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Her Deadly Inheritance
(Jill Shepherd #1)
by
First a runaway. Now running for her life. Won't Jill Shepherd's family be surprised when she returns to Grand Island, Michigan to end their lies and scheme to have her declared legally dead? But when Jill exposes the mastermind behind her intended death, her family's deception may kill any chance she has of remaining alive.
Clay Merrick may seem to be little more than a ...more
Clay Merrick may seem to be little more than a ...more
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Start your review of Her Deadly Inheritance (Jill Shepherd #1)
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/14/2019)! 🎁
Beth Ann Ziarnik is a new-to-me Christian suspense author. I have had this book since 2018 and decided to use it for an ABC challenge. bBoy do I wish had discovered it sooner. As her debut suspense novel, she hit a home room. Full of realistic characters both good and bad, a wonderful plot, a fairly new Christian heroine, and a lapsed Christian hero, this book rolled and spun from start to finish. The interaction between the characters was so real and her descriptions made me think I was watchin
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Nothing like starting out the new year with a great book, right? I loved Beth Ziarnik’s debut novel,
I cannot imagine coming home after everyone is trying to declare me dead. But that happened to Jill Shepherd and her family was in for a surprise. Something devious is afoot and she needs to stay alive long enough to figure out just what’s going on.
Of course, no romantic suspense would be complete without a love interest and Clay Merrick is a handy-man with a past life in Special Forces. He’s try ...more
I cannot imagine coming home after everyone is trying to declare me dead. But that happened to Jill Shepherd and her family was in for a surprise. Something devious is afoot and she needs to stay alive long enough to figure out just what’s going on.
Of course, no romantic suspense would be complete without a love interest and Clay Merrick is a handy-man with a past life in Special Forces. He’s try ...more
Could not finish
I tried to like the lead but I just couldn't bring myself to care at all. She seemed very whiny. Have to admit that despite several attempts I could get very far. ...more
I tried to like the lead but I just couldn't bring myself to care at all. She seemed very whiny. Have to admit that despite several attempts I could get very far. ...more
2019. I had just started reading #2, when I realised that there were too many bits from #1 that I obviously hadn't remembered!
So, although remembering the highlights I decided to re-read this before going any further with #2 - only to discover that one major highlight I thought I had remembered, I hadn't...at least, not correctly! So that was a surprise.
Really enjoyed reading it again and now looking forward to reading #2, which I'm going to leave to nearer the end of November so I can count i ...more
So, although remembering the highlights I decided to re-read this before going any further with #2 - only to discover that one major highlight I thought I had remembered, I hadn't...at least, not correctly! So that was a surprise.
Really enjoyed reading it again and now looking forward to reading #2, which I'm going to leave to nearer the end of November so I can count i ...more
🤯I am not upset to be up at 1:30am (and being eaten alive by mosquitoes), totally blown away by this novel... All I can say is WoW and I cannot wait to start book two in this series.
I was not prepared to like this book simply because the series continued with the same characters (note I tend to dissect series synopsis' before reading) in fear of becoming bored...
But bored I am not! The author has woven a plot so intricate that it's kept hooked right to the end....
The suspense:Brilliant
The plot ...more
I was not prepared to like this book simply because the series continued with the same characters (note I tend to dissect series synopsis' before reading) in fear of becoming bored...
But bored I am not! The author has woven a plot so intricate that it's kept hooked right to the end....
The suspense:Brilliant
The plot ...more
This reminded me of Gothic romances like those by Victoria Holt and Daphne Du Maurier with a strong element of Christian faith added. Jill is a strong Christian who struggles with doing God's will, especially when it comes to forgiving horrendous acts of family members. Clay has let his bitterness harden his heart as he seeks retribution for the murder of his fiancee. Even when it seems that God has abandoned them, they come to learn that He is always with them. Jill's family is the epitome of d
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Family angst, sorrow
and mental illness fill this mystery with many twists and turns, right up to the very end. It’s not a difficult puzzle to unravel, but will keep you guessing for a good while. The main characters are likable and the secondary are wonderful, especially the antagonist. I found myself actually yelling out loud at some of the awful things this vile, deranged woman said throughout the book! Join this highly dysfunctional family for a rollicking, awful summer vacation while they s ...more
and mental illness fill this mystery with many twists and turns, right up to the very end. It’s not a difficult puzzle to unravel, but will keep you guessing for a good while. The main characters are likable and the secondary are wonderful, especially the antagonist. I found myself actually yelling out loud at some of the awful things this vile, deranged woman said throughout the book! Join this highly dysfunctional family for a rollicking, awful summer vacation while they s ...more
Very enjoyable book! The author did a great job showing what it looks like to be truly saved and growing in your faith through hard times. She also shows what it looks like when someone has fallen away, allowing their heart to become hard and bitter so they push God away. I also liked how she handled the phrase, "the Lord told me." That phrase has been so badly used by false teachers to imply God spoke to them audibly and generally said something that disagreed with His Word, so that now people
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Jill has mixed feelings returning, they wanted to declare her legally dead.
