This book was different and yet very up-to date in that it portrayed young people (some not so sympathetically) true to life and described the influence (good and bad) that parents had upon their children and the results of bullying - both upon the bullyers and upon those being bullied. By the end of the book I mostly figured out "who done it," but there were still some surprises. The characterization was very realistic

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Aurora Teagarden is basking in the news of her pregnancy when disaster strikes her small Georgia town: four kids vanish from the school soccer field in an afternoon. Aurora’s 15-year-old brother Phillip is one of them. Also gone are two of his friends, and an 11-year-old girl who was just hoping to get a ride home from soccer practice. And then there’s an even worse discovery—at the kids’ last known destination, a dead body.
While the local police and sheriff’s department comb the county for the missing kids and interview everyone even remotely involved, Aurora and her new husband, true crime writer Robin Crusoe, begin their own investigation. Could the death and kidnappings have anything to do with a group of bullies at the middle school? Is Phillip’s disappearance related to Aurora’s father’s gambling debts? Or is Phillip himself, new to town and an unknown quantity, responsible for taking the other children? But regardless of the reason, as the days go by, the most important questions remain. Are the kids still alive? Who could be concealing them? Where could they be?
With Christmas approaching, Aurora is determined to find her brother…if he’s still alive.

*2.5 stars*

This is the 9th book in the series? By a hugely successful author? Could have fooled me. I do enjoy a good cozy mystery from time to time - not too much as they start to get either too repetitive or stale - and I thought I would give this one a go due to the authors reputation and that we were a long way through a series.

And what did I get? There is a halfway decent mystery surrounding the disappearance of 4 teenagers, one of them being Aurora's half-brother. There was enough in that to keep my attention to the end...

...which was good because the rest of the story was insufferable. For a book of just over 200 pages, it felt loooooooong. Lots of unnecessary details that were just boring - he clothes characters are wearing, Aurora's shopping list, and characters that are just wooden representations of real characters. Disappointing, indeed.


Paul
ARH

This is an Aurora Teagarden mystery, published nine years after Harris’ last book in the series.
Aurora, or Roe, as everyone calls her, is a librarian who works in a suburb of Atlanta. She is a member of the Real Murder Club, which supposedly revisits old cases that have been solved, but always seems to get involved in new cases in Lawrenceton.
I’ve always liked this series, but I find myself getting confused because Hallmark Channel has made a series of movies based on these books, and as is always the case, made changes that confuse me.
In this book, her half-brother Phillip, who traveled across the country to Roe’s, without letting his parents know, is now living with Roe and her husband, Robin. When Phillip and three other young people vanish, including an 11-year-old girl, Roe is not going to leave things up to the police, even if she is pregnant.
Charlaine Harris always has a great story to share no matter which of her series you’re reading.

I was really looking forward to this thriller it just didn't work out for me, unfortunately. It was a personal thing, not the authors. I actually love this author, I just couldn't connect with this story.

I haven't read a Teagarden book in awhile, and I remembered enjoying them, but this one didn't hold my interest totally. I'm not a fan of the teenager angle with Aurora's brother, Phillip. He's only 15, and some of the stuff they were talking about in regards to him was weird at times and failed to keep my interest. I'm not around kids much, so maybe that's it. All the characters feel rather tame as well, which I think that's how they've always been, but what I like to read has changed. I still like the story and I like Aurora. Some of the thoughts she had on her previous husband were weird though, and they made her seem unsure of herself. There was also some weird stuff with Robin's past, and I've never liked that he has some Hollywood connection. He's a little bland, and I like him, but I don't really feel the connection between Aurora and Him. I'd like to see both Aurora and Robin express their feelings for each other more. The mystery also didn't fit with some of the other mysteries from the previous books. In this book, a group of local kids goes missing. Aurora's brother is one of them, so she's doing what she can to help find them. Aurora's jerk of a dad comes to town, so Aurora needs to deal with some of the issues she has with her dad. Aurora is also still pregnant with Robin's baby, and the two are dealing with that. I still enjoyed the story, and there are some interesting characters in Aurora's neighborhood. I think I'll continue to read the next books, but they aren't something I need right away.

Aurora Teagarden is back after a decade, in the ninth installment of the popular Aurora Teagarden series by veteran, bestselling author, Charlaine Harris. Aurora (Roe)’s half-brother, Phillip, has come to live with her and her new husband, bestselling writer, Robin Crusoe. He’s doing well and has met lots of friends, so when he and some of his friends go missing, Roe is surprised as well as worried. Roe’s father comes from California, blaming Roe for the disappearance, and Roe must deal with her difficult father as well.

Harris is a good storyteller, and Roe and Robin are likeable, developed characters. Roe, a librarian is down-to-earth, and is a character most readers will be able to relate to. Phillip, who is 15, seems happy at school, but he and his friends are subjected to the typical school problems, such as popularity, social status according to moneyed and non-moneyed parents, bullies, and gender problems. There is, however, no reason for them to go missing, and since Roe is known as an amateur sleuth, she – with a bit of help from Robin – delves into the mystery, hoping to find her brother and his friends safe. Roe is a bit pushy, and makes a few enemies while asking questions. One of the girls who has been questioned commits suicide, which also complicates matters, especially since she is the girlfriend of another boy who has been apparently kidnapped for ransom.

This mystery has plenty of suspense, especially due to the dead body found at the last place Phillip and his friends were seen; Roe wonders if they are still alive, and how it is possible that so many kids could be missing at once. This is an interesting mystery, and Harris handles it well, giving readers just enough information to form their own theories on who-done-it. The end, of course, is unexpected, and all told, this is a fun mystery suitable for all readers.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

3.5 stars

All the Little Liars
An Aurora Teagarden Mystery #9
Charlaine Harris
Minotaur Books, October 2016
ISBN 978-1-250-09003-4
Hardcover

Charlaine Harris has to work really hard to make me not like any of her books and this one is no exception. Aurora Teagarden is her fluffiest series and I was SO excited when she brought it back with this book, 13 years after the last one.

Roe is a librarian—now married and pregnant—in a small town in Georgia and, as librarians are wont to do, falls over dead bodies on a regular basis. This time, a bunch of kids have gone missing and her teenaged brother is somehow involved. I enjoyed this story even though I thought it was just a little weak but I chalk it up to the difficulties of rebooting a series and fully expect the upcoming Sleep Like a Baby to be back on top.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2017.

The Teagarden series is one of my favorites written by Harris.

Less relevant content to the mystery than filler, Aurora's internal monologue constantly made me want to bitchslap her, and I am rating three stars for it. The mystery itself wasn't bad, but she's definitely just milking her cash cow again at this point. Should've stopped at #8. MOO.