Deadly Blessings

Alex St. James Mystery #1

by Julie Hyzy

It's not often Alex St. James has a story like this fall into her lap, only to have it snatched away again. As news researcher at Midwest Focus Television in Chicago, she'd been set to interview a young Polish immigrant woman, pregnant by a Catholic priest. When the woman is found murdered, and Alex tries to investigate, her boss abruptly reassigns her to a fluff piece, so he can give the hot murder story to the station owner's nephew. But anyone who knows Alex also knows that like Fate, she'll find a way. Acting without authority and without assistance, she continues to investigate, making some very powerful people in the Chicago Archdiocese uneasy. Suddenly Alex finds herself in the middle of a plot so sinister and far reaching that the very next thing she might hear are her own Last Rites. Award-winning mystery author Julie Hyzy has also written several award-winning science-fiction short stories. She lives in the suburbs of Chicago.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Cozy, Contemporary

347 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

New York Times bestselling author, Julie Hyzy, has won the Anthony, Barry, Phobos, and Derringer Awards for her fiction.

Novels include:
Virtual Sabotage
The White House Chef Mystery series
The Manor House Mysteries
Deadly Blessings
Deadly Interest
Dead Ringer
Artistic License
Playing With Matches


Visit:
www.juliehyzy.com

Reviews

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadly Blessings by Julie Hyzy is the first book in the Alex St. James Mystery series. News researcher at Midwest Television in Chicago, Alex St. James investigates the murder of a Polish immigrant woman made pregnant by a Catholic priest. A wonderful start to the series which I enjoyed very much. I liked getting to know Alex who is smart and capable, although she seems to make some silly choices and I was disappointed with the ending. An interesting and engaging mystery.

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's face it. You simply can't go wrong with a Julie Hyzy book! Her writing style is smooth, her characters three-dimensional, and her obvious sense of humor comes out in her books. Pick a Julie Hyzy book - any one of them and I guarantee a great read. This book was certainly no different. Exceedingly enjoyable from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.

[Michelle Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

To start off I have to admit that I really like Julie Hyzy as an author. I am caught on her White House Chef Mystery Series, so I had high expectations for this book. Originally I downloaded it on my free Nook for PC application, but my computer crashed and gave up the ghost so I lost that copy but I picked this up at the library, along with book two in the series the other day, and was excited to be able to read this and see if I liked it as much as I did her other series.

Alex St. James is an investigative reporter for a News Magazine on television in the Chicago area. At the beginning of the book, she is dating Dan, her counterpart at a rival production, and he just doesn't seem like he is really invested in the relationship, and the more the book goes on, the more I come to dislike him. By the end of the book, I hate the guy, I think smarmey is a god term for him!

Alex is investigating her own adoption, in secret so as not to upset her parents, and on her own time, which her boss is not happy with, that she is away from the office and job at any given moment. Apparently a shake-up is in the works and he wants her there, probably so he doesn't have to deal with it on his own, but he has a gruff manner and it takes until the very end of the book for me to actually understand Bas a little and actually come to have a bit of respect for him.

Alex is working on a story, a wild and explosive story of Polish immigrants, a Catholic priest and prostitution. Bass pulls her off the story, but there is something about it that wouldn't let Alex leave it alone, so in the process of working up the "fluff" story that he replaces her on, she finds a way to still dig into the original story and gets extremely caught up in the story and the people, to the extent that she puts her own life in grave danger.

It is an extremely well written story, it pulls you along, there is never a lull in the flow of the story, and I couldn't put the book down, I had to know what happened. We are also introduced to a new guy, Will in the shake up at the office, which leads to some emotions on a personal level for Alex, and I for one am looking forward to seeing how that plays out in the future.

Another wonderful book by Julie Hyzy and I for one am looking so forward to the next, Deadly Interest.

[Denise Zendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirty-something Alex St. James is a news researcher for the No. 2 “news” program in Chicago. Her boyfriend is the lead anchor for the city’s No. 1 news show. They’ve worked out a Chinese wall as to what they will (and won’t share) with each other regarding their jobs.


