Murder on Location: A Charlotte Brody Mystery – Book 3 by Cathy Pegau

288 Pages
Publisher: Kensington Books, Kensington
Release Date: February 2017

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Strong Woman Protagonist, Alaska

Charlotte Brody has settled into her life in Cordova, Alaska. Her budding relationship with Deputy James Eddington is moving at a snail’s pace. She is now the guardian to Becca, an Eyak, from a First Nation’s tribe. A movie crew has come to film North to Fortune. Tensions run high between the First Nations people and the film crew. When an accident turns into a murder investigation, anyone could be the suspect.

The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Charlotte is a successful newspaper woman for the local paper and submitting pieces to the paper in New York. She is a strong independent woman a head of her times. This is the third book in the series. I read the first book but not the second in the series but I was able to follow along in this story. If you like the 1920s, prohibition, murder mysteries, and high drama thrown in, you will enjoy reading this book.

I really enjoyed this title, and have enjoyed this whole series. Charlotte Brody is a fabulous character and I would love to see more of her in the future. I love the small-town Alaska setting, the cast of characters all feel realistic, and the added levels of complication from the historical setting kept me interested.

Brrr, I got so cold hearing about the Alaskan Glaciers that I had to keep the heating pad on my feet as I devoured this book. I do enjoy hearing Charlotte’s adventures. She’s become quite the mystery finder. So, knowing her, If there’s a murder in this small town of our coldest state, she’s probably close by.

There were a few too many characters in this story for my personal comfort. I considered keeping a score card so I could remember everybody’s saga and secret, but I survived without one. Too bad for the director of the controversial film. He didn’t survive. Was it a possible midnight stroll in the dark or no accident?

At a time when we’re all on the forefront of considering whether some lives are more important than others, Native Alaskans have their protests and attorney’s too. It’s 1920 and a hundred years later we’re still facing the same issues.

It was interesting hearing about the film industry in those olden days. However, most fascinating is Charlotte’s burgeoning love affair with the handsome Deputy. It’s timeless.

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This was a very exciting mystery that grabbed my attention right away. The setting of Alaska is interesting and fun to read about. The protagonist is a tough smart suffragette that is ground breaking for her time.. A very interesting read I highly recommend.

I gushed over Cathy Pegau’s Murder on the Last Frontier in 2015. The fresh plot, unique setting, and strong characters came together in the best possible way and left me eager for the second installment. Book two, Borrowing Death, came out in 2016 and while I enjoyed the mystery well-enough, I had difficulty appreciating what Pegau was trying to do with the series as a whole. I was hesitant about book three, but nostalgia for the original story won out which is how I found myself with ARC of Murder on Location.

Unfortunately, my experience with book three is very likely my last with the Charlotte Brody mysteries. I mean no offense to Pegau or the readers who enjoyed the book, but the magic I felt with book one is well and truly gone. The glitz and glamour of the latest installment failed to enchant my imagination or enchant my interest. The whole thing actually struck me as rather hokey and I was disappointed that I was able to correctly peg the perpetrator before Stanley Welsh breathed his last. The romance between Charlotte and James has grown stale in my eyes and while I liked learning more about Charlotte’s background, I can’t say the details made my effort to read the novel worthwhile.

I seem to be the exception as most readers found the narrative charming, but when push comes to shove I consider Murder on Location a light read and that’s just not where I am as a reader. I need something with more meat and depth to it and at this point feel I’d do better to satisfy those desires elsewhere.

Charlotte Brody is a newswoman in 1920's Alaskan Territory. It seems a movie crew is there to film, but they've caused the ire of the Alaskan (territory at that time) natives, who feel they're being portrayed in an unflattering light. When she arrives at the train station to greet them, there is a group of Native protesters also, who demand that certain scenes in the film be changed to show them positively, not as the villains of the piece.

When Charlotte is invited to attend the filming, she brings along her ward Becca who is to be an extra in the movie. But Becca's enthusiasm doesn't last long when the next morning the film's director Stanley Welsh is found dead in a crevasse - and Charlotte informs everyone they have to stay put while both the coroner, her brother Michael and law enforcement - in the form of Deputy James Eddington - arrive to examine the scene.

Once it is discovered that Stanley was indeed murdered, then the task of finding the killer becomes paramount. They know it had to be someone in the remote camp, but since Stanley rubbed many people the wrong way - including his daughter, Cicely - finding the person responsible won't be easy. Especially since the producer wants the movie stopped, but Cicely, the new director, wants to proceed along with the rest of the crew. And Charlotte finds out that the movie has had its share of bad luck already, long before a death was added into the equation.

Charlotte, in her role as a reporter, is just the person to help with the investigation, since she can ask questions and the film might be more willing to talk to her, being a journalist and not an officer of the law. She's promised to share anything she learns with James, who is also her beau. But when Charlotte starts digging just a little too deep, and the accidents that have been plaguing the cast of the movie grow, the next one might just be one accident too many...

