Category Archives: Claire Codella Mystery Series

November 1, 2017 · 11:58 pm

Review: Unholy City by Carrie Smith

Title: Unholy City by Carrie Smith
Claire Codella Mystery Series Book Three
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 310 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Despite their rocky history, Detective Claire Codella and Precinct Detective Brian Haggerty come together when senior churchwarden Philip Graves’s bloody body is found lying in the herb garden of historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side just two days before Good Friday. Upon first glance, it looks like a random act of big city violence, but it soon becomes clear churchwarden Philip’s death was the result of a meticulously calculated ploy by someone who knew him.

There are five vestry members and a choir director in addition to the ten homeless men asleep in the church basement. Any one of them could have done it, but what did Philip Graves do to warrant such a merciless death? Struggling to share the case and salvage their personal relationship, Claire, Brian and trusted Detective Eduardo Muñoz work around the clock to uncloak the desires, secrets, and resentments that find home through the iron gates and into the hidden beauty of one historic Romanesque church in Unholy City, the haunting third installment in Carrie Smith’s Claire Codella mysteries.

Review:

In Unholy City, the third outing in Carrie Smith’s brilliant Claire Codella Mystery series, prominent members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church fall under suspicion following the murder of churhwarden Philip Graves. This newest release can be read as a standalone, but I HIGHLY recommend the previous novels as well.

Following a vestry meeting, Rose Bartruff discovers Philip’s body in the church’s herb garden. Fellow committee member Dr. Susan Bentley performs CPR to no avail. Detective Brian Haggerty catches the case, but upon discovering Philip’s death was due to foul play, his former partner and current girlfriend Detective Claire Codella is called in to investigate. Immediately discovering the body of church secretary, Emily Flounders, Claire adds Detective Eduardo Munoz to her team. Between the three detectives, they interview Roger Sturgis, Peter Linton, Vivian Wakefield, Rector Anna Brookes, Todd Brookes and Stephanie Lund. While they do not immediately uncover a viable suspect or motive for the murders, Claire is certain that, other than Rose, no one is being completely honest with them. Will Codella, Haggerty and Munoz uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?

Although she is completely recovered from her cancer treatments, Claire continues to navigate her often contentious relationship with her boss Lt. Dennis McGowan.  Ducking him as much as possible, she concentrates on interviewing suspects and following leads as she, Haggerty and Munoz try to zero in on what happened during the vestry meeting at the church. Feeling confident Rose is the only person from the meeting who is not hiding anything, Claire wants to know what happened during a crucial fifteen minute block of time when Rose was out of the room. Haggerty feels like Anna might be their weakest link since it obvious she has something to get off her chest, but will she find the courage to spill her secrets? Anna’s husband Todd was not present at the meeting but his sudden appearance during the investigation puts him on the suspect list too. Long time member and junior churchwarden, Vivian is upset about Philip’s plans to raise much needed revenue, but would she murder him to protect the church? Vivian’s nephew-in-law Roger is definitely hiding something, but how far would he go to keep his secret from being discovered? Susan is agonizing over what the murder investigation will reveal about her life, but is she responsible for killing Philip?  Peter is furious that his proposal to bring in money through the cemetery and crematorium is struck down but is he angry enough to kill Philip for presenting another means for raising money?

With three puzzling murders, a vast pool of suspects  and no obvious motive, Unholy City is an intriguing police procedural. Despite juggling her new romance with Haggery and her tense relationship with McGowan, Claire remains intensely focused on uncovering the truth about Philip and Emily’s deaths. The investigation moves at an even pace with Carrie Smith cleverly concealing the killer’s identity and motive for the murders until the novel’s exciting, action-packed conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this outstanding addition to the Claire Codella Mystery series to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Carrie Smith, Claire Codella Mystery Series, Contemporary, Crooked Lane Books, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Unholy City

December 14, 2016 · 11:57 pm

Review: Forgotten City by Carrie Smith

Title: Forgotten City by Carrie Smith
Claire Codella Mystery Series Book Two
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

NYPD Detective Claire Codella is chomping at the bit for a new case. Lieutenant McGowan is determined to keep her out of the news, but she’s about to be back in the public eye in a big way.

Broadway legend Lucy Merchant has tragically succumbed to early onset Alzheimer’s. At age fifty-six, she’s tucked away in the dementia care unit of the ultra-exclusive Manhattan care facility Park Manor. When she falls asleep and doesn’t wake up, her billionaire husband is ready for the funeral, but her daughter demands an investigation.

Only three months back on the job after cancer treatment, Codella finds herself at the center of a high profile case nearly everyone–especially her lieutenant–wants to shut down. But the forensic evidence raises alarming questions and Codella needs answers. To find them, she will have to crack the defenses of slippery administrators, frightened caregivers, and unobliging family members, all while unlocking some of her own dark memories.

Forgotten City, Carrie Smith’s gripping follow-up to Silent City, pits the unrelenting detective against a cast of diverse New Yorkers driven by their desires and ambitions and haunted by their pasts. But can she piece together the truth before the murderer kills again?

Review:

Forgotten City by Carrie Smith is a fast-paced and intriguing police procedural.  This second installment in the Claire Codella Mystery series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the previous book as well.

Following the inexplicable death of her mother, Lucy Merchant, her daughter Julia is the only person who wants someone to look into the case.  She turns to Detective Claire Codella in hopes of getting to the truth about what happened to her mom.  Claire needs more than conjecture and accusations to open an investigation, so she does a little off the books digging around before approaching her boss, Lt. Dennis McGowan.  Finding enough evidence to be convinced that Lucy’s death might be the result of foul play, Claire turns to her old partner and current love interest, Brian Haggerty and homicide Detective Eduardo Muñoz  for help.  Despite pressure from Lucy’s husband, Thomas, and Lt. McGowan to close the case, Claire is determined to bring the killer to justice.

