Book 1), Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries

Sorry, the movie from Hallmark Channel is better. First of all, Ms Harris trots out every Southern stereotype that she possibly can (I'm from Georgia, know about the small towns surrounding Atlanta), her books portray the 1950's as far as those go. Secondly, Aurora in the books is a rather mean-spirited person who sort of falls into these solutions, she doesn't solve them by investigating. Also I find it strange that every male in town seems to have to hots for a short, overweight, myopic, frizzy-haired, acerbic woman. As the plots are so thin, they could be solved by a ten year-old, Ms Harris would need to write Aurora as more likeable or perhaps more realistic. I'll stick to watching the movies.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was a good, easy read. Kept me interested, and it was easy to follow; by that I mean there weren't too many characters and sub-plots to keep track of. I just enjoyed it. After a long, busy day at work, it was nice to just pick this up where I left off, and just relax and read!! I'm reading another of the Aurora Teagarden books now! It also makes it more enjoyable because they have made this into a Hallmark movie, so I can picture the characters now! I've always been a fan of Candace Cameron!

I read this book in no small part because it's set in Georgia, in a small town turned suburb of Atlanta. Actually, the setting didn't make much difference. This is your classic cozy, that could have been set in Maine or England or any other place with small communities where people know each other and keep bumping into each other. There's some romance, with the lead character (a librarian) being pursued by a detective and a novelist.

The plot involves an odd club, a group of people interested in true crime cases. They meet monthly to discuss a particular murder from the past. It quickly becomes apparent -- when one of their number is murdered -- that someone is imitating an earlier murder -- and as the murders continue, that they have a serial murderer in their midst.

The book is reasonably well-written and engaging enough to keep you reading, but without being such a pageturner that you stay up way past your bedtime finishing it. I had a hunch who the killer was, but not because of plotting problems -- this mystery was pretty good at creating a puzzle to solve -- not too easy to figure out who did it, but plausible.

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I'd like to read more in this particular series.

I fell in love with Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, and when I learned of her other series, I bought them without second thought. Although I don't regret it, the Aurora Teagarden books are, as a whole, the slowest reads (as compared to the Southern Vampires and Shakespeare series).
Real Murders was a nice beginning. It's one of the best book of its series, and I liked the characters, plot and setting. The main murder mystery -someone in Roe's real murders club is murdered- was interesting and I had no idea it would end like it did. It's a nice murder mystery, maybe a bit slow paced at times, but Harris can create distinct characters and knows how to write good suspense stories.

The premise of this book is that a club of people meet to discuss real murders, whodunit and why? Then at one meeting, Aurora Teagarden finds the body of one of the members. She has been murdered apparently to copycat the murder the club was going to discuss that very night. Onward the story goes, the trail of bodies getting bloodier. There seems to be no doubt to anyone that one of the members of the club is the murderer. The plot of 'Real Murders' is excellent. Aurora is sort of bland, at least in this first installment. I didn't find myself feeling one way or another towards her, except I thought it was cute when she would notice how odd it was that she suddenly had the attention of not one, but two men, after years of being single. I admit I had my pick of who the murderer was about half way through and I was suprised to find out that I was wrong. I always enjoy a mystery with a suprises ending. To summarize, this was a good, not a great book. I can't really put my finger on what it is that kept this book from being less than stellar in my eyes. Maybe I just expected it to be more. "Real Murders" was worth the money, and brief amount of time it took for me to read it.

It has been a awhile since I have read an Aurora Teagarden mystery I have like them all. This is a re-read for me. Aurora belongs toa mystery group that discussed murder that happened in real life. Suddenly the murders are occurring that mimic a famous MURDER that happen in the past. It is felt someone in the group is the murderer. The group is disbanded but the "bloodly murders" continue.Aurora needs,to find who is doing them before someone dear to her is destroyed. I recommend this series to those who like cozies mysteries.

Aurora "Roe" Teagarden is a librarian. She doesn't have much of a social life. Once a month on Friday she meets her fellow murder mystery enthusiasts, and they discuss a real murder. This Friday it's Roe's turn to present the case of Wallace. She spent hours preparing and arrives early to the community center to make sure everything is ready. She can't find the woman who unlocked the building and set up. When she does find her, she wishes she hadn't. She'd been murdered in a similar way to Wallace's case.