She has a hunger for hard news, and starts to research a case involving a Polish immigrant who becomes pregnant by a priest and who is murdered. Just as things start getting good- the priest ends up absconding to his native Brazil – Alex is pulled off the story and told to help the fresh-out-of-college nephew of a station executive. He’s kind of a turd and she maliciously complies, but vows to keep working on the prostitution story.

She gets redirected to research a story involving haircuts gone really wrong. It’s actually a nice tie in because the dead girl worked a salon that turns out to be a front for prostitution that has ties to the Catholic Church.

I got intrigued with this story because of the journalism connection. (I briefly considered a career in TV, and I once worked three hours in a radio station in Pampa, Texas. After that shift, I knew broadcasting wasn’t for me, but I retained my interest in broadcasting.) I found the relationship between the station employees believable, as well as the relationship between Alex and her boyfriend. She has a nice relationship with her parish priest, whom she bounces some story ideas off of, and he helps her hide one of the main characters.

I did get a little irritated with Alex for putting herself in harm’s way in pursuit of a story – for me, the first rule of any job is to go home alive – but everything turned out well in the end. She’s someone I want to know more about, so will be checking out the next in the series soon.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hyzy presents another great novel, written in the years before the White House Chef and Mansfield Manor mystery series. Definitely filled with much more excitement, raw material and language to make the reader wonder if this is the same docile writer that has us wandering around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue or in the semi-urban towns of North Carolina. The book takes on a life of its own and is truly a gem, well worth the time and effort. It reads as smoothly and cleanly as the latter series, but the beginning of the Alex St. James series is vastly different from its contemporaries.

The story is fresh, even using a main character who is a journalistic investigator (by no means under-used in fiction). That said, the back story keeps it unique and somewhat fresh, as we highlight the Polish community of Chicago. Spice it up a little with the Catholic Church and some decent chase scenes and the book almost reads itself.

I know that Hyzy does eventually meld her Alex St. James with Michael A. Black and his hero (on the list to read the series and their joint work), it would be interesting to bring some of her heroines together for a case that might span a few books, or at least create cameo appearances. I would read that combo, as all three women have proven themselves to be worth my time.

Kudos Madam Hyzy! What a great find you and your books have become!

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julie Hyzy's first mystery! What an great tale DEADLY BLESSINGS is. Alex St. James is an investigative reporter for a Chicago TV station. When she loses her big story to some young, upstart nepotist who doesn't know how to do the job, she can't let go and continues to seek answers on her own. Why was a young woman, pregnant with a disgraced priest's child, so brutally murdered? This is not a cozy. Although there's little sex or language, the violence is real, and Hyzy's masterful writing style keeps the suspense on High for the entire story. There are side stories aplenty, also. Who are Alex's biological parents? Why did her boyfriend, a reporter for a rival station, dump her? Can Alex's relationship to her church be resuscitated? And is there a future with the hunky, sensitive writer who is assigned to her? For mystery fans, especially readers of Julie Hyzy's other series, this is a definite gotta read!

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex St. James is a news researcher for Midwest Focus Television in Chicago. When the story opens, she is following a lead to find her biological parents. Her adoptive parents Margot and Ed Szatjemski have retired to Arkansas which has finally given Alex her chance to try and trace her biological parents. Unfortunately, she hits a blank wall, and by being in Springfield when she should have been in Chicago she loses the best story she has had in years.

Milla Voight, a Polish immigrant had become pregnant to Father Carlos de los Santos, although she hadn’t known he was a priest until she attempted to have an abortion and found him conducting a sit-in at the abortion clinic in which she had chosen to have an abortion. Although Mila didn’t get an abortion, she got instant fame particularly as Father Carlos had quickly decamped to Brazil. Alex had been due to interview her for a feature, but now Mila was dead, and Alex’s editor Philip J Bassett (Bass) had just given her story to a new guy called Fenton - instructions from on high says Bass - Fenton’s the station owner’s nephew.

