Daniel Carson lives in Nebraska with his wife and their perfect adoring children who have never ever misbehaved. Not once. Honest.
His days are a mixture of... teaching, cooking, driving, cleaning, more cooking, lots more driving, cleaning and more driving. So much driving. When the children finally go to bed, Daniel writes stories.
The Hope Walker Mysteries is a cozy mystery series with action, humor, and just a bit of romance. A Hopeless Murder is the first book in the series.
The Baking School Mysteries is a culinary cozy mystery series where the food is a delicious, the people are nosy but lovable, and murder is always on the menu. Fudge Frosting Murder is the first book in the series.
I love this series. The way Daniel Carson writes these characters is realistic. The relationships between the characters, how they evolve is like being with your friends. I don't know if this was intentional, but is felt an underlying shift in some of the relationships Hope has with the other characters. This shift felt subtle like when relationships change some times in reality. But, I know this for certain, I can't wait until the NEXT Hope Walker book comes out!
As usual, great read. I enjoy the banter between Granny and Hope, Alex and Hope, Hope and Katie… common denominator here is… Hope. However, the characters are funny with their dry humor.
In fact, recently I was thinking of this series and I just couldn’t remember the name of it and I didn’t feel like looking through the thousands of titles I’ve read in the past few years to find this. But then something happened last night - I saw “A Hopeless Spring” in my recommendations on my Kindle and I screeched and immediately downloaded the book. Yayzee! I was about 85% done with the book I was reading, so the moment I finished that I began Hope Walker. I just wish there was more than one left that I hadn’t read.
Anyway… there are some very wise words in this like Hope’s family’s motto of “Guns don’t kill people. But people who are really good at shooting guns can kill people from a mile away even if it’s windy and visibility is bad.” I know, right?! So wise! Ahahahahaha!!!
In this read, there is a murder. Not a big surprise and the smart alec talk, as well as the family/ friend dynamic, is what I enjoy most. Plus, Carson is one of the few authors’ books I have read that is a male. It just works out that way and it isn’t because I specifically look for women. Many times I simply choose my reads based on the book cover - true story.
Hope and Alex have become very close in the past month and their relationship shows in this read. Then Alex’s sister, Sarah enters to meet the woman Alex has been talking so dreamily about and she has a surprise bet with Hope that leaves Hope shocked and questioning herself. There’s even a scuffle between Psycho Sarah and Hope that opens a door of opportunity.
I actually got tears in my eyes at the end - tears of pride, happiness, and joy. Alas, all turned out well in the end for everyone (except the killer).
Oh! There’s also a shooting match Alex takes Hope to as a “romantic” day together. Although a bit unconventional, the date does end up feeling romantic. There’s also an announcement at the end of the second shooting tournament that floors everyone.
Carson left this read open-ended with something Granny asks of Hope. I wonder when the next book will be released. Can’t wait!
For my next book I chose “The Hexibitionist (Speakeasy book 11)” by Lily Harper Hart.
I was introduced to this series by a friend and have never looked back. I enjoy visiting Hopeless and spending time with everyone but most especially, I love spending time with Hope and Katie, wishing I could suck down a margaritas with them at Ladies Night.
Dan does a phenomenal job of bringing every character to life. you feel invested in their lives, their relationships...you are there beside them while things are happening. And he does a great job of keeping you guessing on "who dunnit".
Start from the beginning and binge straight through. You will not regret it...although you will find yourself laughing out loud!
The Hope Walker series is a great read. Engaging characters. Fun and fast narrative. Unique mystery. Inventive plots. And enough romance to keep you invested. The biggest mystery to me is how a male author gets inside the head of a female like this one does. Too often men fall short in writing female characters. So much so that I normally take a pass on books written by men. But this series looked promising enough that I thought I'd give it a try. Eleven books later, and I'm so looking forward to the next one!
As Hopeless recovers from the microburst, Hope and Alex are progressing along well when his sister comes to visit and tells Hope she has to break up with Alex. Hope enters a 3 gun tournament and places 3rd and gets invited back the nest week. There is also a suspicious death of a guy who is a jerk but has a bee sting allergy and always has an epipen available. A great read with a little romance thrown in thanks.
This is one of my favorite series. I've been binging it and have fallen in love with the quirky characters and town. The stories are always engrossing, and I try to figure out before Hope "who done it." I'm not always successful, but it's fun to try. You really need to come visit the small town of Hopeless, meet the folks, and enjoy the stay. The reason is given just 4 stars for something I'm enjoying so much is there were too many typos in this one. By book eleven, I feel there shouldn't be any. It's very distracting to have to stop and think of what it should be.
All 11 books of this series have humor, suspense, fun characters who are well rounded and believable. Murders and mayhem with a little bit of romance kept me reading right along, one book after the other. The perfect ending left me wanting number 12.
These novels are consistently good to excellent with great quirky characters, superior humor and very good plots. I can't recommend them enough, but I strongly suggest reading them in order to fully appreciate the characters. Their uniqueness is what makes them.
This one has all the antics and cleverness that we Carson fans appreciate. Hold onto your guns and enjoy the ride.
I loved this one, Hope and Granny and Bess and a 3 Gun shooting tournament. What’s not to love- Cordelia. Where did she go? And where on earth is Hope’s mother? And as a psycho sister loved it all!
This book was worth the wait. I found myself wanting to shirk my responsibilities to find out what happens next. The characters are as loveable as ever and it’s fun to finally have Alex and Hope together!
Finally! I’ve waited a long time to read this book thinking that #10 may have been the last. This is a fun, humorous, and easy read. Don’t expect to solve world problems but just sit back and enjoy.
Fast paced, high speed delivery of mystery and muffled (or maybe not) laughter. You gotta love the whole madcap cast of good guys and keep guessing about the bad guy possibilities.
This series just keeps getting better with each book. The author is a talented story teller and mystery writer. I am also loving these stories from a male point of reference.
I still don't understand how this man writes from a female perspective. This author is incredibly talented. I love that he writes with voice and tone that puts the reader inside the persona of his character.
Wonderful read, no holes in the storyline, and that same witty dislogue.
Carson has created a solid series that so far hasn't become formatic. Hope has honed her techinque, new charactors and old story mechanisms remain fresh and true.
I am so happy we found this series, great storylines in every book and you feel like you know the people and the special town of Hopeless. I can't wait to read them all!
I love the Hopeless series. This one was as great as they all have been. I laugh out loud when I read them and my husband looks at me funny. A joy to read!
I have read all 11 books now. Daniel Carson ranks right up there with Nora Roberts something I never thought I would say. Definitely on my favorite list.
Well told story. Fun and intelligent writing and a funky group of characters make this a supremely entertaining read. Witty moments that make you laugh out loud.
I am completely hooked on this series. Such great writing that it is very hard to put the book, or Kindle, down. I will be downloading the next one immediately.