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Murder With Strings Attached
Sometimes even the most carefully conceived burglary can take an unexpected turn. Florence Palmer has her eye on concert violinist Aaron Levy's priceless violin. Unfortunately, she finds it's already been stolen. Her surprise doubles when the virtuoso she'd planned to burgle offers to hire her to help him steal it back. But they're not the only ones looking for the missing violin. When Flo inadvertently becomes the prime suspect in a case of murder, she and Aaron need to clear her name. Will they find the real killer and get the violin back to its rightful owner without anyone else, especially themselves, being killed?
197 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2021
135 people want to read
About the author
Mark Reutlinger
12 books203 followersMark Reutlinger is the author of the novel Made in China and the "Mrs. Kaplan" mystery series. He is a professor of law emeritus at Seattle University. Born in San Francisco, Mark graduated from UC Berkeley and now lives with his wife, Analee, in University Place, Washington.
When not reading or at his computer writing, Mark enjoys tennis, biking, playing the clarinet (in the Tacoma Concert Band), sports cars, and various arts and crafts. He wishes he had time for it all.
When not reading or at his computer writing, Mark enjoys tennis, biking, playing the clarinet (in the Tacoma Concert Band), sports cars, and various arts and crafts. He wishes he had time for it all.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 12, 2021
Murder With Strings Attached is a rollicking and quick read, featuring an unlikely trio pursuing a stolen priceless violin.
Cleaner-turned-burglar Florence "Flo" Palmer is caught redhanded by renowned concert violinist Aaron Levy, as she attempts to steal his priceless Guarnieri violin from his Seattle hotel room. However, she realises and Levy quickly confirms that the instrument in her hands is nothing more than a clever fake - the genuine article has already been stolen by someone else!
Rather than turn Flo in to the authorities, Levy enlists her assistance to recover his beloved violin from the clutches of crooked billionaire James Edward Sanders, who intends swapping the violin for a valuable painting owned by another rich collector.
Before long, a murder occurs, for which Flo becomes a suspect. The stakes raised, Flo and Aaron, together with Flo's feisty but non-criminal friend Sara, head south to San Francisco in pursuit of both the still-missing violin and the ruthless murderer.
Straddling the cosy mystery and noir genres, Murder With Strings Attached features plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour and a sprinkling of romance. Flo, Aaron and Sara are all engaging and amusing characters. Some of the situations and dialogue are fairly camp, but that's not out of place in the genre, and adds to the reading enjoyment.
I'd recommend Murder With Strings Attached to readers looking for a quick and enjoyable crime read without too much grit or heavy psychology.
My thanks to the author, Mark Reutlinger, publisher The Wild Rose Press, Inc and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
Cleaner-turned-burglar Florence "Flo" Palmer is caught redhanded by renowned concert violinist Aaron Levy, as she attempts to steal his priceless Guarnieri violin from his Seattle hotel room. However, she realises and Levy quickly confirms that the instrument in her hands is nothing more than a clever fake - the genuine article has already been stolen by someone else!
Rather than turn Flo in to the authorities, Levy enlists her assistance to recover his beloved violin from the clutches of crooked billionaire James Edward Sanders, who intends swapping the violin for a valuable painting owned by another rich collector.
Before long, a murder occurs, for which Flo becomes a suspect. The stakes raised, Flo and Aaron, together with Flo's feisty but non-criminal friend Sara, head south to San Francisco in pursuit of both the still-missing violin and the ruthless murderer.
Straddling the cosy mystery and noir genres, Murder With Strings Attached features plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour and a sprinkling of romance. Flo, Aaron and Sara are all engaging and amusing characters. Some of the situations and dialogue are fairly camp, but that's not out of place in the genre, and adds to the reading enjoyment.
I'd recommend Murder With Strings Attached to readers looking for a quick and enjoyable crime read without too much grit or heavy psychology.
My thanks to the author, Mark Reutlinger, publisher The Wild Rose Press, Inc and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
March 8, 2021
Rating: 4.5/5.0
“Murder with Strings Attached” is a mystery that will leave the reader having thoroughly enjoyed their time within the pages.
Read full review in the 2021 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.
“Murder with Strings Attached” is a mystery that will leave the reader having thoroughly enjoyed their time within the pages.
Read full review in the 2021 March issue of InD'tale Magazine.