To add insult to injury Alex has been assigned Beauty Salons! But after some reflection Alex muses all may not be lost Mila had worked as a shampoo girl at a hairdresser’s - what better place to start.

This is an excellent mystery, as Alex without sanction from her boss seeks the truth behind Mila’s murder.

Whilst following the investigation and enjoying the politics of a news features office the book also highlights the plights of immigrant girls promised jobs in the land of milk and honey only to find they have been tricked into prostitution - most are too ashamed to attempt to return home.

I enjoyed the mystery; I like Alex and I hope that this is the start of a series - I want to know just what the secret behind Alexs’s adoption is.
-----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex St. James is an intriguing investigator. She works for a television show that features bad things that have happened in the community...from bad hair experiences in a salon, to murder, and whatever seems of interest to the important people at the top of the show's hierarchy. This one begins with the murder of a pregnant woman, whose paramour was a Catholic priest who has left the country. Many twists later, Alex's information has led to a prostitution ring led by a different Catholic priest. Her story is stolen by a former beau, Dan, thanks to a tech guy who sells the tapes of her interviews... Alex is also trying to find out about her birth parents and that search plays into the story.
For me, there are too many questions left after the book ends...(what happened to the folder that supposedly contained her adoption information? for one) and some unconvincing lapses in her judgment. Her boss is pretty much cookie cutter bad. But worth reading.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

News researcher Alex St. James at Chicago's Midwest Focus Television is less than pleased when her potentially explosive story about a young Polish immigrant pregnant by a priest is snatched away and handed to the station owner's incompetent nephew just when it's getting even more newsworthy with the woman turning up murdered. While grudgingly starting to work on the fluff piece she's assigned instead, Alex stumbles across a connection to the priest story and digs into it on her own, finding something yet more explosive - a prostitution ring exploiting immigrants brought into the country by a priest, quite possibly with his full knowledge - that pitches her against some very dangerous figures.

Entertaining, though it dragged in places. Might try another one from this series at some point, though.

[Dlora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know Julie Hyzy had any novels other than her two cozy mysteries, the White House chef series (which I was fascinated with) and the Manor House mystery series. This Alex St. James series is some of her earliest work. Polish Catholic Alexandrine St. James is a researcher for a news broadcast station and a hot story about a Polish immigrant and a Catholic priest captures her interest but then it is reassigned to a new, incompetent hire--the nephew of the station owner's wife. Feisty Alex isn't about to let the story go, especially when the fluff piece she has been assigned gives her an unexpected opening. I didn't enjoy the characters in this book as much as in her later series, although they have some similarities. Perhaps it was the cooking setting in the White House that was more appealing to me than that of a news researcher.

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Julie Hyzy's earliest books and you can tell. There's a few too many subplots and the writing isn't as tight as some of her later work. I would recommend it, though. Alex is a news researcher. Her ex-boyfriend works for a competing show. She's investigating the death of a Polish immigrant girl and uncovers a prostitution ring. Her boss takes her off the story but she continues the investigation. It's a lot gritter than her White House chef series. Definitely worth reading

[Nancy Holte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because I loved Julie's White House Chef mystery series. The story line was good in this but I didn't like it as well as the White House Chef Mysteries. The language was a little more raw than the White House series. And, if you've read my other reviews, you know I'm not a fan of bad language.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex is your typical news reporter, wanting the big scoop. When her boss pulls her, she goes after on her own. Soon she is in over her head and nobody to help her. Starts slow building, a good story and how is she going to get out, a reporter doesn’t till the next big story comes. Good narration clear, and added to the story. Given audio for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

[Peggy Puetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery about a investigator from a tv station

Good story about women in prostitution and about a priest and a lot of very bad people. Story about women coming from another country and the life they have.

[Julie Ditton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little cozy mystery. I was disappointed in her stupidity near that set up the ending.