While I felt the book started out a little slow, things began to pick up once the murder was committed. I felt at that point the book began to get more interesting; and while I thought there were a couple of scenes that felt odd (like people actually encouraging her to have sex) it didn't distract from my enjoyment of the book.

When we come to the end and the killer is revealed, it makes one realize that self-preservation is indeed a strong motive for some; and those that are the most heroic don't always appear to be so in the beginning. An enjoyable read that is recommended to all.

Murder on Location by Cathy Pegau is the third book in A Charlotte Brody Mystery series. Charlotte Brody is out on a cold day in mid-march to watch the arrival of the film crew and actors from California to Cordova. Charlotte’s boss, Andrew Tolliver assigned her to cover the event. They are going to be in the area for two weeks for the filming of North to Fortune and Charlotte will be reporting all of it for Cordova Daily Times. It seems, though, that not everyone is happy with their arrival. The Alaskan Natives are not happy with how they are being portrayed in the film and the members of the Alaska Eyak Council are out in protest. Wallace Meade, the producer, agrees to hire locals to act in the film. One of the citizens chosen is Becca Derenov, Charlotte’s ward. Charlotte and Becca pack up and head out with the crew to Childs Glacier for location filming. The next morning everyone is waiting for Stanley Welsh, the director, to show up. When he is not located within the camp, the group fans out to search for him. Welsh is found down in a crevasse. It is assumed that the medicine he takes made him disoriented and he fell into the crevasse during the night. Charlotte is not sure the solution is so straightforward. She sends Becca to town for Deputy James Eddington (also her beau) and Charlotte’s brother, Dr. Michael Brody (who acts as coroner). After the group returns to town, the crews rooms are ransacked and a threatening note left behind. It turns out that this is not the first incident this cast and crew has experienced. Charlotte is determined to get answers before the cast and crew returns to California--and the killer with them.

I thought Murder on Location was nicely written and it had a good flow or pace. It is a little slow in the beginning, but picks up pace after the murder occurs. This is the third installment in the series, but Murder on Location can be read alone. There is some information about Charlotte’s past that is not completely explained in this edition (why she is afraid to be intimate with James Eddington). Unlike other cozy mysteries, Murder on Location contains foul language (mild words) and intimate situations. There is even a discussion between Charlotte and the local madam on how to prevent pregnancy. I give Murder on Location 3 out of 5 stars. I felt that the characters lacked depth. The author did not provide details on the characters added in this story. We just get the basics on them (like they are actors from California). The mystery was not complicated (unfortunately). It was obvious which character would be bumped off. I want a complicated, twisty mystery that will mystify me. I do not wish to be able to identify the killer before I am halfway through the book. There is a little extra something at the end that might surprise some readers. Avid mystery fans will figure it out before the reveal (especially if you have read Agatha Christie’s books). There is, of course, the requisite romance in the novel between Charlotte and James Eddington. Charlotte has to decide if she wants to take their relationship to the next level. I would have preferred if the author had let the romance play out a little longer in a more traditional manner. I would have liked to see James and Charlotte go out on dates and get to know each other (and then maybe get married) slowly throughout the series. I think it would have fit better with the time period. I was never drawn into Murder on Location. It is a nice book to read, but I was not fully engaged in it. It is the type of book I can read while watching a television show.

I love Charlotte! I also love the Alaska setting, which makes this series so different from others in the genre. I was less enthusiastic about this plot because it felt less organic than I was about the previous two novels but if you haven't read Pegu before this is still a fine place to start. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm a fan so I'm really looking forward to the next installment of Charlotte's adventures (and the people of Cordova, who help make this such a neat series.)

This third book in the series is another winner. It's especiaally rewarding to see new developments in the relationship between intrepid reporter Charlotte Brody and Deputy Marshal James Eddington. The portrayal of racist treatment received by Alaskan natives at the time is particularly effective as seen through Charlotte's new perspective as the guardian of her Eyak ward Becca.. Setting those character developments against a Hollywood film crew on location was a stroke of genius on the part of Pegau. I look forward to the next adventures of Charlotte and her friends and family in Cordova!! Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for letting me read this title electronically before publication.

Spring is coming to Cordova, Alaska, along with a visit from Hollywood. A movie company is shooting the action sequences for an adventure film called North To Fortune. The film is a big-budget production with a well-known director and stars. Charlotte Brody is not particularly star-struck but she is looking forward to covering the story for the local paper. Not everyone is excited, however; the local native Eyak Indians do not feel that they will be accurately portrayed in the film. There is a lot of tension between the Eyaks and the film-makers, and among the cast and crew, culminating in the murder of the film's director out on the glacier. Some of the company even whisper that the film is cursed. The natives are the obvious suspects according to some, but what about the producer worried about cost overruns, the cheating director's wife, and his daughter who has a dangerous secret?