March 15, 2021
Florence Palmer – Flo to her friends – makes her living as a burglar. She chose this career after getting frustrated with arduous and low-paying alternatives like being a house cleaner, and has discovered that she’s quite good at it. She’s always alert for potential new heists, so when she learns that world-famous virtuoso Aaron Levy has brought his near-priceless Guarneri violin to Seattle for a series of concerts, she sniffs an opportunity. Her plan to sneak into his fancy hotel suite works like clockwork, until the violinist returns unexpectedly to find her with the loot in hand. It looks as though she’s finally slipped up – until she learns that the instrument she’s found is a copy, the real antique has been stolen, and Levy wants her help in getting it back.
Murder with Strings Attached is a light-hearted caper with engaging characters, lots of clever detail, and a whiff of romance. Once you’ve accepted the slightly implausible premise, the plot unrolls briskly, with plenty of snappy dialogue and frequent humor. Despite the title, murder is not the focus of this tale. Two corpses do show up, but they’re almost tangential to the main plot, which involves gaining access to the nearly impregnable mansion of the collector who engineered the original theft, finding the item in question, and getting away without getting added to the tally of dead bodies.
It must be tricky to write a novel where the main character is a criminal, but Mark Reutlinger pulls it off. You can’t help liking Flo. She’s intelligent, hard-working, thorough, resourceful – and cute in the bargain, which does help when you’re trying to allay someone’s suspicions. Aaron’s portrayed as a bit of a bumbler (after all, he left his precious violin in his car, in a highway rest area!), but turns out to have a few surprises up his sleeve. Flo’s somewhat ditsy best friend Sara rounds out the cast. Sara’s prone to drinking a bit too much and going to bed with strangers. However, she’ll do almost anything for her buddy Flo – as long as she’s not risking jail time.
Like Florence, the author of this novel has an orderly and detail-oriented mind. Watching Flo plan and execute the heist is almost as satisfying as listening to a symphony. Then when she finally sets the operation in motion, you’re on the edge of seat, because as Flo knows well, all it takes in one miscalculation – or just plain bad luck – to scuttle a great scheme and land you in prison.
I do wonder, though, about the other heists for which dear Florence is responsible. What about the victims? She doesn’t seem to have much of a conscience. Of course, in this tale, the goods are being stolen by their actual owner, but presumably this isn’t the case for most of her jobs. Flo is smart enough to succeed in an occupation that’s less risky and not quite so morally dubious. Although she does get a bit of a thrill from the chase, she’s too down-to-earth to let that influence her decisions. So why doesn’t she realize that being a burglar bound to end badly?
Probably I’m thinking too much for a cozy mystery. Indeed, I don’t have a lot of experience with this genre, but I’m guessing you’re not supposed to delve too much into the characters’ motivations, just enjoy the ride. And in the case of Murder with Strings Attached, I did.
Murder with Strings Attached is a light-hearted caper with engaging characters, lots of clever detail, and a whiff of romance. Once you’ve accepted the slightly implausible premise, the plot unrolls briskly, with plenty of snappy dialogue and frequent humor. Despite the title, murder is not the focus of this tale. Two corpses do show up, but they’re almost tangential to the main plot, which involves gaining access to the nearly impregnable mansion of the collector who engineered the original theft, finding the item in question, and getting away without getting added to the tally of dead bodies.
It must be tricky to write a novel where the main character is a criminal, but Mark Reutlinger pulls it off. You can’t help liking Flo. She’s intelligent, hard-working, thorough, resourceful – and cute in the bargain, which does help when you’re trying to allay someone’s suspicions. Aaron’s portrayed as a bit of a bumbler (after all, he left his precious violin in his car, in a highway rest area!), but turns out to have a few surprises up his sleeve. Flo’s somewhat ditsy best friend Sara rounds out the cast. Sara’s prone to drinking a bit too much and going to bed with strangers. However, she’ll do almost anything for her buddy Flo – as long as she’s not risking jail time.
Like Florence, the author of this novel has an orderly and detail-oriented mind. Watching Flo plan and execute the heist is almost as satisfying as listening to a symphony. Then when she finally sets the operation in motion, you’re on the edge of seat, because as Flo knows well, all it takes in one miscalculation – or just plain bad luck – to scuttle a great scheme and land you in prison.
