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Charlotte Brody Mystery #3
Murder on Location
In the Alaska Territory, suffragette Charlotte Brody is a newspaper reporter in the frontier town of Cordova. She’s a woman ahead of her time living on the rugged edge of civilization—but right now the most dangerous element she faces may come from sunny California . . .
An expedition has arrived in the frigid wilderness to shoot North to Fortune—an epic motion picture featuring authentic footage of majestic peaks, vast glaciers, homesteaders, and Alaska Natives. But the film’s fortunes begin to go south as a local Native group grows angry at how they’re portrayed in the movie, fights break out, and cast and crew are beset by accidents and assaults. Finally, production is halted when the inebriated director falls into a crevasse—and dies of exposure.
Soon Michael Brody—the town coroner and Charlotte’s brother—starts to suspect that Mother Nature was not responsible for Stanley Welsh’s death. Charlotte, who’s been writing about all the Hollywood glamor, is suddenly covering a cold-blooded crime story—and as springtime storms keep the suspects snowed in, she has to make sure the truth doesn’t get buried . . .
An expedition has arrived in the frigid wilderness to shoot North to Fortune—an epic motion picture featuring authentic footage of majestic peaks, vast glaciers, homesteaders, and Alaska Natives. But the film’s fortunes begin to go south as a local Native group grows angry at how they’re portrayed in the movie, fights break out, and cast and crew are beset by accidents and assaults. Finally, production is halted when the inebriated director falls into a crevasse—and dies of exposure.
Soon Michael Brody—the town coroner and Charlotte’s brother—starts to suspect that Mother Nature was not responsible for Stanley Welsh’s death. Charlotte, who’s been writing about all the Hollywood glamor, is suddenly covering a cold-blooded crime story—and as springtime storms keep the suspects snowed in, she has to make sure the truth doesn’t get buried . . .
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2017
15 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 7, 2017
In the third book of this historical series, the town of Cordova is arouse as a California movie company is going to film a movie on a nearby glacier. Charlotte Brody is assign to cover the story for the newspaper. Not every one in town is delighted about the movie. Eyak Indians are not happy about how the natives are conveyed in the movie. Spring storms abound. The shooting of the movie is halted when the director is found frozen on the glacier. Michael Brody, the coroner, reports the death is murder as he was strangled. Suspects are numerous. Charlotte attraction to Deputy James Eddington heats up. Charlotte must find an answer before her life ends on the glacier. I recommend this book
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kensington Books through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Kensington Books through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.
February 22, 2017
Charlotte Brody, who is an assertive, independent woman of her time. Cathy Pegau writes so wonderfully about Alaska, in particular for this series, the frontier town of Cordova. The clash in this book, between Native Alaskans and a film crew make for an interesting story!
In the first book I did not really like Charlotte Brody, and thought her pretty meddlesome. She is starting to grow on me now though! I'm not really a "series" type of reader, but do like mysteries. This is Ms. Pegau's third book in the series and I thought it was better!
Thank you to Kensington Publishing, who sent me an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.
In the first book I did not really like Charlotte Brody, and thought her pretty meddlesome. She is starting to grow on me now though! I'm not really a "series" type of reader, but do like mysteries. This is Ms. Pegau's third book in the series and I thought it was better!
Thank you to Kensington Publishing, who sent me an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.
July 16, 2017
Third in a very enjoyable series, this is set in historical Alaska. The heroine Charlotte Brody is a young woman who works on a newspaper and she gets to cover the arrival of a film crew to film on location at a glacier. But the local Native villagers feel they may be unfairly portrayed as stereotypes. Some strong feelings arise but a death while out on location scares everyone.
I like the well described background and characters, and it's always good to see a woman in a pioneering role.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
I like the well described background and characters, and it's always good to see a woman in a pioneering role.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
February 28, 2017
Spring is coming to Cordova, Alaska, along with a visit from Hollywood. A movie company is shooting the action sequences for an adventure film called North To Fortune. The film is a big-budget production with a well-known director and stars. Charlotte Brody is not particularly star-struck but she is looking forward to covering the story for the local paper. Not everyone is excited, however; the local native Eyak Indians do not feel that they will be accurately portrayed in the film. There is a lot of tension between the Eyaks and the film-makers, and among the cast and crew, culminating in the murder of the film's director out on the glacier. Some of the company even whisper that the film is cursed. The natives are the obvious suspects according to some, but what about the producer worried about cost overruns, the cheating director's wife, and his daughter who has a dangerous secret?
