Review: A Deadly Business by Lis Wiehl

A Deadly Business is the second novel written by Lis Wiehl featuring Mia Quinn. She is a prosecutor for Seattle's Violent Crimes Unit. The story continues her life after the possible suicide of her husband who left her with two children and massive debts. Mia constantly finds herself balancing life as a full-time prosecutor and mother but often feels that she is drowning under the weight of it all.

Mia's latest case involves three teens who perform a vicious act of reckless disregard towards a woman who couldn't have been less deserving. She consistently goes back and forth with the decision to charge them as adults or not. Meanwhile, after the insistence of Charlie, a detective she may or not have feelings for, she discovers her husband may have in fact been murdered.

The most interesting part of this followup to A Matter of Trust for me is the unveiling of Mia's husbands' mysterious death. Although some of the revelations are obvious, Wiehl had me eating out of the palm of her hand as the pieces of his life were falling into place. 

Once again, Lis Wiehl writes a rapidly moving, suspense thriller that just piles on the "whoa" moments. A lot was packed into this short novel. I imagine most reading this novel will wonder how they got to the end so fast. Never once did Wiehl allow me to come up for air.

A Deadly Business, as mentioned before, is a great followup to A Matter of Trust and proves to fans that this series is worth investing in. After reading my third novel by this author, I think it's safe to say I'm a fan. Her books just keep getting better.   ***

Copy provided by Thomas Nelson via Netgalley

Review: Snapshot by Lis Wiehl

Snapshot by Lis Wiehl is the second book I've read by this author. FBI agent James Waldren is determined to make right his past failings. He is thrown into action once the date of execution for an innocent man accused of killing a civil rights activist in 1965, closes in. He enlists the help of his daughter, federal prosecutor, Lisa Waldren. They've been estranged for some years so she's less than enthusiastic about helping. 

James sends Lisa a photo of her when she was young. The picture was taken the day of the assassination when a black civil rights activist was shot during a rally. This photo was taken of Lisa and another black child the moment of his death. James is hoping to find that other girl, now a woman, because he thinks she may have seen the killer. Ultimately, this probing into the past makes the present very dangerous for Lisa and her father. There is someone who doesn't want the truth of what happened to ever surface.

Much of this Snapshot centers around race relations. There isn't one opportunity missed where someone's race didn't matter. Lisa visits a black church and the first person to talk to her mentions her race as being the reason why she was noticed. I don't know if that is a southern thing but I've been to my fair share of black churches with few whites in the crowd, but I've never heard anyone say "oh! I noticed you because you're white!" Just the same I don't think a black person going to a predominately white church would expect that they are noticed because of them being black. I'm sorry but I had to get that off my chest. It was just weird to me to be reading it. I'm sure it may happen... maybe... but...

Back on subject after the last rant, this book deals a lot with race relations during the 60s. James paints the picture of that time in American history being one of the most tumultuous periods to live in. With the assassination of the Kennedy's, Dr. King, and the looming crisis with other countries, no one trusted anyone. Lis Wiehl also brings to surface that many past prejudices don't die easy.

Snapshot explores other relations besides race. James and Lisa have been estranged for some years and that tension is thick. They are both really well drawn characters. James battles his guilt of not being a better father and essentially doesn't really know how to change that. Lisa struggles with accepting her father's failures and forgiving him not realizing that this burden hinders her own personal growth. She's a workaholic with no life outside of her friend Drew. James and Lisa are what kept me interested in this novel. 

I don't have any gripes with Snapshot besides the above rant. It's fast paced, interesting, and a good light mystery. There's nothing better to root for than seeing justice done and making what's wrong right. I look forward to reading more Lis Wiehl novels. She hasn't let me down yet. ***

Review of A Matter of Trust by Lis Wiehl

I have completed reading the first book I've read by this author Lis Wiehl, A Matter of Trust.  This novel is a fast paced thriller mystery that I found to be pretty interesting. After the death of her husband, Mia Quinn is thrust back into her role as a prosecutor in an effort to support her family. Massive debts and the constant struggle between work and her two children is more than enough reason for Mia to be overwhelmed as if it weren't enough, her good friend Colleen is murdered while they are on the phone. Stunned, she listened to the sound of death.

Mia is back in the saddle investigating the death of her close friend as well as Colleen's case. Colleen was working on a case of teenagers who bullied a fellow classmate to the point where it's criminal. It's obvious that both cases hit home for Mia since her son Gabe is around the same age as the dearly departed and of course the other involves her friend. There's actually a lot of death that Mia deals with around her but she is strong and passes each obstacle in a real and believeable manner. I think she's a great character and I'm sure the future novels featuring her will go deeper into her character.

