Shadow Dancing, Country Club Mystery #7, is a humorous cozy mystery. The series is set in 1970’s, Kansas City and is very true to the time. The main character Ellison, as is her habit, becomes involved with another corpse. There’s a psychic, her sassy daughter, swoon-worthy beau and plenty of twists to delight the reader.

I love this series. Julie has done it again. Another smashing mystery and Allison's witty nature. Can't wait for the next one.

Shadow Dancing
(The Country Club Murders #7)
by Julie Mulhern

Kindle Edition, 268 pages
Published June 19th 2018 by Henery Press



Goodreads synopsis:
Visiting a psychic is outside the norm for Ellison Russell. Finding bodies is not. Unfortunately, the psychic’s crystal ball says she’ll soon be surrounded by death. Again. 

Drat. 

Now there’s a corpse in the front drive, a witchy neighbor ready to turn Ellison and her (not so) little dog into toadstools, and a stripper named Starry Knight occupying the guest room. 

How did 1975 go so wrong so quickly? 

Ellison must handle Mother (who’s found a body of her own), make up with a certain handsome detective, and catch a killer, or the death surrounding her might be her own. 

***

5 Stars

This is the seventh book in the Country Club Murders series. You don’t need to read this series in order but know going in that this is set in the past: 1975 Kansas City. And Ellison is always finding dead bodies that seems to appall all of her country club colleagues. We can actually blame this whole trend on Ellison’s dead ex-husband. He started it, after all.

Ellison Russell started 1975 with a new resolution: no more dead bodies. It is really beyond her power at this point. The fortune teller has spoken. Her daughter is in danger and The One, aka Detective Anarchy Jones, is nearly out of her reach. What’s a girl to do?

Even Ellison’s mother is getting in on the “finding a dead body” gig. It was just a pile of cremated ashes in a box but for Ellison’t mom it might as well have been an actual bleeding dead body in her hall closet.

Ellison’s best friend, Libba takes her to a fortune teller on the more seedy side of town. While leaving there she nearly runs over a teen who darts out in front of her car. The girl is scared and has no coat in the dead of winter. The girl refuses Ellison’s request to take her home. So, Ellison does the only thing she can at the moment… she gives the girl her navy pea coat off her back and a slip of paper with her name and phone number. Later when Anarchy’s partner Peters comes knocking on her door, she learns the girl is dead. Anarchy doesn’t actually make an appearance till about 20% into the book.

This accidental brush with a girl who ends up being a teen prostitute figures into the whole scenario behind the plot of this book. This, the fact her mother has her searching the last four months of obituary pages for the identity of the ashes/remains she found in her hall closet and it makes this whole story quite a page turner.

Anarchy stays overnight on the couch on three separate occasions to keep her safe and I am not sure how Ellison managed to maintain control of her emotions during those times. There were quite a bit of fainting scenes in this story too. This is by far my favorite story in the Country Club Murder series. The only problem I have is that the woman never seems to be alone…. ever. Someone is always coming over or calling. How can a girl get some quiet time with her detective if no one will ever leave her alone?

A thrilling, roller-coaster ride. Just a lot of excitement all around. Pus, this book has so much Anarchy I was positively drooling. Anarchy has definitely attained book boyfriend status for me.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught.

Ellison Russell should have known her life would go downhill when she went to a psychic with her friend. What she didn't count on was how wrong it would go from teenage prostitutes to her parents having issues to having Det. Jones back in her life. Will Ellison ever have a quiet day in her life? Will she figure out what Starry Knight knows or who killed another prostitute?



This book had everything from teen angst lots of that to of getting Det. Jones off her radar as they have recently split. Will Ellison ever find the one or is she destined to be alone which is fine by her, but it won't keep her bed warm at night.



I really enjoyed this book and have everyone ever since. Ellison handles things with only the style she can. She also does it proving that women even back then could do more than keep home and have parties!

