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469th out of 660 books
—
636 voters
Going Organic Can Kill You (A Blossom Valley Mystery #1)
by
Staci McLaughlin (Goodreads Author)
As Dana readjusts to life back home with her recently widowed mother, her latest career move isn't exactly a piece of cake. In fact, it's all tofu fish sticks, stuffed squash blossoms, and enough wheat grass shots to scream bloody murder - especially when Dana discovers the body of Maxwell Mendelsohn, Hollywood producer and opening weekend guest, deader than a yoga corpse...more
Mass Market Paperback, 297 pages
Published
July 3rd 2012
by Kensington
(first published July 1st 2012)
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An extremely ordinary mystery; just shy of boring, in fact. I didn't care about the fate of the new health spa (an effort to save the farm), perhaps partly because Dana, the viewpoint character, took a while to get vested in it herself. (If it had been her mom's farm, the investment would've been there immediately, but it started off as just a job for her. Admittedly, she hadn't had a job for nine months, but her worry about that didn't come across very strongly either.)
The only characters I rea...more
The only characters I rea...more
This is a great cozy.
Dana goes back home to Blossom Valley to help her mother through the grieving process after losing her father to a heart attack. Her mom finds her a job at a Health Spa Farm run by a kind woman, Esther, from her mother's grief group.
On the grand opening weekend, Dana finds a murdered guest in one of the cabins. Uh oh...looks like bad news for the spa as guests start to check out. Dana must find the murderer to save the spa and her job. There are lots of suspects, from the...more
Dana goes back home to Blossom Valley to help her mother through the grieving process after losing her father to a heart attack. Her mom finds her a job at a Health Spa Farm run by a kind woman, Esther, from her mother's grief group.
On the grand opening weekend, Dana finds a murdered guest in one of the cabins. Uh oh...looks like bad news for the spa as guests start to check out. Dana must find the murderer to save the spa and her job. There are lots of suspects, from the...more
Firstly I am loving these cozy mysteries, a genre that is light reading but keeps your attention. Perfect for a summer or laid back time to read. It kept me guessing until the end, now that is a great mystery!
Dana, leaves the big city and opportunities in marketing to move home to Blossom Valley. A year has passed since her father's death and her mother is just not getting back into her groove. Dana wants to be there to help her mother and gives up city living to move back home. Mom helps secure...more
Dana, leaves the big city and opportunities in marketing to move home to Blossom Valley. A year has passed since her father's death and her mother is just not getting back into her groove. Dana wants to be there to help her mother and gives up city living to move back home. Mom helps secure...more
This is the first in a brand new mystery series. Dana has come home to Blossom Valley after losing her marketing job in the silicon valley and to be with her mother who is still grieving her husband's death. Jobs, being somewhat scarce in the area, Dana, with a word put in for her from her mother, has accepted a job at a new spa that has been opened in town. This is a temporary position but she ends up helping Ester, the owner do all kinds of work...mucking out the pig pen, collecting eggs from...more
What are the odds that Dana Lewis could find two dead bodies within one week in idyllic Blossom Valley, California? If it were not for its beautiful vistas, people would not stop any longer than to fill their gas tank and grab a quick burger.
Dana has returned home to care for her mother a year after her father’s death. Giving up a semi lucrative career in San Jose, Dana now spends her time creating brochures for the O'Connell Organic Farm and Spa. With her contract running out and the spa needin...more
Dana has returned home to care for her mother a year after her father’s death. Giving up a semi lucrative career in San Jose, Dana now spends her time creating brochures for the O'Connell Organic Farm and Spa. With her contract running out and the spa needin...more
Dana Lewis, a Marketing 'maven' has returned to her childhood home of Blossom Valley, CA. Dana's other plan is to help her Mother recover from the sudden loss of Dana's father. Dana's younger sister, Ashlee is not too sure she is glad older sister is home.
Since there isn't much business in Blossom Valley, Mrs. Lewis gets Dana a job at the new 'O'Connell Organic Farm and Spa.' Since there isn't much to do as far as marketing, Dana lends her hand to odd jobs about the new spa.
It all sounds bucolic...more
Since there isn't much business in Blossom Valley, Mrs. Lewis gets Dana a job at the new 'O'Connell Organic Farm and Spa.' Since there isn't much to do as far as marketing, Dana lends her hand to odd jobs about the new spa.