Soon it is apparent that someone is taking things too far. Others begin dying in ways similar to murders of past. Who is doing it and why? Can Roe help ferret out the killer without becoming the next victim?

I have never read anything by this author. I loved Roe. I can't wait to read more! I thought the plot was well written and the characters were interesting. I had trouble putting down the book between readings. There were plenty of suspects and twists to keep me wondering who the killer was right up until all was revealed. I highly recommend this book.

I love reading books used for movies, but sometimes they disappoint. Harris does a great job with minimal language and no sex. I don't need vulgar language or gratuitous sex thrown into an otherwise great story. There was humor, intrigue, romance, and I can't wait to read more in this series.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick easy read. We have our protagonist a quiet librarian who belongs to a book club called real murders where they go over actual murder books and investigations. On the night the club meets the first copycat murder is created followed by several others all following after a famous real life murder. There is a love triangle as our librarian has two beaus vying for her affection. She isn't really a sleuth but seems to stumble inadvertently into the answers and clues. The ending for me was not expected although I did expect it to be someone that was at the club that night. I'm not sure I will actively continue the series but I would read the next if I came upon it. No sex and no language but there is description of murder scenes however pretty general.

What a fun read! Aurora Teagarden is a naive and quiet librarian whose involvement in the Real Murders Club has her studying the lives of others rather than living one herself. But, her world gets turned upside down when she finds her fellow club member dead. Aurora is a charming character, although immature at times. She doesn't do much sleuthing, but rather catches up on the life she's been missing (changes her image, juggles two love interests, etc) while trying to clear her name as well.The ending was darker and creepier than I expected, but I felt satisfied with how it all came together. Looking forward to the next in this series!

This is one of Charlaine Harris's non-paranormal series, and I liked it quite a bit. Roe Teagarden is our mild-mannered librarian heroine - tiny, bespectacled, and unable to keep her nose out of other people's business. Though when she's the one to find the body of one of her fellow Real Murders Club members prior to a meeting, it's hard to argue that it's not her business too.

Through Roe, we meet her other true-crime-obsessed associates and try to figure out which one could possibly be the killer. We also get a little bit of a love triangle, as Roe finds herself attracted to not only the detective assigned to the case, but her new neighbor, a crime novelist. In true cozy mystery fashion, the characters in Lawrenceton are quite colorful.

Definitely a series I will be continuing.

I thought it was slow getting started and I had a hard time getting into it. But, once the first murder happened and the character of Roe started showing some personality (she seemed so boring at first,) then I warmed up to it. I did think the ending was a little hard to believe, so was a bit disappointed with that. I liked it when Roe's character showed some spunk and humor; just wished her personality had come out a little earlier. I will probably read the next installment, and would recommend the book.

In Real Murders we meet Aurora (Roe) Teagarden, twenty-something small town librarian from Georgia. She is smart, single, and a bit bored with her life.

One of her hobbies is a club called Real Murders, where she gets together with some other people once a month to discuss an historic murder case. When someone starts commmitting actual (and rather grotesque) murders in copycat cases to the ones being studied, all of the club members, including Roe, become suspects.

Everyone is not only a suspect - they are also potential victims. The small town is being ripped apart by tension.

Written in a fun style, this is a great introduction to Roe and her small town southern world.

For those who might be coming in Harris's mysteries from her paranormal series such as Sookie Stackhouse - these are set in "our" world, so no vampires or werewolves, just mysteries involving humans.

Lawrenceton, Georgia is a suburb of Atlanta but has a small town atmosphere in which everyone knows their neighbors and doors are rarely locked. One night librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden is going to Real Murders, a club where folks analyze true crime cases. When she arrives she looks in the parking lot for friends Mamie Wright and Sally Allison when the phone rings and the caller asks for Julia Wallace, the murdered wife of the man the group is supposed to talk about.

When she gets over the shock she sees Sally but not Mamie; feeling uneasy over the phone call she continues to seek out her friend until she finds her body butchered beyond recognition and posed to look like the real Julia Wallace was. She was supposedly murdered by her husband William Wallace. Other murders occur involving the members of Real Murders and they are patterned on past killings like that of Lizzie Border. In a macabre sort of way the killer is having fun but Roe is scared to death when poison is delivered to her and her brother Phillip disappears.

