjoyed the book very much and recommend it to anyone who likes a good mystery with the added flavor of an engrossing subject like horticulture. Paperback