This was a good book for those who like light romantic suspense more than crime or mystery. The main characters, Jack and Kate have good chemistry in the book, however, I would have preferred more romantic scenes in it. I really enjoyed the crime's back story of a failed romance between a girl from the poor side of town and a boy from the rich side of town, but I felt more pity than romantic sizzle from the two teens in one of the criminal's flashback. The lack of sizzle did match the colder personalities of both criminals, though. Yes, there were two of them. The identity of both criminals was not too much of a surprise, but the resolution at the end was still suspenseful.

Even though this was meant to be more of a lighter romantic suspense novel, I wish more attention had been paid to the investigation. Sheriff Flynn, the head of the local police department seemed a caricature of a lazy lawman who doesn't want to investigate a cold case murder of a mother and daughter, missing for years. The sheriff seemed to become more motivated at the end, but I would have liked the author to have added a little more investigation to the story. I tend to prefer more police procedural scenes, even in romantic suspense novels. This novel would be fine for a beach read, though.

After another attempt with this author, I have committed to her not being for me. Hopefully other readers got into the book more easily and can better champion this series.

Something totally fresh and new from Jude Deveraux! I love mysteries and thrillers, so I was super excited to see her jump to this genre. The characters are a little quirky for my liking, but I enjoyed the story overall and am interested in seeing where book #2 takes us.

Something has changed with Jude Deveraux's writing style. She was always a automatic purchase. The story didn't come together for me. It felt disjointed the whole time. Some of the characters felt very selfish and if the author character is supposed to be autobiographical for Jude then I'm totally turned off.

A fun "cozy" mystery set in a small Florida town. A retired writer, her realtor niece, and the hunky town contractor and "bad boy" discover buried skeletons and work together to solve the "whodunnit." Of course, the perpetrator gets wind of their meddling and starts causing more trouble in the sleepy town.
I had a good time with these characters. There is an unexplored family drama between Sara and her brother that I want to know more about. And we meet other characters in the town who I am sure will reappear in future mysteries. This is "Gilmore Girls" meets "Murder She Wrote." A good time!

This is not your typical Jude Devereaux novel. That being said, I did enjoy this mystery. The premise seemed to be a little unrealistic in the beginning, but I did quickly forget that once I was involved in the storyline. This is the start of a series and I will be reading the next!

A Willing Murder was fine.

The story line seemed a bit unrealistic to begin - who calls a relative out of the blue and then intends to live with them? Sarah is a bit of a character and the details of the other main players is just not there. There wasn't the depth that you'd expect to find in this type of a story.

While the ending made sense, it was a roundabout way to get there.

This is not an author I think of when I am thinking of mystery, but Deveraux's foray into this type of story was pretty good. Making the protagonist a romance writers was genius, and Sara doesn't disappoint with a great eye for detail. Her niece Kate and houseguest Jack round out the trio of unlikely investigators and the ride begins.

Jude Dereraux turns to a 20 year old mystery when two skeletons are found when a tree comes down behind an abandoned house. With her patented witty dialogue, this should please her fans. ARC from Net Galley.

This was a good read, but I had a hard time staying engaged with the story at times. It was occasionally confusing whose timeline we were in; there was also some confusion about whose point of view within the current time the story was being told from.

Kate Medlar only recently found out that her father's sister, Sarah Medlar, is a famous romance author. She's excited to find out that the town she's just found a realty job in is the same town as her aunt and she can live with her aunt while she finds a place to live.
Jackson Wyatt is living with Sarah Medlar while he recovers from a broken leg. And to make sure that this long-lost-niece isn't just after Sarah's money. Then their lives get tangled up even more when the three of them find two dead bodies buried beneath a tree and discover that Jack knew one of them.
Kate's a little annoying and the "mystery" is easily solved if you've read Devereaus before. The author also has a disconcerting habit of spelling out everything (making a joke and then pointing out that it was a joke, etc.) Even so, it was fast, fun, and fluffy.

Three and a half stars
This book came out September 18
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this one! Jude Deveraux has a new series! A Willing Murder is the first in a new series of murder mysteries featuring Sarah, Jack, and Kate. I think that it has a good solid plot with a small town backdrop that has a lot of characters. If you like Jude Deveraux's writing it will appeal to you. If you like Mary Higgins Clark it has a little more bite, but I found it to be a good whodunnit.

I enjoyed this book but would have liked a few more answers to unanswered questions. What about Kate’s father? What about the uncles? Where is the romance between Kate and Jack going to go?

