Obsession

A Toni Matthews Mystery #1

by Kathi Mills-Macias, Kathi Macias

Toni Matthews is a twenty-six-year-old with a firm grasp on her life and destiny—that is until she receives a phone call. While on a fishing trip vacation, her father, Paul Matthews, was killed in a horrible accident. Then, while settling the affairs of her father's detective agency, she receives a mysterious phone call from April Lippincott, a client of her father's who was looking for her fifteen-year-old granddaughter, Julie Greene. Toni soon discovers that her father's fatal fishing trip and the Julie Greene case were related, and she begins an investigation of her own.

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Suspense

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

also published under Kathi Macias

Reviews

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became obsessed with this book! Sat down and started reading and barely moved until I'd finished. Wiled away an entire day because there was just something about this story and these characters that consumed me. (Well, that and the fact that I was avoiding a nasty housekeeping chore. lol)

Writing styles have changed over the last decade and a half and that made Obsession an interesting read as well. Put me in mind of classic storytellers like Mary Stewart and Phyllis A. Whitney. It doesn't have the Gothic aspect, mind you, just the ambiance and the way the words are arranged on the page are the same. And classic elements like a heroine torn between two men, a mystery that begins with no more than a hunch but develops into something much more sinister as events play out. A very smooth, engaging read.

[Barbara Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wedding, a Death, and A Detective

This is a really good book if you enjoy mysteries with a little romance thrown into it. I recommend it because the story is good and it is a clean one.
How would you know who or what if you were certainly thrown into a mystery?
Do you trust God when things certainly seem to fall apart?
I do recommend this book.
Barbara

[Megan Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great! It held all of the genres; murder mystery, romance, religion. It really was a great read and kept me on my toes with the way Toni was torn.

[Noreen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slow but I forced myself to read the whole book. It does get a little more exciting towards the end. It's more of a Christian love story and somewhat antisemitic which was a turn off for me.

[Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritual, thought provoking, mysterious, may twists and turns. Could hardly put it down.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Obsession" is primarily a romance with a focus on family and romantic relationship dynamics. The mystery was mainly handled off-screen by Abe, the police detective, and the reader hears about the results (or lack of them) rather than sees the investigation going on. The only suspense (of the danger sort) came near the very end when Toni decides to stop letting everyone else do the work at the worst possible time.

While the inter-family relationship troubles were handled well, the "romance" just annoyed me. It was all about lust, not love. Toni promised to marry Brad, a handsome Christian man who knows her well, is thoughtful, caring, and willing to support and finance her writer dreams. Toni doesn't lust after her friend-since-childhood, though, so she wonders if she really loves him. Then she spends a few hours with handsome Abe, who has a bad-boy past, selfish motives, and only vaguely believes in God. Abe has a Jewish heritage but isn't a practicing Jew. Abe falls in lust with Toni at first sight and is determined to win her away from her fiance. Toni immediately falls in lust with Abe and can't stop obsessing over him even when she's not spending time with him anymore. And Toni can't stand to hurt anyone's feelings, so she lies to both men until they push the issue and she has to chose. And then she keeps on lying to them.

Also, the guys generally didn't act like real guys would. The world-building was vague, but okay. The detail primarily went into describing the relationship dynamics.

The Christian element is: Abe is intrigued by Toni's statement that she worships the God of Israel (as a Christian). He goes to ask his religious Jewish relative about that and is given the Jewish Bible (Old Testament). He reads it and thinks about the themes in the Old Testament. He then reads the New Testament and thinks about how the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament. This was an interesting and well-written part of the book. Toni also came to a deeper understanding of God as her Father. Again, I did like how this was handled.

If you like romantic suspense and are primarily interested the mystery promised here, then read "Too Close To Home" by Lynette Eason instead. It has many of the same criminal elements in its mystery, the mystery is better written, and the romance is about more than lust and relationship boredom.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toni Matthews begins cleaning out her father's desk at his detective agency because he died of a heart attack while on a fishing trip. She finds a case folder about a missing teenage girl with a notation about a meeting at the same lake where he died. Detective Abe Matthews agrees to unofficial help with the case as he has a romantic interest in Toni.

This book is much more about Abe's struggle to find God plus Toni's struggle to let God guide her life and make a decision between her fiancee and Abe than it is a mystery. The action picks up toward the end of the book.

[Debbie Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off, I'm not much on romances. This book is a Christian romance with a mystery twist. I actually feel that I wasted my time but hate to leave a book unread once I start. I thought the dialogue somewhat overstated and a little stilted. It didn't flow easily for my taste. I had a very hard time connecting with any of the characters. Basically I wish I had spent my time reading something else.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Mom would have really liked this book. Toni's dad had recently died of a heart attach while fishing. She was cleaning out his office when she found a note in one of the files that connected to the day he died. Though she was engaged to Brad (had been forever) she was really attracted to Abe but he was not just Jewish, but lapsed, which made it impossible for her to consider a relationship even if she hadn't already committed herself to Brad.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable Christian mystery with a love triangle. The story kept me guessing about everything until very near the end. I did wish that Toni had been a more actively involved sleuth. I haven't read the other books in the series, so I don't know if she is a full-time investigator in them. I do plan to read another.

[Georgia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This barely even quailifies as a romantic suspense. If you like love stories this is for you. If not, then find another book.

[Donita Corman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book out of order but I really enjoyed it.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So slow - it seemed the author was trying to put everything she could think of in one story.

[Tammie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that it surprised me. Kathi Mills-Macias is my new favorite author.