ARC Review – Justice at Cardwell Ranch (Montana Mystique #4) by B.J. Daniels

Description:
Six years ago, Dana Cardwell found her mother’s will in a cookbook and became sole owner of the Cardwell Ranch in Big Sky, Montana. Now happily married, Dana is surprised when her siblings, Stacy and Jordan, show up on the ranch…and trouble isn’t too far behind.As danger draws closer to the ranch, deputy marshal Liza Turner quickly realizes that Jordan Cardwell isn’t the man the town made him out to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Justice at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels is a murder mystery story that definitely had me guessing in a fast paced, plot driven story. The title caught my interest because I do like a whodunit once in a while and this one definitely was a good one to figure out. However, as soon as I started to read the author’s notes at the beginning, she was welcoming me back to the ranch. What? I figured out that this is the second book by reader’s request of her first book, Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch. Hold the presses. If I want to give the second book justice in my review I should read the first and I’m so glad I did. These are Harlequin Intrigue stories and are fast and easy reads and it didn’t take me took long to read the first one before I started on JACR. I can see why her fans demanded to write a sequel to the first one because she left things hanging a bit with a nice conclusion of the first book’s murder mystery but kept you wondering what happened to all the characters. Justice at Cardwell Ranch picks up 6 years later and gives the reader an update on the Cardwell family and others in the community.

Justice at Cardwell Ranch is based in the ranching community near Big Sky, Montana in the Gallatin Canyon at the base of Lone Mountain. Jordan Cardwell has returned to his home in Montana to attend his 20th high school reunion at the request of his friend Alex, but ends up being suspect of his murder. In order to clear himself, he helps Deputy Marshall Liza Turner unravel the mystery in this investigation and ends up learning more about his friend’s Tanner suicide that happened late in his senior year.

I have to hand it to Ms. Daniels for writing murder mysteries so well that leaves me stumped for most of the book until I got that first clue of who the murderer is in the story. She kept my interest and let me uncover the clues in bits and pieces so I could figure out the reason for people’s action in the present and for those events that happened 20 years ago. Could you read this as a stand- alone? Yes you could, but you would benefit more to understanding the characters and the kind of relationship they have with one another by reading the books in order.

There is a little romance between the two main characters but it is the murder investigation that takes up the majority of the story. This story did trigger feelings and memories I had when I was in high school and how we behaved as teenagers back then. We had cliques of popularity, just like the one in the story. It’s a wonder that some of these people still act like they were in high school. Does there need to be a popular clique with a dominating leader? She did make me pause and think of how it’s so easy to manipulate someone when they want to belong in the group. From what I’ve read from the author’s website is that there are 2 more stories for it to be a series. I definitely plan to keep a look out for those from Ms. Daniels.

3.5 Stars