This is the reprint of the first Aurora Teagarden mystery and it affirms why this series is so popular and successful; the other books will follow every two months. REAL MURDERS is an exciting who-done-it because nobody will ever guess who committed the crimes because the murderer acts and looks so normal and interacts with people in a sane manner. Aurora Teagarden is a special one of a kind heroine who amateur sleuth fans adore.

Harriet Klausner

Good characters and good plot. Even though I had seen the movie and knew who the bad guy was, it was still enough different than the movie to keep the book interesting. Very well written and spooky.

I love her books. You don't have to wade through pages of setup. She sets the action from the beginning.
In this book Roe and her other Real Murder club members are targeted for murder. Whoever the murder is, he knows the history of old murders and he is copying them.
Who will be next?

To be honest, I was rather disappointed with this book. I'm a big fan of Harris' other series, but this one has fallen very short. The storyline was interesting enough, but the characters are all incredibly dull. It felt more like I was reading a long synopsis instead of the actual novel. The basic idea was there, but there was the feeling that almost anything that would let you care about the characters had been left out.

If you're expecting anything remotely like Harper or Sookie you will be sorely disappointed. It is however an incredibly quick read, and if you're looking for something easy that doesn't really require much attention I think you'll enjoy it. I'm willing to give the next few books a go, but only because of the author. If I was unfamiliar with her work, I don't believe I'd bother.

This is the first book of the Aurora Teagarden series. Aurora, known as Roe to her friends, is a 28 year old librarian in the small Georgia town in which she was raised. She belongs to a group called "Real Murders" that meets monthly to discuss famous murders. Things get too real, though, when one of the members is found murdered at the monthly meeting. Hence begins a series of murders in their small town, with the victims and the settings staged to replicate a famous murder.

The members and the police know if is probably a member of the group, but which one? This is a great introduction to the series and the folks of Roe's town. I just read this one, after reading all of the rest. Unlike a lot of series, the Roe's friends and townspeople recur in the other books.

This is an amusing, southern cozy and I recommend it for a relaxing read.

The Good: I liked the premise of this book - a "murder club" full of true-crime buffs starts getting killed off, probably by one of their own. I enjoyed Roe, for the first time in her life even, trying to juggle two men and decide between them. I loved that she's a librarian as well as all of the true-crime case facts that were explored over the course of the book.

The Bad: Aurora Teagarden - it's such a pretty name. I didn't get her dislike of it, or why she would possibly chose to go by Roe instead. I also didn't really like the way she sort of thought badly about herself whenever she compared herself to either of her close girlfriends.

This fast paced, cleaver plot kept me involved until the last page. The plot centers on librarian, Aurora Teagarden, who belongs to a club that studies famous unsolved murders. Suddenly, Aurora and the rest of the club become entangled in baffling murders involving the club members that mimic the crimes they've studied. Aurora finds herself entangled in the mystery; after all will the next victim be herself or one of her friend, and, go figure, trying to decide between two attractive men.

Aurora's character is funny and intelligent, acknowledging the craziness of murder & love falling into her lap at the same time. The supporting characters are quirky, interesting, and well, sometimes just bizarre.

I hate to write more because I don't want to ruin your fun in reading this mystery.

The story is an easy read. It's not scary or bloody but if you're looking for a straight forward mystery novel this is it. The only complaint I have is that the main character does not act talk or dress like a twenty something young woman. She uses expressions young people do not use. So I looked up the author and she would've been close to forty when she wrote the first book in the series. That explains it. But I still recommend to mystery buffs

This story waned in and out of intense and suspenseful. Having not read any of the Aurora Teagarden books before I can definitely say I am a fan after book 1. Good old fashioned who done it , with a librarian to boot !

i love charlaine harris. the sookie stackhouse and harper connelly books are FANTASTIC. these books, about miss teagarden..pale in comparison. they aren't BAD, they just don't have that POW! that the others do. i feel crappy for giving these books semi-negative reviews, because i'm wondering if i simply prefer supernatural fiction to..non-spernatural fiction. anyways, i've read the second book in this series as well, and i will probably read the third at some point. who knows-i might even complete the series. (i hate not finishing things.)i would recommend these books to someone who likes murder mysteries more than supernatural fiction. if you're someone who is looking to fill a sookie/harper void, skip these and find something else.

