This story takes place during the fall of Olivia Miller's senior year of college. Arriving at a Halloween party with her friend Melissa, the young women discover a gruesome crime scene in the hosts' living room. As Olivia and her friends try to uncover clues that will lead to the serial killer, their investigation into the murders may be putting their own lives in danger. This is a prequel to the Olivia Miller Mystery series. Each book is a standalone mystery.
USA TODAY Bestselling Author and Amazon All Star, J A Whiting is the author of over 100 cozy mysteries. She lives with her family in Massachusetts. Whiting loves spending time with family, reading, traveling, cycling, following New England sports teams, exercising, and being outdoors.
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"The Killings" is Book 1 of the Olivia Miller Mystery series by J. A. Whiting. This author writes the best Cozy Mysteries; however, this series is definitely NOT a cozy mystery, but an intense psychological thriller, where the number of dead bodies just keeps rising. It is up to Olivia Miller to figure out who the murderer is before she and her friends become the next target. I gave this book 4 stars.
I enjoyed this story of adventure and suspense, the author has been very good at keeping the reader very entertained. J. A. Whiting was great at putting a mystery together a wonderful at keeping the reader guessing.
The characters in this mystery are very likeable . The plot is full of twists and turns! I was surprised by the end of the book and who the villisn was. Looking forward to the next book!
It was an easy read. Storyline was easy to follow. I liked that the action started from the get go. I figured out pretty early on who the killer was, even with the stalkerish behaviour of the formal guy thrown in there to confuse us. I enjoyed it
Seemed like there was a self imposed limit on the number of descriptive words-maybe 10 to a chapter? Plot was ok but very linear and just not very engaging.
Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...
1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.
2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.
3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.
4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.
5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.
This book opened many questions for me , about myself. Would I have done this or that. Still do not know. But I believe they erred when they failed to tell police what they knew and allowed them to do the investigation. They girls have lost 3 friends to a serial killer but are determined to find and see that the killer is caught. The only thing slowing them down is their fear. This cozy MYSTERY is also a THRILLER and will have you guessing to the end. Enjoyable read....I RECOMMEND
I enjoyed the book a lot and Olivia makes a great kick butt heroin. The thing that bothered me is that everyone is dying but not even one scene where a detective is really hardcore questioning the suspects. Its like they just let this college girl solve it all alone. That story line could have been easily added without taking any gusto from Olivia.
In The Killings, I thought the story line was good although it was obvious to me who did it. I may be crazy. I haven't googled it and JA Whiting might have written a hundred books. But the writing seemed that of an amateur to me. If that is actually the case then it was a great first book.
Considering all the main characters in this mystery are college students, I am assuming it was written for a much younger reader than I am, but it was still rather delightful. It held my interest, and piqued my curiosity enough that I finished it rather quickly. And best of all, a satisfactory ending. I'd call that a tale well told. :)
Two young men are killed, the night of a Halloween party. No one seems to know who or why they are killed. And after another young man is killed it seems the killer is only after males. Olivia and her friends, Melissa, Ynes and Kayla try to figure out whose doing it. A good story with plenty of suspense and suspects.
This was a nice little haunting read to kick off fall and Halloween festivities. I really like the characters in the book, however they push the limits of being plum crazy and trying to solve a crime themselves. I had a pretty good idea who the killer was, but the book kept me reading until the end.
Easy to read Olivia was lacking substance it didn't make sense in some parts. The murders were a little gruesome but the killer identity was cleverly disguised
It was a pretty good story, but it was a bit more violent and colorful language than the other series of books. I just think the author has such a knack for writing wholesome stories. I don't have a problem with violence or colorful language, I just like the more wholesome stories.