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19th out of 116 books
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69 voters
One Deadly Sister (Sandy Reid Mysteries #1)
by
Rod Hoisington (Goodreads Author)
She doesn't carry a gun, but then neither does a pit bull.
An almost-too-clever young law student in Philadelphia gets a life-or-death call from her estranged brother who just moved to Florida--she tells him to go to hell. She doesn't need this. She's holding an old grudge and resents having her life interrupted.
The brother doesn't come looking for trouble, he simply wants...more
An almost-too-clever young law student in Philadelphia gets a life-or-death call from her estranged brother who just moved to Florida--she tells him to go to hell. She doesn't need this. She's holding an old grudge and resents having her life interrupted.
The brother doesn't come looking for trouble, he simply wants...more
Paperback, 242 pages
Published
September 2nd 2009
by Enterabooks
(first published 2009)
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I gave up on this book. I only downloaded it because it was a free and the few reviews I saw were positive. At this point I believe those reviews were written purely as promotional devices.
I gave it a chance, forced myself to keep reading, but honestly its just not very good. I was several chapters in and still did not care about or even like the characters. The dialogue feels forced and unnatural, like the author is just writing filler until he can get to his point.
I would not recommend this b...more
I gave it a chance, forced myself to keep reading, but honestly its just not very good. I was several chapters in and still did not care about or even like the characters. The dialogue feels forced and unnatural, like the author is just writing filler until he can get to his point.
I would not recommend this b...more
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Before I reached the last several chapters of this book I was sure I was going to give it a four star rating at least. It was fun, funny, fast-paced, and with an interesting cast of characters.
Then, the wheels seemed to come off and in a number of different ways. I had the sense that the author was in a hurry or at least was very excited by that daredevil rumble down the last hill that some of us experience when writing a novel. The number of typographical and grammatical errors soared. A bit o...more
Then, the wheels seemed to come off and in a number of different ways. I had the sense that the author was in a hurry or at least was very excited by that daredevil rumble down the last hill that some of us experience when writing a novel. The number of typographical and grammatical errors soared. A bit o...more
This book was very interesting and surprising. It was just like watching a movie in my mind like one of those Lifetime movies. The twists in the book I wasn't expecting to happen and it was suspenseful. I thought it was messed up that the 70 year old lady used Ray Reid. Then the sister comes to help and she is really good at what she is doing. Sandy Reid, the sister, risks everything to help her brother that left her as a teenager. Also, the cop that lost his dad while being a cop and now he is...more
This is a terrible book.
Let's start with the characters. They all sound exactly the same, all the time. Not only can you not tell who's speaking by how they speak, you can't even tell how they're feeling. Take any bit of dialogue from anywhere in the book and try to guess who said it and you'd pretty much be guessing blind.
And as the robot devil said, you can't just have your characters say how they feel, bet that's exactly what Hoisington does. He has absolutely no idea how to convey emotion or...more
Let's start with the characters. They all sound exactly the same, all the time. Not only can you not tell who's speaking by how they speak, you can't even tell how they're feeling. Take any bit of dialogue from anywhere in the book and try to guess who said it and you'd pretty much be guessing blind.
And as the robot devil said, you can't just have your characters say how they feel, bet that's exactly what Hoisington does. He has absolutely no idea how to convey emotion or...more
Nov 20, 2010
Betty
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
amateur-sleuth,
conspiracy,
corruption,
crime,
fiction,
murder-mystery,
suspense,
small-town,
relationships,
innocent
A very creative and enjoyable first novel, Rod Hoisington has created a complicated whodunit with red herrings to spare. At the basic root we have the remaining two members of a family, a brother and sister, who have had no real contact since the day their parents died several years ago. In fact, sister Sandy is living her well-ordered life quite satisfactorily, thank you, doing legwork for a highly respected law office. A late night call brings her brother Raymond back into her life like a slap...more
I would have given this book 4 and a half stars. I LOVED this book! The only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars was how quickly the book ended. It sort of tied up too neatly and quickly. I loved the writing style. It was fast paced from the beginning! There were times I was upset that I had to get pulled away from the book. Very neatly written and will read the next book in the series! I love Sandy. One of my favorite characters to date!
