Tag: Susan J Bruce

Truth lurked in the shadows. If only I could find the light.

Book Review | Dead Ahead (Ruthless the Killer #1) by Susan J Bruce

Dead Ahead is the first book in The Ruthless the Killer Mystery series.

I thought the series name was a typo when I first saw it, but it’s not: Ruth Smythe’s unfortunate nickname is Ruthless the Killer. It’s inaccurate (as she—and we—will learn). But, as Ruth says, logic rarely stands a chance against the ghosts of the past.

Ruth has returned to Australia from the USA to the stone cottage she has recently inherited from her father. She’s looking for peace and quiet, but events get in the way: she’s barely moved in before someone is murdered in her barn. And things basically go downhill from there.

Dead Ahead is the first book in what promises to be an enjoyable cozy mystery series. Sure, it has the inevitable “problem” of all cozy mystery series: the unrealistic ratio of murderers (and victims) to regular people (is there anyone still alive in Midsomer?). But let’s be honest—that’s why we read cozy mysteries.

Dead Ahead has everything cozy mystery readers want.

A small town setting, complete with quirky townsfolk. A slow-burn not-there-yet promise of romance between Ruth and the local hunk. The ex-girlfriend. A whole cast of characters who could have motive for murder (or who could be future victims).

And it’s got the plucky and likeable amateur sleuth who may or may not solve the mystery (because to tell you would be a spoiler),but who certainly gets involved to the point she annoys the real investigators.

The story is set in Australia, and the setting definitely adds to the story. Dead Ahead does use Australian spelling and vocabulary, and the “Aussie lingo” defined at the beginning. The lingo isn’t forced into the story in a cliche stone-the-crows way, but in a way that reads as authentic to the characters and which doesn’t distract from the story.

Overall, Dead Ahead is an enjoyable read, recommended for cozy mystery fans.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce is a former veterinarian turned award-winning author, professional copywriter and animal artist. Susan’s veterinary background invades her writing and animals run, fly, or crawl into nearly all of her tales. When Susan’s writing group challenged her to write a story that didn’t mention any animals—she failed! Susan lives in sunny South Australia with her husband, Marc, and their furred and feathered family. This currently includes a fat tortoiseshell cat, a rescue cockatiel, and an irrepressible ShiChi (Shih Tzu x Chihuahua) who thinks her mission in life is to stop Susan writing.

Running Scared is Susan’s first novel and was awarded the 2018 Caleb Prize for an unpublished manuscript.

Find Susan J Bruce online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | X

About Dead Ahead

A deliciously twisty Aussie cozy mystery with a side of rom-com!

Ruth is desperate for a fresh start, but a body in her shed, an inconvenient romantic attraction, and a secret childhood reputation as a ‘harbinger of death’ get in the way.

As they do…

Murder and mayhem mingle with matters of the heart as Ruth soon discovers the town holds buried secrets and scandals—some of which may even involve her own late father.

But when a close friend goes missing, and the police fear the worst, all Ruth can think about is unravelling the mystery and finding her friend.

Can Ruth solve the crime in time to save her friend? Will she succeed or will bad luck be the death of her?

Dead Ahead has slow-burn romance, heaps of heart, murder and mayhem, small town vibes, friends who care, a grumpy cat and a mysterious meta plot. The final HEA of the romantic subplot will be at the end of the series—but there will be lots of fun in-between.

Find Dead Ahead online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #349 | Dead Ahead (Ruthless #1) by Susan J Bruce

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Dead Ahead by Australian author Susan J Bruce, which is the first book in her new mystery-meets-rom com series, Ruthless the Killer.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

It’s never easy to make a fresh start with a reputation like mine, especially when you believe your own bad press.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Dead Ahead

A deliciously twisty Aussie cozy mystery with a side of rom-com!

Ruth is desperate for a fresh start, but a body in her shed, an inconvenient romantic attraction, and a secret childhood reputation as a ‘harbinger of death’ get in the way.

As they do…

Murder and mayhem mingle with matters of the heart as Ruth soon discovers the town holds buried secrets and scandals—some of which may even involve her own late father.

But when a close friend goes missing, and the police fear the worst, all Ruth can think about is unravelling the mystery and finding her friend.

Can Ruth solve the crime in time to save her friend? Will she succeed or will bad luck be the death of her?

Dead Ahead has slow-burn romance, heaps of heart, murder and mayhem, small town vibes, friends who care, a grumpy cat and a mysterious meta plot. The final HEA of the romantic subplot will be at the end of the series—but there will be lots of fun in-between.

