Nancy Lynn Jarvis

I received Buying Murder through the LibraryThing Member Giveaway program.

I normally try to avoid reading installations in a series without having read the preceding books, but I didn't know before I received Buying Murder for review that it was the third of the Regan McHenry Mystery Series. Like many mystery series, while reading the first two books might have enhanced the experience in terms of character development, I didn't find myself at much of a disadvantage in terms of the plot. show more Regan's previous adventures are briefly referenced a few times, but never as necessary knowledge. That left me almost as able to enjoy the book as much as a veteran reader.

In this installment, Regan buys a lake house as a getaway to share with her husband, but it turns out to be anything but relaxing when the inspection turns up a long-forgotten murder victim's body in the wall. The police put the cold case on the back burner, leaving Regan to follow her instincts on her own.

I found this book to fit into the category of mystery that lets you figure out whodunit well in advance of the protagonists. Even so, long after having fingered the killer, I was still kept guessing on far too many things to be bored. Enough plot details and side characters were revealed with each chapter to keep the pages turning and even to make me revise my theory more than once. Thus, the book becomes less about who the murderer is than why and how he, she or they will be caught. Jarvis did not disappoint in this regard as deck is being reshuffled until practically the last paragraph, all without anything ridiculous enough to anger the reader. Regan makes an appealing central character, even if her stubbornness and impulsiveness can be frustrating. The surrounding characters are appropriately colorful and nicely fleshed out, even when they could be merely two-dimensional and still serve the plot. The exception to this is Regan's husband, Tom, who seems to fit the stereotypical cautious/worried spouse-of-crime-solver role without much else to do, but he could easily have been better served in previous books.

All in all, Buying Murder is a satisfying read for fans of the mystery genre. The revelations of the plot are frequent enough to keep you interested, but measured enough to prevent redundancy. show less

The first few pages of the book tell the reader everything they need to know about Pat Pirard. She is smart, in brains, and looks. Plucky, with a burst of color and a leopard print briefcase. When she is “downsized” from law librarian research job on her 35th birthday she could have wallowed in self-pity, but instead, she allows her well-meaning, but slightly unaware best friend Syda to maneuver her into a last-minute glass-forming class. Then when the opportunity to put her talents and show more skills to work for her in a new direction comes along, Pat jumps on board with both feet all the while staying true to herself.

Along with a snappy whodunnit, there is a bit of mystery over which love interest will charm Pat as she finds herself pondering the merits of sexy lawyer Mark Bellows and self-assured officer Tim Lindsey. The murder victim is a beautifully written over the top diva artist that you just can’t quite feel sorry for when he drops dead. There are plenty of suspects with plenty of motives and of course not everyone is being totally honest. While I figured out the bad guy fairly early on, I was totally wrong about the why and how and I am okay with that. Readers from the Santa Cruz area will enjoy the amount of local color dripped throughout the pages of the book. I do think this was a nice introduction of a new series though I assume Pat’s private eyeing will be put to the test at some point later on when her lack of license and training becomes an issue. A knack for legal research and a business card will only go so far. This is a series that I am looking forward to continuing. show less

In Nancy Jarvis’ “Buying Murder”, Regan McHenry, a savvy real estate agent from the Santa Cruz area, gets a call to list an old, unoccupied cottage on the beach and finds the spot so darling; she decides to buy it for herself. In a rush to make the purchase, Regan neglected to do the usual inspections before closing. Shortly after the purchase, Regan had a known inspector come over and take a peek and advise on some renovating when they realize that the house was already occupied…by show more a corpse. Regan, intent on finding out what happened to the soul that had rested inside the walls of the cottage for so long, embarks on a fact finding mission. Unfortunately, someone is on a mission of their own. A mission to silence Regan. Has she come to close to the murderer or is she dealing with a disgruntled son of an eviction she had assisted with?
This was the first of the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries I had the pleasure of reading and was not disappointed. Working in the real estate industry myself, I found Nancy’s views and perceptions spot on with reality. The story was very entertaining with a hint of eerie realism to it. While several times I would have bet my book money that I knew the outcome, within pages I would realize I was wrong. After doing this three times, I gave up on trying to speculate and just enjoyed the read. This is an easy reading, solid murder mystery that keeps you turning the pages and asking the ever famous question “who dunnit?”. show less

In Nancy Jarvis’ “Buying Murder”, Regan McHenry, a savvy real estate agent from the Santa Cruz area, gets a call to list an old, unoccupied cottage on the beach and finds the spot so darling; she decides to buy it for herself. In a rush to make the purchase, Regan neglected to do the usual inspections before closing. Shortly after the purchase, Regan had a known inspector come over and take a peek and advise on some renovating when they realize that the house was already occupied…by show more a corpse. Regan, intent on finding out what happened to the soul that had rested inside the walls of the cottage for so long, embarks on a fact finding mission. Unfortunately, someone is on a mission of their own. A mission to silence Regan. Has she come to close to the murderer or is she dealing with a disgruntled son of an eviction she had assisted with?
This was the first of the Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries I had the pleasure of reading and was not disappointed. Working in the real estate industry myself, I found Nancy’s views and perceptions spot on with reality. The story was very entertaining with a hint of eerie realism to it. While several times I would have bet my book money that I knew the outcome, within pages I would realize I was wrong. After doing this three times, I gave up on trying to speculate and just enjoyed the read. This is an easy reading, solid murder mystery that keeps you turning the pages and asking the ever famous question “who dunnit?”. show less