[Kris Kizer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average book. Nothing great and nothing horrible.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book- the characters (mostly), the setting in Chicago and this storyline was interesting. Alex is a likable character and I will be following her in the next couple of books.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this author. She has a good character build and nice style. The subject matter was a little dark for my taste compared with her "Manor" series that I liked very well. I gave it 3 1/2 stars.

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been good book with great plot, but the narration is..... humph.

[John Heinrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably good story but seems to drag on a little. I got this free from Amazon so nothing lost. I will try the follow on stories because I like the characters and setting of a news reporter.

[Elliemae · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointed in this book. Whining character that is boring ...... boring ....... boring. Save your money, wish I had not purchased it.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars is for "liked it," but it is not so much that I liked it, more that I respect it. Well written but grim for my "cozy" tastes. With a memorable denouement.

[Shoshana Hathaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book examines themes that have become popular over the last several years, it does so in interesting ways. While not a brilliant or unique book, this is a well written, well plotted and engaging mystery. The characters are nicely developed, an while there is a bit of type casting, that is alleviated by touches that give each character a definite, and believable, personality.

This is not a full out action thriller, but does demonstrate how news stories are investigated, and, when there is action, it can become intense, especially the action just preceding the climax of the book. The writing is straightforward, but the author also demonstrates sensitivity and compassion, through her characters’ thoughts and words, that enhance the story and make it a satisfying read. Perhaps her villains are a bit too simplistic, and a little too villainous, without benefit of qualms or conscience, but then, at least one of them is probably a sociopath, if not a psychopath, so even this works rather well.

The narrator did an excellently professional job, and combines a pleasant voice with excellent pacing, shaping enunciation, and can handle foreign accents extremely well.

This is a good, solid mystery, and a very enjoyable read. I give both book and narrator 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this free book in exchange for this unbiased review via the courtesy of AudioBookBlast dot com.

[Vicki Gooding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely one of the best mysteries you can read. The main character is a news researcher at Midwest Focus Television in Chicago. Her boyfriend is with the competition. They break up but he still wants her information about a hot scoop she's working on. Her private hearts desire is to find her biological birth parents. As she attempts to work it into her free time, it continues to evade her. She's on a very hot story about a young Polish immigrant woman who's pregnant by a Catholic priest. The priest has now fled internationally and shortly after the immigrant woman is found murdered. To her dismay her boss decides to abruptly reassign her to a less important hair story, and gives the now hotter murder story to the station owner's nephew (including all her notes and work). However; the murdered woman had worked at a hair salon so this reporter secretly continues to investigate starting at that location. She quickly discovers a priest who brings Polish girls to Chicago and entrusts the girls to a woman who forces them into a prostitution ring enforced by a nasty body guard. The researcher finds a girl at the salon who has becomes her most faithful help, but also continues to sabotage her work due to gratitude and adoration of the priest who brought her to the states. The book is exciting and fun. It is a must read.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially assigned to interview 22 year old Milla Voight, a young Polish immigrant working in a local beauty salon, regarding her decision to sue the Catholic church after being impregnated by man she was unaware was a local priest, Chicago TV news researcher Alex St. James’s has now been taken off the story. The unfortunate Milla has been found floating in the Cal Sag channel, murdered by person or persons unknown and Alex has been reassigned to a fluff story about beauty salon mishaps.

Alex decides to ignore the directive from “higher up” that she abjur the what could be the biggest story or her career and begins her search to dig up the details behind what led to Milla’s untimely death. The young woman’s pregnancy and the identity of the baby’s father is only the tip of the iceberg in this tangled tale of prostitution, collusion, corruption and conspiracy.

Alex’s personal life is also on the ropes as she searches without success for her real parents, loses her somewhat shallow and sleazy boyfriend, and becomes embroiled in a serious game of office politics where everyone’s motives and loyalty are in question.