Shadow Dancing: The Country Club Murders
By Julie Mulhern
Henery Press
June 2018

Review by Cynthia Chow

At the start of 1975, Ellison Russell has one resolution; No more bodies. It’s been a rough year for this single mother, having discovered a cheating husband, dead mistress, and a multitude of corpses. The one positive outcome has been meeting Detective Anarchy Jones, but his frustration at Ellison’s well-intentioned throwing herself into danger ended their relationship before it truly began. Ellison thinks that she may be in fact escaping her morbid destiny – and the dire predictions of a Medium – when her car hits a young girl who lives to run away, and it is Ellison’s mother who has a dead person in her closet. To be more accurate, Mother has someone’s cremains in her linen closet, and she insists that Ellison determine the who and why without telling her father.

While the scandalous death of her husband pushed Ellison to the outskirts of Kansas City’s high society, she is unenthusiastically chairing The Nelson-Atkins Museum gala featuring a touring Chinese exhibit. The women on the committees have the classy appearances of indulgent lifestyles, but no one better than Ellison knows just how false the veneers can be. Fragile marriages, bankruptcy, exploitation, drugs, and ruthless greed all hide under the surface of this well-dressed, pretentious culture, and it is Ellison who is willing to break through the façade and risk destroying the image of perfection that has been created.

This has unexpectedly become one of my favorite mystery series and always the first on my To Be Read List. I would never have thought an upper-class, single mother living in the 70s would be so relatable, likable, and fun. Ellison has finally grown the confidence to stand up against her Mother’s dictates on how to run her life, and with that achievement finds the courage to stand tall against her neighbors and stand up for her rights against the police. Able to roll her eyes at her teenaged daughter while providing unwavering love and support, Ellison is a mother we all would want to be and wish we had. Her clever wit, sharp comebacks, and wry asides make the novel a delight, but the laugh-out-loud moments never undercut the tragedies of the crimes and secrets she uncovers. Having followed her adventures through six prior novels, seeing her struggle, grow, and achieve happiness is a genuinely rewarding experience. New readers as well will find so much to enjoy in this hilarious and thoughtful novel, and will be rooting for Ellison to find happiness and success in the family she loves and protects.

One of my favorite series. Set in the 1970's, this series is a blend of mystery, comedy and intrigue.
Ellison and her daughter can't hep but stumble over dead bodies, and Shadow Dancing is no different.
Curl up with a cup of tea and join Anarchy Jones as he and Ellison are hot on the trail of another murder investigation.

I volunteered to read and review and ARC of this book offered by the publisher and NetGalley.

Shadow Dancing

by Julie Mulhern

Would this book be THE ONE? Would the seventh book in the Country Club Murder Series be the one that would let me down? Would that great sense of humor mixed into a fascinating mystery fall flat? Would the 70’s backdrop become cliché? Would I tire of Ellison’s love affair with Mr. Coffee or her battles with her imperious mother? The answer to all of these questions about Julie Mulhern’s Shadow Dancing is a resounding “NO!”. I enjoyed the book all the way through and was sad when it came to an end.

As usual, the pace is perfect and the storyline is inventive. Mulhern’s use of descriptive language puts the reader in the scene as she transports Ellison through high society cocktail parties and into the danger of the night. This story focuses on homeless girls forced into prostitution and drug addiction; the seriousness of the theme gives an edge to the book with its fast-moving plot. Detective and boyfriend Anarchy Jones plays an important role in providing physical and emotional support for Ellison who finds herself in the role of protector as the murderer challenges her. This cozy mystery is full of surprises and suspense.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.


Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery

Notes: #7 in the Country Club Murder Series

Publication: June 19, 2018—Henery Press

Memorable Lines:

Aggie marched up to a second librarian—one who made the woman downstairs look like a congeniality winner in a beauty contest. The librarian on the second floor looked like the woman in American Gothic by Grand Wood: close-set eyes, marionette lines that dragged the corners of her lips into a frown, and a long, thin neck. The expression in those close-set eyes could have scared General Westmoreland into immediate surrender.