Look I thought the book was OK. The characters were OK, the story line was OK. It was just OK. It was a light mystery read, but not something that I just had to pick up and finish.
I read the Kindle version and found that it had a lot of errors - especially quotes where there shouldn't have been. It was a very distracting having to go back and confirm whether something was thought rather than said, as it could have changed the plot considerably. So I think someone really needs to go and fix those...more
I read the Kindle version and found that it had a lot of errors - especially quotes where there shouldn't have been. It was a very distracting having to go back and confirm whether something was thought rather than said, as it could have changed the plot considerably. So I think someone really needs to go and fix those...more
Mar 19, 2012
Charles
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Mystery Lovers
Recommended to Charles by:
Barnes & Noble
What an AWESOME book! I must admit, I got this book when it was free on Barnes & Noble last year because I thought it might be interesting and couldn't go wrong with it being free. I am certainly glad I took the chance! The righting is excellent and the characters are warm and personable. It is definitely a page turner and I stayed up late last night to finish it! I loved it so much, I immediately went shopping on my Nook and purchased the next two available in the series "The Price of Candy...more
My reading of this one was drug out as I only read it when on the treadmill and the arrival of spring as me doing more cardio on my bike than on the treadmill. Add to it training for a 5k and being unable to read while running on the treadmill and progress slowed dramatically. Often when it takes me a long time to finish a book it is because it isn't that engrossing. Not so in this case.
I really did no have a clue who the real killer was in this one. Oh, at one point I was convinced it was the p...more
I really did no have a clue who the real killer was in this one. Oh, at one point I was convinced it was the p...more
What a great story line! The twists and turns had me guessing right up to the point where the killer was identified. Sandy has a telephone call from her older brother who has been arrested and charged with murder in Florida. Initially she does not respond to his plea for help. But without too much delay, she does decide to leave her job in Philadelphia and bring her investigative skills to his small town. The cast of characters includes both old and new money, politics, and nepotism. There is a...more
Another person to d/l as a free eBook. I had a tough time getting through the first couple of chapters. The set-up was barely okay; pace was slow, characters generic, and plot cliched. The title character, Sandy Reid, is the most interesting in the book but we don't really get to know her either. I think trying too hard to make a good mystery/crime novel led to over-complex linking of multiple characters. The typical ending is done well, but predictable. Not a bad novel, but not one I would have...more
So, this book starts off with this preposterous reasoning on this seeminly educated, yet naiive man who learns of a supposed murder, knows that he could be named an accomplice, yet he doesn't immediately run to the authorities. Of course he's arrested and the story continues from there. It's a quick read, but even after Ray is released he's still a sucker for a pretty woman wnen one has been after him the entire book.
There were some fairly funny parts in the book and perhaps if he had made it m...more
There were some fairly funny parts in the book and perhaps if he had made it m...more
I picked up Hoisington's One Deadly Sister as a free Kindle book. I had been encouraged by the positive reviews it received. After only a few chapters in, I had to put it down. Usually I can finish a book, no matter what I find wrong with it - no so in this book's case. The author starts with what promises to be an interesting plot involving deception, murder, and plenty of sneaky untrustworthy people; however, he soon lost my interest. My biggest issue with this book are the characters. Not a s...more
I didn't hate this but I didn't love it either. It seemed to me like the characters didn't really act like any normal person I have ever been around. They were all over the place shouting at each other and then best buddies four seconds later. It just didn't work for me.
