Death & the Redheaded Woman (Auction Block Mystery, #1)

by Loretta Ross

When auctioneer Wren Morgan begins cataloging the contents of the Campbell mansion, she's unprepared to find something that can't be appraised - a dead man. When the body turns out to be a criminal with ties to a recent jewel heist, Wren meets Death Bogart, a private eye and part-time bounty hunter. Death is searching for the stolen jewels needed to convict a murderer. Death finds a friend and willing ally in Wren, but they aren't the only ones searching for treasure. Two ruthless men are also on the hunt, and they will do anything to eliminate the competition. To survive, Death and Wren must solve two mysteries spanning a century and a half and outwit a pair of cold-blooded killers.

• ISBN10: 0738743933
• ISBN13: 9780738743936
• Publish Date: 8 February 2015
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 2 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Midnight Ink
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 264
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Some tales lend themselves perfectly to audio and DEATH AND THE REDHEADED WOMAN narrated by the lovely Amanda Ronconi was just such a story. I devoured all seven hours and nineteen minutes of this in a single day. I laughed, swooned and was caught up in the search for hidden treasure.

Wren Morgan is cataloging the Campell estate when she discovers a naked dead man. Death Bogart a former Marine, recently discharged after suffering injuries in Afganasitain. Recover has left him divorced, broke and beginning a new career. He possesses both a private-eye and bounty hunter license and has taken on his first case. Death is looking for stolen jewels to catch a murderer, and it leads him to the Campbell mansion.

Wren and Death (gads I love his name, pronounced Deeth) end up working together. Things get complicated between them. Things like kisses and break-ins.

I loved the cast of characters particularly Wren and Death. Wren is bright and sweet. She is the total girl next store. The one who makes you soup when your sick and water your plants. She was level-headed, often said what she thought and tried to salvage things. Death was scrumptious, clever and quite the detective. I honestly expected Wren to be the one to pick up clues and solve things, but Death is the total package.

The mystery was clever and kept me guessing until almost the very end. It felt plausible, and I liked that both mysteries were solved. Ross did a great job creating suspense and suspicion with plenty of evil villains to loathe and point fingers at.

The romance was light, with a smidgeon of heat and plenty of laughter. Their connection and interactions felt genuine and had me smiling.

Secondary characters and the town all added to the tale from progress with the storyline to humor. Ross gave us a real sense of the town and people allowing the reader to take part in the story.

This was my first experience with narrator Amanda Ronconi, and I found her to be delightful to the ears. She handled both male and female voices seamlessly and captured Wren and Death.

Audio provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer