Murder List (Buchanan / Renard / MacKenna Book 4)

I was somewhat forced to endure the pain of listening to the audio version of this book while on a long road trip. I hated it form the very start. The prologue was stupid and useless. The central story kept being lost by forced secondary stories that once they had achieved their simple goal were left hanging (not that I was at the end of my seat waiting for their resolution). I hated the characters - all of them.

I get angry from just remembering the stupid, annoying character voices and accents. Maybe my opinion would differ if I had read the book instead of listening to the audio book.

p.s. Thought about it and no, the book would still suck.

I liked the book and while it kept me turning the pages, there wasn't eneough romance or suspense to keep me enthralled. Heartbreaker and Mercy on the other hand, were truly enthralling. I think it just sort of went downhill from those two books. Julie Garwood has created wonderful characters and Alec and Regan were no exceptions, but the story line wasn't fast moving or gripping to compare to her previous books. Well, I hope her new upcoming book, Shadow Dance makes up for what has been missing in these last books!

I liked the story, but I unfortunately listened to this book instead of reading it. The reader was terrible. Please, never try to do a New England accent again!!! She thought that by leaving out every "R" she had it down pat. It was very annoying and took away from the story. I know we have an accent here in NE, but it is not like that!

The heroine of the story was supposed to be strong, but I found her to be naive and not too swift on the uptake. OK for a summer read, but not one of Julie Garwood's best efforts.

Being a first time reader of Julie Garwood's books, I thought that this novel was both interesting and captivating, as well as exciting and romantic. The main character has a definite dramatic silly side to her, which most girls can relate to! Unlike many others reviewing this book, I haven't read Garwood's historical romances, so I am not sure how it compares to those. However, if one preferred historical romances, I can understand why they would give this book a poor review. It is exciting and modern and takes place in a very cosmopolitan setting. My preferred reading material is either murder mysteries or modern and light-hearted, bordering on funny, romances. This book did a great job fulfilling both my criteria for a good book and I would recommend it to anyone with similar interests. The characters have great, distinctive personalities, there are a lot of places where the killer could be hiding, the main character has an amusing family, and last but not least, the hero is enough to make a woman weak in the knees... at least if you have as active of an imagination as I do. I hope others have the pleasure of reading this book, and base its merit on what it is, not what the author's past books have been.

Alright, Julie Garwood is my favorite author. The historical romances are fantastic, but I also love these contemporary books, and I love the Buchanan/Renard/Mackenna series the most. I miss the characters when the book is finished, and I always look forward to the next. I was thrilled when Fire and Ice came out because we got to pick up where Murder List left off. Hope she continues with this series!

I have to say that I enjoyed this book more than the previous 3 contemporary books from Garwood. But, her speciality is still historical. There is something very charming about the banter and wittiness of her historical books that she has not be able to produce in the contemporaries. I WISH she would delight us with something historical again. Garwood's historical books are the type of books that you what to read over and over again whereas her contemporaries are a one time event. As for this book, I felt she made a better stab at characterization and interaction between the characters but, are we reading about characters or about a substandard suspense/mystery plot? I can't figure out which should be the most important point of the contemporary books because she flip-flops between ideas. Some advice to Ms. Garwood, stick with what made you a best selling novelist.

Julie Garwood does an awesome job bringing her readers into her novel. I was not able to put the book down!She made her charecters come alive for me. I felt like I was right there in the book.When her charecter got the e-mail showing her the murder list, I was just as shocked and scared as she was. Oh, and to find someone that made me feel all warm and gooey inside would make my day. The charcters in the book were written to make you feel like they were actual people, she gave you so much information. Julie Garwood wrote about a girl that wanted to help her friend catch a guy that stole money from helpless women and in return someone set out to kill her but first he gave her a present by killing someone that she did not have respect for. At the end of the day though well you will have to read the book to find out now won't you?! I am telling you, this is one book you will not regrett reading.

