Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Book 1)
by Charlaine Harris
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Book Summary Information
Author: Charlaine HarrisEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-12-04
ISBN: 0425218716
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Berkley
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780425218716
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Book 1)
Book Review: Murder at the Club
Summary: 5 Stars
Real Murders (1990) is the first mystery novel in the Aurora Teagarden series. It is set in the small town of Lawrenceton, Georgia, in the suburbs of Atlanta. The people living there are much like anyone else. Some are good, some bad and many somewhere in between.
In this novel, Aurora Teagarden was born and raised in Lawrenceton. Roe is short -- 4'11" -- and is the only child of Aida. She works at the local library and is a member of the Real Murders Club.
Aida Brattle Teagarden is Roe's mother. She owns Select Realty, a very successful real estate firm. She became a divorcee when Roe was in her teens.
John Queensland is rich and dating Roe's mother. He is also the President of the Real Murders Club.
Mamie Wright is married to Gerald. She is also the Vice-President of the Real Murders Club.
Gerald Wright is an insurance salesman. He is also a member of the Real Murders Club.
Sally Allison is a reporter at the local newspaper. She is also a member of the Real Murders Club.
Arthur Smith is a Detective in the Lawrenceton Police Department. He is the newest member of the Real Murders Club.
Robin Crusoe is a mystery writer. He has recently moved to Lawrenceton.
In this story, Roe is preparing for the meeting of the Real Murders Club. She is presenting the case of the Julia Wallace murder. She is rehearsing as she dresses.
When Roe reaches the VFW hall where the club meets, there are already two cars in the parking lot. As she enters the front corridor, the pay phone rings. When she answers, a voice asks to speak to Julia Wallace and the other party hangs up.
Then Sally comes out of the women's restroom and startles Roe. They go into the main room and find everything set up for the meeting. Mamie is responsible for coming early to setup this year, so she obviously has been there for a while. Yet Roe doesn't see her.
Other people start arriving. Her friend Lizanne -- who is not a member -- arrives with Robin. She had met him at work when he came by to have his power turned on. John talks to Robin and introduces him to the other members.
As the meeting is about ready to start, Roe has not yet seen Mamie. She goes out to look for the woman, passing Gerald as he arrives. Mamie is not is the small conference room or the women's restroom. Arthur is just going into the men's restroom, so she is probably not there.
Then Roe reaches the small kitchen. She sees a reddish-brown smear on the floor. As she opens the door, she sees an empty shoe and blood all over the appliances. Then she looks at Mamie's body.
When Roe sinks to her knees, Arthur comes to check on her. Then he sees the body. Roe explains why she believes it to be Mamie and he goes to call for assistance.
Roe sees something strange about the murder scene. When Arthur comes back, she states that the murder has been arranged much like the Julia Wallace crime scene. She also mentions the strange phone call.
The police arrive, led by Detective Sergeant Jack Burns. Arthur briefs him on the circumstances, including Roe's deductions. They start the interrogations with Roe.
Afterward, Roe is so tired that she is extra careful in her drive home. After she gets in the townhouse, Roe calls her mother and tells her that -- no matter what Aida hears -- she is just fine. Then she barely gets into her bed before falling asleep.
This tale leads Roe to believe that someone in the Real Murders Club has committed the murder. The similarities to the Julia Wallace case cannot be coincidental. Somebody is taunting the rest of the members.
Before Harper Connelly, Sookie Stackhouse and even Lily Bard, there was Aurora Teagarden. She was not the first, but her stories brought this author to the attention of the mystery reading public.
Roe is not a detective, but she always seems to find the bodies. In one case, a body falls out of the sky into her yard. Some police suspect her of attracting bodies.
Roe goes to work and shops, interacting with her friends, relatives, acquaintances, and a few strangers. She listens to people and forms connections within her mind. She also has flashes of intuition.
Roe also gets into dangerous situations despite her self-warnings. The killers usually take her somehow and she has fight and scheme her way out of their clutches. Often she is injured by the killers.
This is Roe's first case. The next installment is A Bone to Pick. Read and enjoy!
Highly recommended for Harris fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of premeditated murder, small towns and curious women.
-Bill Jordin
Summary of Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Book 1)
Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side-and crime buffs. One of whom is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime-until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss. And as other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects-or potential victims.
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