I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Bogie McGruder leads as rather quiet life in Palm Beach, Florida. He and his friend Rose run a security company, she has the physical office in Boston and he runs the reports remotely from Florida. On the same night he finds out his eighteen year old daughter is pregnant and engaged to her boyfriend, his half brother is brutally murdered right outside Bogie's ex girlfriend's law office. Will Bogie be able to face his demons when he returns home? What was Bud doing there? Why was his Step Mother Elizabeth at the scene of the crime?

I love a good mystery, especially one that keeps me guessing right until the very end. This book does exactly that with edge of your seat excitement. The family dynamics also drew me in right from the start. I love little Isabella's grown up attitude for a three year old, it was well beyond her years. All in all, this was a fun read for me and a breath of fresh air, finally a novel that had me baffled. There's even a rekindled romance in the mix, which also complimented the story. ( )

A murder mystery with excellent twists and turns, the characters and situations along with the relationships are very descriptive and superbly explained.

The novel is a little bit difficult to follow at first and the way the author manipulates the reader to keep going and persist by creating a little bit of mystique turns the novel into a great read.

The story brings our hero in contact with his past lover when he has to investigate his brothers murder this also bring him into contact with his family and a brilliant ride of emotion and feelings that you can relate to in your life.

The excellent emotive writing of the novelist is first rate. The brilliant building up of the detective and meeting his young daughter for the first time and the way that the relationship develops will bring tears to your eyes.
The read is fast paced and a real page turner with excellent situations and predicaments which add excitement to the story.

The main point that I enjoyed about this novel was the intensity and the really descriptive style of writing. The excellent humanisation of all the characters helped make the plot come to life.

If you like a good solid murder mystery with an excellent plot and characters then this is a book for you and I hope any other novels by this author are just as good or even better. ( )

Can I say this book made me cry? And then it made me laugh? And then it made my mommy heart mad and sad at the same time?
This author is awesome! Seriously, this book was gripping. I could not put it down!
The little girl sucks you in. Literally!
This is a must read.
And sneak peek!
There is a sequel!
You have to read this one first though so go grab a copy and stay up all night reading it! ( )

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Bogie McGruder leads as rather quiet life in Palm Beach, Florida. He and his friend Rose run a security company, she has the physical office in Boston and he runs the reports remotely from Florida. On the same night he finds out his eighteen year old daughter is pregnant and engaged to her boyfriend, his half brother is brutally murdered right outside Bogie's ex girlfriend's law office. Will Bogie be able to face his demons when he returns home? What was Bud doing there? Why was his Step Mother Elizabeth at the scene of the crime?

I love a good mystery, especially one that keeps me guessing right until the very end. This book does exactly that with edge of your seat excitement. The family dynamics also drew me in right from the start. I love little Isabella's grown up attitude for a three year old, it was well beyond her years. All in all, this was a fun read for me and a breath of fresh air, finally a novel that had me baffled. There's even a rekindled romance in the mix, which also complimented the story. ( )

The Girl in the White Pajamas by Chris Birdy is a 2014 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you like the Lisa Lutz style mystery novel you will like this one. Set in both Boston and Florida the story tells the sordid history of a wealthy family that married into blue collar. Both sides were a little morally bankrupt. We have Bud, who has just been murdered. Then , Bud's brother, Bogie, travels from Florida to Boston to be with his sister, Ann. Along for the ride is Bogie's 18 year old daughter, Amanda who is also pregnant with an on and off engagement, and who is rapidly spiraling out of control.
Back in Boston, Bogie is reunited with the love of his life, Bailey. He and Bailey have had an on again, off again relationship for many years, and it's no secret Bailey has a child by Bogie, named Isabella. Bailey neglected to inform Bogie he was father, although he already knew about it. Bailey appears to be in a jam, Amanda hates Bailey, but loves her little sister, and now that there has been a murder, Bogie will have to get to the bottom of things.
Isabella is a show stealer. A cute three year child with a really high intelligence level, she sees and knows a lot more than people give her credit for. While the death of Bud has opened up a can of worms, the family will have few more skeletons fall out of the closet. The family matriarch, Elizabeth is losing her mind with dementia , and is hardly aware of the goings on.
This novel is one part family drama, one part mystery. I think this first book, in what appears to be a possible series, was an ambitious undertaking. While there were not many characters in the book, save Isabella, that were very likeable, for some reason I found myself unable to stop reading about this train wreck of a family. So, if you like a story that is more about the characters and their personal issues with just a bit of crime solving in the background you will enjoy this one. That isn't to say this is not a crime drama, because it is. But, the family and it's secrets are very much the focus of the story. Things that occurred in the past have had devastating effects on some people and they live with the lies, betrayals, greed, and lust that shaped the them for better or worse. Amanda is a character that just drove me nuts. I almost cringed when she appeared on the scene. I am terrified by the thought this girl is about to become a parent!!!!

Now, because this has caused me issues in the past, I am going say this- with CreateSpace listed as the publication, I am ASSUMMING this is a self- publication or Indie. Having said that, the book is just too long. An editor would do wonders here, not because of grammatical errors or typos, but to trim the book down just a little. Zany and odd duck characters work better in small spurts. If it goes on too long, it starts to lose it's charm. This nearly happened to me a few times with certain situations and characters. Bailey got on my nerves, Bogie sometimes needed a wake up call, especially since his actions in the past brought on a lot of what was happening in the future, and I never got the idea he had a lot of regrets or suffered from a pricked conscience. He was too busy thinking about himself to be a good father to his daughter, Amanda, and now he is a parent of a precocious three year old that deserves better. But, when Bogie had a health scare he did grow up just a tad, and now it is possible he might step up to the plate and be the parent Isabella needs. This saga will continue, in “The Girl with the Black Pajamas” which will be released in next couple of months.
I didn't Love this book but I did like it enough to sign on for second book and to give this one a 3.5 rounded to 4. ( )