I can't believe all the people writing how bad this novel is b/c there was no Noah in it. I mean, YEAH, we all wanted this one to be his love story, but jeez, people this is Julie Garwood and I have to say that if you start reading a novel disappointed already you've already got points against it, but you just have to throw away the bad thoughts and think "ok, she's probably just got plans for Noah later, let him mature some or something." and then move on and say say hey this is a julie garwood novel and i'm going to enjoy it! once you put aside the thought that this story isn't about Noah, then you can appreciate the new characters julie garwood introduces you to in Murder List. Its a good story. Maybe not as great as some of her previous, but STILL GOOD! and definately a keeper. I just felt i had to say my piece to all those bad reviews everyone was writing. read the book without disapointment coloring your read time is what i say, and you'll enjoy it just as i did!

Like the previous reviewers, I got this book as a free promo. I had never read Julie Garwood before, and there was nothing in the story that would prompt me to pay actual money to read any more of her work. The writing was poor, the plotting was worse and there was no suspense.
For people who like romantic suspense,may I suggest that you try some by good writers like Susan Isaacs,Elizabeth Peters or even Charlaine Harris. This stuff isn't worth the time it takes to read it.
Reviewer: Renee S. N.Y.C.

I found Regan delightfully unspoiled by wealth; she was a true beauty mainly because she was so darn humble about herself.

Alec was a great guy; very loyal and so in love with Regan!

I do admit that most of JG's contemporary novels contain many slow parts, and this one was no exception. The constant chatter between Regan and Cordie and Sophie went on far longer than necessary.

First, let me just say, I've read every single one of Garwood's historicals and they all THRILLED me. However, this is the second contemporary I've read, and it really didn't grab me at all.

As most review-writers have pointed out, Regan's character, as well as her silly girl friends, seem very shallow and poorly developed for the storyline. They do come off more like giggly teenagers than the trendy, gorgeous women they are made out to be.

Alec also lacks depth to me.

The story line was interesting near the end, but defintely not suspensful. I didn't feel like I was reading a mystery, or a thriller. It felt like a romance with fragments of a poorly designed thriller splashed into it.

Why had Garwood left her strongest skills behind and clung so passionately to these odd suspense novels in the past several years? It's clear to ANYONE who's read at least one romance of hers and one modern novel of hers that the latter is NOT her strong point. Yet, she seemingly refuses to go back at what she's best at? She's losing me as a reader.

Now, my last and most important feedback about this novel. I "read" the audio book version on the 10 CDs. The reader, Joyce Bean, really made it hard for me to get into this book as well. I found her voice on the verge of annoying- but what REALLY upset me was how she read Alec's voice! He sounded like a dumb ditz from Brooklyn. I didn't picture the tough, modern day warrior Garwood wanted me to. I pictured the FONZ! Or Squiggy from Lavern & Shirly. The way stupid accent she added to Alec's voice made me gag!

So all in all, give it a try if you want, but I can't promise anything good. Stick with Garwood's romances (and I read a lot more suspense novels than I do romances!) But if you do chose to give it a try: DON'T read the audio book! The reader is awful!

To me this was a good read . It has mystery and romance .
Someone is out to kill Regan , she writes a "Murder List " and people on list start dying . Regan is then protected by private security as well as police security . The police security is with her alot and has to protect her in more ways then one but then he ..... Sorry you got to read this book to find out the rest .

It was my first novel by the author so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story was dragging for too long. As I was reading the book I was surprized on how little things had progressed as I was getting to the end of the book.

I felt the author was reflecting too much of herself in Regan.

I'm definitely not an expert in analyzing books or writing methods, but when I read a book I look for good story telling techniques and that means I don't want to see the author in the story.

Similarly, an excellent actor plays different roles without any aspect of his/her personal character leaking out.

I recommend reading this novel for comparison but it definitely did not make an impression.

