Death Makes the Cut (Jocelyn Shore Mystery, #2)

by Janice Hamrick

The first bell of the school year hasn't yet rung and Jocelyn Shore is already at the scene of a murder. Friend and fellow teacher Fred Argus has been found dead on campus, and it isn't long before Austin Police Detective Colin Gallagher uncovers evidence that Fred may have been selling drugs. Shocked by her loss and the insinuation that Fred got what he deserved, Jocelyn starts asking questions that make everyone uneasy. And with the school serving as the setting for a big-time director's latest film, her investigation couldn't come at a worse time. But it's only when Jocelyn is attacked while on set that she realizes someone is determined to make sure that whatever secrets are hidden behind Fred's death stay hidden.

• ISBN10: 125000554X
• ISBN13: 9781250005540
• Publish Date: 17 July 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 December 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Minotaur Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

I wasn't sure I'd read this one, after reading Death on Tour, the first in the series. It was good, but it didn't really grab me and I found it hard to get excited about the characters. I especially had an issue with Jocelyn's cousin Kyla. So Death Makes the Cut sat on my TBR pile for quite some time before I made myself pick it up today. I'm awfully glad I did - a great improvement in my opinion! Kyla still has moments of shallowness, but she's *much* more likeable and it's now more evident why she's Jocelyn's best friend as well as family. The story line is also greatly enhanced by the introduction of Detective Colin - a romantic interest a person can get excited about! I know Alan is everything that is good and right in a man, but he didn't seem to have that spark of machismo that makes the love interest in these books so interesting. Having said that, I hope this is NOT the beginning of some silly love triangle that is only going to piss me off and turn me off the books.

The murder plot was well done - the suspects are all obvious, but it's never clear exactly who the murderer is until the end. I was pretty sure I knew, but never ready to say "X did it!" definitively. And I wouldn't have been totally correct anyway.

Overall, this book was a lot of fun to read, it kept my attention thoroughly, and I cared very much about how it ended and what happened to the characters. I'm looking forward to the next book.