It all sounds bucolic...more
Dana Lewis returns home to Blossom Valley, California, to live with her mother and sister after she loses her job. Her mother is recently widowed, her sister is trying to date all of the town's eligible bachelors, and her new job at the O'Connell Organic Farm and Spa isn't quite what she expected, but the feels like she's adjusting. Opening week brings a full house, lots of healthy food, and a mix of nice and snarky employees. Things seemed to be going well until Hollywood producer, Maxwell Mend...more
Staci McLaughlin's very entertaining, cozy mystery is set in the adorable, but fictional town of Blossom Valley in Northern California. Meet Dana Lewis, home to help her widowed mother, as well as spar with her flirty younger sister, Ashlee, as Dana starts her new job at a local health spa & organic farm. What started out as a marketing position has morphed into a Girl Friday helper job: write the blog, find the pig, clean the rooms. You name it, she does it all.
Including finding dead bodies...more
Including finding dead bodies...more
I do love cozies with a new premise. GOING ORGANIC CAN KILL YOU is about a woman, Dana Lewis, coming back to her hometown to help a woman start up a spa from what used to be a working farm.
One of the clients is found dead and Dana feels compelled to help find clues since the spa might close if clients run in fear of a killer.
I look forward to reading more of this series. It's fun and I like the characters quite a lot. There's Dana and her family, the owner of the spa/farm who is sweet and a bi...more
One of the clients is found dead and Dana feels compelled to help find clues since the spa might close if clients run in fear of a killer.
I look forward to reading more of this series. It's fun and I like the characters quite a lot. There's Dana and her family, the owner of the spa/farm who is sweet and a bi...more
So far the first three chapters are more than predictable. The writing is basic. The story moves but again with easy prediction. Chapter 11 is a hoot with the rejuvination committee and Dana failing to mention she is in marketing. Wouldn't telling them that she is in marketing secure her the respect instead of telling them she formed a committee against vegetables when she was a child? Not humorous at all. Plugging away at the book....
Now done with the book and it was alright. I liked it but (i...more
Now done with the book and it was alright. I liked it but (i...more
I enjoyed this new cozy and hope the next one is even better. Weird I was checking the other reviews and it seems that you either really like it or you hate it. Well I am in the really enjoyed category. Cant wait to see if the main characters are delved into more in the next book. Always love finding a new cozy series, so glad I found this one. I do have a tendency to fast read points of books I find over description and not pertinent to my reading of the story so maybe that is why I enjoyed it...more
Dana moved back to her small hometown after her dad died. She felt her mom needed her. Plus the economy had her looking for a new job. The O'Connell Farm and Spa hired Dana to be the spa's marketing director. The opening was filled with Hollywood types looking for a place to film a movie and to have a rest. Unfortunately, one of the Hollywood types is found dead by Dana in his cabin as Dana was taking in towels. Suddenly, everyone at the spa - guests and staff - are suspects and Dana's job is in...more
Going Organic Can Kill You
By Staci McLaughlin
Copyright July 2012
Publisher Kensington Mystery
As Dana readjusts to life back home with her recently widowed mother, her latest career move isn't exactly a piece of cake. In fact, it's all tofu fish sticks, stuffed squash blossoms, and enough wheat grass shots to scream bloody murder - especially when Dana discovers the body of Maxwell Mendelsohn, Hollywood producer and opening weekend guest, deader than a yoga corpse pose. While Dana pens the Spa's b...more
By Staci McLaughlin
Copyright July 2012
Publisher Kensington Mystery
As Dana readjusts to life back home with her recently widowed mother, her latest career move isn't exactly a piece of cake. In fact, it's all tofu fish sticks, stuffed squash blossoms, and enough wheat grass shots to scream bloody murder - especially when Dana discovers the body of Maxwell Mendelsohn, Hollywood producer and opening weekend guest, deader than a yoga corpse pose. While Dana pens the Spa's b...more
Not impressed.