This book was okay. I devoured Mercy and Killjoy, this one simply did not have the UMPH that the other two had. I had to read it, because a Buchanan was in it, I did like it, it just lacked a little magic. Don't buy it, get it from the library. If you like the family, it's worth the read. I am going on to Slow Burn, which I hope the magic returns.

I love Julie Garwood and had been anxiously waiting for the release of Murder List. Basically, the book was not as great as I thought it would be. I'm actually very disappointed. It din't leave me with that feeling you get after you've just finished reading something that had you gripped in suspense. It have to give it a three because the book is still better than others out there. The characters were not very developed. Plus, the relationship between the two main characters after "I love you" is said, gets like one chapter. I kind of like her other books where the hero realizes he loves the girl and they get about 1/4 to 1/3 of the book so he can tell her. This one had no such thing. Also, I loved the suspense and the plots in Mercy and Killjoy. Well this book left me wondering because the conclusion all pointed to a character that never appears. I mean you hear about this person, but they never appear. Very weak. I would still buy it for $25.00, because it's Julie Garwood. However, I do have to point out that I found this one lacking, especially after having waited so long. Hope her next one is better. Much better.

I absolutely loved Murder List. I had been looking at it for a while in the stores and finally bought it from the store.com and while it only took a week to read it - I loved it. I love most of Julie Garwood's books but this continuation of a family story was really good. It can be read alone, but when I found out it was a part of a set of books starting w/ the Heartbreaker and including Mercy then I knew I had to read it. And was not disappointed - if you like Julie Garwood you will like this book. Again it can be read alone but the enjoyment is increased if you also read the other books loosely connected to it.

I think this a great read! I'm a fan of her historical romance and am delighted to discover that she writes a thriller/romance almost as well. I loved her characters in this novel and the plot twists will keep you thinking the whole time through. I read this book cover-to-cover in one sitting. . . couldn't put it down! Nice read for a rainy day.

I am a huge JG fan, which is the main reason why I give this book 3 stars. I have read all of her books and could hardly wait to read this one but half way through the book I had to stop and ask myself "what is this book really about?". It wasn't a painful read but it just seemed so unfocused. Was it a love story between the 2 main characters?, was it a story about friends trying to expose a fraud?, was it a story about a serial killer?, was it story about family relationships? There were alot of story lines going on but they were not tied together very well. To top it off the brother whose action was the root of the main story line was not even developed in the book, only mentioned.

I am still a JG fan but I hope the next book will be back up to the 5 star standard.

Julie Garwood has long been one of my favorite romance authors, at least she was up until a few years ago. I love every single one of her historical romances, they're all keepers - but I have been consistently disappointed in her relatively recent venture into the contemporary romance thriller genre. I enjoy suspense thrillers by authors like Karen Robards, Tami Hoag, Suzanne Brockmann, Elizabeth Lowell, Linda Howard, etc.. However, this area is not Ms. Garwood's forte. Unfortunately, "The Murder List" is a dud, similar in nature to both "Heartbreaker" and "Mercy," but without their strong points.

Heiress and philanthropist Regan Hamilton Madison is persuaded by her best friends Sophie and Cordie to become involved in their amateur investigation of a con-man, who runs popular self-help seminars. The two are convinced he murdered a gullible milionairess for her money. The three women attend one of his receptions and participate in a "cleansing exercise" geared to rid them of their anger. Participants are asked to make a list of people they really don't like and wish would disappear - folks they wish they could murder. Unbelievable?! Regan is shocked but plays along. They are then asked to burn their lists, which is symbolically supposed to cleanse them of negative feelings. Unfortunately, Regan is unable to burn hers, because her cell phone rings and she walks outside to answer it. After the event, she leaves the conference center and is attacked by a strange man on the way to her car. She drops her phone, the intact list, and fortunately escapes with her life. Soon afterward, the first person on her list dies, an apparent suicide. Then another one has a fatal heart attack. When Regan goes to the police to report the attack, as well as her perceived connection to the murders/deaths, Detective Alec Buchanan is assigned to be her bodyguard.

