I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Third Time's the Charm
by Michale MohrPublished by Independently Published on October 25, 2023
Genres: Private Investigator Mystery
Pages: 211
Format: Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Author
Goodreads
Bookhype
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook
What do a physical therapist and a high-end jewel thief have in common? The same bullet. Two break-ins, a botched jewel heist, and a murder set the stage for a complex set of events that put both the thief and the physical therapist at the wrong end of a rifle.
Third Time's the Charm is a fast-moving murder mystery full of twists and turns. A home invasion results in the murder of a childhood friend of Melinda Stark's son. The perky physical therapist immediately inserts herself into the investigation to help solve it, unknowingly becoming a pawn in a game she has no idea she's been drafted into.
Melinda's newest patient, Dominic Gallo has been hired by a billionaire bad guy to steal two priceless Egyptian charms. He misses the handoff and hides the charms in his sister's gift shop while he figures out his next move. The charms are inadvertently sold by his sister's assistant. The cash receipt yields only an illegible name. With no other option, he begins breaking into homes of people whose names look similar to the one on the receipt. The third name on his list is Melinda Stark.
While Melinda pursues the murder investigation of her son's friend, Dominic tries to find out if she has the charms. The twists and turns continue to pile up as Gallo and his wife end up becoming friends with Melinda and her homicide detective boyfriend. Dominic's client goes completely off the rails and threatens to end of the lives of both Melinda and Dominic if the charms are not returned to him immediately.
The nail-biting ending comes when the murderer, the charms, and Melinda's relationship to Dominic's client are revealed, leading to an explosive showdown that no one sees coming.
Third Time’s the Charm by Michale Mohr is a murder mystery with lots of heart.
Will Melinda and Dominic’s friendship cause the end of their lives?
Melinda Stark
Melinda is a physical therapist and amateur sleuth. She also sees the good in everything, including patterns in puzzles and mysteries. It seems that Melinda helped the police department solve some crimes previously. Now, the chief watches out for her and includes her in the investigation as long as she is supervised. And since her boyfriend, Tom, is a detective, she mostly is.
I like Melinda. It was refreshing to see someone who has a positive attitude also sleuthing. Melinda is also a great mom and seems to have done a fantastic job raising her son.
Dominic Gallo
Dominic is an art businessman with a side job that has gotten him in trouble. He befriends Melinda, hoping to find a bracelet with the Egyptian charms. However, it doesn’t seem as though Melinda knows about the bracelet.
I like Dominic at the end of the book; I doubt I would have liked his high school self. But who didn’t have issues in school? He does take some unnecessary risks.
The Mystery
Dominic must find the charms by the deadline that this rich guy gives him. There were so many ways that Dominic could have gotten out of this mess, with honesty being the first. However, I do understand that there is a threat to lives at play. The story was nice, and I enjoyed it.
Four Stars
My rating for Third Time’s the Charm by Michale Mohr is four stars. I like the story, positive attitude, characters, and setting; I just wanted more mystery. I do recommend it to anyone looking for a feel-good, cozy mystery.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Third Time’s the Charm by Michale Mohr.
Until the next time,
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Jenz 2024 Cloak and Dagger
- Jenz 2024 Goodreads RC
- Jenz 2024 Medical Examiner Mystery RC
- Jenz 2024 Mystery Marathon
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