For Better, for Murder

Lisa Bork's new series character, Jolene Asdale, is complex and well-drawn. She's not just dealing with the body of an ex-boyfriend in her Ferrari. She's still in love with her almost-ex husband, the officer investigating the murder. Her bipolar sister escaped the psych center and is possibly robbing convenience stores with a sociopath. If all that wasn't enough, a hoodlum from Arizona kidnaps Jolene from the funeral home and leaves her in a ditch like roadkill. For Better, For Murder is witty, and, at times, sad. The mystery is well-plotted, and the personal storyline satisfying. I look forward to returning to Wachobe to find out what happens next in For Richer, For Danger, the next Broken Vows mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. I nice who-done-it mystery. I have already recommended it to friends.

If you like interesting, full-blown characters in a mystery, this debut novel will not disappoint. Jolene Asdale has a lot to work out: she carries heavy baggage from childhood, including a bipolar sister for whom she feels responsible, and she needs to figure out her feelings toward a husband she left but can't quite divorce. The small town setting allows Bork to create a web of relationships among her characters that comes into play when a dead body turns up in a Ferrari on display in Jolene's sports car boutique. Just enough is worked out in this first book, leaving plenty of room for more character-driven drama in subsequent books in this new series. Bork's writing is smooth, her pace brisk, her characters memorable, making for a very satisfying read.

Tired of the Patricia Cornwell formula? Try this book. Breezy and wittily written! Suspenseful, funny, and full of well-defined characters. I had a little trouble juggling the number of characters, but the story never lags, and the culprit was a complete surprise to me!! Great book for a first-time-published author. Will there be more, maybe a series?

For Better, For Murder was a page-turner to the end. The light of suspicion shines on about every character in this small-town holiday mystery. A classic whodunit, yet with a bit of romance, family dynamics, and holiday cheer(?). The relationships between the characters are very well-developed and intricate, as are their motives for murder. The author's tongue-in-cheek humor is scattered throughout the pages, especially in Jolene's view of herself and her ex. I can't wait for the next "Broken Vows Mystery."