WHEN BLOOD LIES
I received “When Blood Lies” as a Library Thing Review copy. This is the second in a mystery series by Linda L Richards in the Rapid Reads collection. Nicole Charles, gossip columnist, is back and being downsized. If she is to work at home she needs a new (to her) desk. When she is bidding at an auction for a desk her competitor in the bidding is suddenly arrested by the police and so the desk is hers. She and her brother find a secret compartment in the desk containing wine bottles which Nicole discovers are very valuable but someone else, of course, is after those wine bottles and is determined to get them back. Nicole is determined to solve the mystery and to get a good story out of it for her newspaper. The plot is intriguing, but with some loose ends, and Nicole is an appealing protagonist. Although I don’t normally read short stories I have found the books in the Rapid Read series to be good reads which finish too soon for me. I hope to see more in this series. ( )

This is the fourth book in the Rapid Reads series I have read and I think this is my favourite of them all.
The writing was clear and not overly-adorned and the story was interesting. I was waiting for a big
finish because I had read an early review online but there wasn't a tremendous amount of surprises by
the end of the book. I like the main character and her brother and I would definitely read more books in this series. I think it will be interesting to see the way the society newspaper writer-the main character of the novel continues to grow as the series proceeds. This was a quick (which is the point of the Rapid Reads series)and very pleasurable read. I didn't often feel I could pass on former Rapid Reads to fellow
readers but I think I know people who will also enjoy this one as much as I did. ( )

A quick read about an aspiring reporter, Nicole Charles, who finds a secret compartment in an old desk she buys at an auction, She is not the only person who wants the desk, but she cannot figure out why he wants it so badly. The reason is a surprise to her when it is finally revealed. ( )

This is a nice little story about a junior reporter in Vancouver, Canada, who accidentally stumbles upon a mystery. It is a short, interesting read, although the topic and characters could do with a bit more depth. Asides from a few repetitions, it is a nice debut novella, and I look forward to see the sympathetic main character grow in complexity in future episodes, as the author develops her style! ( )

This book seemed to be all plot without much substance --- like an outline for a book. It never did say what happened to the valuable items she found in the desk. The ending seemed rushed. I just now found out that this is a Rapid Read which I didn't know before I reviewed it (8/10). I guess since it is designated as such, the book met all requirements, but I would like to see it flushed out and plot holes filled in. ( )