A Deadly Row

Wow, I blew right through this one! A new series by Tim Myers writing as Casey Mayes. It was well written, pulled me right along in the story and has a wife and husband team that are fun to know and yet neither are "perfect" people, in other words, people you would like to know and not get ill around because they are - so good.

Savannah Stone is a puzzle maker, using her strong background and love of mathematics. Her husband Zach is a medically-retired Police Chief who is now doing private consulting. When a couple of murders in their former home town of Charlotte occur Zach is called back to help his replacement.

The mystery was well done but for some reason I latched on to the actual killer really early and never really gave it up, show more although there were several others that could have done it. Don't know why that happened with this book, most of the time I just merrily follow all the red herrings and then say, well I thought once it might be _____ but the others were just as likely.

It didn't spoil the book for me, this is one of the best mysteries I've read this year. Highly recommended.

In fact, I got this from the library but might have to go out and buy a copy to own - I think I'll want to re-read this one, it was that good. show less

Savannah Stone, a math whiz, creates number and logic puzzles for a newspaper syndicate. Her husband Zach, has been forced into retirement at 42 from his position as Police Chief of Charlotte, NC, after a gunshot wound landed close to his heart. He now does consulting work. They now live in the mountains of NC. Zach gets pulled back to Charlotte when his friend, the Mayor is threatened and the new Police Chief is stumped by a serial killer leaving cryptic notes. Zach and Savannah find this case involves their particular skill sets as well as effecting a lot of their old friends. There is a side story involving Savannah's family and a mysterious box left her by her late Mother.

I found this story very interesting with all the puzzle show more references although the type of puzzle they solve was not completely apparent to me as I was reading the book, not being familiar to all the types of math puzzles out there. I particularly liked the relationship between Savannah and Zach. I will be looking for more in this series. show less

This first-in-a-series cozy mystery introduces Savannah Stone and her husband, Zach, the former Charlotte, NC, police chief. Zach retired from the Charlotte police force after receiving a gun shot wound to the chest. After his recovery, Zach and Savannah moved to the country. Zach now works as a consultant, while Savannah spends her time creating puzzles for a syndicated newspaper column. A couple of related murders that threaten the life of Zach and Savannah's friend, Charlotte mayor Grady Winslow, prompt Zach's former colleagues in Charlotte to hire him as a consultant for the case. The killer seems to be taunting police – and Zach and Savannah, in particular – with cryptic clues pointing to the next victim. Can Savannah help Jack show more solve the puzzle and prevent the next murder in the series?

I liked a lot of things about this new series. Both Savannah and Jack are likeable characters and seem like people I'd enjoy spending time with. Since Zach is a self-employed consultant, there isn't a problem with Savannah's involvement in the case. Savannah doesn't have to be nosy like so many other cozy heroines. Zach recognizes that Savannah has skills that complement his own and asks her to take on some of the tasks of the investigation. Since they're working on separate aspects of the case, the couple don't spend much time together, and they seem to have the same conversation whenever they do get to see each other.

I wish the puzzle aspect of the book had been developed a little more. Although I've been addicted to logic puzzles since middle school, I had difficulty following Savannah's train of thought. I'm not sure if this puzzle required advanced math knowledge that I either never had or have forgotten since high school, or if there just wasn't enough of the puzzle presented in the book for readers to solve on their own.

I'm always on the lookout for good books set in my local region, so I'll be adding this series to those that I follow. show less

Savannah Stone, syndicated puzzle writer, and her husband, Zach, ex-chief of Charlotte Police, go back to Charlotte to assist into an ongoing murder investigation that is now resulting in threats against the mayor himself. Two victims have already died. Will Zach, Savannah, and the police be able to puzzle out this investigation before one of them or the mayor ends up dead? This is one of the best cozy series debuts that I've come across in awhile. There's a subplot involving a missing uncle in Savannah's family. Both Zach and Savannah are likeable. WIth the nature of Zach's work being consulting, I'm not sure how many of the books in the series will be set in Charlotte and how many will be set elsewhere so it's hard to determine if the show more supporting cast of characters will be the same throughout the series. The puzzle angle is unique in this cozy series and should appeal to quite a few mystery lovers. I will definitely be reading the next in the series! show less

I think Mr. Mayes watched too many 1940s crime dramas or read too many pulps. Who says "my dance card is filled" today? This book is one long cliche.

I picked this because the teaser said something about math puzzles and mystery. Sadly, there was little of either. Well, there was slightly more mystery than math. As a mystery, this came off to me as what I would imagine a Harlequin romance to be...formulaic and simple.

The first book in a new series by Casey Mays (a pseudonym for the extremely prolific Tim Myers) introduces us to Savannah Stone, a former high school math teacher, who now writes math and logic puzzles for a living. Her husband Zach is a retired police officer, having been forced to resign his position as Chief of Police in Charlotte, NC after being shot. Savannah's job allows her to travel with her husband when he's hired to consult with various police forces.

Having recently moved to a mountain cottage, Savannah is not pleased when one of Zach's first consulting gigs is with his old police department in Charlotte. But she's even more reluctant to stay home when he reveals that the case he's helping with may relate to the safety of show more their old friend Grady Winslow, now the mayor of Charlotte.

Once they arrive in Charlotte and learn that the perpetrator is sending cryptic messages about his plans, it becomes obvious that Savannah's puzzle-creating and -solving skills will be useful in solving the case.

This unusual combination of police procedural and intellectual puzzle with a little cozy thrown in works very well in Mayes' capable hands, and bodes well for future entries in the series. show less

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of A Deadly Row.
The author is in fact Tim Myers. I've read his other books, but this the best, IMHO. The book
leans more toward a traditional cozy than his other books and I think that
might be what I liked the most. There aren't a lot of characters in the
book, but almost all of them could be the killer.

Zach Stone, is the retired police chief of Charlotte. He had to take a
medical retirement after being shot. His wife, Savannah, makes math and
logic puzzles for syndication in newspapers. Zach misses the life of a
policeman and has started to do consultant work for various police agencies
in North Carolina. Not to make ends meet, but to keep his mind active in
crime solving.

Zach receives a call from the show more current police chief of Charlotte, asking for
his help. There have been to murders already and clues left by the killer
that point in the direction that the Mayor could be the next. Upon arriving
in Charlotte, Savannah and Zach are given a penthouse suite in one of the
finer hotels. It seems the owner of the hotel was the employer of one of
the victims. The other victim, a male, has had bad dealings with almost all
of the main characters.

The killer can't help taunting the police with notes and pictures. Savannah
can't help assisting her husband, as the she can see that the notes and
pictures are pieces of a puzzle that once deciphered will lead them to the
killer.

Who is the killer? The current police chief, a policeman who didn't get the
chiefs job, Somebody that dated the mayor. Or is it the mayor himself?

Put this book on your list to read and enjoy. You won't want to put it
down. show less