At some point one of the characters "shuttered" instead of shuddered and that just feels like really sloppy editing. I noticed a few other strange things like that but most were in dialog and I just took it as the character not...more
At some point one of the characters "shuttered" instead of shuddered and that just feels like really sloppy editing. I noticed a few other strange things like that but most were in dialog and I just took it as the character not...more
Cool book, but I have to admit...I gave up on this book awhile ago but picked it up again. It ended up really good. You might want to put it down for a day to let some things sink in although. The characters are good but thrown at you full force relentlessly and the story is a bit twisty (but still good) can be confusing if you don't sit down for a moment a process some crap. It's like a big helping of your favorite food being served to you under an hour. It's a good thing being shoved down your...more
Ray Reid moved to Florida and didn't expect to have this much "fun". After meeting a few of the locals he finds himself in a twisted murder plot and he is the murderer, except he didn't do it. With the help of his sharp tongue sister from big city Philly, they get to the bottom of the mystery and find the real killer. This book was a real page turner. I kept wanting to pick up the book and find out what was going to happen next and why this guy would get himself into this kind of situation. The...more
They say you get what you pay for, but if I got this book for free, I'd still be demanding my money back. The only reason I stuck out its awful mishmash of pointless characters and senseless "plot" was that having started it, I wanted it to count toward my Goodreads challenge for the year. That way, suffering through the slop would not have been *entirely* in vain. I don't know how much of a problem fake reviews and shills are on Goodreads, but I find it very hard to believe that any real reader...more
1st in the Sandy Reid mystery series set in small town Florida. Sandy is smart problem solving law student who works as a clerk in a Philadelphia law firm and who is estranged from her older brother. He calls out of the blue needing help as he is in jail on a murder charge. She reluctantly travels to Florida to help and quickly manages to turn the investigation upside down as she tries to clear her brother.
Sandy is quick with wise cracks and pushing through people who get in her way and isn't e...more
Sandy is quick with wise cracks and pushing through people who get in her way and isn't e...more
Book Title: One Deadly Sister
Author: Rod Hoisington
Publisher: Entera Books
ISBN: 9780615298528
Reviewed by Michele Tater for Review The Book
The book “One Deadly Sister”, I felt is a murder mystery at its best. The author takes you on a who-done-it ride which includes the introduces of several characters, which can be likable as well as unlikable. These people all have their own dirty laundry and guilty pleasures that play out with every turn of the page. It is also a look at how a innocent man can...more
Author: Rod Hoisington
Publisher: Entera Books
ISBN: 9780615298528
Reviewed by Michele Tater for Review The Book
The book “One Deadly Sister”, I felt is a murder mystery at its best. The author takes you on a who-done-it ride which includes the introduces of several characters, which can be likable as well as unlikable. These people all have their own dirty laundry and guilty pleasures that play out with every turn of the page. It is also a look at how a innocent man can...more
Nice original writing, which I always appreciate. Sandy Reid (almost) walks on water, which is a little far fetched but lots of fun.
Police put up with her, Lesbians fall in love, and she's able to bluff her way into having evil politician/prosecutor (or whatever) cooperate with her.
Not sure why anyone would like her nerdy brother, who runs off with a 70 year old cougar, when he was invited by a real nice lady he'd become close to at work, but I guess we needed that to have a story, right?
Police put up with her, Lesbians fall in love, and she's able to bluff her way into having evil politician/prosecutor (or whatever) cooperate with her.
Not sure why anyone would like her nerdy brother, who runs off with a 70 year old cougar, when he was invited by a real nice lady he'd become close to at work, but I guess we needed that to have a story, right?
A kindle book review: I found this entertaining. Sandy is a paralegal, lawyer-wannabe in Philly who gets summoned to Florida where her estranged brother is accused of murdering a political figure. She doesn't want to interrupt her life to go to his side but nevertheless does, and in the process does find out that blood is thicker than water. I liked Sandy's gutsy determination and the characters were likeable. A little bit of mystery, a little bit of romance, and it kept me entertained (for free...more
I liked the plot of this book. It had very good twists and turns that kept me guessing, and in the end, I was totally surprised. I didn't like how this book had some inappropriate stuff, but if you skip over them, it is actually okay. It had some language in it, but other than those two things, it was awesome. Free on Kindle, so why not? My favorite character has got to be Sandy. She is AWESOME!!! (The cover of this book is very disturbing, though.)