I do wonder, though, about the other heists for which dear Florence is responsible. What about the victims? She doesn’t seem to have much of a conscience. Of course, in this tale, the goods are being stolen by their actual owner, but presumably this isn’t the case for most of her jobs. Flo is smart enough to succeed in an occupation that’s less risky and not quite so morally dubious. Although she does get a bit of a thrill from the chase, she’s too down-to-earth to let that influence her decisions. So why doesn’t she realize that being a burglar bound to end badly?
Probably I’m thinking too much for a cozy mystery. Indeed, I don’t have a lot of experience with this genre, but I’m guessing you’re not supposed to delve too much into the characters’ motivations, just enjoy the ride. And in the case of Murder with Strings Attached, I did.
May 8, 2021
A few months ago I read Mrs. Kaplan and the Matzoh Ball of Death. It took me a minute to acclimate myself to Reutlinger's writing style but I realized a few chapters in that it reminded me a lot of the old 1930's noir detective movies, the only difference being that in this case the role of the detective was played by a Jewish woman in her 70's. So, of course, it was hilarious! That book contained a fascinating cast of characters, one of them being (I'm finally getting to the point) Flo, a professional burglar.
Murder with Strings Attached puts Flo in the spotlight. Flo decides to steal a priceless violin, only to find that the violin has already been stolen. The owner enlists her help to find the violin and steal it back.
Flo is a great character. It's always interesting to read about people who do different things and I certainly don't know anyone in real life who's a professional burglar (at least not that I know of!) Flo and Aaron, the violin's owner, go on a great adventure, traveling, meeting new people, seeing the sites. There's not a dull moment in this book.
Anyone who's interested in reading cozies and doesn't care if they don't follow the general conventions will enjoy reading Reutlinger's work.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Murder with Strings Attached puts Flo in the spotlight. Flo decides to steal a priceless violin, only to find that the violin has already been stolen. The owner enlists her help to find the violin and steal it back.
Flo is a great character. It's always interesting to read about people who do different things and I certainly don't know anyone in real life who's a professional burglar (at least not that I know of!) Flo and Aaron, the violin's owner, go on a great adventure, traveling, meeting new people, seeing the sites. There's not a dull moment in this book.
Anyone who's interested in reading cozies and doesn't care if they don't follow the general conventions will enjoy reading Reutlinger's work.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
March 15, 2021
This is a rather humorous cozy mystery involving a cleaning maid turned thief, a violinist who hires her to steal his own violin back from a billionaire who stole it and the maid’s best friend.
This story is told in Florence Palmer’s point of view and I love her character and the narrative. It’s smart, humorous, self-deprecating, and shows her confidence in her own skills and pride in her profession. She didn’t intend to become a burglar, but being a maid wasn’t covering the costs of living and she couldn’t afford college. It probably wasn’t the best idea she had to become a housemaid as she states herself: “Maybe that was a mistake because being exposed to all those beautiful and obscenely expensive tchotchkes, all of which my clients could easily do without wore me down.”
Her latest escapade was to steal an extremely rare and expensive violin from a famous violinist, Aaron Levy, although she was smart enough not to try to sell it, only to ransom it back. The start of this strange adventure begins when Flo is found in Aaron’s room and he happens to walk in on her holding his violin. Except, as she learns, that was a fake and the real one had been stolen several days ago. I had to laugh at Flo’s overdramatized thoughts of going to jail and facing some sort of horrible death. Imagine her surprise that instead of him calling the cops he decided to hire her to regain his lost violin. Then he he tells her that he is going to participate in regaining his violin, and Flo’s reaction is just what you would expect, horror. She could only imagine just how things could go with an amateur thief.
Still, she took him up on the offer, especially since he is offering her a huge payout and is going to cover any expenses. Poor Flo’s idea of a quick re-theft of the violin does not go as planned, even though Aaron knows who stole it.
Flo’s best friend, Sara is another wonderfully created character who knows about Flo’s profession but stays out of it as much as possible. Unfortunately for her, she tends to get dragged into them when Flo needs to get a quick getaway. She has a bubbly personality and enjoys the fact that she will get to go sightseeing, staying at a fancy hotel, and buying souvenirs without having to pay for it.
At first Flo thought it would be a breeze to get the violin from the thug that was hired to steal it, a man named Martin. To her horror and dismay instead of finding a violin, she finds a dead man in Martin’s apartment and is caught by the cops standing over the body. I ended up laughing again at Flo’s renewed frantic thoughts of being in the jail and what would happen next. I love how her mind works; it seems to either go to the best of things or to the worst of things. She’s just lucky that the man she is working for has money in spades who is willing to bail her out.