Charlotte Brody is an intrepid reporter and sleuth, often driving her doctor brother to distraction. Her love interest, Deputy James Eddington, also tries to keep her out of the case but soon realizes that she won't stop until she gets the story and the murderer. This time, Charlotte may have bitten off more than she can chew. Charlotte is a likable and thoroughly "modern" young woman who is learning to love her new life in the Alaska Territory of the 1920's. The books in this series offer a glimpse of what it may have been like to be among the last pioneers in America.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.
RATING- 3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
Charlotte Brody is an intrepid reporter and sleuth, often driving her doctor brother to distraction. Her love interest, Deputy James Eddington, also tries to keep her out of the case but soon realizes that she won't stop until she gets the story and the murderer. This time, Charlotte may have bitten off more than she can chew. Charlotte is a likable and thoroughly "modern" young woman who is learning to love her new life in the Alaska Territory of the 1920's. The books in this series offer a glimpse of what it may have been like to be among the last pioneers in America.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.
RATING- 3.5 Stars rounded up to 4
March 14, 2017
Charlotte Brody is a newswoman in 1920's Alaskan Territory. It seems a movie crew is there to film, but they've caused the ire of the Alaskan (territory at that time) natives, who feel they're being portrayed in an unflattering light. When she arrives at the train station to greet them, there is a group of Native protesters also, who demand that certain scenes in the film be changed to show them positively, not as the villains of the piece.
When Charlotte is invited to attend the filming, she brings along her ward Becca who is to be an extra in the movie. But Becca's enthusiasm doesn't last long when the next morning the film's director Stanley Welsh is found dead in a crevasse - and Charlotte informs everyone they have to stay put while both the coroner, her brother Michael and law enforcement - in the form of Deputy James Eddington - arrive to examine the scene.
Once it is discovered that Stanley was indeed murdered, then the task of finding the killer becomes paramount. They know it had to be someone in the remote camp, but since Stanley rubbed many people the wrong way - including his daughter, Cicely - finding the person responsible won't be easy. Especially since the producer wants the movie stopped, but Cicely, the new director, wants to proceed along with the rest of the crew. And Charlotte finds out that the movie has had its share of bad luck already, long before a death was added into the equation.
Charlotte, in her role as a reporter, is just the person to help with the investigation, since she can ask questions and the film might be more willing to talk to her, being a journalist and not an officer of the law. She's promised to share anything she learns with James, who is also her beau. But when Charlotte starts digging just a little too deep, and the accidents that have been plaguing the cast of the movie grow, the next one might just be one accident too many...
While I felt the book started out a little slow, things began to pick up once the murder was committed. I felt at that point the book began to get more interesting; and while I thought there were a couple of scenes that felt odd (like people actually encouraging her to have sex) it didn't distract from my enjoyment of the book.
When we come to the end and the killer is revealed, it makes one realize that self-preservation is indeed a strong motive for some; and those that are the most heroic don't always appear to be so in the beginning. An enjoyable read that is recommended to all.
When Charlotte is invited to attend the filming, she brings along her ward Becca who is to be an extra in the movie. But Becca's enthusiasm doesn't last long when the next morning the film's director Stanley Welsh is found dead in a crevasse - and Charlotte informs everyone they have to stay put while both the coroner, her brother Michael and law enforcement - in the form of Deputy James Eddington - arrive to examine the scene.
Once it is discovered that Stanley was indeed murdered, then the task of finding the killer becomes paramount. They know it had to be someone in the remote camp, but since Stanley rubbed many people the wrong way - including his daughter, Cicely - finding the person responsible won't be easy. Especially since the producer wants the movie stopped, but Cicely, the new director, wants to proceed along with the rest of the crew. And Charlotte finds out that the movie has had its share of bad luck already, long before a death was added into the equation.
Charlotte, in her role as a reporter, is just the person to help with the investigation, since she can ask questions and the film might be more willing to talk to her, being a journalist and not an officer of the law. She's promised to share anything she learns with James, who is also her beau. But when Charlotte starts digging just a little too deep, and the accidents that have been plaguing the cast of the movie grow, the next one might just be one accident too many...