Unfortunately, the plot contains little that is original, worthwhile, or interesting. The characters are cardboard caricatures. Not one of them is developed sufficiently to come across as believable. The heroine is just too naive - too cutesy, to be as intelligent and creative as the author would have us believe. Regan and her two friends are supposedly, experienced, responsible professional women, sophisticated adults. They act like adolescents with little savvy, scatterbrained versions of Nancy Drew. However, they are perfect physical specimens of femininity - gorgeous faces, figures, AND designer wardrobes. Men find them irresistible, but none have ever been in a successful relationship. Of course, the hero is handsome, sexy, intelligent, ambitious, loyal, tender but slightly macho...and single!!! Do you doubt? The villains are not particularly scary! And the dialogue, especially between girlfriends, is inane, to say the least.

As with literary fiction, I have high standards for the romance novels and beach books I choose to read. And why not? There's lots of compelling, well written escapist literature on the market, with new books appearing all the time. I look for storylines which are original and complex, with fresh, fully developed characters, and a taut narrative - lots of suspense too. "The Murder List" just doesn't make the grade. Again, I am not happy about writing this review, as Ms. Garwood has brought me many hours of reading pleasure. I hope she gets back in the swing soon.

Jana

I was initial looking forward to reading thie book as I have enjoyed several other Garwood novels. This novel had an interesting start but slowed down to a snails pace. The plot twisted in to a story of a budding romance vs. suspense. The story only got back on track in the last couple dozen pages. I would not recommend this book.

am a huge Julie Garwood fan. I have all her books, and had to replace a few for I read them so much that they got worn. I can even tell you some of the small errors that the editors made. I was disappointed when she changed her writing style, but after reading her first contemporary novel, I was hooked again. This book will not we one that will be read alot, if again. If I didn't know better I would swear it wasn't a Julie Garwood book. To much like Mary Higgens Clark, who is a wonderful author, but not Julie Garwood. Her usual humorous and loveable characters were missing, as well as the passion between her characters. If I hadn't read all her books, and had started with this one, I probably would have enjoyed it more. Hope this isn't her newest style.

I love Julie's historical romance and it took awhile before I adapted to her romantic suspense writing. I found 'Murder List' to be an enjoyable read and not 100% perdictable in the suspense areas. The friendships and characteristics of the characters where enjoyable and the dialog is always my favorite part of any book. It is fun to not have a perfect heroine but one who developes and grows throughout the book. If you like "Killjoy" by Garwood you should like this one!

the first time i read this book a couple of years ago i couldn't put it down. i read a two or three humdred books a year and it is one of the few books that i have read and can still remember every detail. there is not a thing i would change about this book and it is one that i could see being an amazing movie.

Ms. Garwood broke the mold again. This book is not her usual style. Regan and Alec's relationship develops slowly over the course of a few weeks. He is trying to save her life, from a vengeful killer, before he moves to another city and a new job. By the end of the story you will not only like both Regan and Alec you will also like her two best friends. Garwood spends time developing their characters. Hopefully, at least one of them will be the heroine of her next book. I highly recommend this book as a fun easy read.

Murder List was my first Garwood contemporary and it hooked me. I liked the characters and the suspense was not too bad. It kept me guessing who the bad guy was and why. However, when you find out who it is and why then it just seems too unbelievable. It was definitely worth the time and money to read this book. I will have to read the other books now about the other brothers.

This is a boy meets girl novel with the "murder list" playing second fiddle to what is essentially a love story. If you like love stories, you might like this novel. But, if you are looking for an interesting mystery/thriller you should look elsewhere.

I am the fortunate one who translates Julie Garwood's works into Hungarian and I must say I loved all her books I got a chance to read. Though I think Bride is the best, I am always anxious to read her thrillers, and the Buchanan brothers is the thing that really worth waiting for. As my title says I loved this book, too, but I think there is too much resemblence to the first book, The Heartbreaker and that is a little bit disappointing :-(

the first time i read this book a couple of years ago i couldn't put it down. i read a two or three humdred books a year and it is one of the few books that i have read and can still remember every detail. there is not a thing i would change about this book and it is one that i could see being an amazing movie.

