Review of Murder Is Personal

Thanks to Partners in Crime Tours for a copy of Murder is Personal, the debut novel by BJ Condike. Check out my review today then come back next week for an author interview & a giveaway.

More about Murder Is Personal

Jake Powell came to Rattlesnake Bend to disappear.

The dying North Texas lake town was the perfect place to outrun his past: no questions, no connections, no reminders of the life he left behind in Massachusetts. He kept his head down, worked for a local woodworker, drank beer at the Cock 'N' Bull, and tried not to think about April Hunter-the woman he abandoned without explanation years ago.

Then April shows up in town wearing a yellow rain coat.

Twelve hours later, she's dead.

With the sheriff convinced he's guilty, Jake starts digging for answers on his own. What begins as a murder investigation spirals into a maze of family secrets, corporate corruption, anonymous threats, and lies buried for decades. The deeper Jake digs, the closer he gets to exposing his own dark secret - plus one more that could destroy him.

More about BJ Condike

BJ Condike learned his writing craft at SMU in Dallas, and has won numerous local and regional short story contests. BJ’s stories have appeared in several anthologies published by Granbury Writers’ Bloc, the North Dallas Chapter of Sisters in Crime, and Key West Writers Guild where he serves as vice president. He is active in several writing clubs in Texas and Florida, and is currently marketing his debut novel Murder is Personal.

In his spare time he plies the waters of the Florida Keys in his fishing boat Sea-Quel with his wife ML and their Welsh corgi Sophie.

Catch up with the Author

Website: www.BJCondike.com

Instagram: @briancondike

Threads: @briancondike

X: @BjCondike

Facebook: BJ Condike

Thoughts about Murder Is Personal

Sure, this is a Jake Powell mystery but the real appeal is the ragtag team he assembles to help him (some reluctantly) solve the murder of his old friend. Most authors take care to create a rich main character but Condike breathes life into all his book's characters -- even the most minor (I'm looking at you, Rose). They all appear on the scene fully formed with their own motives, backstory, quirks and personality making them easy to imagine. Reading this book was like watching a movie it was so full of detail in the characters, action and landscape.

In unraveling this mystery, the team (and readers) follow plenty of paths that always lead somewhere interesting but not to the identity of the murderer. As an Agatha Christie fan, I tip my hat to Condike's classic reveal at the book's ending. Looking forward to more fun with Jake Powell. He strikes me as the type he can't stay out of trouble for long.

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