While I felt the book started out a little slow, things began to pick up once the murder was committed. I felt at that point the book began to get more interesting; and while I thought there were a couple of scenes that felt odd (like people actually encouraging her to have sex) it didn't distract from my enjoyment of the book.
When we come to the end and the killer is revealed, it makes one realize that self-preservation is indeed a strong motive for some; and those that are the most heroic don't always appear to be so in the beginning. An enjoyable read that is recommended to all.
November 18, 2020
Brrr, I got so cold hearing about the Alaskan Glaciers that I had to keep the heating pad on my feet as I devoured this book. I do enjoy hearing Charlotte’s adventures. She’s become quite the mystery finder. So, knowing her, If there’s a murder in this small town of our coldest state, she’s probably close by.
There were a few too many characters in this story for my personal comfort. I considered keeping a score card so I could remember everybody’s saga and secret, but I survived without one. Too bad for the director of the controversial film. He didn’t survive. Was it a possible midnight stroll in the dark or no accident?
At a time when we’re all on the forefront of considering whether some lives are more important than others, Native Alaskans have their protests and attorney’s too. It’s 1920 and a hundred years later we’re still facing the same issues.
It was interesting hearing about the film industry in those olden days. However, most fascinating is Charlotte’s burgeoning love affair with the handsome Deputy. It’s timeless.
There were a few too many characters in this story for my personal comfort. I considered keeping a score card so I could remember everybody’s saga and secret, but I survived without one. Too bad for the director of the controversial film. He didn’t survive. Was it a possible midnight stroll in the dark or no accident?
At a time when we’re all on the forefront of considering whether some lives are more important than others, Native Alaskans have their protests and attorney’s too. It’s 1920 and a hundred years later we’re still facing the same issues.
It was interesting hearing about the film industry in those olden days. However, most fascinating is Charlotte’s burgeoning love affair with the handsome Deputy. It’s timeless.
February 21, 2017
This is the third book in the Charlottes Brody mystery Series, it's wonderful. The story quickly drew me in and kept me turning the pages, I couldn't put the book down. I just had to know what was going happen next.
The mystery is well planned, I was kept guessing at "whodunit" until the end.
The author paints such vivid portraits with her words, I feel as though I'm an observer along with the characters and their journeyed. I'm sorry to say I missed the second book in this series, I look forward to reading that until Charlotte's next adventure releases.
I received a copy of this manuscript from the publisher via NetGalley, my review has been voluntarily submitted.
The mystery is well planned, I was kept guessing at "whodunit" until the end.
The author paints such vivid portraits with her words, I feel as though I'm an observer along with the characters and their journeyed. I'm sorry to say I missed the second book in this series, I look forward to reading that until Charlotte's next adventure releases.
I received a copy of this manuscript from the publisher via NetGalley, my review has been voluntarily submitted.
March 7, 2017
Murder on Location by Cathy Pegau is the third book in A Charlotte Brody Mystery series. Charlotte Brody is out on a cold day in mid-march to watch the arrival of the film crew and actors from California to Cordova. Charlotte’s boss, Andrew Tolliver assigned her to cover the event. They are going to be in the area for two weeks for the filming of North to Fortune and Charlotte will be reporting all of it for Cordova Daily Times. It seems, though, that not everyone is happy with their arrival. The Alaskan Natives are not happy with how they are being portrayed in the film and the members of the Alaska Eyak Council are out in protest. Wallace Meade, the producer, agrees to hire locals to act in the film. One of the citizens chosen is Becca Derenov, Charlotte’s ward. Charlotte and Becca pack up and head out with the crew to Childs Glacier for location filming. The next morning everyone is waiting for Stanley Welsh, the director, to show up. When he is not located within the camp, the group fans out to search for him. Welsh is found down in a crevasse. It is assumed that the medicine he takes made him disoriented and he fell into the crevasse during the night. Charlotte is not sure the solution is so straightforward. She sends Becca to town for Deputy James Eddington (also her beau) and Charlotte’s brother, Dr. Michael Brody (who acts as coroner). After the group returns to town, the crews rooms are ransacked and a threatening note left behind. It turns out that this is not the first incident this cast and crew has experienced. Charlotte is determined to get answers before the cast and crew returns to California--and the killer with them.