Winstead’s didn’t sell hamburgers; it sold steakburgers. The burgers were cooked to a deep shade of brown and flavored with salt and grease. They arrived at the table wrapped in wax paper sleeves and the first bite could change a life.

Outside, the night swirled with a heavy, cold mist. March deciding lion or lamb. The mist clung to my hair, and lashes, and coat. The click of my heels echoed on the pavement. The darkness breathed—thick and dangerous. I shivered.

This is the seventh book in the series. It can be read as a stand alone if you haven't read any of the others. There are a few mysteries to solve. Mr. Coffee is the best character ever. I was clearly impressed with everything that was going on in this story- can I say wow!? Gotta love the bit of Romance and drama too.

I have enjoyed Ellison's sense of humor at the twists her life takes in the 1970's. The mysteries are well-written and the characters are unique. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Ellison Russell is a very resilient woman. This mystery series, set in the mid 70's, continues to captivate me, both with the characters and description of place. And it's a bit sad to learn that the treatment of runaway girls (and what options they have) hasn't changed all that much in the ensuing years. She's a good friend, as she joins her pal Libba at a psychic reading, in a part of town the Country Club set wouldn't normally go. She's a good daughter. After a hiatus from finding bodies and Detective Anarchy Jones, it's only fitting that her mother Frances has a mysterious body to contend with this time. With Aggie's help, Ellison tries to track down those mysterious remains using microfilm and country club connections. When the seamier side of life comes close to home, the lack of fear Ellison shows to do the right thing for a couple of unknown young girls is gratifying. Close to her own daughter Grace's age, she knows how to interact with the teens involved, even if they aren't as sure about her. I liked how everything linked up at the end, including what may be a set up for the next story involving her own family once again. Mulhern really nails the under the breath digs that men make to Ellison, who is making it on her own as an artist.

Head back to Kansas City in the 70s and meet up with Ellison Russell, her daughter, Grace, and police detective Anarchy Jones as murder and mayhem pop up in the country club set. Slyly satirical and out-and-out good fun. Seventh in the series, but still as fresh as the first!. HIGHLY recommended!

Wonderful book. Although deep in a series, Mulhern doesn’t get stale. Love her wiring. Loved the book

Book 7 in a unique mystery series set in the 1970s, features Ellison Greer once again being in the wrong place at the wrong time and finding more bodies. Cozy, feel-good mystery of a down-to-earth privileged woman asserting her independence in the wake of her husband's murder, while raising a teenage daughter. Elements of murder mysteries and slight suspense are present, but no graphic details, language or sexual activity is present.

It has been too long since the last mystery with Ellison Russell, Kansas City’s famous amateur sleuth. Though this time she is trying dead hard to stay away from murder. Too bad her fortune states otherwise. But who knows sometimes a fortune teller is a fake, sometimes blood could be ketchup… Okay, who am I kidding blood is blood and this fortune teller may have ticked Ellison off with her reading but it was dead on… literally. Get ready for mystic, humor and a whole lot of my favorite sleuth!

Dollycas’s Thoughts

She’s done it again! Julie Mulhern has topped herself again!

It’s 1975 and Ellison Russell has been dragged to a psychic by her best friend Libba. She is not interested in learning what is in the future, she has a heck of a time just keeping up with the present. When the psychic tells her death may be surrounding her soon, all she thinks is Not Again!!

This story was mega entertaining. Remember the days before cell phones and cable television, when kids played outside, kitchens had avocado appliances and living rooms had shag carpeting! Julie Mulhern takes us there.

Ellison has her hands full with her daughter Grace, her mother, her friends, and Detective Anarchy Jones. Grace makes a new friend, well sort of. Her mother makes an unusual discovery in her closet. Libba took her to a psychic! Her relationship with the good detective has hit the skids but there is still that spark when they are in proximity of each other, plus he needs to keep her safe. She is also busy with her dog Max. Let me tell you, one of his adventures had me laughing so hard I had tears running from my eyes. My daughter was laughing too because she knew exactly whose book I was reading. “Julie Mulhern??”

