Nancy Boyarsky

Nicole and her husband Brad have arranged a house swap for the summer while Brad is working in London. Brad did not want Nicole to go with him on this trip, but she convinces him to allow her to accompany him to London. She has a list of all the things she wants to do when she arrives in London and Brad is at work. That doesn't happen. First, the London couple never arrive at Nicole and Brad's house in LA, someone breaks into the home where they are staying, and Nicole is threatened by two thugs in a local museum. The trouble does not stop there. The police aren't very helpful and neither is Brad who seems distracted by work so Nicole is left to work out what is happening herself.

This is the classic house swap gone bad. It is also an engaging mystery with plenty of twists and turns, some classic bad guys and a handsome undercover cop. Also plenty of action with kidnappings and explosions as Nicole inadvertently gets mixed up with some very nasty criminals. Unfortunately, this book has a few niggles for me. There is too much happening involving a person who does not know the country at all. She is very naive and tends to believe what she is told by people she doesn't even know. She takes huge chances and travels all over the United Kingdom, being chased and followed. At now time does she go to the U.S. embassy, which pretty much anyone would do when the police do not give you much help. I am looking forward to the next book in this series to see if these things change and become a bit more believable as I really did like this gutsy amateur investigator. I listened to this book and the audio was quite well done. This quote from the author about the narrator says it all, “Jane Oppenheimer narrated my two mystery books for Audible, and I’m thrilled with the results. Not only does she have a beautiful and expressive voice, she’s able to convincingly switch to credible male voices and assume foreign accents. I highly recommend her.”… (lisätietoja)

Liar Liar by Nancy Boyarsky, is the first book in the Nicole Graves Mystery series that I have read. I would probably recommend that readers start at the beginning of this series and I know that I will go back and read the first two. In this book, Nicole Graves finds herself in a predicament once again. She is continuing to get in hours working as a PI, when her co-worker calls out sick. Nicole is entrusted to look after a witness in the high-profile, Oceanside University rape trial. Wanting to do her job and see justice served, she takes on the assignment despite her newly-engaged fiance's concerns for her safety and privacy. After spending time with the rape victim in close quarters, Nicole catches small things that lead her to believe the victim may not be as truthful as others think. Will this young football player have his future derailed by this young girl? Is he telling the truth? Who else is lying in this mess? When Nicole decides to do some investigating on her own, she puts her relationship on the line. How far will she go to find the truth?

I was not sure what to expect when I started this book, but it was an excellent mystery. I was fully invested in this story, having a hard time stopping it when I had things to do. I really like the character of Nicole. She is smart and persistent and I really like her desire to seek justice and the truth. While the subject matter of a rape trial can be off putting, this book has no graphic descriptions of the crime. This is not a cozy mystery, but it has the same clean feel to it. There is a gripping storyline that had me thinking of various scenarios and the twist near the end was a good one. The red herrings along the way were there, but not obvious until you looked back on the story. A great mystery story that I would recommend to any mystery lover. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jane Oppenheimer was well done and I enjoyed listening to this one.… (lisätietoja)

This is the second book in the Nicole Grave Mystery series and Nicole finds herself once again in the middle of a situation not of her making. She has returned home to LosAngeles after her last adventure in the United Kingdom and is working as the office manager for a Legal Firm. Part of her job is to assist the firm's investigator with computer searches etc. When he does not come into work for a couple of days, Nicole is asked to check on him. Traveling to his home in a very ritzy area of LA, she stumbles upon his dead body, shot in the head. When the police show up and being their investigation, Nicole becomes a suspect. Not only do they find photos of her in a skimpy bathing suit, but some of her lingerie. When it comes out that she is his beneficiary of his lucrative estate, the paparazzi begin hounding her. The firm requests she take time off and hire a lawyer for her as well. Things ratchet up when someone starts following her and she appears to be a target of someone, but who?

Once again, Nancy Boyarsky has written a fast paced mystery, with adventure around every corner. I enjoyed the plot of the story and as I read I felt like I was on a twisty, turning ride. Who should Nicole trust, who is telling the truth, how are the paparazzi able to figure out where she is? This is a story about corruption, trust, and using people for your own benefit. Nicole was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was in danger. She is pretty quick on her feet and the plans she made and cautionary steps she took saved her life on more than one occasion. Piece by piece Nicole got to the bottom of this mystery as she traveled around Los Angeles covering her tracks. Another area touched upon was the dynamics of the workplace. Even when co-workers are simply polite and tolerate each other, you never know what is going on in their minds. You also might think you are well liked, but when you are no longer there, your co-workers waste no time moving in on your job. Just as in the first novel, there was some romance along the way. We do see Reinhart again, but living across the pond from one another makes it hard to sustain a relationship.There was no sexual tension in this novel like in the first, but there was plenty of warm, romantic emotional feelings along the way. I listened to the audio version of this book and again enjoyed the narration by Jane Oppenheimer. This quote from the author about the narrator says it all, “Jane Oppenheimer narrated my two mystery books for Audible, and I’m thrilled with the results. Not only does she have a beautiful and expressive voice, she’s able to convincingly switch to credible male voices and assume foreign accents. I highly recommend her.”

… (lisätietoja)

The Bequest by Nancy Boyarsky is the second book in A Nicole Graves Mystery series. Nicole Graves has just returned from London where her boyfriend, Ronald Reinhardt failed to show up for their rendezvous. Nicole goes to the law office of Bascomb, Rice, Smith and Di Angelo, where she is the office manager, and is informed that Robert Blair, the in-house investigator, has been MIA. Nicole heads to Robert’s house to check on him. She finds his very expensive home unlocked and Robert with a bullet through his forehead. Nicole was friendly with Robert, but they were not close or so Nicole thought. The police find pictures of Nicole in Robert’s bedroom that indicate they had an intimate relationship. Detective Frank Miller believes Nicole is withholding information and is guilty of Robert’s death. Then the beneficiary of Robert’s vast estate and life insurance policy is revealed. The paparazzi turn out in droves and Nicole is soon unable to move without being photographed. After an attempt on her life, Nicole decides to disappear and discover who killed Robert on her own. What was Robert involved in? Where did her get his wealth? Nicole intends to get answers and clear her name. Will Nicole discover the killer’s identity or will Nicole become another casualty?

The Bequest is easy to read and has a nice pace. Most of the action takes place in the last 40% of the book (the pace picks up a little). While The Bequest is the second book in A Nicole Graves Mystery series, it can be read alone (though I recommend The Swap). What happened in The Swap is summarized (rehashed) in The Bequest. Personally, I enjoyed The Swap more than The Bequest. I thought this second installment was a letdown. The romance and mystery competed for dominance in the story. Nicole has a new love interest, and she is wasting no time with this new fellow (Reinhardt should have responded to her messages). I wish the romance had been turned down a few notches (it was too much for a mystery novel). The mystery was interesting (parts were unrealistic though), but not compelling. I correctly identified the guilty parties early in the book. I kept hoping there would be a good twist to surprise me (maybe I have read too many mystery/suspense novels). My rating for The Bequest is 3 out of 5 stars. I found there to be a repetition of details (especially about Reinhardt). For some reason, we are given a description of all food items (every single thing at each meal). I wanted to feel the suspense and I did not. The Bequest is a good story that many readers will enjoy, but it could have been a great story with some changes.… (lisätietoja)