My first 5⭐ read this month. Five deaths in five months among the struggling farmers with properties around Lake Murray, South Carolina. Carolina Slade's boss at the Department of Agriculture out of Columbia, SC, asked her to look into the deaths under the guise of checking on the loans the farmers had with the Ag Dept, but keep what she was doing quiet. Along with being a top-notch procedural, this mystery digs into the conflict between farmers hanging on by a thread to their hard fought land and way of life and the developers looking for large profits. Sharply drawn characters with realistic and slightly messy relationships ground the story. And don't miss the wedding at a nudist colony.

To use a quote from the book, “Nothing like opening a mystery with action and a hook!”
Set in South Carolina, you get hooked in Slade and Agent Largo’s impending nuptials, if Largo can can get Slade to pick a venue. But how do you pick a venue when you find a dead body there?

Slade gets pulled into the investigation of the deceased farmer. You can’t help but feeling for Slade when she is forced to keep things from her fiancé in order to do her job. You can feel the stress of pulled loyalty between her friend/ boss and her lover. I loved her girlfriends and how they were there for her, giving her clarity in her investigation and how to be patient while Largo in turn has to do his job.

The two sisters may have been my favorite characters, the side antics they get Slade and Largo into, and how it ties together for their investigation to be wrapped up.

Great read, a fast paced page turned! I can’t wait to read more about the cloud over Slade’s head, and get sucked into her next storm.

Another incredible story by C. Hope Clark!

This is a book in the Carolina Slade series - however, it's the first book in the series I've read. I have read most of her other books, so the characters in this series are familiar. I just love her storylines and characters! Being from a rural community, I really enjoyed the farm/ag side of this book. Her mysteries are so detailed and in depth, the characters so well created and it just amazes me every time I read one of her stories how she puts it all together.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

In the latest Carolina Slade Mystery by C Hope Clark, Slade and Wayne are planning their upcoming wedding - she wants simple, he wants a venue - so while touring a local farm, of course Slade finds the farmer dead in the pond. Heading up what should be a simple investigation she discovers other deaths among farmers that aren’t making sense and Slade can’t let go. One of my favorite series that is always action packed!

Have you ever read a book set where you live? In Lake Murray Money by C. Hope Clark it feels like the characters are driving by my neighborhood.

"Carolina Slade stumbles on a body while looking at wedding venues with her fiance. Another farmer is dead and points to a disturbing trend. Several farmers have recently died in mysterious circumstances. Slade is pulled into an investigation by her boss and told to keep it quiet. She can't even tell her law-enforcement fiance. Who is killing the farmers? And why is she being followed?"

Lots of tension with Slade trying to balance all of the concerned parties' agendas and still do her job. It was fun to recognize the places in the book. And the issue was a very real one (no spoiler) There's some welcome crossover with characters from the Edisto and Craven books. There's a funny scene at the Nudist Camp wedding. There is a local nudist camp that's been open for years.

A nice addition to the Clark crime universe.

One of my go to authors…talented at keeping the interest of the reader, while weaving a story of fiction that reads, at times, like nonfiction. I liked this story even though the red herrings kept me guessing and wondering. Curl up under a cozy blanket, be transported for an afternoon. Thanks Netgalley.

When wedding planning purgatory turns deadly!! Carolina Slade finds herself unable to agree with her fiancé Special Agent Wayne Largo on how and where to tie the knot. She's finally willing to visit rustic wedding venues around Lake Murray, but marriage plans take a back seat when she stumbles on a body which might be the latest in a series of worrisome farmer deaths! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This book was really great! It was about a couple touring different wedding venue sites, when they discover a dead body at one of them. It now takes a turn, and becomes a thriller/mystery to find out what happened. It had a great pace and a lot of twists and turns. Very entertaining and I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!