Member Reviews

Entertaining, thought provoking ( I had to google for more info) romantic suspense. Well done mystery for me. I kept waffeling on the perp. And then the connection at the end...I did not see that coming. I enjoy Alexandra Ivy writing style and I love the Pike, Wisconsin series. Bailey gave me a few moments in the beginning, but she came through. I think I love Dom even more :) Greed, psychos, stalkers such a twisted web. The dogs [4 between Bailey and Dom (he's babysitting)] and a slow burn romance for the win. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions! #TheMurderClub #PikeWisconsin #AlexandraIvy #KensingtonZebra #NetGalley

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The Murder Club is the fifth in the Pike, Wisconsin series. Pike, Wisconsin is the murder capitol in the USA - such a small town to harbor so many serial killers!
Bailey Evans joined an online murder club that discusses closed cases. She enjoyed it but closed her account when she gets texts telling her she is part of a private murder club. She wants no part of it. Unfortunately she finds out she has no choice.
This is the first book I have read in the series; it can be read as a stand alone. It is a fast paced novel, the action pulls you in immediately. Very likeable characters and I could not figure out the killer.

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3.5stars—THE MURDER CLUB is the fifth instalment in Alexandra Ivy’s contemporary, adult PIKE, WISCONSIN mystery, suspense series . This is pawn shop owner/ television personality Dom Lucier, and registered nurse Bailey Evans’ story line. THE MURDER CLUB can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty . Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary . Bailey is Sheriff Zac Evans’ (UNSTABLE #3) cousin.

Told from omniscient dual third person perspectives (Dom and Bailey) following several intersecting paths, THE MURDER CLUB follows in the wake of the death of a local nursing home resident, a death blamed on our story line heroine. Months earlier Bailey Evans met television personality Dom Lucier at the wedding of mutual friends (Kaden and Lia: Desperate Acts #4), and his arrival in Pike, Wisconsin coincides with Bailey’s life spiralling out of control. Dom Lucier is temporarily living at Kaden’s place in Pike where he will seek out the woman who stole his heart but Pike’s reputation as the murder capital of America is about to push our couple together in more ways than one. Enter Bailey Evans. Bailey is a nurse who loves her clients but the death of a resident, and her subsequent inheritance of several thousand dollars places our heroine at the top of the list when several other items go missing, and the nursing home owner refuses to listen to reason. With the help of Dom, Bailey goes in search of the truth, a search that has more twists and turns the deeper our couple dig into the investigation. With everyone having a motive, and a potential stalker targeting our story line heroine, Dom and Bailey begin an investigation of their own only to discover there are more players and suspects than they could have ever imagined.

The world building is detailed and complex as the number of potential suspects, clues and possible red herrings enter into the investigation. As a former member of an online Murder Club, a group that re-investigates murders and deaths that were never solved, Bailey finds herself in a threatening situation when she refuses to ‘play the game’, a game playing out in Pike, Wisconsin. As the number of victims begin to amass, Bailey and Dom’s search reveals a web of vengeance for sins of the past.

The relationship between Bailey and Dom is one of friendship that will quickly turn into something more. Bailey is in need of protection, and Dom volunteers to guard the woman with whom he is falling in love. There are no $ex scenes , everything is implied.

THE MURDER CLUB is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, jealousy, obsession and murder, friendships and love. The premise is intriguing but not believable on so many levels-in this I struggled to accept the concept of our couple as the principle investigators. The characters are energetic; the romance is limited, but I felt no palpable sexual attraction.



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THE MURDER CLUB will have you on the edge of your seat and glued to the pages.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction.

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=85756

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Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for the book#TheMurderClub by #AlexandraIvy. This book is about a murder club where there is re connection of two people from a wedding years before. As they try to figure out why they are being brought into a suspenseful situation, a romance starts to bloom. But who is after them?

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This is my second Alexandra Ivy story and I find her writing fun and sometimes twisted. I've only read the first Pike, Wisconsin story but did not feel remotely lost coming into book 5. The Murder Club sounds like a fun way to pass time until it isn't. Bailey loves a good mystery and loved using her medical knowledge to help solve cold cases....or what she thought were cold cases. Soon she becomes embroiled in a game of cat and mouse that threatens everyone around her and points to her as a possible prime suspect. Add a little romance with Dom and soon you have a good romantic suspense story that is difficult to put down.