Aaron is another fun quirky character who also has a sense of humor that matches Flo’s Who else would hire a burglar they find in their room instead of contacting the police about his missing violin? He has a boyish air and even though he knows there are risks, he can’t help but feel like he is on a grand adventure. I can’t blame him as he was a child prodigy and spent his childhood practicing, giving recitals, or traveling. There is also a small romance between Flo and Aaron, but the reader is not sure if this will turn out to become more of a stable relationship or a little fun whenever they can get together.
They make a great trio of friends, and it does make me sad that Aaron confessed that he hadn’t many friends besides Flo and Sara since he was always so busy. There are many sweet moments where they share hugs and kisses on the cheek. This is a relationship that I believe will stand the test of time.
This is a wonderful cozy mystery with fun characters and a fun plot that has so many twists and turns you’ll get dizzy. The ending throws a few interesting facts to light and I love how Flo seems to have a magic charm for luck or something since even as she gets into trouble, she somehow manages to get out of it.
This story is told in Florence Palmer’s point of view and I love her character and the narrative. It’s smart, humorous, self-deprecating, and shows her confidence in her own skills and pride in her profession. She didn’t intend to become a burglar, but being a maid wasn’t covering the costs of living and she couldn’t afford college. It probably wasn’t the best idea she had to become a housemaid as she states herself: “Maybe that was a mistake because being exposed to all those beautiful and obscenely expensive tchotchkes, all of which my clients could easily do without wore me down.”
Her latest escapade was to steal an extremely rare and expensive violin from a famous violinist, Aaron Levy, although she was smart enough not to try to sell it, only to ransom it back. The start of this strange adventure begins when Flo is found in Aaron’s room and he happens to walk in on her holding his violin. Except, as she learns, that was a fake and the real one had been stolen several days ago. I had to laugh at Flo’s overdramatized thoughts of going to jail and facing some sort of horrible death. Imagine her surprise that instead of him calling the cops he decided to hire her to regain his lost violin. Then he he tells her that he is going to participate in regaining his violin, and Flo’s reaction is just what you would expect, horror. She could only imagine just how things could go with an amateur thief.
Still, she took him up on the offer, especially since he is offering her a huge payout and is going to cover any expenses. Poor Flo’s idea of a quick re-theft of the violin does not go as planned, even though Aaron knows who stole it.
Flo’s best friend, Sara is another wonderfully created character who knows about Flo’s profession but stays out of it as much as possible. Unfortunately for her, she tends to get dragged into them when Flo needs to get a quick getaway. She has a bubbly personality and enjoys the fact that she will get to go sightseeing, staying at a fancy hotel, and buying souvenirs without having to pay for it.
At first Flo thought it would be a breeze to get the violin from the thug that was hired to steal it, a man named Martin. To her horror and dismay instead of finding a violin, she finds a dead man in Martin’s apartment and is caught by the cops standing over the body. I ended up laughing again at Flo’s renewed frantic thoughts of being in the jail and what would happen next. I love how her mind works; it seems to either go to the best of things or to the worst of things. She’s just lucky that the man she is working for has money in spades who is willing to bail her out.
Aaron is another fun quirky character who also has a sense of humor that matches Flo’s Who else would hire a burglar they find in their room instead of contacting the police about his missing violin? He has a boyish air and even though he knows there are risks, he can’t help but feel like he is on a grand adventure. I can’t blame him as he was a child prodigy and spent his childhood practicing, giving recitals, or traveling. There is also a small romance between Flo and Aaron, but the reader is not sure if this will turn out to become more of a stable relationship or a little fun whenever they can get together.
They make a great trio of friends, and it does make me sad that Aaron confessed that he hadn’t many friends besides Flo and Sara since he was always so busy. There are many sweet moments where they share hugs and kisses on the cheek. This is a relationship that I believe will stand the test of time.
This is a wonderful cozy mystery with fun characters and a fun plot that has so many twists and turns you’ll get dizzy. The ending throws a few interesting facts to light and I love how Flo seems to have a magic charm for luck or something since even as she gets into trouble, she somehow manages to get out of it.
September 23, 2021
Flo is a thief, looking for a quick score with an interesting and valuable object. What she doesn't expect is getting caught and then being hired to steal for her intended victim. And thus begins a comedic adventure for all!