The reason behind so many criticism to this book is basically because people are expecting Sookie Stackhouse with a different name. I tell you, this not Sookie, it doesn't have any vampires, but give it a try. I have to say it because some reviews even said: "but Aurora Teagarden doesn't even have vampires", so what!
That said, I have to say that this first entry into the Aurora "Roe" Teagarden mysteries is a good novel that's difficult to put down. The original premise is that a serial killer does his/her murders in the fashion of old crimes studied by a weird group called Real Murders. The suspects are many and the book keeps you guessing all the time. But the best the book has to offer is the shocker beginning, when Roe receives a call alerting of the first murder.
If the rest of the book had the same chilling quality of those first three chapters, it would have gathered a five star review. But as the book progresses the intensity lowers and in my opinion, the romantic angle kind of tones down the thrill. The ending was a little bit rushed and did not lived up to the beginning. When I read the final revelation I had never guessed the killer, but I wasn't surprised either. The fact that the mystery wasn't revealed by detection was also a turnoff.
But the book is funny enough to cope with its flaws and the characters are so lovable it's easy to forgive the flaws in order to share time with them. Specially Roe's mother, a character so well built and so funny. Charlaine populates her stories with quirky characters all over.
Roe, the main character is great. A southern librarian, that begins with the cliched ugly, timid, smart, but grows to be something bigger. With that description is easy to understand that this series is more tamed than the Sookie series. This is a different character, but Charlaine's style: humoristic, cozy, weird, thrilling, very southern, original is there. And believe me, the only writer that has drawn me to read mysteries is Charlaine, I was not moved by any other writer, not even Dennis Lehane. Give it a try, with an open mind and you'll enjoy.

Something strange is going on in the small town of Lawrenceton, Georgia. Librarian Aurora ("Roe") Teagarden, member of a local group of crime buffs who call themselves the "Real Murders" Club, finds the body of Mamie Wright, one of the other club members, savagely murdered and arranged in a similar fashion to one of the murders being studied by the club. The bodies pile up quickly when several more murders occur in town, all patterned after famous murders from the past.

This was a great first story in this series, with lots of action and mystery. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in the book, especially the protagonist Roe Teagarden. I can't wait to read the other books in this series!

First I devoured all the available books in the Southern Vampire series. Excellent, but no new book until May! Next, I finished the 3 Harper Connely books. Also good, but no new book until later this year. Finally, I decided to give Aurora Teagarden a try, since I like Ms Harris' work so much. There is nothing supernatural or paranormal about this series, but Real Murders was just as entertaining as I'd hoped it would be. Finished in a few hours and will probably read the others in the series too. It reminds me of the old Angela Lansbury TV show...entertainment with a little murder and mayhem thrown into the mix, all neatly resolved in an hour's time.

Having read most of the Sookie Stackhouse book, and the first book in both the Lily Bard and Harper Connelly, Real Murders was the only series by Charlaine Harris I was yet to check out. However, after I was left disappointed slightly by Shakespeare's Landlord (Lily Bard Mysteries) I was cautious when approaching another "straight mystery" by Ms. Harris. Thankfully however, my reservations were quickly cast aside because I really enjoyed this book from the first chapter.

Our heroine, Aurora Teagarden is a twenty-eight year-old librarian in small town USA and she belongs to a club known as Real Murders where she along with eleven other people discus real life murders and the cases surrounding them. It's an odd hobby and many people outside the club think of it as incredibly weird, but for most members its simply an area of interest. However, when members start getting killed in situations which resemble past murders, Aurora begins to suspect that there is a murderer in their midst.

The book is a fairly light read and easily fits into the small town, cosy mystery, unlikely heroine genre and is leagues ahead of Harris Lily Bard series. Our heroine, Aurora is likeable, a bit too square at times, but she is after all a librarian. As in other books by Ms. Harris there is an element of romance, which thankfully is kept to a minimum because sometimes in her work, the romance element can come before the actual story but here there's a good balance.

