Murder Among Strangers

by Jonnie Jacobs

Book Overview

Kate Austen has always had a soft spot for people in trouble, but stopping to help stranded motorist Sheryl Ann Martin is a terrible mistake. With her dead husband in the trunk and her killer... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1575665409
• ISBN13: 9781575665405
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 378 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.4" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

loved this book

I've enjoyed this series, in part because I like Kate so much. This book is the best so far. It starts off with a bang when Kate is kidnapped, and my heart was pounding for pretty much the rest of the book. It is not a melodramatic, chase kind of book, however. Rather it explores what happens when an ordinary person inadvertenly falls into a bad situation. There are a number of threads (including chapters told from Kate's significant other's point of view), and they all tie up smoothly in the end.

An Enthralling Mystery!

Murder Among Strangers is a wonderful mystery! This book will keep you on the edge of your "sofa" as you read it. There is an underscored tension to this story. Kate and Michael's relationship has hit a new plateau. Also, in this book the reader gets to learn more about Michael. There is a tangled web of suspects (not to mention Kate!) to choose from. Miss Jacobs keeps the reader guessing until the very end. This book is the most suspenseful of all the Kate Austen mysteries. Thank you Miss Jacobs for a great read!

A fantstic Read

This is the best in an excellent series. The story begins when Kate stops to help a stranded motorist and ends up kidnapped. At first I thought this would be just another "woman in trouble, must escape" book, but it's not. Kate does escape, but her troubles aren't over by a long shot. Without spoiling the book, I'll just say that people doubt her story (including her significant other) and she is accused of murder. The story is as much about the effects of crime as crime itself. And I couldn't put it down. The narration switches between Kate (1st person) and her lover, who is a police detective (3rd person.) The author handles this so seamlessly, I barely noticed. One of the things I like best about this series are the characters - they are believable and real.

Murder Among Strangers

Jonnie Jacobs is a masterful writer who blends appealing, multi-faceted characters with page-turning suspense. While her previous Kate Austen books were delightful mysteries, this one brings the series to a new level of excitement with more plot twists than a reader would imagine possible. Any reader who thinks they know the extent of character Kate Austen's sleuthing talents, will appreciate again her strength and depth in every chapter as she finds herself in peril after peril. Love-interest Michael finds himself in peril on the job in this title, too. Anna and Libby continue to enhance the Kate Austen stories with their realistic personalities. Each Jacobs book tops the previous one, and I eagerly await the next one!

Couldn't put it down

This book is an interesting blend of police procedural, woman-in-jeopardy, and cozy -- and it works wonderfully. It's darker and more complex than the previous books in the series, which I've also enjoyed. The narrative alternates between Kate's narraton and that of Michael, her policeman S.O. This is skillfully done and adds rather than detracts from the story. Kate stops to help a young woman stranded by the road and discovers a body (the woman's husband) in the trunk. Just when Kate realizes she's made a mistake in stopping, the woman's boyfriend returns. They throw Kate into the trunk with plans to dispose of her along with the body. Just when I thought I knew where this was going (another ho-hum wom-jep), the story takes a twist (0ne of many) and Kate escapes, only to be later accused of murder herself. The book, particularly the first and last parts, radiate with suspense. I litterally couldn't stop reading