I have read this for the October With A Kick Challenge, it was once a book I would have read and been interested in, that is before paranormal/fantasy took over my life.
The book had a good story line, a womans brother is set up and put in prison for killing a vip man and she spends her time trying to find out who set her brother up and questioning other potential suspects, when she gets too close she ends up in the firing line herself. Good story but just not my thing anymore..
The book had a good story line, a womans brother is set up and put in prison for killing a vip man and she spends her time trying to find out who set her brother up and questioning other potential suspects, when she gets too close she ends up in the firing line herself. Good story but just not my thing anymore..
May 17, 2012
Tom
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
mysteries-thrillers
"One Deadly Sister" was fine. I never felt that "hooked" feeling I get with a Stephen King, for example.
The story is simple. Raymond Reid ends up arrested in a small Florida beach town. He's charged with murder. Add in a 70 year-old seductress in a thong, an evil realtor, a shifty exterminator, and you have a standard small Florida beach town murder.
Raymond calls his estranged sister, Sandy. Sandy is like Vincent D'Onofrio and Detective Eames and Sherlock Holmes and Bones, all tied up in one pac...more
The story is simple. Raymond Reid ends up arrested in a small Florida beach town. He's charged with murder. Add in a 70 year-old seductress in a thong, an evil realtor, a shifty exterminator, and you have a standard small Florida beach town murder.
Raymond calls his estranged sister, Sandy. Sandy is like Vincent D'Onofrio and Detective Eames and Sherlock Holmes and Bones, all tied up in one pac...more
Although I did enjoy reading the book, I can't understand why a sensible person would continue to cooperate with a woman after she has told him that she killed a man. The whole rest of the plot is predicated on his actions following this revelation. Instead of goint to the police he just continues to plasce himself in deeper and deeper trouble. Again, why would you go to someone's home and when the person you expect to see is not there you don't even bother to explain exactly why you are there b...more
This is a dreadful book, free on my nook. All the characters are one dimensional. There’s a young law intern in Philly in a read Miata convertible. Her brother, Ray, has been entrapped in the murder of a Senator. He was set up with a 70 year old he slept with. There are stupid county attorneys and police, but one beautiful one who Sally gets it on with. The end has a twist which is nice, but it was difficult to get through.
This book by Rod Hoisington was one I really enjoyed reading. It is about a brother and sister who are really estranged and what happens when he needs his sister's help because he is being charaged with murder. What happens from that point is very interesting. The characters work for me and I found them enjoyable. The plot was solid, also.
J. Robert Ewbank author "Wesley's Wars" and "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms"
J. Robert Ewbank author "Wesley's Wars" and "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms"
I enjoyed this book, well constructed clues throughout the book so you could work out who did the murder/s, and very well paced after the first 3 chapters.
I normally read thrillers, so this was a nice and welcome change for me, the characters have just about the right depth and only a few are a bit one dimensional.
Put it this way it is good enough for me to give the second one in the series a go, but not immediately.
I normally read thrillers, so this was a nice and welcome change for me, the characters have just about the right depth and only a few are a bit one dimensional.
Put it this way it is good enough for me to give the second one in the series a go, but not immediately.
Poorly written, poor characterization, characters exhibit confusing behavior. I didn't get past chapter 6 of this book, there seemed no point in struggling on though I dislike giving a book up in the middle. I am becoming suspicious of free Kindle offerings. If most of them are like this, I will be happier returning the kindle, saving $200, and going back to the library. Keep it simple. This is NOT a "goodread".
Blood is thicker than water in this clever first novel by Rod Hoisington. Ray Reid finds out he has a pit bull of a sister and that talking things through makes a lot of difference in relationships. Very fast paced. As Mr. Hoisington writes more of these he should develope the characters a little more slowly, but still it was a good story. By the way, the cover art is very catchy.
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