I love the characters in this series. They are expertly written and feel like old friends. Their dialogues are fantastic. The way Ellison has learned to handle her mother always makes me smile.

The story is very well plotted. One little accident sends Ellison life reeling. A dead body in her front yard, a strip club, another murder. Can’t this woman catch a break? While there is a lot of humor in this story, the reason behind the murders is a very serious issue. It takes a talented author to mesh it all together.

As has become my custom with this author’s books, I devoured this story all in one sitting. The television is turned off, my feet go up, and I escape right into Ellison’s world. The only thing missing is my own Mr. Coffee.

This entire series is extraordinary, so I do recommend you start at the beginning and read them in order. But . . . if you wish you can jump right in with this one, I bet then you will know you have to read them all. For me, every one of them has been a Perfect Escape.

I'm enjoying this series. I like the setting, I like the characters, I like Ellison - and although it's a bit quirky it never quite gets to be too much. Ellison is very aware that she keeps stumbling across bodies and that makes the fact that she does more fun. I was a bit sceptical about the psychic when she appeared, as it seemed outside the rules established for the series, but actually it was ok in the end. I'll keep an eye out for some of the ones I haven't read to go on offer to fill in some of the gaps in the series and I look forward to the next one.

The Country Club Murder series is focused on the 1970’s with country club living at its core. Ellison Russell was born with the silver spoon in her mouth and has been spending the last several years trying get beyond it. Ellison is an up and coming artist whose work regularly sells out, so she has learned the value of money earned for work she has done – something that was missing from her earlier years.

In this series, Ellison keeps coming across dead bodies. It is happening with such regularity that her mother (who is country club to the core) is finding life embarrassing. It appears that finding murder victims is not the thing at all in their crowd.

In this story, Ellison actually comes to the aid of someone in difficulties. The story expands beyond a mystery into a discussion on social values of the time and place. Not a social commentary, mind you, but something that opens your eyes a little more than the standard cozy mystery book.

There are young girls who are being found shot dead. That these girls are working girls and underage is a shock to Ellison. She has a daughter, Grace, who is approximately the same age which brings the subject home to her in a real way.

Many of the recurring characters are back – Anarachy Jones, of course, as Ellison’s favorite detective. Mother and Father, Grace and Aggie, Jinx and Libby make their marks.

There are personal revelations and relationship growth. The book was a fun and fast read and has left me waiting for the next in the series with as much anticipation as I have had all along.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Ellison has stopped finding bodies, now Frances has started. Frances urgently calls Ellison because she has found an urn with ashes in the back of her hall closet and doesn't know what to do. If helping her mother discover who the ashes are isn't enough, Ellison embroils herself into a dangerous situation when she hits a young girl in the street and then she is later found murdered. Detective Anarchy Jones sees Ellison in danger because of the young girl's profession(a prostitute) and Ellison's efforts to help another young girl in the same situation.

I look forward to everyone of the Country Club Murders because of the spectacular writing, the full-blooded characters, and the humor that is woven so skillfully throughout. Sad that I now have to wait for the next one. But they are well worth the wait!

I really enjoyed this book. While I have only read the first book in the Country Club series, it really didn't feel like I had missed a whole lot. (And to be honest, I didn't enjoy the first book that much!) But now that I've had a chance to read another book by Julie Mulhern, I will be reading more of this series.

The author has you laughing out loud at some of the things that Ellison says and thinks. Her family is a hoot...from a sassy, independent daughter to her overcontrolling, judgmental mother. And Anarchy...well, let's just say that I would let him eat crackers in my bed any day!

This book is full of murder, mystery, intrigue, crazy antics, excitement, and family relationship issues. It keeps you flipping the pages to find out what will happen next. I love the lingo and the way Ellison manages to keep finding or being involved with dead bodies. But she just keeps on plodding along and has you chuckling at her thought processes with each incident.

I am looking forward to more adventures with Ellison and the rest of the Country Club murder series. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.