DEADLY BLESSINGS by Julie Hyzy is set in Chicago and is the first in this new series. It is a quick and engaging read with enough juicy details and unanswered questions to keep the veteran cozy reader involved through the finale.

[Nancy]

It's not often Alex St. James has a story like this fall into her lap, only to have it snatched away again. As news researcher at Midwest Focus Television in Chicago, she'd been set to interview a young Polish immigrant woman, pregnant by a Catholic priest. When the woman is found murdered, and Alex tries to investigate, her boss abruptly reassigns her to a fluff piece, so he can give the hot murder story to the station owner's nephew. But anyone who knows Alex also knows that like Fate, she'll find a way. Acting without authority and without assistance, she continues to investigate, making some very powerful people in the Chicago Archdiocese uneasy. Suddenly Alex finds herself in the middle of a plot so sinister and far reaching that the very next thing she might hear are her own Last Rites The priest who brought the Polish girls to Chicago is the one in charge of the prostitution ring. He gets away to the Vatican. The madam and the priest's assistant are arrested. The madam's boyfriend is killed by a train. Alex does not get the big story, her former boyfriend does. Alex, though, is becoming friends with the new script writer. She (Alex) still doesn't know who her birth parents are.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journalist Alex St. James has a chance at winning a prize nominating news story. The story is about a young girl made pregnant by a Catholic Priest in Chicago, Illinois. The girl is an immigrant and is suddenly found dead...she is not all that dies, so does Alex's story feature.

For some unknown reason, the News Bureau Chief, Bass reassigns the story to a newcomer, the nephew of the station owner. Alex senses that this story is far deeper than just a love story.

Assigned to a fluff piece. Alex finds a way to investigate more deeply into the lives of many immigrant women from Poland. What she discovers not only will stir up the Church, but will also prove deadly to Alex, if she doesn't take caution.

This book turned out to be far more suspenseful than the premise led me to believe. The story was taut and filled with shocking revelations, but even shocking, to me, was the ending. While I understand the ending was reality of our times, I was disappointed and saddened by the conclusion.

Excellent writing and makes you wonder what St. James will ferret out next in the series.

[One-Click · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audibook

Narration - Karen Commins - Pretty Good. There's quite a few characters in this story and she does a pretty good job of differentiating between them all. She's a really good storyteller so the overall narration was engaging and very enjoyable.

The story is a mystery that's pretty intricate and detailed. I found that I had suspicions, but for the most part, I was mostly wrong - or if I was in the ball park, it wasn't the right park. Alex is a tough investigative reporter who is smart and has nerves of steel. I really loved her character. I also enjoyed the way the mystery was woven in several directions.

There's a bit of a catholic priest scandal so if that's not you're thing, this book isn't for you.

I'll definitely continue with this series and based on other reviews, it looks like I will look into other books from this author.

Really enjoyed it!

I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review

[S.A. Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very impressed. This is my first Hyzy novel. I was expecting a light read, but I was surprised. This story became gritty and somewhat hard-boiled. Our heroine is dedicated to getting her story and she also wants to do the right thing and help people. Her job and personal lives are complicated and not going well. She is tough, but not a special forces commando in disguise (like too many fictional heroines, these days). She pursues her case to the bitter end, no matter how difficult it becomes.

Check out this book if you are interested in reading a hard-boiled investigation book with a smart capable woman in charge. Be careful if you are a fan of the Catholic Church, it does not come off well in this story.

[Debbie Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Hyzy’s mystery novel, Chicago TV news researcher Alex St. James suffers the loss of her boyfriend, loses a lead on her biological parents, and is then taken off the biggest story of her career. As if that isn’t enough, her story subject is found floating in the river. Despite everything, Alex sets off to find the facts behind the deceased’s death and before long is enmeshed with another murder. Risking her job and her life, Alex goes undercover only to find that surviving the work politics and exposing lethal corruption can’t even begin to be compared to keeping a killer from making her his next victim.

An excellent addition to the An Alex St. James Mystery series.