As always, let me know if you have read any of these books and (if you did) what you thought of them.
Books I Read:
Free Kindle PurchaseKU PurchaseARC from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s GriffinARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, BantamARC from Sourcebooks CasablancaARC from St. Martin’s PressARC from St. Martin’s PressFree Kindle PurchaseKU PurchaseFree Kindle PurchaseKindle PurchaseARC from St. Martin’s Press and St. Martin’s GriffinKindle PurchaseKindle PurchaseFree Kindle PurchaseKU PurchaseKindle PurchaseNon-ARC from authorARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine BooksARC from AuthorARC from Crooked Lane BooksARC from Sourcebooks CasablancaKU PurchaseFree Kindle PurchaseFree Kindle PurchaseARC from Crooked Lane BooksARC from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine BooksARC from Shivnath Productions, IBPA, and Member’s TitlesARC from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur BooksNon-ARC from authorFree Kindle PurchaseKU Purchase
Books I got from NetGalley:
Invite from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s GriffinInvite from Random House Publishing Group – Random House, Random HouseWish granted by Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del ReyInvite from St. Martin’s PressSelection from Minotaur Influencer ProgramWished granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Delacorte PressRead Now from St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur BooksRead Now from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s GriffinRead Now from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s GriffinRead Now from St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s GriffinInvite from St. Martin’s Press Influencer ProgramInvite from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur BooksWish granted from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey
Books I got from Authors/Indie Publishers:
ARC from Novel CauseARC from authorNon-ARC from authorNon-ARC from AuthorNon-ARC from author
Buzzword Reading Challenge 2023 (Flavour-related words: Must have flavour/herb/spice related words in the title: salter, pepper, dill, ginger, mango, vanilla, lemon…etc)—The Saltwater Marathon
2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge (with a word such as rabbit, bunny, hare to honor Chinese Year of the Rabbit. Title should include at least one of those words)—Killer Rabbits
The StoryGraph’s Onboarding Reading Challenge 2023 (Read a book in your least read format or genre)—Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (Go to page 34, line 6 of the book you just read. How many words are there in that line? Divide that number by 3. That’s the amount of words the title of your next book should be): Modern Girl’s Guide to Vacation Flings by Gina Drayer
Beat the Backlist 2023 (meant to read it last year): Prepared by Courtney Konstantin
The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge 2023 (A children’s book you never read as a kid): Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 (A book with a mythical creature): Hereditary by Jane Washington
2023 TBR Toppler (The last book in a series): Ten Thousand Truths by Kelli Washington
Books I bought*:
*Normally, there won’t be a lot of books on here. But I am going through my Goodreads shelves and downloading any free books I am coming across from books already shelved (as well as adding books that are in the same series). This is an ongoing project, and I should be done by September (yes, I have that many books).
Pat is hired by attorney Jason Forman to “get some dirt” on his daughter’s fiancé. Before she gets very far in her investigation, the young man is murdered. Did his past catch up with him or is what Pat fears, that there’s a serial shooter going after Christmas Eve grooms, the reason he was killed? Pat and her fiancé, Detective Sergeant Tim Lindsey, are planning a Christmas Eve wedding which means, if she’s right, he’s on the shooter’s hit list.
First Line
Except for her black pencil skirt and the leopard briefcase she shouldered, Pat was dressed entirely in green clothing that matched the center emerald in her new engagement ring.
Dearly Beloved Departed by Nancy Lynn Jarvis
When Pat is hired by her former work colleague to get some dirt on his daughter’s new fiance, she doesn’t expect him to rush out of his office after she presents him with what he wants or what happens. She was shocked to find out that he and the fiance had been involved in a shooting, which left the fiance dead and the attorney injured. Busy preparing for her Christmas Eve wedding, Pat starts worrying when grooms on a popular wedding planner app start getting shot at. The tie-in; they were all getting married on Christmas Eve. Pat can’t help but wonder if everything is related to the first shooting where her client was injured, and his daughter’s fiance was killed. Who is shooting the Christmas Eve grooms? What is their motive? Will Pat and her fiance make it through their wedding unharmed?
Dearly Beloved Departed is the fourth book in the PIP Inc series. Readers can read this book as a standalone, but I suggest reading books 1-3 before picking this one up. I wish I had done that because I was lost on how some relationships were started and how Pat met her fiance.
