Reviewed for THC ReviewsIt's been a really long time since I've read one of Julie Garwood's romantic suspense novels, since before I started writing reviews to be exact. Murder List was a pretty good read, and about on par with what I remembered of the other books in the Buchanan series, but not quite up to the caliber of some other romantic suspense authors I've read more recently. Having a killer on the loose, who seems to be obsessing on the heroine, worked reasonably well from a suspense/thriller perspective, but the mystery surrounding this part of the story was a little weak in my opinion. I'd be quite surprised if readers figure it out before the reveal, as the breadcrumb trail leading to the culprit was pretty sparse. I really prefer when the author can engage me in actively trying to solve the mystery rather then being a passive bystander. The romance needed a little more pizazz too. Other than a mutual attraction, not much happens between Alec and Regan for more than half the book. They don't even kiss. Then about ¾ of the way in, things finally get moving, but it all kind of happens at once. There is only one moderately descriptive love scene which I did find romantic, but then things cooled down as Alec prepares to move and Regan believes it was just a one-night stand. I could tell that they really liked one another, but I wasn't entirely convinced that it was enough to build a lifetime commitment on. Alec and Regan were pretty typical of Julie Garwood's heroes and heroines. Alec is what I like to call the alpha with a heart. He's attractive in a messy, un-put-together sort of way. He's a cop who's good at what he does and knows it, but is about to make a move to the FBI. His lieutenant gave him the job of bodyguard to Regan for his last few weeks in town as retaliation for him leaving the force and for making the guy look bad during a confrontation. Once Alec gets to know Regan, he seems rather amused and endeared by her quirks and intensely possessive and protective of her. I thought it was very sweet that he didn't want to spend the night at her hotel suite after they made love, because he was concerned about her reputation. Regan is a hotel heiress ala Paris Hilton, but much, much nicer and more intelligent. While her two older brothers run the family business, she runs the family's philanthropic efforts. Being so much younger than her brothers and not having involved parents, Regan has kind of gotten lost in her brothers' shadows, so it was rather funny when she started fighting back against their overbearing natures. Regan is not unlike most of Julie Garwood's other heroines in that she can by turns be a little too emotional, a little too nosy, and a little clumsy, while still being kind-hearted, and underneath it all, she's strong when she needs to be. She's also quite attractive, but mostly unaware of her physical beauty. Alec and Regan are both very likable characters, but I wouldn't exactly call them stand-outs. There just wasn't enough character development for that.There were a number of secondary characters in the story. I enjoyed the breezy interactions between Regan and her two best friends, Sophie and Cordie. Sophie is an outgoing journalist who is trying to get an investigative beat. I thought it was rather interesting that she was the daughter of an infamous con-man, and it looks like she gets her own book, Fire and Ice, later in the series. The most intriguing of the three to me though was Cordie. I think this was because of her dichotomy, or perhaps trichotomy as the case may be. She's a girlie girl, who as a science teacher is a bit of a geek, but she also does auto mechanic work on the side as something of a hobby. As I mentioned earlier, Regan's two oldest brothers, Aiden and Spencer can be pretty overbearing and overprotective, and tend to try Regan's patience. The youngest of the brothers, Walker, is a jet-setting race-car driver who we don't see much of in the story, but he still factors into it. I think any of these three might make good hero material, and in fact, it seemed like something might be brewing between Aiden and Cordie, but nothing ever came of their seeming attraction. It might be interesting for these two to get together, but as of yet, it doesn't look like Ms. Garwood as written any books for them or the other Madison brothers. Since Alec is part of the large Buchanan clan, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see more of them. In fact, his brothers and sisters are really only mentioned in passing, but friend of the family, Noah Clayborne who has his own book, Shadow Dance, does get to have a couple of phone conversations with Alec.Murder List has a rather leisurely beginning as the author introduces the reader to the hero, heroine and killer separately. At the time, they seemed to all be doing completely unrelated things, but gradually, their lives begin to intertwine. At that point, it became more involving, although at times the pacing was still a little slow for a mystery/suspense novel, in my opinion. Overall the story was pretty good and the writing itself fairly solid. Even with its flaws, Murder List still held my attention which is probably why I consider Julie Garwood to be a good author. Even when she's not at the top of her game, her books are still quite readable. Murder List is the fourth book in her Buchanan series, and I'll be looking forward to meeting and getting to know more of the Buchanan family in future books.