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This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was suspenseful, action-packed and romantic. It held my interest and I didn't want it put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

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The poor little town of Pike, known as the murder capital, just keeps getting more murderers. It’s like a revolving door that won’t stop. Lia’s friend Bailey joined this online sleuthing club to solve murders, all very innocent until someone decides to make it real. Dom, Kayden’s business partner, is housesitting for him when he decides it’s time to get closer to Bailey. The two of them begin a friendship that evolves into more quickly, he’s protective and respects her. It’s quite an intriguing story as they put clues together because her cousin, the sheriff, is short staffed and unable to dig into the investigation. For a small town where everyone knows everything it’s amazing how many secrets get uncovered. I got to enjoy an early copy and left this review voluntarily.

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3.5 stars, rounded up. I enjoy the occasional romantic suspense, and I love a Wisconsin set book, so this was intriguing to me. I have not read the previous books in the series, so I can't compare them, but this one stands on its own just fine. Interesting back story for the characters and plenty of drama and the promised suspense.

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Participating in an online crime-solving group is all fun and games until real bodies start turning up around Bailey Evans.

Throughout the entire story, the villain was like a spider that had cast a wide web and every so often it would cause a disturbance in the web meant to attract Bailey’s attention. Meanwhile, Bailey and Dom were scrambling trying to connect the dots, but always just a step behind. The author cleverly concealed the villain’s identity and threw in enough red herrings to keep the reader on their toes.

Even though the concept of The Murder Club was intriguing, the link between the murderer and Bailey was a bit tenuous. But the plot packed plenty of suspense and uncertainty.

I loved how Bailey and Dom were on the same page at every step in their relationship. Things between them escalated quite quickly to become very serious. Bailey was clearly kind, caring, and smart. We learned plenty of facts about Dom and his life, but it didn’t get explored in depth much.

The Murder Club is book 5 in the Pike, Wisconsin series, but stands well on its own. It’s not necessary to read any of these books in order. I can recommend this series if you like steamy romantic suspense.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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An online murder club. It seems very simple - investigating cold cases trying to unravel clues detectives may have missed. Bailey works a humdrum job, but she likes the residents of her nursing home and finds the murder club gives her the thrill of doing something different

When the messages become slightly threatening and when a resident dies leaving a sizeable inheritance to Bailey, things get very ugly. Nellie’s grandson becomes violent and accuses Bailey of improper behaviour. Bailey is suspended from work. When more people connected to Bailey start getting murdered and the messages become more threatening, Bailey and Dom (who is the new entrant in Baileys life) realise they have to step up their detection to catch this very cold blooded killer.

Set in a small town of Pike which has a notorious reputation for murder was interesting. The characters were both complicated with lots of secrets to hide.

Fast paced. The romance was an added genre.

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I loved this book. A good addition to the series . It kept me guessing as to who the killer was . The story and characters were well developed

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Reading this reminds me of the show ‘Only Murder In The Building’ as it does gave the same vibes!
The multiple + puzzling murder events, the whodunnit & connect the dots, good ol same vibes in a good, enjoyable way.

I love how the author lured the reader with clues and events along with multiple suspects as well as dead ends to keep our brain busy and entertained till almost the end where the big reveals take places which answers & proven everything.

I also love that the author manage to sprinkles love interest throughout the way which able to keep me felt the warmth and smiling, as well as such a good way to keep readers out of the edge at times when it kinda get tensed with the murder & connection puzzle along the way. I wouldn’t say it’s spicy tho, just normal, no rush things, just lovely and manage to make me smile & at ease from time to time throughout this journey of solving the case with them (the main characters).

The story pace is good, as well as the characters building & how the plot went on. The only thing that kinda bothered me is the 3rd person writing style pov, which not really my preferences on reading, but it’s okay as it’s not came out as really a big of a deal for this story, I’m able to finished reading this book with a whole lot of satisfaction indeed. 👍🏻

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The Murder Club is book 5 in the Pike, Wisconsin series by Alexandra Ivy.
Now I need to read book 3 and 4.
A gripping romantic suspense that’s very well-written and an entertaining read.
This book is jam packed with suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I really enjoyed this set and the characters in this series. This book is packed with a ton of action and suspense with a little bit of romance. I loved the mystery that is going on in this book, and it kept me guessing. I did not want to put this book down, so I ended up staying up super late finishing reading this book.