The main storyline of Dearly Beloved Departed was very twisty. The book focused on Pat and her investigation into Emigido (Devon) Sanders, Jason Foreman, Julie Foreman, and the other shootings. The author did an excellent job keeping me on edge about everything. I had zero clue who killed Emigido and who was doing the other shootings until almost the end of the book. I was with most of the characters in suspecting someone they had already had in custody. But, as I said above, it was twisty, and I did lose track of the plotline a few times. I was able to get back on track after rereading the last chapter I was on, but still. It stunk, and I wasn’t a fan of it.
I liked the characters in Dearly Beloved Departed. Pat was the one who stood out to me the most. She did an excellent investigation into Emigido while he was alive and used that skill to dig around his case. I liked that she immediately shared what she found with the police. That was a huge point I disagreed with in a couple of other mysteries; the main character didn’t turn over evidence immediately.
The mystery angle of Dearly Beloved Departed was well written (and twisty, see above). The author kept me guessing who killed Emigido and who was shooting the grooms. I thought they were two separate people until she brought them together in the last half of the book. She threw out red herrings left and right, making me suspect people I may not have.
The end of Dearly Beloved Departed was enjoyable. I liked that the author brought together the two storylines, merged them, and then solved the mystery. I was shocked at who it ended up being. In hindsight, looking back, I should have known, and I did kick myself after I was done reading.
I recommend Dearly Beloved Departed to anyone over 16. It is a clean book with no sex or sexual situations. There is mild violence and mild language.
Many thanks to Nancy Lyn Jarvis for allowing me to read and review Dearly Beloved Departed. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
If you enjoyed reading this review of Dearly Beloved Departed, you will enjoy these books:
2023 Monthly Themes (Continue a series or reread an author already read this year): Claim My Baby—Finished 3-31-23
Romanceopoly 2023! (Read a book where the main character works at or owns a bar)-About Love—Finished 4-1-23
Buzzword Reading Challenge 2023 (words in the title related to emotions, from happy to sad, smile to frown, pride to rage)—P.S. I Hate You—Finished 4-3-23
2023 Sami Parker Reads Title Challenge (a book with one of these words in the title: Sunny, Bright, Cloud or Rain): Brightest Shadow—Finished 4-6-2023
Cover Scavenger Hunt 2023 (a flower): A Spirited Manor—Finished 4-7-2023
The StoryGraph’s OnBoarding Reading Challenge 2023 (read one of the first 10 books you added to your to-read pile): The Night Swim—Finished 4-8-2023
The StoryGraph Reads the World 2023 (Italy): Find Me—Finished 4-10-2023
The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge (a biography about someone you don’t know much about): Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot—Finished 4-11-2023
Beat the Backlist 2023 (take place primarily in winter or a cold region): Tainted—Finished 4-19-2023
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (go to the acknowledgments of the last book you read for this prompt. What name did you first see? Find a book written by an author with that name): Frost Burn—Finished 4-20-2023
Scavenger Hunt (Book I found that day): Delicate Ink—Finished 4-20-2023
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 (a book by a first time author): The Fifth Floor—Finished 4-21-23
2023 TBR Toppler (continue a series): Ten Thousand Lies—Finished 4-22-23
2023 Reading Challenge (book that has been on my TBR for the longest time): Purple Death—Finished 4-23-23
2023 ABC Challenge (D): Descendants—Carrying over to May
2023 TBR Prompts (A BookTok Favorite): The Song of Achilles—Carrying over to May
The StoryGraph’s Onboarding Reading Challenge (read a book from your StoryGraph recommendations)—Beautiful Demons—Finished 3-10-2023
The StoryGraph Reads the World (Cuba)—Of Women and Salt—Finished 3-12-2023
The StoryGraph’s Genre Challenge (a sapphic romance)—She Who Became the Sun—Finished 3-22-2023
Beat the Backlist 2023 (about dragons or robots)—The Glow of the Dragon’s Heart—Finished 3-22-2023
Scavenger Hunt TBR Book Challenge (what is the most common letter in the title of the last book you read for this challenge. Find a book with a title that starts with that letter)—Even the Moon has Scars—Finished 3-23-2023
Scavenger Hunt (the prettiest book in your TBR)—The Watchmaker’s Daughter—Finished 3-23-2023
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2023 (A book about a vacation)—The Swap—Finished 3-24-2023
2023 TBR Toppler (the first book in a series)—The Last Artifact—Finished 3-26-23
2023 Monthly Themes (March of the Memoirs)—In the Dream House—Finished 3-1-23
2023 Reading Challenge (A book in a series you already started)—Catching Fire—Finished 3-27-23
