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Thursday, January 7, 2016

Book Review: A Second Chance at Murder by Diana Orgain (Love or Money Mysteries #2)



Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fast paced mystery, great characters, fun setting
Cons: I raced right past any cons
The Bottom Line:
Reality race
Murder and missing partner
Fast paced fun for us




Amazing Race of Murder

With all the TV I watch, you will notice I don’t watch too many reality shows.  One of the few I do is The Amazing Race because the tasks and the globetrotting appeal to me.  When I realized that author Diana Orgain was riffing off that for A Second Chance at Murder, I couldn’t wait to read it.

Money spends faster than you think it will.  That’s what Georgia and Scott have discovered when the prize money they won from Love or Money disappears quickly to pay off their bills.  So when Georgia’s friend Becca asks them to appear on Expedition Impossible, a show that will pit them against other teams in a race across Europe, they agree.

Things quickly go south when Georgia wakes up the night before the first leg of the race to find Scott isn’t in the tent they are sharing.  The next day, no one can find any trace of him.  All they can find is his watch under the body of a dead woman.  The good news is the police are indeed looking for Scott.  The bad news is that they are looking for him because they think he’s a killer.  Can Georgia find Scott first and prove he’s innocent?

When I read the first in the series this summer, I did comment that the reality show (that time a dating show) seemed to overwhelm the mystery.  That wasn’t the case here at all.  Yes, we got plenty of scenes of the race and the tasks that Georgia had to do, but the show and the race were a sub-plot to finding and clearing Scott.

And what a great mystery it was.  Between wondering what happened to Scott and who the killer was, there are two different avenues to forward the plot while giving the mystery a little something different.  There were plenty of clues and twists before we reached the logical, satisfying, and page turning ending.

Even though this book is set in Spain, all the characters we came to know and love are back for this second adventure, and we get to learn more about all of them.  Naturally, there are plenty of new characters as well, and these characters are just as real to us, and plenty of them take their turn in the suspect position before we reach the climax.

I also really enjoyed the fact that this book was set in Spain.  That added a fresh touch to the book and the author really used this location to the fullest.  Heck, I want to go visit some of these sites (without the mystery so I can fully enjoy it, of course).

All of this combines into a fun book that you will enjoy just as much as I did.  There is nothing second rate about this book.  A Second Chance at Murder is a page turning delight you will race through.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner next Thursday, January 14th, so please leave your comment before 12:01AM Pacific Time on 1/13.  You will have until midnight on 1/19 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 1/20.

26 comments:

  1. Amazing Race is one of my favorites as well.... I'll have to put this on my list!
    afarage (at) earthlink Dot net

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  2. Sounds like a wonderful book. Thank you for all your reviews and this chance to win a copy. skatss63@gmail.com.

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  3. You make it sound like a book I would very much enjoy
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  4. Sounds like a great book! Thanks for the review!
    kpowers784@yahoo.com

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  5. Another awesome book to check out! Thank you for the review!
    Gaelicark@gmail.com

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  6. Another awesome book to check out! Thank you for the review!
    Gaelicark@gmail.com

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  7. I appreciate your reviews - always dependable. This book sounds like a fun read and I would love to win a copy!

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  8. This series looks like so much fun and is on my TBR. Can't wait to read it! email - katherine.e.pitts(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. Looks good! mrsstarkent (at) gmail (dot) com

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  10. I hadn't seen this series, sounds different. I haven't watched the Amazing Race in years but that was one of the ones that I found enjoyable, seeing different places and the challenges.
    momzillasteel at gmail dot com

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  11. Great review. Thank you for the chance to win. doward@yahoo.com

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  12. Sounds like a great book! Thank you for the review and introducing me to Diana Orgain ... a "new to me" author!
    peggyhyndman(at)att(dot)net

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  13. Love how you raced right by any cons to this story!! Got my attention immediately!!
    mtrver@gmail.com

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  14. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the book. When there are no cons to book, it means I must read it. Thsnks for the chance.
    Jhdwayne@peoplepc.com

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  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. I loved book 1!! Thank you for the chance!
    saphsbookblog(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. New author for me, thanks for the review and the giveaway. kimberlygayheart@ymail.com

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  18. I'm doing a cozy challenge this year. Would love to win this and add it to my list. Thanks for the chance! kec200@aol.com

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  19. Happy to see a book 2 in this series. I enjoyed the first. Thanks for the review

    gibsonbk at hiwaay dot net

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  20. Big fan of Orgain from way back and so happy to see her return with another new series! Thanks for the great info and chance to win!
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  21. I love cozy mysteries including ones pictured by Joanne Fluke, Jenn McKinlay, and Dorothy Gilman. I've read Wouldn't it Be Deadly and have the Donna Andrews book.
    I also love Once Upon a Time and The Sound of Music. I watch a lot of TV, too. Should read more or faster. Not into reality shows but I love Monsters Inside Me and true ghost stories.
    catbooks72(at)gmail(dot)com

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  22. Great review! I'm glad you enjoyed this cozy. I like that it is a different kind of cozy than the ones I typically read.

    brookeb811 at gmail dot com

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  23. Not sure I would have liked the one about the dating show, but this one sounds right up my alley. Dagny_ at Yahoo dot com

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  24. This one sounds full of excitement. If it is anything like The Amazing Race, I'd thoroughly enjoy it.

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  25. This sounds good, and I love that it's set in Spain. I shied away from book one because it did seem from other people's reviews that the reality-show aspect overwhelmed the mystery, so I'm glad to hear this one focuses more on the mystery and lets the show be part of the setting.

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  26. Sounds like a real fun mystery.

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