I thought Murder on Location was nicely written and it had a good flow or pace. It is a little slow in the beginning, but picks up pace after the murder occurs. This is the third installment in the series, but Murder on Location can be read alone. There is some information about Charlotte’s past that is not completely explained in this edition (why she is afraid to be intimate with James Eddington). Unlike other cozy mysteries, Murder on Location contains foul language (mild words) and intimate situations. There is even a discussion between Charlotte and the local madam on how to prevent pregnancy. I give Murder on Location 3 out of 5 stars. I felt that the characters lacked depth. The author did not provide details on the characters added in this story. We just get the basics on them (like they are actors from California). The mystery was not complicated (unfortunately). It was obvious which character would be bumped off. I want a complicated, twisty mystery that will mystify me. I do not wish to be able to identify the killer before I am halfway through the book. There is a little extra something at the end that might surprise some readers. Avid mystery fans will figure it out before the reveal (especially if you have read Agatha Christie’s books). There is, of course, the requisite romance in the novel between Charlotte and James Eddington. Charlotte has to decide if she wants to take their relationship to the next level. I would have preferred if the author had let the romance play out a little longer in a more traditional manner. I would have liked to see James and Charlotte go out on dates and get to know each other (and then maybe get married) slowly throughout the series. I think it would have fit better with the time period. I was never drawn into Murder on Location. It is a nice book to read, but I was not fully engaged in it. It is the type of book I can read while watching a television show.
I thought Murder on Location was nicely written and it had a good flow or pace. It is a little slow in the beginning, but picks up pace after the murder occurs. This is the third installment in the series, but Murder on Location can be read alone. There is some information about Charlotte’s past that is not completely explained in this edition (why she is afraid to be intimate with James Eddington). Unlike other cozy mysteries, Murder on Location contains foul language (mild words) and intimate situations. There is even a discussion between Charlotte and the local madam on how to prevent pregnancy. I give Murder on Location 3 out of 5 stars. I felt that the characters lacked depth. The author did not provide details on the characters added in this story. We just get the basics on them (like they are actors from California). The mystery was not complicated (unfortunately). It was obvious which character would be bumped off. I want a complicated, twisty mystery that will mystify me. I do not wish to be able to identify the killer before I am halfway through the book. There is a little extra something at the end that might surprise some readers. Avid mystery fans will figure it out before the reveal (especially if you have read Agatha Christie’s books). There is, of course, the requisite romance in the novel between Charlotte and James Eddington. Charlotte has to decide if she wants to take their relationship to the next level. I would have preferred if the author had let the romance play out a little longer in a more traditional manner. I would have liked to see James and Charlotte go out on dates and get to know each other (and then maybe get married) slowly throughout the series. I think it would have fit better with the time period. I was never drawn into Murder on Location. It is a nice book to read, but I was not fully engaged in it. It is the type of book I can read while watching a television show.
August 11, 2018
This was another enjoyable outing with the intrepid Charlotte Brody. The introduction of outside elements (eg. the Hollywoodland characters) made for an interesting juxtaposition between life in the Alaska Territory and life in warmer climes. The only criticism I have is the way that Pegau incorporated Native rights issues into the narrative; it was rather heavy-handed and a little preachy sometimes. That said, I should note that I have a deeper-than-average understanding of said issues, so that particular criticism may not stand for someone with less familiarity with the topic.
June 15, 2017
In the third book of the series, a film crew arrives in Cordova, Alaska, to shoot a movie. Some of the crew feel the film is cursed. When a murder occurs on the glacier where they're filming, journalist Charlotte Brody is in place to start investigating. She soon realizes that tensions within the film crew and with the Native Alaskans have been simmering just below the surface and she must find which one exploded into violence.
June 19, 2017
This was my first Charlotte Brody mystery. The story was well-written but predictable. It didn't really resonate with me beyond the setting. I usually can't put a book down once I start reading it, but I found myself in no rush to pick this one back up. It should have been a quick read, but I found myself not caring about Charlotte or most, but not all, of the other characters. I highly doubt I will read another book in the series.
June 20, 2022
Third in this series about a journalist who heads to the wilds of Alaska to heal from the hurts of a relationship break up. Charlotte has begun to let down her walls with James, the deputy Marshall and has built relationships with the residents. A film crew arrives and opens her eyes to the history and discrimination of the Native Eyaks. Of course, there’s a murder to solve. Good mystery and good characters make for a good, if almost cozy, read.