The writing is swift, and the story is strong. There's plenty of suspects, clues and red-herrings as well as danger for Aurora. The cast of characters is lively and the setting is perfect for this kind of story. So all in all, Real Murders is a great read for mystery fans and it's well worth your reading time.

I had never read Charlaine Harris before I discovered the Sookie Stackhouse series. I absolutely loved that series. Her style of writing really caught me. She's smart, fun and interesting. Aurora Teagarden is different than Sookie but I like her just as much. The story itself isn't quite as good tho. It's still a good story but not as good as Sookie's story.

Aside from the mystery, Aurora hasn't dated in awhile and suddenly finds herself attracted to two different men. Her personal life is one of my favorite parts of the story. I've never been a fan of mysteries before but if I can find other writers who have fun with it like Charlaine Harris I might become a fan.

I loved the Sookie Stackhouse series so I thought I would check out more of Charlaine Harris' books. I was very disappointed by this book. I had a hard time getting into it and felt that there were too many characters to keep track of. I thought that the character development was very slow and mundane. I got almost half way through and found myself not really paying attention to what I was reading. I really wanted to enjoy it, but just couldn't get there...

"Real Murders" is a reprint of the first book in the wonderful Aurora Teagarden series. This series is probably the tamest that Harris has written; there are no vampires or werewolves, & Roe is a generally sunny character. As always, Harris uses a small town, southern setting (GA this time), & she creates a wonderful cast of characters.

The mystery itself is one that I found to be very interesting. There are a series of murders that resemble famous murder cases from the past. Though the subject matter could be grim, Roe's disposition makes this series heartwarming.

Real Murders was a really boring read. I kept putting it down, reading something else, then trying to finish it again. All of the characters were so one dimensional and just....there was something off about Aurora but I can't figure out what exactly it was. She was so strange, but I don't know why. There was no reason for her to be so odd, and I just couldn't figure her out. I didn't care about her at all. I got to the point where I was just like I wish someone would kill her or do something so that maybe something exciting would happen. Yes, there are many murders in the book but it was just not good.

Aurora is in the real murders club. People start being murdered like old murders so she tries to figure out who it might be. But not really. She kind of plays with the idea, but doesn't really accomplish much. She is also dating Robin, the strange author who just moved to town, and Arthur, the cop who is also in the real murders club. Those parts were strange as well as it never even seemed like Aurora liked them or they her. It was just like well there is no one else so...I couldn't figure out Robin either. He was so strange in a way that didn't make sense to me. I didn't get him. I wish the characters would have been flushed out more so the way they acted would have made sense.

So Aurora and Robin end up discovering a lot of the bodies/evidence. They always seem to be on the scene, and it seems like Robin is just hanging around Aurora for someone to talk to about what is happening. The ending, who did it, was just confusing. Really Aurora was incredibly stupid and I just thought I don't really care what happens to her, or anyone. You don't really find out why the killer killed everyone or anything. It is just a quick hey here is the killer! The end. It was just not good. After reading the authors Lily Bard series and really enjoying it I was quite disappointed. I feel like this was like a rough draft for that series. It had a similar feel, but nowhere near as good. This book couldn't hold my attention and I won't be reading any more of the series.

This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

Members of a "true crime" study club find themselves both potential suspects and victims as someone goes about killing people in imitation of notorious murders of the past. This is an intriguing idea that might have worked better had there been fewer bodies and greater interplay among the characters. In my opinion, however, we had a lot of cardboard cutouts and very little warmth of feeling among the principles except for a budding romance or two that didn't quite ring true. An okay read but disappointing when the writer's idea was such a good one.

Like many other readers, I started reading this book only because I loved Sookie Stackhouse series and was looking to read something along those lines. If (like me) you enjoyed SS series only because of the whole supernatural story, this book is not for you. The rest is pretty much the same as in SS - very light, entertaining story, female main character living an ordinary life until something special happens, etc. If you like mysteries, it is a pleasant read. But for me, a big fan of vampires, it wasn't enough to keep me interested in the series.

