Monday, July 22, 2013

The Murders at Astaire Castle (A Mac Faraday Mystery) by Lauren Carr


4 STARS

Last night I was wanting something to read a short story so I would not be tempted to stay up reading, when my kindle showed me there was a new Mac Faraday Mystery out. So of course I downloaded it and got it free on Amazon lending prime. So I stayed up late reading.

The Murders at Astaire Castle is good. Did not want to stop reading. It is a little bit different from the other books in the series. The characters show a little bit different side. At least David and Gnarly do.

The plot has some surprising twists in it. Mac finds out that he owns a haunted castle. David and Jeff don't want to talk about it. David even threatens Mac that he will shoot him. Hector is willing to spill all the murders and missing people to Mac and Archie. Of course they want to check it out for themselves.

Hector and Mac are going up there. David talked Mac out of letting Archie go with them. David ends up going with them to check out the castle.
David had a party their with college age friends and his one friend disappeared. It was Halloween and Riley Adams disappeared wearing a werewolf costume.

Years later there were two more murders and a missing author and the witness claimed to see a wolfman running away into the woods. After that Robyn had the castle boarded up. Archie did not even know of its existence.

Mac does not believe in haunted houses or ghosts. He finds answers to some of the mysteries. Mac and Archie are still a couple living together. Mac net worth has kept increasing, but he can't help not getting involved in solving murders.

David still has a troubled love life. His most recent one left to join FBI. But old high school girlfriend he hurt is back in town bring old emotions with her. He does not like going to the castle and if he dies there he is blaming Mac.

Gnarly gets scared, finds a new love in Molly. Everyone likes Molly and compares her good behavior against Gnarly's bad habits. I like Gnarly would not like to own him though.

I liked the Murders at Astaire Castle and I would have been tempted to see it but I don't think I would go inside it with only a couple of flashlights. Can't wait for the next book of Lauren's to come out.

Publisher: Acorn Book Services (July 18, 2013) 249 pages ASIN: B00E1IVPB0

Description below taken off of Goodreads.

Never tell Mac Faraday not to do something.

Spencer’s police chief, David O’Callaghan, learns this lesson the hard way when he orders Mac Faraday to stay away from the south end of Spencer’s mountaintop—even though he owns the property. It doesn’t take long for Mac to find out what lies on the other side of the stone wall and locked gate, on which hangs a sign warning visitors to Keep Out!

Topping the list of the ten most haunted places in America, Astaire Castle is associated with two suicides, three mysterious disappearances, and four murders since it was built almost a century ago—and Mac Faraday owns it!

In spite of David’s warning, Mac can’t resist unlocking the gate to see the castle that supposedly hasn’t seen a living soul since his late mother had ordered it closed up after the double homicide and disappearance of Damian Wagner, a world-famous master of horror novels.

What starts out as a quick tour of a dusty old castle turns into another Mac Faraday adventure when Astaire Castle becomes the scene of even more murders. Mac is going to need to put all of his investigative talents to work to sort out this case that involves the strangest characters he has run into yet—including a wolf man. No, we’re not talking about Gnarly.

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