Find Dead Ahead online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

I enjoy talking to animals. They listen but don’t tell you off when you say or do something dumb. And they never repeat what you say.

Book Review | Running Scared by Susan J Bruce

Fourteen-year-old Melinda Green has just started at a new school after her parents had to sell the family farm. Now her mother is in hospital, her dad is unemployed, and they’re living with her vegetarian aunt.

Mel has made friends with the boy next door, despite being told to stay away from him because his brother has disappeared after being accused of a crime, which means his family are a bad influence. However, Rory is in a wheelchair, so probably isn’t the person who is a bad influence … although he does have an obsession with strange animals and has quite the collection in his back shed.

One of his pets is Lucy, a tarantula.

Mel has a spider phobia, so she and Lucy are not going to get on. I have to say I can totally understand Mel’s phobia. Normal New Zealand house spiders don’t bother me, but Australian spiders are a different matter. They’re bigger and badder and more deadly than New Zealand spiders and being afraid of them seems like a perfectly normal reaction to me.

But Mel’s phobia and Rory’s passion does bring them together. As the boy in the wheelchair and the new girl in school, they are both targets for the school bullies, who happen to be linked to the crime Rory’s brother is accused of. So maybe Mel’s father has good reason for warning her to stay away from Rory and his family.

The whole story is told in first person, from Mel’s point of view.

The best part about this was in kept us in Mel’s head and gave us a chance to really get to know her. I found the teenage voice authentic and accurate, with none of the “old person” words I sometimes see in fiction written for teens and young adults (words like dear and folk). It was also great to see the way the story made somethings clear (like the fact that Mel’s school bully lived in an abusive household) without having to spell it out. For much of the novel, I wasn’t even sure if Mel had worked it out, even though it seemed clear to me.

It was good to see a disabled character as a main character in a Young Adult novel. It was even better to see a disabled character who wasn’t a cliche, either as the object of pity or the effervescent hero, and yet is also a main character who plays a significant part in driving the story forward.

Running Scared by Susan J Bruce is a strong debut Young Adult novel, featuring a lonely teenager, a boy in a wheelchair, and a spider. #BookReview #YoungAdult Share on X

Overall, the writing was excellent, the characters were compelling, and the story was a great mix of home and school, with a good bit of suspense thrown in (and not just from Lucy the spider).

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce

Susan J Bruce is a former veterinarian turned award-winning author, professional copywriter and animal artist. Susan’s veterinary background invades her writing and animals run, fly, or crawl into nearly all of her tales. When Susan’s writing group challenged her to write a story that didn’t mention any animals—she failed! Susan lives in sunny South Australia with her husband, Marc, and their furred and feathered family. This currently includes a fat tortoiseshell cat, a rescue cockatiel, and an irrepressible ShiChi (Shih Tzu x Chihuahua) who thinks her mission in life is to stop Susan writing.

Running Scared is Susan’s first novel and was awarded the 2018 Caleb Prize for an unpublished manuscript.

Find Susan J Bruce online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About Running Scared

My name is Melinda and this has been the worst year ever … We had to leave our family farm, Mum is in hospital, Dad is losing it and my freak-out-and-run arachnophobia is getting worse.

The one good thing in my world is Rory. Maybe he sees things differently because he’s been in a wheelchair for the past eight years, but Rory always knows how to make me laugh.

Problem is, Dad doesn’t want me anywhere near him. He doesn’t trust Rory or his family, especially as Rory’s brother is wanted by the police.

And now even I’m scared about what Rory might be hiding …

You can find Running Scared online at:

Amazon | Goodreads 

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #230 | Running Scared by Susan J Bruce

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Running Scared, the debut novel from Australian author Susan J Bruce. Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

The scent of frangipani hangs thick in the air, as does the hum of the late afternoon cicada chorus.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Running Scared

My name is Melinda and this has been the worst year ever … We had to leave our family farm, Mum is in hospital, Dad is losing it and my freak-out-and-run arachnophobia is getting worse.

The one good thing in my world is Rory. Maybe he sees things differently because he’s been in a wheelchair for the past eight years, but Rory always knows how to make me laugh.

Problem is, Dad doesn’t want me anywhere near him. He doesn’t trust Rory or his family, especially as Rory’s brother is wanted by the police.

And now even I’m scared about what Rory might be hiding …

You can find Running Scared online at:

Amazon | Goodreads 

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!