Sheila LoweReseñas

My third read from author Sheila Lowe and the third book in the Forensic Handwriting Series. Good, well-written mystery, even better than the first two books. The characters likable & attention holding. The plot and the sub-plot were both well-developed. I'll definitely be reading more in this series.

I liked the forensic handwriting aspect of this cozy. A bit too much about the love life of the protagonist but that seems to be the norm these days... I did manage to figure out who the culprit was about three-quarters of the way through but the true motive escaped me completely.

OH BOY, WAS I FOOLED!! This is my first time reading Ms. Lowe and I was captivated with the first page. I could see why Lindsay was dead and I loved Claudia and her career choice. I loved her independent nature. and I just loved Detective Joel Jovanic!

paranormal, suspense, romantic, mysteries, psychics, unputdownable, riveting, psychological, spirits, haunting, witty, family-drama, family-dynamics, inheritance, inner-strength, integrity, interpersonal-problems, twins*****

The publisher's blurb was a definitely good hook for me and I find no need to recap the story.
The characters are fascinating and the plot twists amazing. I enjoyed every minute of it!
I requested and received an EARC from Write Choice Ink via NetGalley. Thank you!

Brother accused of murder, niece kidnapped by a tomb robber. Claudia races off to Egypt to do what, I ask you? Be the hero in a novel, of course. I think this book is preposterous.

I received a review copy of "Dead Letters" from Write Choice Ink through NetGalley.com.

Review of eBook

Claudia Rose, Kelly Brennan, and Lindsey Alexander shared a sort of love/hate relationship, based primarily on Lindsey’s propensity for mean-spiritedness. But their iffy relationship doesn’t stop them from questioning why Lindsey would commit suicide.

Lindsey managed to set up and run, with her partner, Ivan Novak, a business representing an A-list clientele. Ivan, her friend, her business associate. The one who is certain that Lindsey did not kill herself.

Ivan convinces Claudia to look into the matter; leaving Claudia to gather samples of Lindsey’s handwriting to compare with the suicide note. Ivan had several reasons for believing the suicide note was not genuine; Claudia recognized several of his reasons as facts she knew about Lindsey as well.

But as Claudia tries to find answers . . . often clashing with Los Angeles Police Detective Joel Jovanic . . . she becomes the target of break-ins and attacks. And Ivan is murdered.

Was Lindsey a suicide or was her untimely death an accident? Why was Ivan murdered? Could Lindsey's death be murder as well?

Will Claudia find the answers or will she become the next victim?

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First in a new series, this compulsive tale of secrets, lies, and murder pulls the reader into the telling of the tale from the outset. With well-defined characters, a captivating plot, and the relentless pace of the investigation, the narrative keeps the suspense building and the tension high as the unfolding story takes some surprising twists and turns on its way to a satisfactory denouement.

Claudia’s work as a forensic handwriting examiner gives a unique aspect to the intense, gritty whodunit that draws readers in and keeps those pages turning.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Write Choice Ink, The Book Whisperer and NetGalley
#PoisonPen #NetGalley

international-crime-and-mystery, intrigue, suspense, abduction, illegal-antiquities-trade, family-dynamics, friendship, archaeologist, thriller*****

What a thrill ride! Suspense to the very end! And the intense story centered on Claudia's young niece is bookended by the girl's father (Claudia's brother) wrongfully accused of murder! Not exactly the best way to tour Egypt, Gibraltar, and London! Great read and expertly narrated by voice actor Anna Crowe.

Forensic handwriting expert Claudia Rose is hired to determine whether the suicide note of her friend, Lindsey Alexander, is genuine. With someone with so many enemies would that be possible.

suspense, mystery, child, cults, family-dynamics, friendship*****

It begins with the half sister of a friend who had had a miserable childhood coming to ask for help about her husband absconding with their three year old only child. The child's mother and father are part of a seculsive fundamentalist religious organisation so the mother is conflicted about a course of action. There is a note that the father has written, but the mother is reluctant to let Claudia photocopy it for further analysis despite its red flags to the forensic graphologist. Then comes the temporary stay at the group's compound and things get really twisty and gripping. I love this author's writing and the way she makes me feel like a fly on the wall of the story's reality. Another excellent read!
I love the narrations performed by Anna Crowe!

suspense, murder, thriller*****

Californian handwriting expert Claudia Rose tramps off to Maine as a favor to a friend whose ex-wife has died leaving unfinished business. When she gets there, she find that the woman in question, a respected college professor, was brutally murdered in an out of the way cabin in the woods. Claudia needs to go through the dead woman's computer but it disappeared and there seems no way to deal with the material that's needed. Good, strong characters are made real by the writing, and the mysteries that arise are as twisty as can be. I loved it!
Narrator Anna Crowe adds to the suspense and to the personalities of the characters.