Thank You NetGalley and Zebra for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

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I've really enjoyed the Pike, WI series, but I will admit this one didn't really do it for me. The MMC is hot and the FMC isn't a wilting flower. However, the mystery seemed really convoluted and clunky.

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3.5 ★

Boring never sounds so good for Bailey Evans: having someone following her, sending her mysterious invitations to a private investigation club and being fired from her job are just the tip of the iceberg. On New Year's eve, Bailey was bored and tired of her very predictable life and wanted to do something to spice it up a little from the comfort of her home, so she joined an online club, where strangers meet to solve suspicious deaths and search for missing clues. After the death of one of her patients and being accused as a murderer by said patient next of kin, she gets a leave without pay, showing that her employees are more interested in their image instead of searching for the truth or looking for the real culprit. This is where things start to get messy.

Dom Lucier is in town to homesit for his friends, moreover, to see that sweet and funny woman who caught his eye during his friend’s wedding. He wants a chance to get to know Bailey and for her to meet Dom (the man) and not just Kaden Vaughn’s friend and associate. However, when he witnesses Bailey being confronted in the middle of the street by a man (who turns out to be the son of Bailey’s deceased patient at the nursing home), Dom steps up and gets involved with the mysterious situations surrounding the shy and nice woman next to him.

Turning from one suspect to another, the reader will get caught in the middle of the investigation and the main character's romance story, however, not everything is what it seems: someone close to you, maybe a neighbor or work colleague or even an annoying paparazzo can be the one that's stalking Bailey. This book will keep you hooked from the first page, although it is a little slow pace in world building, you’ll get bitten by the investigative bug and you won’t be able to put it down. I hope you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did.

***Disclaimer: I’ve applied and received this book as an ARC via NetGalley and this is my honest review***

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The first lesson is to be very careful when joining an online club, especially a Murder Club. Working at the local nursing home, nurse Bailey Evans thought the club would be harmless, but she was wrong. Even though she closed her account, she continued to get text messages including her in the next investigation. Then the murders began. Luckily for her, Dom Lucier, a wealthy Las Vegas pawn shop owner arrived in Pike. After meeting Bailey at his best friends’ wedding, he had felt an instant connection and attraction to her and hoped to get to know her better. Bailey was attracted to him as well, but never dreamed that he would be interested in someone like her. As the disturbing texts continue, she is unjustly accused of persuading a patient to leave her an inheritance. Who is eliminating the residents of Pike and why have they chosen Bailey to play their “game”? I enjoyed this fast-paced twisted mystery and the interaction between Dom and Bailey! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

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The Murder Club by Alexandra Ivy is the fifth book in Pike, Wisconsin. I have read most of the prior books in this series and found the thriller aspect with the romance a great read. I like the small town atmosphere and the close knit community, although there does seem to be a preponderance of murderers in such a small place.

Bailey Evans is a nurse in the small town of Pike. She walks to work daily to the local nursing home, where she has worked for years. The owners of the nursing home have put her on leave after a resident dies and leaves her a sum of money. The son of the recently deceased hassled her when she was walking home. As if this is not enough, she gets strange texts telling her that she needs to solve a murder or else.

Dom Lucier knew difficulties growing up and now he runs a small empire with his friend. While at his friends’ wedding he met Bailey and has not been able to let the memory of her go. So he decides to hang out in Pike watching his friends’ house while checking out Bailey. He arrives in town just when she really needs someone to stand up for her. The murders seem to point to Bailey having something to do with them, like she is being set up. It is up to the sheriff, Zack and Dom to help Bailey wiggle out the trap she is being put in.

The Murder Club by Alexandra Ivy is a good read with characters that make you smile. The mystery is not as shocking as some of her others, but there is a twist or two that catches you off guard.

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cold cases thriller with an interesting idea, but the culprit was BURNINGLY obvious from the moment they stepped on the scene. thanks for the arc.

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Thank you to #NetGalley, Kensington Books-Zebra and Alexandra Ivy for the opportunity to read THE MURDER CLUB, to be published February 20, 2024. 5/5 Stars for this mystery-romance. Although, it is the fifth edition of the Pike Series, it was a great standalone read. Bailey, who works at a nursing home and doesn’t seem to be eager to find a more prestigious or better paying job, falls under scrutiny when some jewelry goes missing and a woman she cared for left her an inheritance. It was an enjoyable novel with characters who came across as real. Great read. #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks-Zebra #AlexandraIvy #TheMurderClub

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