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Set in modern day Washington D.C., a serial killer has just taken out five women. As Murphy Thornton digs into it, more possible victims are discovered as the pattern becomes clear. He will need the help of his stepmom Cameron Gates to untangle this mess!

While there were plenty of things I liked about this book, I often felt that I needed two maps – one for the family tree of all the relatives involved in this story and the second for all the different military and state police groups involved. Basically, I could tell that our main characters had to be very careful of stepping on toes no matter what they did.

Now that I have that little criticism out of the way, here’s the good stuff. I really liked how deep this mystery went. There were plenty of people involved and the events span years. Now there’s a young girl, Izzy, in danger. She was a real treat, being the animal lover that she is. I was on the edge of my seat sometimes hoping things would work out ok for her.

There’s a little romance here as there are a few couples involved in solving the crime. Murphy, who is working with the NCIS, and his wife Jessica Faraday are newlyweds and still figuring out some of their longer term goals. Incidentally, Jessica is related to the main Faradays in Carr’s other mystery series – The Mac Faraday Mysteries.

Cameron Gates, a police detective, lost her first husband to a hit and run many years ago. She since has remarried to Joshua Thornton (a JAG lawyer), Murphy’s dad. As that hit and run is revisited, Cameron and Joshua are drawn into this mystery as well. Cameron and Joshua have their own mystery series that I am sorely tempted to check out – Lovers in Crime Mysteries.

With this talented cast, we need equally devious and dedicated criminals to make a good story and Carr doesn’t disappoint there. A string of rapes is soon connected to certain men rising in the military. Now some of those women are dead. There’s a killer on the loose who is also a sexual predator. It was pretty intense towards the end complete with car chases.

I liked that not every thing came out all rosy. The true villains at the hear of it got most of what they deserved but the good guys didn’t get all they asked for. I like how that reflects life sometimes. With yet another generation of this tangled family setting up for a love match, I had the distinct feeling the author was prepping us for another spinoff mystery series. Hooray!

I received a free copy of this book via iRead Book Tours.

The Narration: C. J. McAllister did an OK job. The narration started off pretty bland but got better throughout the book. At first, the narrator sounded a bit bored but later on he seems to get into the story and the narration picks up. Also, from the voice acting I thought Murphy was much older and then his dad Joshua is brought into the story and Joshua’s voice sounded about the same or younger to me. The ladies voices were distinct and a somewhat feminine. He did do a really good job with young Izzy.

Laura Carr has really done it again to me. The story had me going from the start of who guessed the murderer. Her written catches you and grabs your attention and keeping entertained and wondering. Murphy some how get on to this murder case by being sent down from NCIS.

How Murphy's stepmother Cameron and his wife Jessica get in the middle of it is beyond it. They start to go from one crime scene to another. Murphy is called in and I wonder what's going to happen to them it is all up in the air. Surprises and twists waiting at every turn of the pages.

You get pulled in and can not be pulled back out. We meet a young girl that is left behind that is connected to five murders in Washington, D.C. Where a murder that happens thirteen years before and what happen to that person come to light. Who is behind it all? Military seems to be hiding something that they seem not to want to come out. You will never be able to figure it out until it all revealed at the end.

Lauren Carr's novel, Kill and Run is the first book in her new A Thorny Rose Mystery series. I have read numerous books by her and just reviewed Three Day To Forever. a Mac Faraday Mystery. Whenever I see her name, I grab the book.

Add me to Goodreads now.

Cover by Todd Aune.

MY REVIEW

The cozy cover of Kill and Run by Lauren Carr is not quite so cozy. Mystery and danger encompass the pages as the search for the serial rapist takes an impossible turn.

Let's meet Lauren's newest couple Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Farady in her newest series, The Thorny Rose Mysteries. Jessica is the daughter of multimillionaire Mac Farady, from Lauren's Mac Farady Mystery series. We shall meet more of the characters from that series and I enjoy revisiting old friends.

Murphy and Jessica's lively sexual banter as they learn about each other is in the honeymoon phase, but something tells me it will continue for a long, long time. Lauren makes her characters authentic with similar problems to our own.

I love the NCIS and other similar TV shows. I can relate to Kill and Run because of it. Murphy just happens to be the liaison between the military and civilian staff.

We have carnivores, vegetarians and pescatarians. Do you know what a pescatarian is? I didn't and had to look it up. I love when I learn something new from a novel.

A serial rapist has been active and on the loose for more than 13 years and the past is coming back to bite Murphy. Politics and the military, conspiracies and cover ups, put Murphy and those close to him in danger.

Murphy and Jessica are newly married and they end up with a house full of quirky critters. They are a unique cast of characters! We have Spencer (Candi or Blue), whose name depends on the person calling him, is a Blue Sheltie. Irving is a cat that snubs most people and they are glad for it, he looks like a skunk. Irving has a big heart for a certain young girl that enters his life unexpectedly. Newman, now he is the man. He's a couch potato, I mean REALLY a couch potato. He not only watches TV, he controls the remote. And going for a walk, that's for those other dogs. Let's not forget Monique, a tarantula. EEK!

Izzy becomes a temporary member of the family after her mother is murdered and Murphy promises to find out who did it and protect her in the process. Izzy has a way with the critters, a special connnection. I had immediate empathy for her. She is a strong, open hearted/open minded child/woman.

Lauren has a way with her characters, human and animal alike. They are complex and well developed, fiercely protecting each other as they struggle to find answers before they run out of time. Will they find the answers to the nightmares that keep them awake at night?

I am so pissed off at the injustice of the haves and their own set of rules, the feeling of entitlement they have. They do see evil. They do hear evil. They do speak evil. Where do they draw the line...or do they? It is bad enough there is a monster running loose, but what makes it even more terrible is the people that know about it, overlook it and pass the problem on to the next HIGHER level. The problem does not go away, it only grows bigger.

Kudos Lauren. Kill and Run looks like another mystery series that will be on my reading list for some time to come. Thanks for expanding on the family.

"You're not a wimp Buttercup. Basically, what you need to do is learn how to press your bitch button."

"...My bitch button?"

"Everyone has one."

"...You have a bitch button?"

"I have a bastard button."

This is an ARC, so the quote may be different than it appears here. From page 218.

I received the ARC of Kill and Run by Lauren Carr in return for an honest and unbiased review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.

Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.

ABOUT LAUREN CARR

Lauren Carr is the best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Three Days to Forever is the ninth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series. In addition to her series set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder. Three Days to Forever introduces Lauren Carr’s latest series, detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for the first installment in this series in Spring 2015. The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information. Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes. She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

For More Information

• Visit Lauren Carr’s website.
• Connect with Lauren on Facebook and Twitter.
• Visit Lauren’s Goodreads page to find out more about her books.
• Visit Lauren’s blog.
• Contact Lauren..

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I am not usually one to be sucked into a murder mystery novel, let alone one military based, but after the first chapter I couldn’t put it down. Lauren Carr has a way of roping you in and immersing you in the story.

There were so many twists and turns in the plot that just as I thought I had it figured out, a new detail would emerge causing me to rethink my whole theory. This is definitely a book that will have you putting on your detective hats!

The characters were well developed and I especially found myself invested in Izzy, although I did feel as though her emotional turmoil was significantly downplayed and would have been much greater for a child whose mother was murdered. I did really love the family dynamics aspects and how it played a large part in the story line.


If your in the mood for a thrilling mystery, that will keep you guessing, I highly suggest you pick up a copy of Kill & Run. You won't be dissapointed!