Twofer Murder is another installment from the fun Mac Faraday Mystery series by Lauren Carr. I love Mac Faraday and his friends. I feel like I am part of the circle and always hungry to know where else we are going to go and what other mystery we need to solve. Twofer Murder does just what I crave. Really who can get tired of catching up with lovable Gnarly? Not this girl. He is one hilarious little pup that I would love to hug and squeeze as if he’s my own. While seeing what else Mac and Jessica gets themselves into, I find myself laughing at some of the scenes and antics. The mystery is one that kept me hanging on to see what would happen next. This is one fun, entertaining and delightful read that I could not put down until the end. This was a perfect way to take a little break away from my everyday duties.

I will be giving Twofer Murder a very well deserved well deserved five plus stars. Fans of clean cozy mysteries that will make them smile will most definitely want to be reading this one. I am hoping there will be many more releases in the Mac Faraday Mystery Series’s future. I know Lauren Carr would make another great addition to it.

I received a digital copy of Twofer Murder from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion. ( )

Note: This book works fine as a stand alone even though it is an intersection among 3 of Lauren Carr’s murder mystery series.
I’ve listened to many Lauren Carr novels and the Mac Faraday stories are my favorites. Still, I looked forward to seeing all of the main characters for the 3 intersecting series come together. The start was a bit slow for me and I think this was because Carr was introducing her characters for those that are unfamiliar with one or more of her series. The men are off fishing and the ladies are attending a murder mystery convention and awards ceremony. After 3 hours, I really wanted to spend all my time with the guys. There is so much about how the ladies look (pretty, gorgeous, voluptuous, luscious, beautiful, etc.) and then plenty about fashion (shoes, dresses, handbags, etc). I especially found all that very boring mostly because I know these ladies are so much more than their looks and clothing. I wouldn’t recommend starting with this novel if you’re just venturing into Carr’s novels. These characters show much better in other novels being more rounded and interesting.
There are basically two plots going on for the majority of the book. The guys are dealing with the Mud men (father and his sons) in a logging community. The Muds are bullies and there’s an old fatal car accident that has affected several people in area deeply. The ladies are on the track of the Black Diamond, an assassin for hire that some of them have run into before. There’s more than meets the eye with this lady! Our ladies have to learn how to play nice with some FBI while keeping it under wraps.
I really liked Gnarly’s addiction to cheese puffs and the trouble that leads to. There’s also Monique the tarantula who belongs to Jessica. I loved that suite’s butler had no trouble with setting Monique up in her own little bug house.
I liked both mysteries though I felt it took a little too long to get them to dovetail and bring all the main characters to play under one roof. This novel wasn’t as concise as much of Carr’s works and, once again, I think this is because she brought so many main characters into the story. All together, it’s a good tale for those that have read some of Carr’s other works, especially if you’ve dabbled in all 3 series. 3.5/5 stars.
The Narration: Anita Alger and Mike Alger tag team the narration for this book. Mike makes a good Mac Faraday and he does a pretty good job with all the male voices. Sometimes his female character voices sound feminine and sometimes they don’t. Anita had several regional accents for the ladies which I liked as it kept them distinct. Her male character voices often did not sound like men. I especially didn’t like the voice for Liam, a grown man with delusions of grandeur; he sounded like a 10 year old. The recording quality was good. 3/5 stars. ( )

The last several books by Lauren Carr that I have gotten were the audio version. I have really enjoyed this way of accessing and "reading" Ms. Carr's books. The narrators bring life to the characters and the stories. In fact, they do so much better with the voice overs then I could imagine in my head.

If you have read books from this author, then you will have a fun time with this book. It features some of the main characters from Ms. Carr's other series, Mac and Jessica Faraday. So fans will be pleased to see these two featured in this book. New fans can get a taste of just who Mac and Jessica are.

The mysteries were a bit obvious but the antics and fun that ensured in between was good. I thought that the two stories mashed up nicely. Mac and Jessica were in their elements. Another nice book from Ms. Carr. Although, I would recommend that if given the chance that you check out the audio versions. ( )

Hi guys. Good to be back with ya. Who’s gonna get murdered in this adventure? Hi Gnarly, good to see you too. What kind of shenanigans are you and your cohorts getting up to? Let’s pull up a chair, pour a cuppa and have a chat at Spencer Manor in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. We won’t be staying long, so don’t get too comfortable.

Mac and Archie’s dialogue about the fishing trip had me cracking up from the opening pages and I knew I was in for one hell of a good time. Lauren Carr has created a cast of characters that are complex and fully developed, with large personalities. Even the dogs, have distinct, strong personalities.

The sexes are splitting up, the guys going fishing and the gals are spending the weekend at a murder mystery writers seminar. Neither trip will go as planned and there is plenty of murder and mystery to go around.

The dialogue is witty and hilarious.

“Boy, we’re not even there yet and I can feel the male bonding happening already,” David muttered under his breath.

“I’m warning all of you,” Mac said, “anyone who starts crying gets shot.”

Boys will be boys, even when they are grown men.

The incidents with the cheese puffs is a mystery in itself. Gnarly is a kleptomaniac, so he is a prime suspect.

I couldn’t control myself when Storm…and, of course, Gnarly thinks everything is hunky dory. He’s an instigator, creating mischief and he feels okay about it. His antics have me laughing out loud. So much fun, so many laughs.

The babysitter for the tarantula, Monique, has to cancel, so she goes with ladies. After all, even a spider enjoys a vacation.

I love Sarah. One hundred and ten pounds soaking wet, can kick some ass, and has the heart of a vice cop. She can clean up good, but prefers the rough and tumble. I can relate to her.

These ladies can hold their own, but when Dallas finally figured out who the lounge singer, Natalie Drumond was, she knew there would be murder. It didn’t go quite the way she thought.

And the fishermen…This fishing tale is a whopper. And this is so good, I can’t say anything more about it. It’s just too good to spoil it for you.

Jessica and Nate spend a lot of time texting each other. I can see her…and it…happening, unreeling like a film in my mind. I can even see Cameron…Now, that’s some great writing, bringing the action in vivid detail to a realistic standard.

So much going on. The mysteries, with long lists of suspects, kept me guessing. My brain got tired of trying to unravel them, so I quickly flipped through the pages to let the characters wrap it up for me.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Twofer Murder by Lauren Carr.

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Lauren Carr has once again created a delightfully entertaining murder mystery, combining two different scenarios, and keeping the reader on "the edge of his/her seat"!

I love the way the author balances the importance, equally, of both the men's and women's roles.

With the small amount of humor Lauren Carr includes in her writing, it enhances the reader's enjoyment in reading.

Using all the main characters from both the Mac Faraday series, plus, the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the book is totally captivating the whole book through.

The author has creatively combined the former endeared personalities, with a number of additional ones. The wide variety is totally realistic. As usual, her scenes are also very vividly portrayed.

If you haven't had the opportunity to read her two series, this is a perfect time to begin, then go back and "pick up" the background formulation of both series.

**Reader Beware: There are a few crude words used as, well as a few suggestive sexual situations.

This earns a Five Stars rating.
*This book was gifted to me with no request of a positive review. This is my honest review. ( )