Ms. Garwood broke the mold again. This book is not her usual style. Regan and Alec's relationship develops slowly over the course of a few weeks. He is trying to save her life, from a vengeful killer, before he moves to another city and a new job. By the end of the story you will not only like both Regan and Alec you will also like her two best friends. Garwood spends time developing their characters. Hopefully, at least one of them will be the heroine of her next book. I highly recommend this book as a fun easy read.

Murder List was my first Garwood contemporary and it hooked me. I liked the characters and the suspense was not too bad. It kept me guessing who the bad guy was and why. However, when you find out who it is and why then it just seems too unbelievable. It was definitely worth the time and money to read this book. I will have to read the other books now about the other brothers.

This is a boy meets girl novel with the "murder list" playing second fiddle to what is essentially a love story. If you like love stories, you might like this novel. But, if you are looking for an interesting mystery/thriller you should look elsewhere.

I am the fortunate one who translates Julie Garwood's works into Hungarian and I must say I loved all her books I got a chance to read. Though I think Bride is the best, I am always anxious to read her thrillers, and the Buchanan brothers is the thing that really worth waiting for. As my title says I loved this book, too, but I think there is too much resemblence to the first book, The Heartbreaker and that is a little bit disappointing :-(

Unfortunately I found the book lacking in story line, character development and just boring. Something was missing. I have all her books and love the easy reading that sweeps me away after a long day in the real world. A book is good when you forget where you are and become part of the book. This did not happen with this book. I still heard the world around me and I definately never left it. I finished it but was disappointed.

Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught are my all time favorite authors. This book was entertaining, but of course nothing compares to Garwood's earlier novels. When she started writing contemporary stories they lacked a bit of the former thrill, even so, I still liked this book and really like the Buchanen men. Same with McNaught, Paradise is excellent! Perfect, Double Standards, but her newest books almost seem to be written by another author. Read the earlier books on both of these authors and you wont' be dissapointed.

I picked this up at a book sale, having no idea who the author was. The characters in this book are so unbelievably unbelievable it is hard to even describe it. A hotel heiress and her super-rich friends drive crappy cars, do good deeds, talk about how 3k is alot of money and get stalked by psychos. Oh, and one gets involved in w/ a cop in a "romance" storyline that is eyeball dryingly bad. At least I didn't pay too much for this book and I know to avoid this author.

Although the relationship between Alec and Regan is sweet and funny, it was a waste of time to read this book. This is not a good example of Julie Garwood's talents. I have read everything she has written and frequently read them again. No one can write a historical romance better that Julie Garwood. I even loved Heartbreaker. I am a huge fan of her books, but her latest book (as were the previous two before this one) was slow and dissappointing. I will be glad when she returns to writing what she does best. I do not recommend buying this book.

Wow, this was one stunningly bad book. So poorly written, edited and plotted. They mystery is - how did it get published? This authors other books are much better (I haven't read them all, but I've read at least 5).

I READ SOME OF THE REVIEWS AND I HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH MOST OF THE OPINIONS.I JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK AT 4:30am.IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME TO STAY UP UNTIL THAT TIME OF MORNING TO FINISH.I REALLY LIKED HOW THE AUTHOR TELLS THE THOUGHTS OF REGAN AND ALEC,SWITCHING FROM ONE TO THE OTHER AND STILL MAINTAINING A GOOD FLOW.I FOUND THIS STYLE INTERESTING AND I IMAGINE NOT ALL THAT EASY FOR AN AUTHOR TO PULL OFF.ROMANCE IS NOT MY PREFERRED TYPE OF BOOK BUT THIS BOOK MIXED IT WITH A LITTLE CRIME AND MYSTERY AND I THINK IT IS WORTH READING.AFTER ALL IT IS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'S LIST.