Think of this as a cozy because that's what it is. Sara has retired and moved to Lachlan, Florida. She's already got Jackson, who is renovating for her, living in her home, when her niece Kate shows up and moves in as well. Then, they discover skeletal remains! Well, of course, this unlikely (not really) trio has to investigate. The mystery is well done but it's the interplay between the characters that I liked the most. Does a writer ever really retire or does she simply pause in her writing? This leaves open lots of possibilities for future installments in a series, as does the nascent romance. Fans of Jude Deveraux should give this a chance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Hopefully mystery readers will find this one- and I'm looking forward to more from Deveraux in this genre.

This story is about a murder that occurred many years ago, small town grudges and gossip. Kate has decided she wants to get to know the Aunt she never knew about, Sara Medler, a famous author. Kate moves in temporarily with her Aunt while starting a new job. Kate has been led to believe things about her Aunt and Jackson Wyatt who is also living with her Aunt. When 2 bodies are found Sara, Kate and Jack want to find out the truth. Small town prejudices have led to the case being closed without a thorough investigation. It seems like all the leads are leading to dead ends, literally.

There are lots of characters to keep track of in this book. It was a good mystery, but I had pretty much figured out part of it. I just didn’t know how the author was going to get us there. I liked the snappy dialogue in the book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy of this book.

This is one of the best Jude Deveraux books I've read in years. The characters just made me laugh, and that's something I look for in my pleasure reading. Enjoyable characters that made me want more!

A quirky older lady, a hot man with a reputation and a young woman discovering her history. These are three main characters of Jude Deveraux’s new book A Willing Murder. Kate (the young woman) discovers her aunt is the famed author Sara Medlar (the quirky old lady) and decides to go find out more information about her family. Kate takes a job in the town of Lachlan and asks Sara if she can stay with her. Sara is trying to help her friend Jack who has recently lost somebody. Kate coming to town gives the perfect excuse to make Jack move in with Sara and maybe get him to open up. The three of them have no idea how their lives are about to change when they discover two skeletons. When the police won’t do their jobs and find the real murders the trio must solve it themselves.

I was in love with this book as soon as I met Sara. I love a quirky character. Right there was three stars. Jude Deveraux has a history of sucking me into her books. The trio and the dialogue between them made for a fast pace and fun read. I did laugh a few times and generally had a smile. Another star for a total of four. The only complaint was I figured out the bad person as soon as I met them. It seemed a little too obvious which is why this is not a five star book. I never felt a threat to any of the characters and there was no real suspense for me. Still this was an enjoyable book and I look forward to reading others in the series.

Sara Medlar, a household name in romance, with millions of books has found retirement boring. Then Sara’s niece Kate is offered a job in Lachlan in real estate and she gets herself settled in her aunts house. When she arrives at Sara’s home, she finds she’s not the only long-term houseguest. Jackson Wyatt already has his own room. When two skeletons are accidentally uncovered in the quiet town, this unlikely trio is suddenly thrust together by a common goal: to solve a mystery everyone else seems eager to keep under wraps.

Because I do not read romance books, I have to admit that this is my first in Ms. Deveraux books I have read. And for the most part, I did like the book even though I figured ou some of the plot before the great reveal. There were a couple of surprises that made the end of the book interesting. I didn’t understand why they missed identifying certain people in the video even though they were in disguise.

I liked the three main characters and the interaction the created among them. The sheriff, not so much. For a sheriff, he seemed far too eager to close the case. I think I understand why it was written this way
but I don’t find most law enforcement eager to close cases not completely solved. Thankfully she did not overdo the romance part of the book. That would have turned me off.

I enjoyed the book enough to say thatMs. Deveraux’s first attempt at mystery was a success and she should write mor.I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review which is my very own.

Posted on Goodreads: "I read this ebook courtesy of NetGalley. Small town people can have very long memories and that is clearly illustrated in this story. Kate comes to Lachlan, FL to stay with her newly discovered aunt, Sara, when she accepts a real estate job. New town, new family, and a new romance are what Kate finds right away. Sara, a retired famous romance writer, has a young man living with her, but to Kate's relief, Jack is not trying to rip her off or take advantage of her. He is like a grandson to Sara and they are in business together to rehab old houses and sell them. When a large old tree falls over on one of the properties, the trio find a gruesome clue that opens up a mystery from the past and reveals a double homicide. Sara, Kate and Jack set about to solve the murders and manage to stir up enough old memories in the community that they alienate many of the citizens including the Sheriff. More murders, more memories, and a bold approach to investigation leads to a satisfying read. Recommended for fans of cozy contemporary mysteries set in the south."

The author's move to contemporary mystery is a fun venture. The start is less cohesive than a solid murder suspense, but the plot tightens and moves forward. The witty dialog mentioned by some reviewers seemed to be more awkward than entertaining at the first, but that too smooths out and becomes part of the cohesive story line.

A fun read with the murder resolved satisfyingly but not the relationships. More to come?