I've read several of Harris's other books, and while the mystery here was at least good enough for me to finish the book, I was disappointed. It was just very generic. And the ending made no sense at all---no motive is ever explained, and the perfectly normal people who turn out to be the killers suddenly descend into raving lunacy in the last few pages. It just didn't fit. The murders themselves are absurd, but at least interesting, and I could have done that if the whole series packed more of a punch than it does. My response after putting the book down: meh.

I like Charlaine Harris' mysteries in general. They're suspenseful and well constructed. I also like the fact that they are not gory. Real Murders, the first in the Aurora Teagarden Mystery series, engaged me immediately in trying to figure out "who dunnit." It also introduced characters that I'm looking forward to following in the rest of the series. An enjoyable read that I'd recommend to someone who likes what I would call light mysteries.

Decent read. I like Charlaine Harris, but her details of mundane acts can get a little tedious. Out of the whole series, this was my favorite book. The serial killer replicated murders was an interesting plot. I'd hoped the Real Murders club would've continued in the series and not been a single, throwaway plot point for a single book.

This book introduces us to Aurora Teagarden, an amusing, intrepid and self-deprecating almost-30 librarian. She shares her interest in historic murders with a group of crime buffs who have formed a group called Real Murders. They meet once a month to discuss murders and murderers of the past. Strangely enough, murders begin to occur which mirror these past murders and which include members of the group. Aurora teams up with the Arthur, a local policeman and member of Real Murders, and Robin Crusoe, a mystery writer, to solve the murder cases. No one is above suspicion, but the solution is a surprise. This is fun, light reading.

I love Charlaine's work. I love her Sookie series, I love her Harper and Tolliver books, I love her Lily Bard series.

I do not love Aurora. Usually with Charlaine's work I am immediately drawn the the story and characters but this didn't happen with this book. But, I wanted to love this, but by chapter 3, I kept noticing I would just end up reading the same paragraphs over and over not paying attention to the words at all my mind somewhere else, because this book was just a drab. I just skipped to the end to see what would happen. It was too "cozy" for me, I suppose.

Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Book 1)This first book in the series was so good. I have read five so far and can't wait for more to be republished. The series is older for Harris and is getting new life from a new publisher. Harris is so good. I read all of her mystery series and think you can not go wrong if her name if on it. Now I have not read her vampire series, but other friends tell me it is great. Guess I will have to get them eventually.

First in a mystery series, Aurora Teagarden is a librarian who has created the "Real Murders" club, where members research and discuss actual murders. This club takes a devious turn when murders begin happening in their small town. Aurora begins to investigate the murders with help from her two potential love interests: Arthur, a cop, and Robin, a mystery writer. Good mystery and good characters, I will continue reading this series.

[...]

Miss Aurora Teagarden, The dedicated librarian. At first I was skeptical about reading this book, but from reading other books from Charlaine Harris, and loved them I gave this a try and basically feel in love with Aurora. The baseline of the story is actually interesting and it pulls you in and wants you to come back for more and i Literally finished the book in one night, so if you like books with a suspensful feeling and you like clue or so this is the book to read because your not gonna wanna put the book down until you find out who the killer is and why and so forth and to find out more in the other books what happens to Aurora.

Innocuous enough, until . . .

Author stresses responsible character, until the last, when she does something totally foolish, and totally out of character.

I did not finish -- and I'm a compulsive reader. And won't follow up on the series.

Ahhhhhh, this author is just fantastic. I loved this series and the spunky, absurdly named main female lead. The plot twists kept me guessing and I loved how the author touched on each member of the club to make the read biting their nails guessing "who done it." A fun mystery read with a satisfying sprinkling of romance.

I read "Real Murders" last month and am now reading the 4th book "Julius House". I was happy to find a new author that I really liked and then discover that there were 7 more books in the series! Ms. Harris really packs a full story in a small book. You definitely want to read these in order. I found a few at the library and ordered a few others that I couldn't find. The Julius House is the best one so far, so I expect Ms. Harris just keeps getting better and better!! I don't think I would be interested in her vampire series: It doesn't sound like my thing, but I may give the first one a try.

I loved this new character, Aurora. Charlaine Harris never disappoints. Her books are fast but well constructed and filled with great small town "characters". Just had a whole lot of fun and the mystery was good too. By the way had a little romance thrown in too.

