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

About this book: (from the publisher) 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 10 top 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.

About the author: Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries. The twelfth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series, Candidate for Murder was released June 2016.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, son, and four dogs (including the real Gnarly) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with Lauren: Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook

Genre: Fiction/Mystery

If this book were a movie, I would rate it: PG-13 for occasional, mild profanity and non-explicit sexual situations.

[Tweet “#MacFaraday murder #mystery just right 4 Halloween @TheMysteryLadie @iReadBookTours #giveaway”]

Reflection: I’m a bit tardy to this party, but I see now why audiobooks have become such a hit. They’re good company for times when your hands are occupied but your mind otherwise free. I thank Lauren Carr and The Murders at Astaire Castle for providing me with 8+ hours of eerie entertainment these past few weeks.

My kudos have to begin with the narrator — in this case, Dan Lawson. He did a superb job bringing Lauren Carr’s words to life, his voice and intonation pleasing to the ear, with an impressive array of accents in his repertoire. All of which was so helpful in keeping the cast of characters sorted.

And quite a large cast to sort, it was. Lots of people introduced in the beginning chapters — a tad confusing at times (and would surely have been easier had I read any of the previous Mac Faraday mysteries; this was #5), but I never let this trouble me. I assumed it would all get sorted eventually, which it did. I didn’t feel I missed anything important.

I especially enjoyed the author’s hand at developing creepy atmosphere with a touch of the supernatural — so deliciously well-suited as we settle into the darker days of fall. While the characters tended to range from familiar to cliché, this didn’t trouble me either. There were enough surprises to keep me engaged, and to be honest, I simply enjoyed being along for the ride.

Not perfect but pleasant company with a satisfying ending that made me rather sorry my entertainment had come to an end.

Thanks to iRead Book Tours for providing me this audiobook free of charge. All opinions are mine. 

Buy the Book:   Amazon  ~  Audible

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