She didn’t like the lie, beside her uncle, who would be there fr her. Clay met her at the airport, he wished she had waited, a few weeks at least, he wanted to expose the killer. Two years work, hope all will not be lost.
Good plot, makes you wonder from the first page why she was running.
She didn’t like the lie, beside her uncle, who would be there fr her. Clay met her at the airport, he wished she had waited, a few weeks at least, he wanted to expose the killer. Two years work, hope all will not be lost.
Good plot, makes you wonder from the first page why she was running.
Exciting and Tantalizing
This book tells the story of a young woman who returns to her childhood home seeking answers. The characters are realistic and well-described. Faith plays a large part in the story, but the results are not dependent on divine intervention. Many threads interact to provide a good story and several warm endings.
This book tells the story of a young woman who returns to her childhood home seeking answers. The characters are realistic and well-described. Faith plays a large part in the story, but the results are not dependent on divine intervention. Many threads interact to provide a good story and several warm endings.
This was Beth Ann Ziarnik's debut novel and I really enjoyed the characters, the mystery, and suspense! I loved that the house was modeled after an actual historical home. I'd love to read it again! Beth Ann kept me guessing and turning pages--hoping for the best for the characters! I do recommend this novel to others!
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Could not put down, read it all at one time. A great book to show us God's love.
Recommend it to read for christians. A good suspense and romance with God and scriptures to show you why things happen. ...more
Recommend it to read for christians. A good suspense and romance with God and scriptures to show you why things happen. ...more
Light reading for a Spring Day.
I really liked this Book. A sweet suspense novel. Entertaining and easy to read. A refreshing change from my normal genre! I recommend this to everybody out in the Reading Community!
I really liked this Book. A sweet suspense novel. Entertaining and easy to read. A refreshing change from my normal genre! I recommend this to everybody out in the Reading Community!
Great Read!
I enjoyed reading this book! I was drawn in initially with the setting in Michigan. Then I found it very suspenseful and difficult to put down. Great job, Beth Ann Ziarnik! Can't wait to read the next novel! ...more
I enjoyed reading this book! I was drawn in initially with the setting in Michigan. Then I found it very suspenseful and difficult to put down. Great job, Beth Ann Ziarnik! Can't wait to read the next novel! ...more
This is a very entertaining story. It is a mystery filled with twists and turns. The characters are strong and the dialogue is good. There is no unnecessary violence or vulgarity, which is rare these days. I enjoyed the story and will likely read something else from this author.
Entertaining
Unusual setting in Great Lakes area, engrossing story, fair mystery to be solved, competent writing and beautiful faith in God make this one a good read.
Unusual setting in Great Lakes area, engrossing story, fair mystery to be solved, competent writing and beautiful faith in God make this one a good read.
Good Suspense
I enjoyed this mystery very much! The storyline kept me interested. And the characters were well-rounded. I would definitely read this author again.
I enjoyed this mystery very much! The storyline kept me interested. And the characters were well-rounded. I would definitely read this author again.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I loved the lock-door murder mystery angle and as a christian was glad to read a book that the main character was god fearing and not shy about her beliefs.
Spell binding
This book kept me spell bound right to the very end I'm am looking forward to reading more from this talented author ...more
This book kept me spell bound right to the very end I'm am looking forward to reading more from this talented author ...more
Clean suspense
I look forward to reading more by this author because her stories are suspenseful , clean and with a love story too.
I look forward to reading more by this author because her stories are suspenseful , clean and with a love story too.
Her Deadly Inheritance was a great read.
This book was so well written that I read it less than a day. I can't wait to read more of Hill Shepherd's adventures. ...more
This book was so well written that I read it less than a day. I can't wait to read more of Hill Shepherd's adventures. ...more
Her Deadly Inheritence
It was every good Christian book .No sex or cussing.Looked the plot and sixpence .It kept you interested till the very end
It was every good Christian book .No sex or cussing.Looked the plot and sixpence .It kept you interested till the very end
Very engaging thriller (and some romance) in which a young woman, whose family is about to have her declared legally dead, returns to her childhood home and stirs up a hornet's nest. As she learns more about her mother's "suicide," she becomes certain that she was murdered. There are several suspects among her family, all of whom also have reason to wish her, as the newly reinstated heiress, dead as well.