March 18, 2017
This series is set in Alaska in the 1920's. Charlotte is a journalist and her brother is the doctor in Cordova. Charlotte dates the deputy James. A film crew comes to film on a nearby glacier, and Charlotte goes on location with them for the newspaper. The director is murdered and they race to find the murderer. A very good series.
October 23, 2017
I love this series, and this book is probably my favorite so far in it. I love the suffragette heroine, I love the historical time period and the unique Alaska setting, handling of sensitive issues, I love that it is that rarest of unicorns, a cozy that does more than tiptoe around the subject of sex.
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August 29, 2022I really enjoyed this title, and have enjoyed this whole series. Charlotte Brody is a fabulous character and I would love to see more of her in the future. I love the small-town Alaska setting, the cast of characters all feel realistic, and the added levels of complication from the historical setting kept me interested.
November 27, 2017
Fun reading! I love finding out about another historical time period while solving a murder. Charlotte and James' relationship helps keep the story going. I am looking forward to another book in the series! Thank you Cathy Pegau!!!
February 21, 2017
A Hollywood Murder in Cordova
Cathy Pegau brings back Charlotte Brody for another starring performance as journalist-cum-detective in the small, thriving community of Cordova. In Murder on Location, Pegau returns to politics to drive her plot and fuel character interactions. In Brody’s first outing the suffragette movement and overall women’s rights played a prominent role as a backdrop to the resolution of the murder of one Cordova’s sporting girls. In her latest venture, Pegau uses institutional racism targeted against the Eyak people – an indigenous group who lived in and around Cordova – to root her tale into the critical social realities of the early twentieth century.
This time out Pegau interjects a Hollywood flair into the plot – a smart move that ties the illusory excitement of the Lower 48 with the realism of Cordova’s gritty frontier. The story opens with the town’s community gathered at the dock awaiting the arrival of the SS Fairbanks, a cruise ship which is carrying a bevy of film-makers who plan on shooting a silent film in Cordova. Naturally, this does not go smoothly. Apparently, word leaked out that the Eyak people will not be represented accurately; they will be depicted in a negatively demeaning, stereotypical manner, reminiscent of Hollywood’s treatment of indigenous people.
A local group representing the Eyak’s interests (AEC) somehow learns about the script’s flaws and they shoot off a letter to the producer and director, insisting they modify it to more accurately represent their people. This theme of repugnant discrimination quickly becomes one of the plot’s essential conflicts. By adding this issue to the mix of other conflicts within the book, Pegau gains the freedom to use it as a potential motivator in the murder and as a gut check that gives Cordova more depth and complexity.
All of this comes to a boil when the movie crew, members of the AEC, various townsfolk and of course Charlotte, convenes at the shoot location in Chitina, about 65 miles north east of Cordova. On the first night there, after a rocky start to the filming, the pugnacious director of the film is found dead, face up in a crevice. At first it appears that he may have slipped and fallen accidentally into the cracked glacier. That initial guess is quickly dispelled when it’s determined that his death was due to strangulation.
As in all “closed circle of suspects” mysteries (Agatha Christie refined this genre to a fine science) there are a host of suspects, all who had ample motivation to knock this guy off. Pegau does an admirable job of parading them all out, creating in the readers’ mind ample reasons to suspect any of them of committing the murder – from his wife to his lover to his producer to the AEC’s lead attorney. All of them had good reasons to see the guy dead. But, and this is important, Pegau relegates the solution of this crime to the exploration of the interplay between her characters. The mystery of who-done-it is just the skeleton upon which she hangs the rest of the story. What makes her book such an enjoyable read are the characters and how we end up feeling about them.
It’s abundantly transparent that Pegau wanted Murder on Location to stand apart from her first two installments. She decided it was far more important for us to develop attachments to her cast than to simply be fixated on solving the mystery. What was the biggest change she deployed? Heart. Murder On Location sparks to life this time round because Charlotte and her fellow players display a lot more heart. I found myself caring a whole lot more about Pegau’s characters than I had in her previous incarnations. She achieves this warmhearted breakthrough in a number of ways. For those with a romantic impulse, she cranks up the sexual tension between Charlotte and her paramour, James Eddington, Cordova’s very available Deputy. Tapping into family bonds we see Charlotte expand her emotional reach when she becomes the guardian of Becca, a young girl suddenly without any family. And, on a broader level, there’s the perfervid angst ignited by the pervasive, blatant discrimination the local Eyak people are forced to grapple with. Stir all of these together and we’ve got more than a simple, cozy murder mystery – we’ve got a story that tugs at our heartstrings as we all figure out “who-did-it.”
