May 5, 2026

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Book Review: Blast from the Past

Book Title: Blast from the Past
Author: Lauren Carr
Publisher: 
Publisher Date: February 7, 2023 (7 Hours and 08 Mins, Audiobook)
Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Police Procedural,
Series: A Mac Faraday Mystery # 4
In this fourth mystery on Deep Creek Lake; Mac Faraday finds himself up to his eyeballs in mobsters and federal agents.

After an attempted hit ends badly with two of his men dead, mobster Tommy Cruze arrives in Spencer, Maryland, to personally supervise the execution of the witness responsible for putting him behind bars—Archie Monday!

Mac Faraday believes he has his work cut out for him in protecting his lady love from one of the most dangerous leaders in organized crime; but when bodies start dropping in his lakeshore resort town, things may be hotter than even he can handle.
Disclaimer: I received this book free from the author for an honest review. This is my honest review.
Want To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bam | Bookbub | 
Add To: Goodreads
We are intrigued by Katrinia, who is reading a Robin Spencer mystery and appears fully absorbed in the story. Suddenly, she either searches her home or reacts to a noise she thinks she hears, suggesting unease.

A bit later, we heard someone scream and witnessed two people physically attacking and beating a man.
At this point, questions arise: Who is this man being attacked? What are the two assailants doing?
Now, shifting back to the present day, we meet Mac, Gnarly, and Arthie. This first chapter certainly delivers action almost immediately.

Who is after Artchie and why? Why did they steal a police cruiser and act like officers? Archie does seem to know all the Spencer police officers.
We seem to have leaks. Murders are happening everywhere. Randy, an FBI agent, and Tom Cruz, who appears to be opposed to Arthie Monday [Kendra Douglas], are involved. Is that her real name? Arthie seems to be protected by friends and guards.

The tension builds: Will Tom reach her, or will the Spencer police intervene? What role will Mac play? Will he help solve the case and protect his love?

 

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Book Review: Shadows of the Missing

Book Title: Shadows of the Missing
Author: Lauren Carr
Publisher:  Independently Published
Publisher Date: May 5, 2026 (436 Pages, Ebook)
Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Murder Mystery,
Series: Chris Matheson Mystery #5
In the shadows of the missing, the truth lies buried.

Helen Clarke-Matheson believed she had escaped the shadows of her past, building a new life with Chris. But the past has a way of resurfacing, and when her sister arrives with a DNA test, Helen’s world is once again turned upside down. Her sister shattered the family history Helen believed to be true. Her young father hadn’t abandoned his family, and her delusional mother didn’t wander away from her children.

Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad, a quirky team of retired seasoned sleuths working under the guise of a book club, are drawn into a deeply personal investigation. They must wade through decades of buried secrets and conflicting accounts to uncover the truth behind the parents’ disappearances. As they peel back the layers of deception to unravel long-forgotten clues, they confront the lingering specter of murder and long-hidden crimes. Can they piece together the fragments of the past to bring closure to Helen and her siblings, or will the truth remain buried forever?
Disclaimer: I received this book as a member of her street team and a Detective Member. This is my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Want To Buy: Amazon | BH Publishing Group | Lifeway |
Add To: Goodreads / Join her Newsletter to read
Lauren Carr does it again. Pulling out all the stops for a hidden secret family disappearance. How the siblings react and what happened years later. This book brought tears to my eyes a few times. I love what a plot. I loved it. The plots, twists, and turns were always a surprise, keeping you guessing to the end.

We met Helen in her 5th-grade classroom as she waited for school to be out and had to go home with her mother and siblings.
We also meet Helen's best friend, Stacey. We know her mother pulled in, but did she return to take Helen and her siblings home?

We get a glance at Chris and a few helpers, including his daughters, by Nikki, who is helping out.
When Chris spots his wife after she pulls in, he is in the barn.
As they review the cold case Doris has received, they are looking up information. Just before dinner is ready. Somebody came up to the house, and it seems that they forgot to close the security gate.
Who could this person in the company be?

Kassie seems to drop by out of nowhere, and why? Why would she bring up her father or think she might have found him? Then bring up her mother's disappearance, and think she was abducted by someone named Pee Wee Herman?

The Geezer Squad gets more info and another cold case. Could Lady in Barrel be connected to two missing parents? Are Helen's parents another cold case unrelated to the one the Geezer Squad is working on? Or is it?

 
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