Library Edition ISBN 978-1-935722-91-5 $25.00
eBook Edition ISBN 978-1-935722-79-4 $7.95
November 2018
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Synopsis Dallas attorney Stan Turner hates criminal law but has a propensity for attracting murder cases anyway. So, it's no big surprise when a simple attorney-ad-litem appointment in family court evolves into a complex murder defense.
Melody Monroe, a delightful teenager with ambitions to be a gymnast, loses her parents in a tragic auto accident. She is devastated and falls into a deep depression. Without any relatives to take her in, she ends up with Child Protective Services. Due to what CPS considers to be her bad attitude, they have difficulty placing her with a permanent foster family until Frank and Marjorie Monroe come along. They are a middle-aged couple who want a child but don’t want the hassle of raising one who is very young, so Melody is a perfect fit.
Unfortunately, Melody soon finds out Frank is an alcoholic and often beats Marjorie up. And, it also becomes apparent that her new parents each have their own agendas, so she often finds herself caught in the middle of their bickering. Frank, too, has an un-fatherly interest in Melody which is rather unsettling.
Before long, Melody learns that Frank and his sister Natalie are beneficiaries of the Monroe Trust which owns a ranch worth millions of dollars. The two hate each other, and as the date draws near for the final release of the trust restriction on selling the ranch, Frank is found dead behind the wheel of his Ford Ranger. When Melody is charged with his murder she begs Stan to defend her.
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November 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A Texas attorney defends a 16-year-old cheerleader accused of patricide.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery.
November 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A Texas attorney defends a 16-year-old cheerleader accused of patricide.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery.
November 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A Texas attorney defends a 16-year-old cheerleader accused of patricide.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery.
November 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW - Kirkus Reviews
"A Texas attorney defends a 16-year-old cheerleader accused of patricide.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery."
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November 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A Texas attorney defends a 16-year-old cheerleader accused of patricide.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery.
November 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A Texas attorney defends a 16-year-old cheerleader accused of patricide.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery.
November 28, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A Texas attorney defends a 16-year-old cheerleader accused of patricide.
This 12th installment of Manchee’s (Deadly Dining, 2014, etc.) mystery series boomerangs to near the beginning of Stan Turner’s legal career in the early 1980s, when he worked as a solo litigator. Stan goes to court for a restraining order that Marjorie Monroe filed to keep her alcoholic husband, Frank, a successful real estate developer, away from their adoptive teenage daughter, Melody. Frank allegedly injured the girl during a fight he was having with Marjorie, who wants to leave him. Before divorce papers can be served to Frank, he ends up dead in his garage, but not from carbon monoxide, as was first assumed. Someone switched Frank’s blood thinner medication, which resulted in his death. Arrows point to Melody, the heir to Frank’s fortune. Marjorie also had motive and opportunity, as did Frank’s sister, Natalie, who barely tolerated him and with whom he shared a multimillion-dollar trust. Frank also recently screwed over the head of a rival building company. After Melody is charged with the killing, Stan agrees to represent her, despite his limited experience defending murder suspects. This thriller succeeds far better than the previous book in the series, in large part due to the concentration on a single case—although not a singular murder. The author’s experience as an attorney helps make the trial scenes both realistic and tense. But too much of the tale takes place in a courtroom; more action away from the legal proceedings would have been welcome in this disturbing story about a troubled family. And at over 400 pages, the book could have benefited from some streamlining. Many characters range from unlikable to unconscionable, but in Manchee’s Texas, women are universally attractive, which suits Stan, who is a bit of a horndog. He muses about a fellow attorney: “She was a very attractive woman and there was dangerous chemistry between us. If I hadn’t been married, we’d have been lovers.”
Readers’ blood may run cold while enjoying this taut murder mystery
| *Reviewed by Glenda Bixler |
12/15/2018 |
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Wow! I got interested in the Stan Turner Mystery Series with my first read, Deadly Dining (read that review). But Deadly Blood pulls readers into one of the most complicated, intense legal novels that I've read. Kudos to the author!
Stan Turner, a reluctant criminal lawyer, seems to always get pulled into cases that he is quite able to handle, but not his preferred choice. Nevertheless, he's good at it, and word is spreading. And, another lawyer is watching his latest case, trying to help, hoping she can maybe join in his future cases...
The latest case is a perfect example...somebody comes out, sees Lawyer Stan turner, and asks him to represent the child as her attorney-ad-litem. Simple enough so he takes it. Melody Monroe, an adopted child, has been taken into a home that is not the happiest, albeit a rich, beautiful home that is comfortable and she is well cared for. Finally, Frank and Marjorie are in divorce court, with Marjorie seeking a divorce. Frank is an alcoholic and often abuses his wife... In a normal situation, the decision would be easily closed and life would move on.
Before that can happen, Frank is found dead, a possible suicide, as he was still sitting in his truck with the engine turned on... And before the judge releases Turner from the divorce case, the police are asking him if he will continue as her legal representative for...murder... Melody Monroe has been charged with the murder of her father...
I enjoy Stan Turner, the main character and wish I could read the entire series. For this book, however, Melody Monroe, is the sympathetic character to watch. Earlier in her life, she was an exceptional gymnast and her parents were thrilled to support her. In fact, it was on their way to a meet when a terrible car accident occurred. Both of Melody's parents were killed. Melody was devastated that they were killed and felt great guilt in living. Even after her scars healed, she continued in deep depression. While she was in Child Protective Services, she was not allowed to grieve while she was shuffled from home to home, and sent back, due to what was called her bad attitude.
It must have seemed like a miracle to be going home, finally, with Frank and Marjorie, who seemed to be quite happy to have their new daughter to love and care for. If only Melody could have known what was ahead for her! Because, there was a "motive" for her to have killed her father...One that, if she had known it, had mattered little in light of finally having a home and stability...
Twists, turns, and surprises move this book forward quickly and just when things are cooling down...another murder occurs! Yes, a double murder case in one book...with our Stan Turner taking charge in both. But even he was surprised as we move toward the closing. Unexpected, tense, and legal thrills at their finest. But the mystery is stronger than the thrills, even, as the author pulls our strings as each page goes by and has us guessing. No way could I have worked out the ending... And you know what that means...I love an unsolvable mystery book! And with the Double Punch of two different cases, we see Turner and his crew at their finest, trying to get ahead of the prosecutor's case! Don't let this one pass you by if you are a legal novel fan! Highly recommended...
GABixlerReviews
Book Provided by Author's Den
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* * * Reviewed by Laura H. (Reader) | 12/3/2018 | | This is a superb publication that has a plot that leaves the reader reeling. A mystery with the twists that a reader has come to expect from this author. Manchee has a penchant for taking his readers on a ride and one with a cacophony that a reader is lost and not until the end truly sees the publication for the evil it truly is.
The book has such an evil, con-fluted, and despicable plot that I was guessing to the end. To not give away any of the ending--it is absolutely brilliant; and Melody is a well-rounded child despite all she went through.
The characters in a mystery are usually the love-hate type of people, but in this publication there is certainly none of that when you read about the parents.
This is fiction and as such a child raised in the foster care system does not necessarily have the character of Melody but one can hope.
The manner in which the author chose to write this book was genius and gives readers one story broken into two distinct parts.
I would suggest you take the time to read this very interesting book with the most unusual plot. | |
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Where to buy Deadly Blood
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