Things I didn't like:
- I guessed the murderer at the first clue
- Weak or unlikeable secondary characters: Her boss is supposed to be creating/running a spa to appeal to the Hollywood set and she practically needs therapy to get dressed in the morning. Her love interest comes across as a prig from the very first interaction, but we're supposed to cheer this budding romance on?!? (She spills coffee on the *outside* of his car (to avoid burning him with it when she trips) and he FRE...more
Things I didn't like:
- I guessed the murderer at the first clue
- Weak or unlikeable secondary characters: Her boss is supposed to be creating/running a spa to appeal to the Hollywood set and she practically needs therapy to get dressed in the morning. Her love interest comes across as a prig from the very first interaction, but we're supposed to cheer this budding romance on?!? (She spills coffee on the *outside* of his car (to avoid burning him with it when she trips) and he FRE...more
This book had some good points in that it didn't take the whole hippie farm seriously, but it was bland and boring in most parts. The characters were so generic and I never even did figure out the age of the protaganist. I'm assuming she was in her 30's but really, she could have been any age. The murderer really wasn't believable and overall the book seemed written to fit a formula. Cozy mysteries these days are really lacking in originality. the publishers are trying to make up for that by hav...more
This book was very disappointing. I wanted so much to like it, but the writing and dialog were almost too much to bear at some points. There was a lot of jumping around, story lines that were not fully developed, conversations that were rushed or would end too quickly, and humor that was out of place. I'm sure that this author is still trying to find her voice, and I understand that it is the first book in the series, but I will have to think about whether I would continue on and read the next o...more
Marketing expert Dana has returned to her small home town to help her widowed mother, and, in desperation, taken a job at a new spa, converted from a farm. The opening weekend seems to be going well until Dana finds a dead body in one of the rooms. When the police decide it's murder, she feels impelled to help her boss--and save her job--by looking for information that will help solve the crime.
Going Organic Can Kill You is a fun and charming addition to the world of cozy mysteries. Dana, the protagonist, told her tale with humor and heart, and I was touched by her devotion to both her family (mom and sister) and her employer. The identity of the killer eluded me, but in the end it all made sense. The personalities involved were diverse, and made for a great bunch of suspects. Definitely looking forward to the sequel.
I finished reading "Going Organic Can Kill You" by Staci McLaughlin last night and I hated to see it end. Not only was it an intriguing mystery but it also made me laugh - a lot - and it was an "uplifting" novel. Ms. McLaughlin's main character, Dana, is a likeable, interesting and funny young woman who uses humor to get through some tough situations. Also, the author did a great job of concealing the identity of the killer until the very end. I highly recommend this book.
This is an amazing cozy set in the fictional California town of Blossom Valley. Staci is a gifted writer... with wry humor (a la Janet Evanovich), creative mystery angles (reminiscent of Sue Grafton) and the intriguing characters and dialogue you might find in an Elmore Leonard novel. All in all a great beach read. In fact, just a great read any place, any time.
ok starter for a new series from I believe 1st published author. Nothing objectionable but the characters were all from central casting & the plot thin. 3 days later I can't tell you who the villain was. Ooops, that made me make this a 2 star rather than 3. Sigh. I dislike giving 2 but if the book is so unmemorable, what can you do?
I had a hard time with this book because of one character. I hated the ass and hoped beyond hope that he'd either get fired or bumped off...halfway through he was still an ass and I just didn't care about the rest of the story enough to finish it...not my normal way of doing things, but there it is.
I tried to give this book a fair shake...really, I did. But after several chapters, I was still bored out of my mind! This one was returned without my finishing it. I didn't even care enough to turn to the end of the book to see who committed the murder! Too bad, it sounded like it might be a cute mystery series. :( Oh, well, on to other books!
Maybe I have been reading too many cozies but this one did not keep my attention as much as I would have hoped. The characters are OK, but not necessarily memorable. The food alone would have run off even the most dedicated vegan.
This was actually a 2.5 Stars for me. A very by-the numbers cozy mystery that lacks heart. Well written, but the lack of brain power by the protagonist drove me crazy. No one, and I mean No one is as foolish & silly as she was.
This book was very fast paced and interesting. I thought I had figured out the killer a few times, but was surprised in the end. I can't wait for the next adventure. I recommend this book to everyone.
This was a fun little read, but the plot was pretty light and the main character got on my nerves a little. She just seemed shallow and not real bright.
it was an ok book. The culprit was a tiny surprise. I wish there had been more about the spa and some ideas on how to make the spa better :)
This was a really great mystery that left me guessing as to who the killer was until the end. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one!
Not a terribly inventive plot. The characters are ho-hum, nice people. Probably won't read the next book.
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Staci McLaughlin was a technical writer in Silicon Valley for eight years before becoming a freelance writer. She is currently a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of the LadyKillers, a group of thirteen writers who alternate posting daily blogs at www.theladykillers.typepad.com, as well as blogging on her own web site.
Her first book, Going Organic Can...more
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Her first book, Going Organic Can...more
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