Charlotte Brody is an intrepid reporter and sleuth, often driving her doctor brother to distraction. Her love interest, Deputy James Eddington, also tries to keep her out of the case but soon realizes that she won't stop until she gets the story and the murderer. This time, Charlotte may have bitten off more than she can chew. Charlotte is a likable and thoroughly "modern" young woman who is learning to love her new life in the Alaska Territory of the 1920's. The books in this series offer a glimpse of what it may have been like to be among the last pioneers in America.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.

RATING- 3.5 Stars

This is the third book in the Charlottes Brody mystery Series, it's wonderful. The story quickly drew me in and kept me turning the pages, I couldn't put the book down. I just had to know what was going happen next.
The mystery is well planned, I was kept guessing at "whodunit" until the end.

The author paints such vivid portraits with her words, I feel as though I'm an observer along with the characters and their journeyed. I'm sorry to say I missed the second book in this series, I look forward to reading that until Charlotte's next adventure releases.

I received a copy of this manuscript from the publisher via NetGalley, my review has been voluntarily submitted.

Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for this ARC.

Alaska is a fertile ground for mystery, murder, and romance. I love this series because it's unique, funny, and wild.

Charlotte Brody, who is an assertive, independent woman of her time. Cathy Pegau writes so wonderfully about Alaska, in particular for this series, the frontier town of Cordova. The clash in this book, between Native Alaskans and a film crew make for an interesting story!

In the first book I did not really like Charlotte Brody, and thought her pretty meddlesome. She is starting to grow on me now though! I'm not really a "series" type of reader, but do like mysteries. This is Ms. Pegau's third book in the series and I thought it was better!

Thank you to Kensington Publishing, who sent me an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

Charlotte is a journalist in Alaska. She's independent, determined and stubborn. It makes interesting articles in the paper but in this story it almost kills her...

Kensington Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published February 28th.

There's a film crew in town that is going to shoot scenes in the Alaska wilds for their movie. Her boss has a broken foot, so she gets assigned to go along with them and post articles about the coming film, the stars, and anything other that might be noteworthy. She didn't expect to find a member of the crew dead.

Her boyfriend is the local deputy, so he and her brother (the local doctor and coroner) come to examine the body and try to determine if was an accident or murder. His neck is broken but he has only one slipper on and no gloves. You don't go out into the freezing cold without protection on. Maybe it wasn't a fall.

The cast dislikes being held on the set and they aren't much happier in town. The man's daughter wants to keep filming. The man with the money wants them to quit and go home.

You have several members of the group who didn't get along with the dead man. The Native American Indians were bracing him on how he was portraying them. Suspects are all over the place. She ferrets out what she can, her boyfriend asks questions and the answer is not right in front of them. They know someone did it because he was strangled. But which one?

In the end, her curiosity almost gets her killed. One thing it did for sure was let her know just how much the deputy loved her. There's an ironic little twist at the end of the book. It seems more than one person was trying to kill the victim...

sounded like a fantastic location. great storyline and loved the plot. really enjoyed finding out about the charachters too. great book

MURDER ON LOCATION by Cathy Pegau. This is the # 3 in the series, having read the 1st one, looking forward to this one.
Expedition from Calif to shoot in Cordova, Alaska, things don't go smoothly. When you have an inebriated director dies, and accident ? Michael the coroner, and her brother say it is murder. You have conflicts between Native and the Cordovans. A lot of motives, angry people, what really happened. Enjoyed her style of writing, keeps you interested and writing flows. Looking forward to more by her. Given ARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

Murder on Location is the best book of the series so far (and I really hope there are more after this!). Book 2 didn't quite click for me like Book 1 did, but everything comes together perfectly in this one. It hits the right blend of suspense and mystery while weaving in Charlotte's ongoing journey to forge a new life in Alaska -- including her developing relationship with Deputy James Eddington.

Murder on Location picks up shortly after book 2, with Charlotte trying to find a balance in her new and unexpected role as Rebecca's guardian while tensions between the Eyak community and white settlers continue to grow. The arrival of a film crew and glamorous cast in Cordova brings those tensions to the forefront, as the film director's intended portrayal of the native population in the film is based on crude stereotypes and insulting to the community. Charlotte is tasked with the seemingly innocuous job of following the film cast and crew for behind the scenes scoops for the newspaper. However, while she is camped out with them on location in the remote glacier site, the director turns up dead under suspicious circumstances. Charlotte once again is pulled into the murder investigation and must use her observational and deductive skills to identify the killer before he/she strikes again.

Charlotte's character development over the series has been done very well. Though she still takes risks in her investigations, she's more mindful of how her actions impact others. In her relationship with Eddington, she is learning to trust and open up to him after her previous traumatic experience in New York, while not losing sight of who she is as an individual. I really hope the series continues so we can see more of her journey!

Thank you for providing an ARC for review!

Charlotte Brody is an interesting character. She defies the accepted role of women of her time. She has a job, raises a child, has a lover, well she is quite the modern woman. She is a trail blazer. I find this series to be entertaining. I can't imagine sleeping in a tent out near the ice fields. I spent more time under the electric blanket just warding off the cold I am sure she felt. I like the light romance that runs through the story. I found the book fascinating.