Mark McNeaseReseñas

murder, multiple-murder, murder-investigation, disappearance, law-enforcement, dual-time-frames, LGBT, relationships, relationship-issues, California, NYC, friendship, frustration, alcohol-issues*****

Which is the primary story or are both of a piece? After a difficult life he met the homicide detective (wh0 pretty much rescued him) and they loved each other 35 years ago in LA. But it ended badly after a horrific experience, and now he really wants a better closure at this point in life. So, he hits the internet and more while mentally reliving the events. Even though he dearly loves his current husband (who is more than supportive), he feels compelled. Nuf said before I get into spoiler territory.
As always, the characters are memorable and engaging, the atmosphere is well described. McNease never fails to hold the reader's interest while bringing in a well-crafted story!

I enjoyed this fun murder mystery. The characters were well developed and very likable. The secondary characters were fun in their own quirky way. The murderer was a surprise to me. I still don't know why Happy and Teddy were killed. It seemed unnecessary to me. This would make a good beach book as it's an easy read and doesn't take much concentration.

I enjoyed the basic story but feel that Mr. McNease rambled on too much with repetitive dialogue. A good editor should/would have caught this and trimmed the fat. The wild days of West Hollywood's past were portrayed well and the characters were believable. I hope that the author's other books are less wordy.

I had not read the previous book in the series and it didn't matter as this works as a standalone. There is no cliffhanger to manipulate the reader into buying the next in the series. I liked the style of narration as it drew me to the main character and made the other characters come alive. I liked seeing the life of the main character; it kept me interested as it is different from my world. I liked the mystery and that there were (just) enough clues for me to work with to try to solve the puzzle.½

The author managed to make the characters personable despite the distance a cozy forces on a story. The mystery and writing were good. I found some points repetitious. My copy had a few chapters repeated verbatim - maybe from a downloading or e-reader error.½

Beautiful Corpse is an awesome read that keeps you on edge and takes you on an unpredictable journey, giving you a glimpse inside the 80s. It’s dark and scary and yet the author manages to slip in his twisted wry humor. The character of Marshall James is flawed but still a redemptive guy... and that's why the reader will always root for him. This author is quiet the storyteller and mystery fans that don’t mind same sex characters will really like it.

the-mob, murder, murder-investigation, historical-novel, law-enforcement, LGBT, California, relationship-issues, family-dynamics, friendship, framed*****

In 1984 LA life was not too bad for Marshall and his husband the homicide detective. That is, until Marshall woke up drugged and in bed with a corpse and the uniforms arriving just as he escaped the establishment. The dead man was unidentifiable for a time, but who he turned out to be connected to was a real nightmare. And Marshall only had a short time to do his own investigating before his very law enforcement husband got into trouble.
As always, the characters are memorable and engaging, the atmosphere is well described . McNease never fails to hold the reader's interest while bringing in a well crafted story!
Sean Rhead did a decent job with the narration.

suspense, thriller, psychological*****

Eerie but not supernatural. First there's the odd real estate agent who wants to keep them away from a property they noticed and decided to tour, then there are odd noises in the house, and the locals start seeming odd. the curiosity and suspense keep ramping up until the surprising ending. The characters are all too real!
Daniela Acitelli really knew how to differentiate characters and intensify their responses.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway!

I got this audiobook from the author several months ago and just got around to listening to it. I can't say I "enjoyed" it because the characters became quite annoying but I couldn't stop listening. Laurel was the entitled little princess who wanted to move to the woods of NJ so she could write her book while Jeremy gives up his dreams of being an actor to get a job and commute to Philadelphia to support them. She finds the perfect house in the woods and railroads Jeremy into buying it. So I sort of felt sorry for Jeremy, until he becomes a ass. Laurel starts hearing noises and Jeremy rather callously tells her she is hearing things, it's just stress, and she needs to go back into therapy like before. The stranger things get to Laurel the less understanding Jeremy becomes. I wanted to smack him! Laurel finishes her book and it gets rave reviews, and Jeremy signs with an agent and begins to break into acting. If there just wasn't that scratching noise in the basement..... The book builds on the tension to a satisfying and twisted ending. The mark of good characters is that they seem real, not necessarily your best friends and not perfect. Laurel and Jeremy were perfect for this story. The neighbors and townsfolk added to the creepiness. The setting was perfect, an old house in the woods in the middle of nowhere. I thought the story was a great variation on an old theme and I really liked it. It would make a great TV movie.

I got this book as a present, as I've always love Mr McNease writing, and this book did not dissappoint.

This is a truly engaging story, with characters and a story-line so down-to-earth tha you can believe is something that could easily happen to you.

The writing is atmospheric, with so many details that you feel immerse in the small town life, and the plot so thick that you won't be able to stop reading until the last twist simply blows your mind.

I'm really intrigued by this new series, and love the characters so I'll be looking forward to the next book.

Recommended.

Okay, I liked this book. I like Kyle and Danny, I like Detective Linda Sikorsky and the people in the Pride Lodge and the mystery.