An friend's unknown niece, a cult(ish) group, all lead to another detecting adventure for our Forensic Handwriting analyst (and her sidekicks).

The story was a bit worn, but I did enjoy the escapades.

Honestly, probably a 3.5, but I'm feeling generous today

read again May 2014 - lowered rating to 3.

One of the things that REALLY bugged me was her reaction to 'the first dead body she'd ever seen'.. umm.. already forgot about book #1 in the series?

Something a little different - a handwriting expert. Not quite a cozy, and I liked it well enough to buy the next two.

Note: first read October 2009. Rereading May 2014 since two more books are available in the series...

Second time through I might lower the rating to 3, honestly...

Claudia Rose, the forensic handwriting analyst, has a very small part in this story. The novel started a bit slow, but picked up about a quarter of the way in with a very interesting plot.

Unfortunately, Ms. Lowe didn't stick with (imho) a really believable situation, and I was a bit disappointed. I finished the book, but doubt if I'll read another in a series that features this story line.

On the upside, it was a change of pace for the author, and she handled the action and suspense quite well. We'll see.........

psychological, thriller, suspense

What a thrill ride! Suspense, confusion, convoluted trail to follow, unscrupulous villains, plus a skilled forensic graphologist accompanied by her law enforcement partner and a semi retired psychologist. The good guys work together to try to help a woman who is lost in amnesia and hunted by unknown others. The characters are fascinating and the plot twists amazing. All is enhanced by the urgency of the narration by Aria McKenna. Loved it!

forensics, procedural, suspense, thriller, *****,

Claudia, an insightful forensic graphologist, residing in California responds to a demand by a supercilious matchmaker in NYC to be flown there and back plus a handsome salary to do some interesting work. Of course it involves finding more than just personality traits and even becomes an investigation into murders that appear to be natural causes. Very intense and twisty! There are her own personal issues back home, and some levity, but it really shines as a mystery.
One thing I am thankful for is that my reading the books out of order is irrelevant to my enjoyment. Another is the skilled audio interpretation done by Anna Crowe

mystery, thriller, procedural, law-enforcement

The expert witness for the prosecution gets violently assaulted by the accused right in the courtroom! It's a given that she develops PTSD complete with flashbacks, but her significant other (who is a police detective) isn't available for a lot of support because of a murder caused by an eco terrorism proponent. And that's just the beginning of this outstanding mystery novel whose lead character is a forensic graphologist! Expect learning opportunities, serious plot twists, red herrings, and ingenious suspense in this series in which any book is capable of being a stand alone. Loved it!
The narrator is Anna Crowe who is exceptional!
I requested and received a free audio copy much to my delight.

law-enforcement, procedural, teens, murder-investigation, mystery, thriller, suspense, California

A dedicated homicide detective, an insightful forensic graphologist, a teen who has seen and been through more than anyone ought to, and tattoo ink at the autopsy table. Some people are forced to live lives of incredible heartbreak that has nothing to do with romance only to have life cut short under horrifying conditions. Such is the case of a teenage woman who has been a friend in the past and recently resurfaced in the middle of a rampage by someone in the tattoo artistry business. As the bodies pile up it becomes very apparent that the murders are somehow connected but it's tough to get people to talk to the cops, and that makes their job even harder.
A very complex and compelling story that is much too close to reality in many ways, but I learned a lot about the work of a forensic graphologist which is a discipline I am not familiar with. The plot moves along quickly with a lot of suspense, twists, and red herrings with characters are incredibly interesting.
This is the first book I have read in the series, but that did not diminish my enjoyment.
The audio is performed by Donna Allen and Richard Brewer in a somewhat alternating manner that does add gravitas without going full horror mode.

Blood, sharp needles, tattoos and tattoo parlors was once considered the lower side of life but that image is changed today and it is the perfect setting and plot aspect of Lowe’s novel where a teenage girl is found brutally murdered and left in a trash can.

Claudia Rose, a forensic handwriting expert, shows how tattoos are no different. A signature is a signature. Along with her boyfriend Joel Jovanic a LAPD homicide detective, Lowe drops the reader into action with creditable characters and plot taking them on a journey of discovery. Yet it is not only the capable maneuvering of twists and turns that keeps the reader glued to the page. It’s Lowe’s . experience in the field of handwriting analysis and a Master of Science degree in Psychology which adds to the strength of this novel and allows the reader to know they are in very capable hands.

I liked the forensic handwriting aspect of this cozy. A bit too much about the love life of the protagonist but that seems to be the norm these days... I did manage to figure out who the culprit was about three-quarters of the way through but the true motive escaped me completely.