Pegau’s broken through here. She’s successfully intertwined cozy mystery elements with compelling characters, pretty much leaving us with only one mystery – when will we see Charlotte Brody again.
Review originally ran in Anchorage Press on February 16, 2017
Cathy Pegau brings back Charlotte Brody for another starring performance as journalist-cum-detective in the small, thriving community of Cordova. In Murder on Location, Pegau returns to politics to drive her plot and fuel character interactions. In Brody’s first outing the suffragette movement and overall women’s rights played a prominent role as a backdrop to the resolution of the murder of one Cordova’s sporting girls. In her latest venture, Pegau uses institutional racism targeted against the Eyak people – an indigenous group who lived in and around Cordova – to root her tale into the critical social realities of the early twentieth century.
This time out Pegau interjects a Hollywood flair into the plot – a smart move that ties the illusory excitement of the Lower 48 with the realism of Cordova’s gritty frontier. The story opens with the town’s community gathered at the dock awaiting the arrival of the SS Fairbanks, a cruise ship which is carrying a bevy of film-makers who plan on shooting a silent film in Cordova. Naturally, this does not go smoothly. Apparently, word leaked out that the Eyak people will not be represented accurately; they will be depicted in a negatively demeaning, stereotypical manner, reminiscent of Hollywood’s treatment of indigenous people.
A local group representing the Eyak’s interests (AEC) somehow learns about the script’s flaws and they shoot off a letter to the producer and director, insisting they modify it to more accurately represent their people. This theme of repugnant discrimination quickly becomes one of the plot’s essential conflicts. By adding this issue to the mix of other conflicts within the book, Pegau gains the freedom to use it as a potential motivator in the murder and as a gut check that gives Cordova more depth and complexity.
All of this comes to a boil when the movie crew, members of the AEC, various townsfolk and of course Charlotte, convenes at the shoot location in Chitina, about 65 miles north east of Cordova. On the first night there, after a rocky start to the filming, the pugnacious director of the film is found dead, face up in a crevice. At first it appears that he may have slipped and fallen accidentally into the cracked glacier. That initial guess is quickly dispelled when it’s determined that his death was due to strangulation.
As in all “closed circle of suspects” mysteries (Agatha Christie refined this genre to a fine science) there are a host of suspects, all who had ample motivation to knock this guy off. Pegau does an admirable job of parading them all out, creating in the readers’ mind ample reasons to suspect any of them of committing the murder – from his wife to his lover to his producer to the AEC’s lead attorney. All of them had good reasons to see the guy dead. But, and this is important, Pegau relegates the solution of this crime to the exploration of the interplay between her characters. The mystery of who-done-it is just the skeleton upon which she hangs the rest of the story. What makes her book such an enjoyable read are the characters and how we end up feeling about them.
It’s abundantly transparent that Pegau wanted Murder on Location to stand apart from her first two installments. She decided it was far more important for us to develop attachments to her cast than to simply be fixated on solving the mystery. What was the biggest change she deployed? Heart. Murder On Location sparks to life this time round because Charlotte and her fellow players display a lot more heart. I found myself caring a whole lot more about Pegau’s characters than I had in her previous incarnations. She achieves this warmhearted breakthrough in a number of ways. For those with a romantic impulse, she cranks up the sexual tension between Charlotte and her paramour, James Eddington, Cordova’s very available Deputy. Tapping into family bonds we see Charlotte expand her emotional reach when she becomes the guardian of Becca, a young girl suddenly without any family. And, on a broader level, there’s the perfervid angst ignited by the pervasive, blatant discrimination the local Eyak people are forced to grapple with. Stir all of these together and we’ve got more than a simple, cozy murder mystery – we’ve got a story that tugs at our heartstrings as we all figure out “who-did-it.”
Pegau’s broken through here. She’s successfully intertwined cozy mystery elements with compelling characters, pretty much leaving us with only one mystery – when will we see Charlotte Brody again.
Review originally ran in Anchorage Press on February 16, 2017
February 27, 2017
Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for this ARC.
Alaska is a fertile ground for mystery, murder, and romance. I love this series because it's unique, funny, and wild.
Alaska is a fertile ground for mystery, murder, and romance. I love this series because it's unique, funny, and wild.