Detective Alec Buchanan is a cop based in Chicago and because his superior was displeased with him he gave him a bodyguard duty to one Regan Hamilton Madison, a hotel heiress. Regan in my opinion is too sweet and polite for her own good. She can be such a push over i didn't like that. Other people were very rude to her and she can't get herself to even defend herself and put them in their place. Seriously, I want her to have mean streak in her too when people take advantage of her sweet nature. She have two best friends since childhood Sophie and Cordelia. Sophie the struggling reporter has convinced them both to attend this seminar of a famous self help guru, because she believes that this guru is actually exploiting vulnerable lonely rich women of their money and she intends to expose him. During the seminar this guru by the name of Dr. Shields made them do a rather bizarre exercise by making them list down the people that they want to "disappear" that have hurt them in the past or present or simply do not like at all and then they will burn that list as a way of flushing out the poison in their body or self. Some twist of fate that Regan's "murder list" end up in someone's hand who is systematically killing the people in her list. Hence, comes in Detective Alec to protect her till he transfer out to Boston in three weeks time to start on his training as an FBI agent when he got the job. Of course during the course of that weeks they both began to fell for each other but Alec was determine to move on and he can't settle down with Regan or so he thought and Regan was willing to let him go despite getting a broken heart or so she thought. This was was not as engaging as the previous ones. It was just more of a waiting game trying to wait out when the killer will move next and I still don't understand how this killer managed to by pass the many security that she has in that hotel and slipped in that letter. His physical appearance seems to stand out according to Regan and yet he also managed to blend in when he was trying to stalk her in certain events. Anyways, nothing much was revealed about the killer except his mental instability during the course of the story till towards the end when one of Alec's former partner dig in deeper into the past of Regan's family to determine if they have offended other people in the past enough to want to kill her. Regan was the typical heroine beautiful and rich but such a cry baby nothing wrong with that but she was just too helpless for my taste, she is again oblivious to her beauty that come on she can't be that naive. I just noticed that all of Garwood's heroines have great legs. Nothing much exciting happened till the last 10% of the story that the pace picked up again. I think I would want to read extended stories about Regan's brothers Aidan, Spencer and Walker. Also Noah Clayborne was mentioned again here...although he didn't make any physical appearance we heard him through the phone and he is just as perceptive over the phone about Alec's current issues...nothing much get past that man for sure.Over all i still like this one but not one of my favorite. The side characters were more interesting to me.
What do You think about Murder List (2005)?
Hotel heiress Regan Madison life turns for the worst when she agrees to join her two best friends in a scheme to nail a self-named help guru that schemes lonely, depressed women in giving him their life savings. The three join his seminar in hopes of collecting proof against him, but things are never that simple.The seminar‘s first exercise is to compile a so-called murder list, a list of people you want erased from your radar. Regan, thinking it might be fun, compiles the list.What started as a joke, soon turns into grim reality as people on Regan‘s appear at the morgue, and she starts receiving disturbing photos and e-mails. It turns out Regan Madison has a stalker.Her protection detail is assigned to Alec Buchanan, a Chicago cop about to switch to the FBI. It‘s his last operation for the Chicago P.D. and though he‘s not overly enthused about the bodyguard duty, his resentment doesn‘t last long.I was disappointed with this book. The plot was all over the place as if Ms. Garwood couldn‘t decide whether she wanted to write a thriller, a romance, or something else entirely.Don‘t get me wrong, the beginning was great and the general premise of a deranged man with a blood-thirsty demon inside him had lots of potential, but by the first few chapters the interlocking subplots turned the story into gumbo, and the deranged killer was forgotten as last year‘s snow.By the middle of the book the plot took a head dive into an average romance between the two leads and the suspense disappeared entirely. And yes, the romance was average, because the two seemed more like good buddies than potential lovers, but for the one (and only) love scene spanning a few pages toward the end of the book.In short, the main plot, of the deranged serial killer / stalker, was too far fetched to be believable with a huge deus ex machina at the end that just plain made me laugh. The romance was completely out there, and the subplots remained unexplored and unfinished.
—Mojca
Tenia expectativas respecto al misterio que rondaría a la historia y a los personajes pero fue una completa decepción.Para empezar, el romance fue normal, no logró nada pues aunque la autora al parecer les dio mas prioridad en ese aspecto no logró convencerme y gustarme del todo, y la protagonista no me agrado, por alguna razón aunque llegaba a entender sus actividades siguió molestándome, y no fue lo único que me fastidio si no que también que la autora no explicara mejor ciertos puntos de los personajes y el pasado, no era agradable que te dieran a entender ciertas cosas con unas simples palabras, así no deben ser las cosas.El misterio pudo ser mejor, daba para mas pero todo se fue a la basura dejándolo de lado. El final fue de lo mas horrible, las dudas fueron mayores y a mi pinto de vista el misterio no cerro como debía, respecto a los personajes principales en el final... no me gusto y ya.
—Geovanna Maya
Murder List is the fourth book in the Buchanan family series. You are probably wondering what a murder list is? Well you will have to check out the story for more.Synopsis:Regan is known for giving away money. It is what she does in her work for the Madison hotel. She works with various charities with the assistance of Henry. She is the only girl in the family of three brothers. One day her work is captured in the paper and a psycho starts to persue her. Meanwhile her friend Sophie is very interested in capturing the infamous Dr. Shields who she suspects of murder. Will Reagan and Cordie help? Regan is asked to go the police station to find out more about the case when she runs across detective Alec Buchanan. It is a chance meeting where neither expects one another again. When the psycho starts contacting Regan on a regular basis Alec is drawn into her life. Will he be able to protect her? Will sparks fly in this relationship? Who is the murderer?
—Darlene Wilson
