Sharon MichaloveRezensionen

Suspenseful continuation of the Global Security Unlimited series!

At the Ready is the third book in author Sharon Michalove’s highly addictive Global Security Unlimited books and will be a definite winner with fans of the romantic suspense series. This tale is about partner Jean-Louis “JL” Martin and lawyer Michelle “Micki” Press and their uphill journey to a relationship.

Micki is a senior associate in her prestigious Chicago law firm, up for partner, and facing off against a rival attorney whose uncle is already an established partner. The competition to determine who becomes a partner is stacked against her from the start, and the firm is a genuine good ole boys club with the decision already made. I appreciated that this main character is a seasoned veteran of her craft, a middle-aged woman, but is realistically portrayed as still having professional and personal hopes and dreams.

JL is a protector with strong feelings for his family. He is pulled in several directions throughout the story, trying to take care of his mother, who’s facing a couple of personal challenges while keeping the new passion in his life, Micki, safe. Although I enjoyed the occasional sprinkling of French in the story, sometimes I couldn’t easily determine their meaning, and it got to be a little much for me. I could get the intent from the context. Those with a better command of the French language than I should have no problems.

The plot is intriguing, with two ex-love interests refusing to bow out of the picture voluntarily. While Micki’s former boyfriend, Sam, is eluding law enforcement to continue his harassment, JL’s former girlfriend, Angelique, worms her way into his mother’s good graces to get to him. Both of these storylines are excellent, and Sam’s ways and means of getting to Micki are creepy and baffling for the longest time. The resolution of this storyline was extremely satisfying.

With its engaging characters, great plot, and storylines that continue from the previous books, I recommend AT THE READY for all fans of the series.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

More of a romance than a mystery or suspense story.

The book started out well, but lost it’s way about 1/4 of the way through. It didn’t gain it’s footing until the last few chapters. I did like the way the author went back and forth between Bay’s and Greg’s point of view. There were several issues going on at once, and I felt like the author rushed through a lot of it just to have it resolved. More time spent on each issue would have gone a long way in making this a much better book.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions expressed are
my own.

Dead in the Alley is a combination mystery with a little romance thrown in. It starts out a bit slow. Once it gets going though it does keep you guessing about the murderer. I was certain I knew the killer, but it threw me for a loop.

Really enjoyed this book, would definitely recommend

This was a fantastic book there were a lot of twists and turns during the course of the book. I really like the way the characters were portrayed you could really visualize them. I would recommend this book if you love Murder mysteries.

#172. [Dead in the Alley], [[Sharon Michalove]]

The chef/owner went out in the alley for a smoke and to consider his problems and gets run over, again and again, by a motorcycle. When the police investigate they add drug trafficking to the case and are surprised to find no trace of money in the restaurant or the owner’s accounts. The suspects include his very surprised wife, kitchen workers, business associates, in-laws and friends.

The restaurant was opened in northern Michigan to get them away from the problems of running one in New York City. It was a success. The one problem that follows Bay, wife, co-owner, baker and in charge of the front of the restaurant, is her relationship with her family. Was she adopted? Why have her parents always treated her like an outsider? She and her husband moved back to her hometown to open their restaurant and her family is a thorn in her side. To the point that after the funeral she moves in with a girlfriend to escape them. She has no place of her own to go to thanks to her late husband.

To complicate matters one of the police officers investigating the case is a former high school sweetheart of Bay’s. It was a serious relationship until he became an international bike racing star and he ‘ghosted’ her. Something else for Bay to overcome.

The book moves quickly with each of the main characters, easily identified, contributing to the telling. I particularly liked this aspect of the book. However I think the author went overboard with all that he added, homosexuality, kidnapping by the evil villain who is losing control, the difficult family relationships, the secrets around Bay’s birth. Some of this would be fine but not all of it. Regardless I couldn’t put the book down!

I received this through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program.

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In Dead In The Alley, author Sharon Michalove transports the reader to Sherburne, Michigan for an intriguing Mystery / Romantic Suspense story that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.

Bay Bishop and her husband Derrick Anderson returned to her hometown of Sherburne, Michigan from NYC two years ago and opened up an upscale restaurant, Sherburne Bistro. But tragedy strikes when Derrick is murdered in the alley by a motorcyclist. The police consider it a killing-for-hire, and when drugs are found along with money issues, Bay finds herself one of the persons of interest in her husband's murder, and her whole world is turned completely upside down.

Detective Greg Musgrave works for the Adams County Narcotics Team, and is brought into the murder case when the drugs were found at the restaurant. But there is a problem, a conflict of interest, because Bay Bishop and he were high school sweethearts, and he ghosted her eighteen years ago for a professional bike racing career in Europe, which ended abruptly when he had an accident. Now Greg finds himself investigating the woman he had loved and left behind.

Bay is determined to clear her name and restart her life. Greg believes that Bay couldn't haven't murdered her husband, and he joins forces with Detective Lane Fairchild to investigate both the murder and drug trafficking ring. They are determined to put the puzzle pieces together and prove Bay's innocence before the killer places a target on her. And if that's not enough, Bay has always felt like an outsider within her family, and a discovery leads her to confront her parents about the truth of her birth.

Author Sharon Michalove weaves a slow-building and suspenseful tale written in the first person narrative that follows Bay, Greg, and Lane as they search for the truth behind the murder of Derrick, and embark on a dangerous cat-n-mouse game with someone who will do anything including targeting Bay in order to keep the truth hidden.

The reader will be easily drawn into this action-packed and well written story with its richly descriptive plot that will keep them guessing as secrets, possible motives, deceptions, and clues are uncovered during the search for the killer. Just when you think you know who is behind the murders, the author teases the reader with unexpected twists and turns that keeps them sitting on the edge of their seat until the surprise ending.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I loved the intertwining of an intriguing mystery full of suspense, and the angsty underlying attraction between Bay and Greg. You can't help but hope that they can regain trust in each other, and get a second chance at rebuilding the love that was thrown away in the past.

Dead In The Alley has enough drama, tension, action, dark secrets, a touch of romance, and unexpected twists and turns that will take the reader on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.

https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/08/dead-in-alley-by-sharon-micha...

Delightful setting and characters with a keep-you-guessing mystery!

Dead in the Alley was an entertaining mystery with a lovely second-chance romance with a plucky, deserving heroine in Bay Bishop. The setting is small-town Michigan, and the story has a culinary-themed foundation. The story is told from two points of view, that of Bay and Greg. However, the greater focus is on Bay, as she takes a lead role in solving the mystery and clearing her name. Deaths occur out of sight, and details are general, placing Dead in the Alley in the cozy mystery category. I loved the characters, the setting, and the whole vibe of the story, and with both main characters still having several irons in the fire, I hope the author is using the book as a jumping-off point for a new series.

Besides the highly likable main characters, there are quite a few secondary characters that really shone. In particular, I liked the two “wingmen” of the story: Terrie Sullivan and Danny Tellman. Their appearances in the story and subplot were usually fun, sometimes snarky, but always delightful. Dog lovers will enjoy Greg’s Portuguese Water Dog, Ace.

The mystery behind Bay’s husband’s murder had several good suspects. The author had me suspecting some characters that were eventually shown to have no part in the events at all: subtle and tricky.

With an attractive and tantalizing Fall setting in beautiful and comfortable small-town Michigan, likable and genuine characters, and a solid, kept-me-wondering mystery, I recommend DEAD IN THE ALLEY to cozy mystery readers especially those who enjoy a culinary-themed story.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Tours.