This was a fun, quick and entertaining read. I enjoyed the overall story and found it an interesting and unique take on the mystery genre. Who else has a criminal as their main character. And for the most part it works! There aren't any serious issues concerning the main character, despite her profession, that prevent you from wanting to read her story.
Toward the end of the book, I did find some of the scenarios a bit far-fetched, a forgivable offense in the world of fiction, except these situations often cast the characters as being a bit foolish if not downright stupid. Still, all in good fun if you take the story with a grain of salt.
A few things did stick out to me that caused me to lower my overall rating. First, most of the tension in the story is a bit contrived. The "bad guys" are really quite foolish, which allows our "good guys" to easily finagle their way out of the situations they are placed in. The ease at which they escape from any and all situations makes it seem as though the "danger" they were placed in was merely to string the story out further. Second, while there are no detailed sex scenes, they are many, various references to sexual experiences and (in some instances) lengthy discussions about their occurrence. I did not find this added in any way to the story. Lastly, a few quirks about the character (like her constant need to mention how lovely her figure was, how much someone stared at her figure, how often random stranger hit on her because of her figure) detracted from her like-ability.
While those items lessened the experience for me, others may find them innocuous. I would recommend this read to anyone interested in the story or who likes a fun mystery!
This was a fun, quick and entertaining read. I enjoyed the overall story and found it an interesting and unique take on the mystery genre. Who else has a criminal as their main character. And for the most part it works! There aren't any serious issues concerning the main character, despite her profession, that prevent you from wanting to read her story.
Toward the end of the book, I did find some of the scenarios a bit far-fetched, a forgivable offense in the world of fiction, except these situations often cast the characters as being a bit foolish if not downright stupid. Still, all in good fun if you take the story with a grain of salt.
A few things did stick out to me that caused me to lower my overall rating. First, most of the tension in the story is a bit contrived. The "bad guys" are really quite foolish, which allows our "good guys" to easily finagle their way out of the situations they are placed in. The ease at which they escape from any and all situations makes it seem as though the "danger" they were placed in was merely to string the story out further. Second, while there are no detailed sex scenes, they are many, various references to sexual experiences and (in some instances) lengthy discussions about their occurrence. I did not find this added in any way to the story. Lastly, a few quirks about the character (like her constant need to mention how lovely her figure was, how much someone stared at her figure, how often random stranger hit on her because of her figure) detracted from her like-ability.
While those items lessened the experience for me, others may find them innocuous. I would recommend this read to anyone interested in the story or who likes a fun mystery!
June 26, 2025
Florence (Flo) Palmer is a professional burglar, finding this calling more exciting and profitable than her previous incarnation as a house cleaner. When Aaron Levy, a virtuoso violinist, comes to town with his priceless Guarnieri, she sees this as an opportunity for a relatively riskless but extremely lucrative opportunity. After careful planning that involves masquerading as a cleaning woman in the hotel where Levy is staying, she gets into his suite and finds a violin – but not the Guarnieri! Instead of calling the cops or the hotel management, Levy hires Flo to help him steal back the Guarnieri from an avid art collector who has in mind exchanging the violin for a piece of art that he craves. A convoluted series of twists and turns, including a couple of murders and more fake violins brings Aaron and Flo, and her straight best friend and foil, Sara, further along to carry off the heist.
This is mostly a fun and well-written read which makes it easy to gloss over the implausible turns in the plot. The characters are well-formed, and for a criminal, much like Robin Hood, Flo engages the reader’s sympathy as she is helping someone recover something taken from them. Aaron comes on strong as a burglar in-training, (but I wish he would at some point pick up one of the instruments and play a tune!), and Sara is adept at jumping in to help as and when needed.
A four-star read, enjoy!
This is mostly a fun and well-written read which makes it easy to gloss over the implausible turns in the plot. The characters are well-formed, and for a criminal, much like Robin Hood, Flo engages the reader’s sympathy as she is helping someone recover something taken from them. Aaron comes on strong as a burglar in-training, (but I wish he would at some point pick up one of the instruments and play a tune!), and Sara is adept at jumping in to help as and when needed.
A four-star read, enjoy!
March 1, 2021
Our story begins with Flo uncomfortably crouched in a closet, attempting a burglary. She then backtracks to explain why she's there, and is a little scattered. And at first, I'm not sure I'm going to like this heroine who has purposely decided to become a burglar and whose best friend actually semi-supports her.
But I pressed on.
And when she gets back to the present to where she is caught by her intended victim and the tables turned on her, I was all in.
This story is actually quirky and delightful, rather light, and yet has plenty of plot twists that kept me engrossed.
It's naturally a bunch of borderline ridiculous situations that would likely never happen in real life. But that is what makes this kind of book so much fun to read.
The author is also an adept storyteller who is capable of making us believe that this craziness really happened. His detail brings the story to life, playing out in your mind like you are watching it on a screen. And I think this one would make for a fun movie.
I'm not sure if Flo has any other books about her [mis]adventures as a burglar, but I would definitely read about more of them!
Thank you to the author and Goddess Fish for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
But I pressed on.
And when she gets back to the present to where she is caught by her intended victim and the tables turned on her, I was all in.
This story is actually quirky and delightful, rather light, and yet has plenty of plot twists that kept me engrossed.
It's naturally a bunch of borderline ridiculous situations that would likely never happen in real life. But that is what makes this kind of book so much fun to read.
The author is also an adept storyteller who is capable of making us believe that this craziness really happened. His detail brings the story to life, playing out in your mind like you are watching it on a screen. And I think this one would make for a fun movie.
I'm not sure if Flo has any other books about her [mis]adventures as a burglar, but I would definitely read about more of them!
Thank you to the author and Goddess Fish for providing me with a requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 21, 2021
I was provided a copy of this book for the purpose of review, The thoughts herein are my own.
Florence 'Flo' Palmer is intent on stealing a highly valued violin. There's a small hiccup in her plan as the owner of the violin catches her in the act. Rather than run from the situation, Flo decides to make the best of the situation by talking to the owner, hoping he will simply forgive her error in judgment. Turns out the violin she was attempting to steal was not the real deal but rather a copy. The real violin had already been stolen. After some conversation, the violinist convinces Flo to help him steal the original violin back.
The book is well written and held my attention from the very beginning. I enjoyed each of the little twists in the story. If there is any criticism that can be given regarding the story would be the fact that a famous concert violinist is someone who seems to have an endless supply of money.
I can say that I truly enjoyed the book overall.
Florence 'Flo' Palmer is intent on stealing a highly valued violin. There's a small hiccup in her plan as the owner of the violin catches her in the act. Rather than run from the situation, Flo decides to make the best of the situation by talking to the owner, hoping he will simply forgive her error in judgment. Turns out the violin she was attempting to steal was not the real deal but rather a copy. The real violin had already been stolen. After some conversation, the violinist convinces Flo to help him steal the original violin back.
The book is well written and held my attention from the very beginning. I enjoyed each of the little twists in the story. If there is any criticism that can be given regarding the story would be the fact that a famous concert violinist is someone who seems to have an endless supply of money.
I can say that I truly enjoyed the book overall.
March 7, 2021
***Please note: I was gifted a copy of this book in return for an honest review***
This book has such an original plot! I love books that try and do something different and Murder With Strings Attached does exactly that - it takes a character who should be an antagonist and makes her into a likable, interesting protagonist instead as she helps virtuoso Aaron Levy get back his precious violin that she was previously going to steal for herself. The book has a great set of characters who are all developed strongly, and it unusually uses a high proportion of dialogue to tell the story which actually works really well (a hard thing to do!). Great balance of action and humour and full of lots of exciting twists and turns.
You can read my full review here:
https://pagesplacesandplates.com/2021...
This book has such an original plot! I love books that try and do something different and Murder With Strings Attached does exactly that - it takes a character who should be an antagonist and makes her into a likable, interesting protagonist instead as she helps virtuoso Aaron Levy get back his precious violin that she was previously going to steal for herself. The book has a great set of characters who are all developed strongly, and it unusually uses a high proportion of dialogue to tell the story which actually works really well (a hard thing to do!). Great balance of action and humour and full of lots of exciting twists and turns.
You can read my full review here:
https://pagesplacesandplates.com/2021...
February 23, 2021
Florence (“Flo”) Palmer is a thief. She sneaks into the room of a concert violinist, Aaron Levy, to steal his priceless violin. The only problem is that it has already been stolen. But all may not be lost. Aaron makes a startling offer. He will hire her to steal his violin back!