Claire begins her investigation at the upper crust nursing facility where Lucy died. She first questions Director Constance Hodges, who seems eager for the case to be closed. Claire cannot help but wonder if Constance is deliberately misleading her about Lucy’s care. The next person Claire needs to talk to is Baiba Lielkaja, the person in charge of the memory care unit where Lucy was being take care of.  However, Baiba is out sick and Claire cannot help but be suspicious of the timing of her absence. The next person on her list to interview is Lucy’s caregiver Brandon Johnson, whose sudden resignation makes Claire very curious to see if he is trying to hide something.

Thomas Merchant is definitely a person of interest and he is initially eager to shut down Claire’s investigation.  Finally deciding it is in his best interest to cooperate with the police, he grants permission for an autopsy.  Preliminary findings support Claire’s theory Lucy was murdered but she is stymied over what possible motive someone would have for killing Lucy. She must now take a harder look at the people in Lucy’s life and she uncovers some very unsettling information about Thomas.  After catching one of the people she has interviewed in a lie, Claire grows concerned that she has allowed some her unresolved personal history to cloud her judgement about some of the suspects in the case.

While Claire is still struggling with professional issues stemming from McGowan’s continued resentment, she has made some positive changes in her personal life. Her relationship with Brian has deepened but she still harbors a few misgivings about  their future together.  Despite her efforts to hold him at arms’ length, Claire is finally forced to face up to her fears but is she truly ready for the next phase of their romance?

With a perplexing crime, a cast of eclectic characters and a shocking conclusion, Forgotten City is a clever addition to Carrie Smith’s Claire Codella Mystery series.  Claire is a complex protagonist with a complicated backstory that adds depth to her character.  The investigation moves at brisk pace and Carrie Smith brilliantly conceals the killer’s identity and motive for the crime until the novel’s action-packed ending.  An absolutely outstanding whodunit that I highly recommend to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Carrie Smith, Claire Codella Mystery Series, Contemporary, Crooked Lane Books, Forgotten City, Mystery, Rated B+, Review

October 12, 2015 · 11:55 pm

Review: Silent City by Carrie Smith

silent cityTitle: Silent City by Carrie Smith
Claire Codella Mystery Series Book One
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 306 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publicist

Summary:

NYPD Detective Claire Codella has just won a tough battle with cancer. Now she has to regain her rightful place on the force. she hasn’t even been back a day when Hector Sanchez, a maverick public school principal, is found murdered. The school is on high alert. The media is howling for answers. And Codella catches the high-profile case at the worst possible time.

As she races to track down the killer, she uncovers dirty politics, questionable contracts, and dark secrets. Each discovery she makes brings her closer to the truth, but the truth may cost Codella her life.

Silent City, Carrie Smith’s explosive debut, will introduce readers to a brilliant new voice in crime fiction that will grab them and not let go until the very last page and a fearless heroine who they will enjoy for years to come.

Review:

Fans of police procedurals do not want to miss Carrie Smith’s Silent City, the first installment in the Claire Codella Mystery series. With a well-drawn cast of characters and an impossible to solve murder, this well-written and intriguing mystery provides readers a fascinating behind the scenes look at educational infighting and politics when new principal Hector Sanchez is murdered.

Claire Codella’s first case when she returns to work following her intensive and aggressive treatment for cancer is an unexpected high profile murder investigation into Hector’s murder.   Paired up with newly promoted Eduardo Munoz, both detectives have a lot to prove to their co-workers and they, along with Codella’s former partner, Brian Haggerty, follow numerous leads in their search for Sanchez’s killer. The staging of his body makes it appear that his murder is connected to his job as principal at PS 777 and the three investigators quickly learn there are many suspects who had motive to kill him.

Codella is an intelligent detective whose new boss is not exactly her biggest fan. Despite his attempts to undermine her authority, she has managed to pull together an excellent team of investigators. Codella has a precise way of doing things and she follows the evidence instead of hunches. She is clever and resourceful and although she is still just getting back in the swing of things, Codella relentlessly pursues any and all leads in the case.

Munoz and Haggerty are also excellent investigators, but most importantly, they are loyal to Codella. Munoz is also new to the squad and unfortunately, he is enduring some malicious harassment from one of his fellow detectives. Haggerty was Codella’s partner for seven years and right before her cancer diagnosis, she transferred out of their squad following an unpleasant altercation with him. He is hoping this case will heal the rift between them and although things are tense at first, they quickly put aside any residual animosity and concentrate on the case.

Codella is a little surprised to discover that Sanchez was not as beloved as everyone has been lead to believe. Many of the staff at PS 777 disliked him due to his impossibly high standards, unfair performance assessments and bullying tactics toward staff members. Sanchez also recently clashed with Superintendent Margery Barton over the proposed implementation of a software program to help individualize student learning. Secrets and lies often hinder the investigation but Codella skillfully ferrets out the truth and doggedly pursues the clues where they lead.

Silent City is a compelling mystery with an engaging storyline and appealing characters. With plenty of suspects, no clear cut motive for the crime and stunning plot twists, Carrie Smith skillfully conceals the killer’s identity until the novel’s astonishing conclusion.   It is an excellent beginning to the Claire Codella Mystery series that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Carrie Smith, Claire Codella Mystery Series, Contemporary, Crooked Lane Books, Mystery, Rated B+, Silent City