Julie Garwood has a gift for writing the most amazing historical romances - I say gift because when it comes to writing one of these romances there are very few that come close to how good she is. Alas, in my opinion when it comes to writing murder mysteries she is one of the worse examples I have ever come across. Please, stop writing thse utter dreadful books. This book was just awful, please, don't buy it, save your money, there are authors out there that do a far better murder mystery.

What a great concept for a thriller! The murder list makes the book more exciting as we wait for people to die. Garwood gives us what we expect from her in terms of interesting characters and romance, so fans will not be disappointed. She's made the transition from historical romance to contemporary thriller quite easily - though I would love to see another historical from her.

The Plot: Regan Madison, a hotel heiress makes up a list of the people she'd like to see dead, as part of a harmless group exercise. The guy who's after her finds the list and starts knocking people off.

In the meantime, Chicago detective Alec Buchanan, is assigned to protect Regan. She falls for him and much of the book is about the relationship that develops between the two rather than about the actual mystery plot. GARWOOD SPENDS TWO CHAPTERS ON ONE LOVE SCENE THAT LASTS MAYBE 10 MINUTES IF NOT LESS!

When I bought this book, I thought I was getting a mystery novel. What I got instead was a bunch of romantic nonsense.

THIS IS NOT A MYSTERY NOVEL!

It's a good story, not too suspensful, that probably won't keep you guessing. It's a short, easy, and entertaining read. I'd check it out from the library before I'd buy it, then you can decide it you want to buy it to keep.

Is anyone else beside me tired of reading about rich girls?

...especially ones that look like supermodels, and spend all their time doing good with their family's money.

What is this? Planet of the Barbies or something?

I'm getting tired of serial killers and cookie-cutter characters too.

Other than that, it wasn't a bad book.

A rehash of "Heartbreaker", without the interesting sideline of Noah. Ms. Garwood is one of the few authors whose work I will pay for in hardcover, as soon as it's released. I wish I had waited on this one. I had the impression she was rushing to meet a deadline, so she just changed a few details of "Heartbreaker" and submitted it as a new story.

Boring... I usually love anything Julie Garwood writes but this novel was just plain bad and uninteresting. It had no plot and a predictable, cheesy villain. Half way thru I skimmed the rest of the book just so I could be done with it.

I'm another avid Julie Garwood fan, but this book was a dud. No one writes historical fiction better than Ms. Garwood, but she's making the same mistake other historical writers (McNaught) have made, by turning to writing contemporary novels. None of her contemporary novels begin to compare to her historicals. I too wasted big bucks on a hardcover copy of this one - wish I'd waited to check it out at the library.

I loved this book. The chemisty between the two main characters was magnetic it drew me in. This was by far Julie Garwoods best contemporary romance. I hope there's more to come.I do miss her historical I hope to see more of those as well.

If you're looking for a murder mystery, this is not it. If you're expecting a whodunit, you will be sorely disappointed. The problem is, it's written like a whodunit and sets up your expectations for one. I've only read one other book worse than this: a murder mystery in which you don't find out who the killer is.

I'm another avid Julie Garwood fan, but this book was a dud. No one writes historical fiction better than Ms. Garwood, but she's making the same mistake other historical writers (McNaught) have made, by turning to writing contemporary novels. None of her contemporary novels begin to compare to her historicals. I too wasted big bucks on a hardcover copy of this one - wish I'd waited to check it out at the library.

I loved this book. The chemisty between the two main characters was magnetic it drew me in. This was by far Julie Garwoods best contemporary romance. I hope there's more to come.I do miss her historical I hope to see more of those as well.

If you're looking for a murder mystery, this is not it. If you're expecting a whodunit, you will be sorely disappointed. The problem is, it's written like a whodunit and sets up your expectations for one. I've only read one other book worse than this: a murder mystery in which you don't find out who the killer is.