Murder List: A Novel (Buchanan-Renard)

This is the first book by Julie Garwood that I have read. I picked the book because of the title. The first part of the book was indeed a mystery/suspense book but then it turned into a romance novel and then a mystery book at the end. I had a very difficult time putting the book down and will definately buy more of her books. I was not disappointed that the book went back and forth between mystery/suspense and romance.

What a great concept for a thriller! The murder list makes the book more exciting as we wait for people to die. Garwood gives us what we expect from her in terms of interesting characters and romance, so fans will not be disappointed. She's made the transition from historical romance to contemporary thriller quite easily - though I would love to see another historical from her.

I haven't read that many earlier Julie Garwood novels, so I have no opinion on whether this novel is better or worse than some of her historical ones. I think this book is as good as Mercy, one of her newer romantic suspense ventures, and I thoroughly enjoyed her excellent characterizations and plot line. This is an interesting and skillfully told story, with an intriguing premise. Personally, I found the book to be very satisfying. Be forewarned, though, that the mystery/suspense angle of the story is stronger than the romantic part, and that may disappoint some readers.

Being a first time reader of Julie Garwood's books, I thought that this novel was both interesting and captivating, as well as exciting and romantic. The main character has a definite dramatic silly side to her, which most girls can relate to! Unlike many others reviewing this book, I haven't read Garwood's historical romances, so I am not sure how it compares to those. However, if one preferred historical romances, I can understand why they would give this book a poor review. It is exciting and modern and takes place in a very cosmopolitan setting. My preferred reading material is either murder mysteries or modern and light-hearted, bordering on funny, romances. This book did a great job fulfilling both my criteria for a good book and I would recommend it to anyone with similar interests. The characters have great, distinctive personalities, there are a lot of places where the killer could be hiding, the main character has an amusing family, and last but not least, the hero is enough to make a woman weak in the knees... at least if you have as active of an imagination as I do. I hope others have the pleasure of reading this book, and base its merit on what it is, not what the author's past books have been.

I love Julie's historical romance and it took awhile before I adapted to her romantic suspense writing. I found 'Murder List' to be an enjoyable read and not 100% perdictable in the suspense areas. The friendships and characteristics of the characters where enjoyable and the dialog is always my favorite part of any book. It is fun to not have a perfect heroine but one who developes and grows throughout the book. If you like "Killjoy" by Garwood you should like this one!