In the process of looking for the violin, others also want it, and a murder results. Flo becomes the prime suspect, so now Aaron and she must solve the mystery, find the killer, clear her name, and then, if they have survived all of this, they must get the violin back! Is there a way to accomplish this without getting killed as well?
In the process of looking for the violin, others also want it, and a murder results. Flo becomes the prime suspect, so now Aaron and she must solve the mystery, find the killer, clear her name, and then, if they have survived all of this, they must get the violin back! Is there a way to accomplish this without getting killed as well?
March 20, 2021
Does it take a thief to know a thief? Sometimes people realize there is a much easier way to live the high life and turn to crime. That’s what Flo did but she sure never thought her “robbee” would become a robber too.
This is a fun and very easy to read mystery. Reading a book with the POV being the burglar is not new I am sure but most certainly makes it interesting here. Not just interesting, but as I’ve said, fun. I liked the humor, the bit of romance and the murder mystery all mixed together.
Mark Reutlinger has additional books published. His non-fiction reviews are as good as his fiction reviews. Check them out. https://amzn.to/3r6n9RQ
This is a fun and very easy to read mystery. Reading a book with the POV being the burglar is not new I am sure but most certainly makes it interesting here. Not just interesting, but as I’ve said, fun. I liked the humor, the bit of romance and the murder mystery all mixed together.
Mark Reutlinger has additional books published. His non-fiction reviews are as good as his fiction reviews. Check them out. https://amzn.to/3r6n9RQ
May 3, 2021
Thank you to #NetGalley for providing an opportunity to read this cozy mystery in exchange for an honest review. Murder with Strings Attached was an okay fun read. Not a murder mystery so much as a adventure / caper plot, the premise - an amatuer thief is hired by a famous violinist to retrieve his stolen violin - has so much potential, but there were moments when my interest waned throughout the story. However, all of the characters are likable and the heist plot was entertaining.
February 23, 2021
I was entertained. I liked the unique main character. Flo is a good person who has a bad career but she is really likable. I liked her friends as well. Her caper was really interesting. I liked the author ease of writing.
I received this arc from Booksprout and freely left this review.
I received this arc from Booksprout and freely left this review.
June 17, 2021
A fun caper with a unique premise and great characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous, engaging mystery. I was hooked from the beginning and anxious to see how it was all resolved. I was not disappointed!
March 7, 2021
A delightful read!
February 16, 2021
See my full review at https://novelsalive.com/2021/02/16/4-...
April 5, 2021
Although she once made a living cleaning hotel rooms, Florence Palmer has discovered that it is much more lucrative to make a living as a burglar. So when concert violinist Aaron Levy is in town, she decides to steal his violin and hold it for ransom. Unfortunately she discovers that someone has already stolen the violin and Aaron wants her to steal it back – with his help. Flo is used to working alone but Aaron is offering her a price she can’t resist.
“Murder with Strings Attached” is a nicely done mystery. I love the idea of a burglar being the main character although I would have liked a bit more details about some of Florence’s previous burglaries. Despite the lack of background, I really like Flo as a character – she is smart, resourceful, generally very good at what she does, a good friend, witty. I love her relationship with Arron – it is nicely done with just the right amount of humor. I also like her relationship with her friend Sara – the three make a great team. While there is a great deal of humor in the book there is also tension (it is ultimately a murder mystery) especially towards the end of the book as Flo and Aaron get closer to finding out what happened to his violin – in fact, there was so much tension that I stayed up past my bedtime just to see how it ended!
“Murder with Strings Attached” is a nicely done mystery. While it reads as a standalone book, I hope Flo, Aaron, and Sara appear in future books – they are great characters and I would love to read more about them.
“Murder with Strings Attached” is a nicely done mystery. I love the idea of a burglar being the main character although I would have liked a bit more details about some of Florence’s previous burglaries. Despite the lack of background, I really like Flo as a character – she is smart, resourceful, generally very good at what she does, a good friend, witty. I love her relationship with Arron – it is nicely done with just the right amount of humor. I also like her relationship with her friend Sara – the three make a great team. While there is a great deal of humor in the book there is also tension (it is ultimately a murder mystery) especially towards the end of the book as Flo and Aaron get closer to finding out what happened to his violin – in fact, there was so much tension that I stayed up past my bedtime just to see how it ended!
“Murder with Strings Attached” is a nicely done mystery. While it reads as a standalone book, I hope Flo, Aaron, and Sara appear in future books – they are great characters and I would love to read more about them.
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