Enjoyable first in the series. Characters are likable and it's light and entertaining. Drags a bit in places; that's why I gave it 4 stars. Have already read the second in the series and liked it, too. Can't wait for the new TV series to begin.

This is the first book in the series. Since I already read two other books, some of the suspects were immediately eliminated for me. But the characters was still fun to met. I expect to read some more of the roe regarding books. For a small town they have there share of murders.

I like Charlaine Harris as a writer and really enjoyed this book. Standing at 4'11, Aurora Teagarden is an unassuming librarian, who finds herself entangled in a serial murder mystery when her Real Murder co-members began getting picked off one by one. This is a fun, fast-paced read, and not overly graphic like Harris's other series.

The story was well developed the characters all got a minute or two in the spotlight so you could learn enough about them. It was a quick read and left me satisfied. I immediatly had to go back to the library to get the next book. I rates this a 3 because I did not feel it was AS GOOD as the Harper Connelley or Lilly Bard series that Charlaine Harris writes.

The first in a series that I really enjoyed. I always have an attachment to the first in the series for setting up and establishing the story. I really liked the concept and the pacing was good. A cozy mystery that doesn't feel too cozy.

Real Murders is the first in the Aurora Teagarden series. Roe is a librarian who is part of a Real Murders Club that talks about historical murders. Suddenly someone is copy cating the murders on the members of the club. A good first book for the series but not as good as her Stackhouse series.

I've read all of the Aurora books; loved them all. My assumptions about a librarian were that she would be sedate and bland. Not! The books are exciting because they had everything : characters who came to life, unpredictable plots, funny, and let's just say spicy and R-rated! Ms. Harris, please write more about Aurora!

I love Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connolly so I really wanted to like Aurora Teagarden. Unfortunately, the writing was just so stiff and formal-- I could never sink into the series. I wasn't particularly interested in Aurora or her social life. They subsidiary characters seemed sort of bare bones and vague. I think Charlaine can do much better.

I read this book because I am a fan of Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. Aurora Teagarden is an altogether different, but delightful character, with an interest in sensational murders. For me, it isn't a can't-put-it-down book, but it is a good story and I enjoyed it.

With "Real Murders", Arkansas author Charlaine Harris introduces us to an unlikely heroine caught in a bizarre series of gruesome murders.
Aurora Teagarden, local librarian, leads a calm, quiet existance but has one curious hobby--a fascination with sensational murders. She and several other townsfolk have formed "Real Murders", a discussion group dedicated to discussing famous murder cases.

But among their members is a person whose interest in the details of the world's most sensational crimes is more than a mere curiosity--it is academic.

At once amusing and chilling, "Real Muders" is an enthralling read that engages the reader in the small-town world of its characters and leaves them anxios for the next installment.

This is not as good as Grave Sight, but still a good book. It is a little slow for me, but Charlaine is too good a writer to put the book down. You just have to finish it, and you won't be disappointed . Good enough to try book 2.

If you're looking for a cozy mystery, Aurora Teagarden will hit the spot. The book is light enough to make for a quick read, but suspenseful enough to keep you sucked in. Highly recommended for mystery fans. Don't expect any paranormal here, though, or you'll be disappointed - that's another series.

Charlaine Harris knows how to make her protagonists relatable. I really enjoyed her Sookie Stackhouse series and have never read a "mystery" so I thought I'd give this series a try. So far I'm digging it.

I enjoyed the book's plot, but I was disappointed to find many factual errors in this book. For example; on p. 160 there is a comment about the famous motives of Tennyson Jessie. F. Tennyson JESSE wrote "Murder and Its Motives." On p. 226 Miss Teagarden refers to the author Joe McGuinniss. Joe MCGINNISS wrote crime novels. On the final page Miss Teagarden is referring to intrafamilial poisonings in Croyden, England. That should be Croydon, England.

I've enjoyed Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series and wanted a fun series for quick airport reads. This series does the trick. Good characters and funny exchanges around a different mystery in every book.

I thought the book was contrived. It did not have the same charm or flow as the Sookie Stackhouse books. And there is nothing endearing about Aurora. I was pretty bored by page 22. So, I went to the end of the book to see how it ended. After reading the ending, I decided not to read anymore of the Aurora Teagarden books.