What I didn't like was the lesbian assassin. And by that, I don't mean the usual dislike you feel for someone whose main goal in life is killing three people, no. What I mean is that I simply got bored (quickly) of the sheer amount of little chapters from her POV that did nothing to advance the story, and keep only repeating themselves over and over. I think that the idea was that we'll be feeling sorry for her, and we would be happy when, at the end, she gets away with murder . Surprise! I didn't work for me.

That aside, the mystery is interesting, and Kyle and Danny are alluring enough to keep me reading this series.

the-mob, murder, historical-novel, law-enforcement, California

Written as if a retrospective back to the noir side of LA in the 1980's, this one clearly bears the stamp of the writer I truly enjoy but it does seem like the editor had a blackout when should have been working. As always, the characters are memorable and engaging, the atmosphere is well described, and there is a good sprinkling of humor throughout. McNease never fails to hold the reader's interest while bringing in a well crafted story!

cozy-mystery, family-dynamics, murder -----

Ten years ago a twelve year old disappeared and no one who lived in the town then or since is unaffected. Nine months ago the Dahls moved into town and began to restore the historic home they bought while getting everything together to open a brand new business venture. Six months ago the husband abruptly died during the night. Now Maggie is still working toward that opening when her thrice divorced sister announces that she is moving in with her. The next thing she knows, she tries to return the cat to the odd cat lady next door but finds her body on the kitchen floor and a bloody hammer next to it. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers, but that is just the beginning of this suspenseful mystery with some very interesting characters. Enjoy!

murder-investigation, no-gratuitous-erotica, law-enforcement, relationships

What starts out as a road trip to get away and have some time together while Kristen works on her first mystery novel turns into the real thing when a storm strands them overnight. You can take the detective out of law enforcement, but you can't take law enforcement out of Detective Linda. Very engrossing, yet not overlong. Don't miss this one!

amateur-sleuth, murder-investigation, no-gratuitous-erotica, relationships, friendship
Read on October 02, 2016

The publisher's blurb is pretty lousy, but the novel is really good. One one hand, it's kind of a romance of a newly engaged retired police detective with issues, and it also tells of growing friendships within a group. The murder and it's convoluted investigation, the dysfunctional family dynamics of the suspects, and the surprising twists comprise the real intent, and is very well done. As a history geek, I was delighted by the brief historical bits inserted as appropriate to several locations.
Daniela Acitelli does very well with the audio performance by clearly differentiating characters and moods.

Reminds me of the kind of short story published in the New Yorker. It kind of rambles along like life at 19, the most memorable of which is spotting an alien ship amidst the farmland and losing three hours of life. I find it to be a fine think piece.
The audiobook is monologued by Braden Wright, who absolutely nails it!

OK, so I reeeeally hate getting into the head of a sadistic serial killer. Aside from that, this was a tightly crafted incredibly engrossing suspenseful mystery which totally bypassed the NYPD. The denouement was a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad, nail biter!
K.C. Kelly is simply too good at audio portraying the villain. He is very good at capturing the essences of the other characters as well.

Very well crafted. Threads braided together: thoughts and actions of the killer, recognition of patterns in the deaths, investigation and projected probable increase in body count, impending personally stressful intrusions, happiness for a good friend. It was a captivating story, and I found that I needed to read it compulsively despite my strong aversion to serial killers, a real nail biter.
I have the audio edition, and K.C. Kelly really nailed the character differentiation and thread of suspense.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review upon my request from the publisher, narrator, or author courtesy of AudiobookB00m.

There are happily settled couples, colorful resort staff, a sad revenge assassin, a diligent homicide detective, enough plot twists to keep me happy, well done suspense, and no kind of gratuitous erotica. The publisher's blurb gives the barest of clues, and for once I'm doing a spoiler by raising the suspicion that one of the murders is unsolved. But don't tell Callahan.
I got this as Whispersync on the cheap, and I feel that K.C. Kelly was really great as audio performer.

Full review coming soon.

This book was given to me by Audioboom.com in exchange for a fair review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The interweaving of the stories, Danny vs. Linus and Kyle vs. Kiernan, was done masterfully. The book is not a long one, so the author does not waste a lot of time on non-essential sidetracks and is very concise. The characters of Danny, Kyle and Linda are well done and endearing. Set in the world of emerging artists, this book can give the reader a great feel for just how desperate people are to find success and get ahead in their fields as well as find satisfying relationships. Also, the insider’s view of NYC is fascinating. The author definitely knows how the city works and how the art world works. I loved the fact that Kyle and Danny's friend Linda just happened to be in town and how the author flawlessly integrated her and her detective skills into the storyline without making this feel phony. The mystery involves Kyle working to uncover who is killing emerging artists, while he and his partner prepare for a visit from his mother and a first showing of his photographs at a gallery. However, though important as a backdrop, it is obvious, from the start, that photography is not Kyle's first love--solving mysteries is. The way the author portrayed the affection and love of the two main characters, Danny and Kyle, without going overboard only added but did not detract from the story. Finally, by integrating the story of Danny and Linus and keeping it to one of the main themes, the search for relationships, was well done--and didn't muddy the book with a lot of extras. I have not read the first book, but, after reading this one, I am definitely going to look for it as well as any other in the series. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and who is looking for one that is great but not like the usual run-of-the-mill books out there. I received this book from a goodreads give away to read and review.