Outside the Lines is the 6th book in the Forensic Handwriting Mysteries but it definitely stands alone. There are references to incidents in the earlier books but nothing that makes a difference in this story line.

Forensic Handwriting Expert Claudia Rose can easily analyze a person by their handwriting. She sees what people work hard to hide. With this skill she's become a valuable part of her fiancé Joel's success as a homicide detective.

In this case, an incident that starts out as a harmless scare tactic by a group of people protesting a pesticide corporation, turns deadly when someone is accidentally killed. Now the leader of the group is on the run and asking Claudia for help. As the lead suspect he's being chased down by Joel who warns Claudia away from him but she can't help getting involved. Now tension strains Claudia and Joel's relationship as she works on figuring a way to make things work for everyone.

I really love how Sheila builds the story. Different scenarios have you thinking you can guess at what's coming next but as you read on you realize you were wrong. Through the twists, the suspense builds up to the gratifying end. I highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who loves a good mystery with a surprise ending.

When the coroner rules that Lindsey Alexander, a top Hollywood publicist, killed herself, her business manager retains Claudia to examine the suicide note found by her body. Claudia, acquainted with Lindsey from her university days, well remembers her ruthless self-promotion. As the investigation progresses, Claudia discovers Lindsey’s best-kept secrets and the questions begin to mount, along with possible high -profile suspects. At the scene of a horrific attack, she meets Detective Joel Jovanic, whose skepticism about handwriting analysis immediately puts them at odds.

Outside the Lines is book 6 in the Forensic Handwriting Mystery series. I haven't read the earlier books but was able to read book 6 without confusion. I was intrigued enough with this book that I plan to read books 1 - 5 as soon as possible.

The author, Sheila Lowe, is a certified forensic handwriting analyst, as is her main character Claudia. The other main character, Joel, is Claudia's fiancé and a homicide detective. Her analysis often helps him solve cases but she sometimes oversteps her role and ends up in troubling situations. I really enjoyed reading about the relationship between these two characters plus they were not always perfect and had faults and arguments despite being deeply in love.

As a reader, I also learned a lot about handwriting analysis. The author gives information as part of the story but not to the point of being boring. I found her explations of the analysis very interesting.

This was a very enjoyable book and I plan to read the earlier books in the series in the not too distant future.

Thanks to the Author for a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

I tend to view theme-based “cozy mysteries” in the same light as historical fiction. Both genres tend to stick to well-known plot devices and character types, but they might just be a fun way to learn something new. One of the trends in mystery writing of the last few decades is to have the main character be an expert in something that is not necessarily related to crime-solving: cooking, sports, antiques, sewing, etc. Sheila Lowe has a series of about half a dozen books about a forensic handwriting expert who gets dragged into murder cases.
Handwriting analysis is actually split into two parts: actual analysis of handwriting to determine its authenticity and then what is called “graphology,” which is the divination of personality based on style of handwriting. This book introduces a new concept for me which is graphotherapy—the idea that you can change your personality if you change your handwriting (because your handwriting reveals your personality, it stands to reason that if your script changes, so do you.)
Forensic analysis of handwriting has really become something of a science, and this little mystery has a few scenes where the main character is explaining how it all works. Unfortunately, the author seems to lump graphology together with forensic analysis, and implies that the former is as scientifically grounded as the latter. This is not the case. In real life, graphologists have repeatedly failed scientific examinations of their claims. It sounds neat, and would be a great tool if it worked, but it just doesn't. Needless to say, I wouldn't invest a lot of money in “graphotherapy,” either.
However, this is a novel. Need I be so picky? Of course not! If I can believe in vampires while reading a Charlaine Harris mystery, certainly I can believe in graphology while reading one of Sheila Lowe's! Our heroine, Claudia Rose, is a spirited handwriting analyst who gets increasingly involved in the lives of the heirs of a rich, recently deceased man whose will is contested. Claudia shows some spirit and compassion, and is able to get to the bottom of it all, even at her own risk.

Poison Pen (Forensic Handwriting Mysteries)by Sheila Lowe

Claudia Rose is a forensic handwriting specialist. When publicist Lindsey Alexander is found dead with a letter nearby it is suspected suicide. Claudia is on the scene to try to help find out who did it, she is convinced this is not a suicide. Soon people are ending up dead and Cluadia will be next, it is a race for time on solving this crime.

A fast paced murder/mystery. Claudia is very likable, the suspect list starts to grow, which adds to the suspense. I loved learning about handwriting, and how it is helpful during a crime. I feel that murder/mystery lovers will enjoy Poison Pen