What I liked most about this read was the plot twists and turns. I thought I had her love interest figured out but I didn't. For that I am happy- whew! There were actually a few things I didn't see coming which I really appreciate because I read a lot of mysteries but when they start becoming too obvious, the thrill is gone for me. Wiehl also throws in a lot of information that makes it obvious to the reader that she knows what she's talking about. Information such as how to read a witness, police procedurals, and other investigative techniques.

Although Mia is a well-developed character that I believe we've only scratched the surface with her. Her storyline so far is pretty intense and I don't think this book goes into her grief for the death of her husband the way it could have. That may be something the author is waiting on jumping into especially since I find there are many things left wide open regarding his death and other circumstances. One other thing that really had me a little frustrated was that this book had so many discussion worthy topics mentioned such as gun control, cyber-bullying, miscarraiges of justice, and death but never really focused on either in great detail.

In conclusion, this was a great way to introduce a new series character.  The writing was good, the characters all interesting, and there were enough holes (not the bad type) left to be filled with future installments. This author's fans will not be disappointed.*** 

A Matter of Staying On Schedule

I wish I were able to begin today saying that I have finished A Matter of Trust by Lis Wiehl but I haven't. I'm actually exactly at the 50% mark so what have we learned so far? Mia Quinn is back in the saddle after having lost her husband in a bad car crash. Not only is she dealing with being a newly single mother, one of her good friends Collen, also a prosecutor, has been killed while they were on the phone together. Talk about things happening all at once and turning life on its head.

Mia slowly starts to unravel layers of her husband's life that she wasn't privy to before his death and as if that isn't enough, her relationship with her son is on the fritz. He's the typical fourteen year old who just wants to fit in with the guys on his football team. He's actually pretty annoying and I find that most authors write teenagers to be the most formulaic people ever. I am always thankful when the teen isn't a brat or actually cares about things in the world besides having friends or disagreeing with their parents. I remember high school being the biggest thing in the world while I was there and it usually is in every teens life, but I find it hard to believe that these cliches are still needed in every novel. Especially when that character could be so much more after having lost a parent and should really be going through a healing process instead of worrying so much about what others think of them. These teens are sadly introduced to the reality that popularity and acceptance are not everything when death can tragically come knocking.

Wiehl has also provided us with Charlie, a handsome officer that loathes Mia yet finds her to be fascinating. I assume he will be the love interest in this novel since there is supposed to be so many things that annoy him about her and vise versa. Conviently, Charlie and Mia and forced together by investing her friend's murder and how it may or may not be linked to similar murder of a prosecuter from the same office. The idea that maybe it's hunting season on prosecutor's is what it seems but I don't have enough information yet to know if that's the case. Charlie is also helping Mia to investigate the case that Colleen was working on before her death. That is actually a pretty interesting case involving a high school student who was taunted so much he decides to commit suicide.

Overall this novel is a quick read for those who love mystery crime novels. It's obvious that Wiehl knows what she's doing. There are various nuggets of information and techniques used when interrogating witnesses and police procedurals.  From what I gather this is the debut of Mia Quinn's series so I doubt she will die at the end of the novel but I am interested in finding out where all these plot twists are leading. Although there are many aspects of this novel that I see as being obvious to savy readers like me (hee-hee) it doesn't stop me from reading on. I hope the second half of this novel is as captivating as the first.

A Matter of Trust by Lis Wiehl

I end work today by starting A Matter of Trust by Lis Wiehl. I figured after my last read it was appropriate to get back to thrills, chills and all that good stuff. I haven't read any of Wiehl's other novels but I'm happy to dive right in. There also seems to be a co-author named April Henry who also writes mysteries and thrillers so I'm happy to see how two minds make this novel work... or not work.

Synopsis:  It all starts with a phone call from the dead.


Mia Quinn is on the phone with Colleen, her best friend and coworker, when the unthinkable happens: she hears the sound of a gunshot. And Colleen's death is an eerie echo of the murder of another Seattle prosecutor who was also gunned down at home four years earlier.

Mia’s life has already been turned upside down by the recent death of her husband. Now a single parent to a teenager and a toddler, she is struggling to hold on to their house. Meanwhile, her son has turned moody and secretive, and her daughter is suffering from mysterious nightmares.

When the DA asks her to head up the investigation into Colleen’s death and its connections to the earlier murder, Mia agrees—if he’ll also let her investigate the suicide of a teenager who may have been bullied to death. Partnered with irascible homicide detective Charlie Carlson, Mia finds that many people could have wanted Colleen dead, including people in Mia's life she thought she could trust.

As Mia races to figure out who gunned down Colleen in cold blood, she uncovers more secrets than she bargained for. Has she been wrong to trust those closest to her?