Bury Me When Im Dead by Cheryl A HeadBury Me When I’m Dead by Cheryl A. Head is the first book in the Charlie Mack Motown Mystery Series.

Do what you love and success will be right around the corner. Charlene “Charlie” Mack can attest to that fact because she is a private investigator and she has established a thriving private eye firm in Detroit. Even though Charlie and her team of investigators share a close knit relationship, she isn’t a hundred percent comfortable with her sexual orientation and she isn’t ready to voice her fears or come out to anyone as yet. On top of that, Charlie tries to accept the fact that her mother has early onset Alzheimer’s.

Charlie takes on what appears to be a simple missing persons’ case but nothing about this case is simple at all. Charlie and her team head to Birmingham but they end up with way more questions than answers. She has to contend with deception, manipulation, mayhem and murder as she tries to get to the bottom of this perplexing case. When Charlie is brutally attacked in a quiet, residential area in broad daylight, she realizes that her snooping is making someone very uncomfortable and she has to step up her game. Will Charlie be able to solve this case and give her client closure? Will she be able to come to terms with her sexuality and move on with her life?

The Characters

Charlene “Charlie” Mack is the proud owner of a private investigation firm. She gives a hundred percent of herself and more when it comes to her team, the clients she represents and the cases under her watch. I’ve got to be honest here, a couple of times I argued loudly with Charlie through my kindle and I did a face-palm because she made a lot of blunders in her personal and professional life. Despite her flaws, I still have a soft spot for Charlie because she is an ambitious, multi-talented and caring person who deserves all of the love and tender care she desires.

Mandy Porter is a police officer. She has the task of taking new officers under her wing and showing them the ins and outs of patrolling the bustling city streets of Detroit. She works tirelessly to keep the crime level low in her beloved city. Mandy is such a sweetheart! She is trustworthy, down-to-earth, understanding and above all, extremely patient. I really wished that Mandy was a flesh and blood woman because people like her only come around once in a lifetime and I would have loved to hang out with her. 

The Writing Style

Now this is the kind of story that I love to devour! Cheryl A. Head left me speechless and deeply touched by her frank portrayal of each character and the dilemmas they were faced with. In addition, this author gave me such a vivid description of Detroit and Birmingham and I felt as though I was experiencing everything first hand.

The Pros

I must admit that I love my desk job and the number crunching that goes with it but there’s just something about the private eye profession that I adore. Oh well, I have the best of both worlds because I’m a nerdy accountant who transforms into a private eye’s amateur wing-woman!  I get to enjoy the stakeouts, gun-slinging and detective slang from the comfort of my bed as I tag along with Charlie Mack while she tries to solve a bizarre case that keeps her on a mental merry-go-round.

The Cons

There are graphic descriptions of murder and physical assault.

aprils favourite booksThe Conclusion

This story is so much more than a mystery/thriller because there are so many important life lessons and pearls of wisdom that are embedded within it. I don’t think I can fully express the depth of my love for the unique and lovable characters in this book but I can tell you this—you will carry these wonderful characters in your heart for a long while and you will lose a couple hours of sleep because you’ll keep saying: “Just one more chapter, then I’ll go to bed.” Yeah, right!

Excerpt from Bury Me When I’m Dead by Cheryl A. Head

Charlie’s chest clenched. Her lungs fought violently for air.

Can’t breathe.

She shook her head, causing a cascade of pain.

Oooh… my head. What’s happened? Where…?

Trying to remember, she reached for the ache but her bound hands thwarted the effort.

Shit. It was Barnes.

Cold crept along her hip bone, shoulder and ankle where the ground touched her. She felt a slight vibration accompanied by a faint sound. She strained to hear.

A truck… maybe a car. Must be near a road.

She swallowed hard, then let out a yell but her taped lips sent the scream ricocheting inside her throbbing head. A spasm of dread raced down her spine.

Oh God, help me.

With numbing fingers, she clawed at grass, mud, but nothing to grasp onto. Suddenly aware of her damp jeans and t-shirt, she hoped it wasn’t blood.

Can’t panic. Must focus.

Charlie tensed her body then relaxed, the way she’d taught others to do, and concentrated on what she could smell: earth, mildew, rust?

What is this place? How will anyone find me here? Mandy will find me. Oh, Don. Don will look for me. He’s too pig-headed to give up.

Cold and unconsciousness threatened her.

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Series

A Charlie Mack Motown Mystery 

Bury Me When I’m Dead

Wake Me When It’s Over

Catch Me When I’m Falling

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781612940687
  • Publisher: Bywater Books

Cheryl A. Head Online

Website

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