June 7, 2017
I enjoyed it but I will probably not continue with this series going forward; the plots are too similar but they are worth it for noir fans....
August 9, 2017
Another good book in the series, enjoy the historical and mystery
November 2, 2017
The worst book of the series.
December 4, 2017
I love the Charlotte Brody Mystery series! A strong journalistic woman with a nose for solving mysteries! I highly recommend these books.
February 22, 2018
Charlotte does it again
She always finds a murder! I'm enjoying Alaska at the turn of the last century and her relationship with James is progressing.
She always finds a murder! I'm enjoying Alaska at the turn of the last century and her relationship with James is progressing.
October 29, 2018
Eh
Slow slow slow, and not nearly as interesting as the first two.
I skipped a lot of pages at the end
Slow slow slow, and not nearly as interesting as the first two.
I skipped a lot of pages at the end
December 9, 2019
Fair. In the mode of Agatha Christie maybe.
September 20, 2021
The latest book in the Charlette Brody Mystery series. I enjoyed it. Easy fun read.
August 5, 2018
The best in the series so far. The film crew brings a bit of extra liveliness to this story (something the two other installments have sorely missed) and it finally trudges over the just about approved dash acceptable line.
3 stars, but far from glamorous or sparkling.
3 stars, but far from glamorous or sparkling.
March 6, 2017
I love Charlotte! I also love the Alaska setting, which makes this series so different from others in the genre. I was less enthusiastic about this plot because it felt less organic than I was about the previous two novels but if you haven't read Pegu before this is still a fine place to start. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm a fan so I'm really looking forward to the next installment of Charlotte's adventures (and the people of Cordova, who help make this such a neat series.)
February 6, 2017
Murder on Location is the best book of the series so far (and I really hope there are more after this!). Book 2 didn't quite click for me like Book 1 did, but everything comes together perfectly in this one. It hits the right blend of suspense and mystery while weaving in Charlotte's ongoing journey to forge a new life in Alaska -- including her developing relationship with Deputy James Eddington.
Murder on Location picks up shortly after book 2, with Charlotte trying to find a balance in her new and unexpected role as Rebecca's guardian while tensions between the Eyak community and white settlers continue to grow. The arrival of a film crew and glamorous cast in Cordova brings those tensions to the forefront, as the film director's intended portrayal of the native population in the film is based on crude stereotypes and insulting to the community. Charlotte is tasked with the seemingly innocuous job of following the film cast and crew for behind the scenes scoops for the newspaper. However, while she is camped out with them on location in the remote glacier site, the director turns up dead under suspicious circumstances. Charlotte once again is pulled into the murder investigation and must use her observational and deductive skills to identify the killer before he/she strikes again.
Charlotte's character development over the series has been done very well. Though she still takes risks in her investigations, she's more mindful of how her actions impact others. In her relationship with Eddington, she is learning to trust and open up to him after her previous traumatic experience in New York, while not losing sight of who she is as an individual. I really hope the series continues so we can see more of her journey!
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for providing an ARC for review!
Murder on Location picks up shortly after book 2, with Charlotte trying to find a balance in her new and unexpected role as Rebecca's guardian while tensions between the Eyak community and white settlers continue to grow. The arrival of a film crew and glamorous cast in Cordova brings those tensions to the forefront, as the film director's intended portrayal of the native population in the film is based on crude stereotypes and insulting to the community. Charlotte is tasked with the seemingly innocuous job of following the film cast and crew for behind the scenes scoops for the newspaper. However, while she is camped out with them on location in the remote glacier site, the director turns up dead under suspicious circumstances. Charlotte once again is pulled into the murder investigation and must use her observational and deductive skills to identify the killer before he/she strikes again.
Charlotte's character development over the series has been done very well. Though she still takes risks in her investigations, she's more mindful of how her actions impact others. In her relationship with Eddington, she is learning to trust and open up to him after her previous traumatic experience in New York, while not losing sight of who she is as an individual. I really hope the series continues so we can see more of her journey!
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for providing an ARC for review!
February 16, 2017
This is an interesting book with a very straightforward plot. The main characters were developed in depth, but the cast and crew for the movie production were thin stereotypes. Many of the characters were interesting, but the storytelling did not do them justice. This book is exactly what it says it is, the story of a murder on location and the actions that reveal the culprit. The interaction between the movie people and native Americans added some zest to the plot, making the story a little more interesting.
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