I enjoyed this book so much that I immediately checked for any sequels and found that there ...more
I enjoyed this book so much that I immediately checked for any sequels and found that there ...more
Not sure where all the 5***** reviews came from but it was a 3*** at best, IF comparing it to a suspense offering of non Christian genre. But if Christian fiction is all one reads, then maybe a 4. But not a 5. It was overly emotional and predictable. I read it mainly for the local author aspect.
Her Deadly Inheritance. Review
A good book without any sex or profanity. I liked the characters and they were at different stages in their quest for Christ.
The star rating is not working but I give it a 5.
A good book without any sex or profanity. I liked the characters and they were at different stages in their quest for Christ.
The star rating is not working but I give it a 5.
Title: Her Deadly Inheritance
Author: Beth Ann Ziarnik
Pages: 266
Year: 2016
Publisher: Lighthouse of the Carolinas Publishing
My rating is 5+ stars.
This is a debut novel that surely is attention-grabbing from the first word till the very last one! Beth delivers to us a tale of family strife, heartbreak and surprises. On top of that, the main female character, Jill Shepherd, would rather stay in hiding and let the courts declare her legally dead than take possession of a house. Why? One reason is tha ...more
Author: Beth Ann Ziarnik
Pages: 266
Year: 2016
Publisher: Lighthouse of the Carolinas Publishing
My rating is 5+ stars.
This is a debut novel that surely is attention-grabbing from the first word till the very last one! Beth delivers to us a tale of family strife, heartbreak and surprises. On top of that, the main female character, Jill Shepherd, would rather stay in hiding and let the courts declare her legally dead than take possession of a house. Why? One reason is tha ...more
Runaway Jill Shepherd comes home just before she's declared her legally dead – which blocks her Aunt Lenore's dream of finally owning Windtop, the historic family mansion.
Jill's only living family is hostile, dysfunctional... and possibly dangerous. Was her mother's death really a suicide, or could it have been murder?
Resident handyman Clay Merrick is searching for evidence of murder, and he's afraid Jill has walked into danger. The problem is, Jill believes God told her to return and reconcile ...more
Jill's only living family is hostile, dysfunctional... and possibly dangerous. Was her mother's death really a suicide, or could it have been murder?
Resident handyman Clay Merrick is searching for evidence of murder, and he's afraid Jill has walked into danger. The problem is, Jill believes God told her to return and reconcile ...more
Her Deadly Inheritance is a Well-crafted Suspenseful Ride
Although Her Deadly Inheritance is a debut novel for Beth Ann Ziarnik it is written with the skill of a mature writer. The mystery is compelling and driven by obsessions. Jill Shepherd is obsessed with finding the truth about her mother’s death. Clay Merrick is obsessed with getting justice. And Aunt Lenore obsession is driving her mad. The novel’s setting, a mansion on an island in Lake Superior has its own secrets. The family history is ...more
Although Her Deadly Inheritance is a debut novel for Beth Ann Ziarnik it is written with the skill of a mature writer. The mystery is compelling and driven by obsessions. Jill Shepherd is obsessed with finding the truth about her mother’s death. Clay Merrick is obsessed with getting justice. And Aunt Lenore obsession is driving her mad. The novel’s setting, a mansion on an island in Lake Superior has its own secrets. The family history is ...more
Missing...Not Dead
Jill Shepherd went missing the night of a severe storm three years ago. Her uncle locates her and urges her to return to a small Michigan island to claim her inheritance before it’s too late. Jill moves into the house at Windtop and agrees to let her uncle, aunt, and cousins live with her. Jill doesn’t plan to stay long, she only wants to discover the truth about her mother’s death before returning to Chicago.
Clay Merrick has almost completed the restoration of Windtop to early ...more
Jill Shepherd went missing the night of a severe storm three years ago. Her uncle locates her and urges her to return to a small Michigan island to claim her inheritance before it’s too late. Jill moves into the house at Windtop and agrees to let her uncle, aunt, and cousins live with her. Jill doesn’t plan to stay long, she only wants to discover the truth about her mother’s death before returning to Chicago.
Clay Merrick has almost completed the restoration of Windtop to early ...more
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A long-time fan of romantic suspense, Beth Ann Ziarnik offers her first novel with all the twists and turns, cliffhangers and romantic tension she and readers have come to love. She is a co-founder of Word & Pen Christian Writers in Northeast Wisconsin and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. In addition to her 450 published pieces (several included in anthologies), she is the author of
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