The body that washes up on the beach leads Detectives Milligan and Zachary on a murder investigation that includes the victim’s family members, his housekeeper, three long-time friends, and a mystery woman.
Because this is #10 in the series, there are ongoing happenings in each of the major characters lives. However, the crimes depicted in Murder in the Worst Degree are investigated and solved. Someone gave me this title long before I had any idea what the plots of this entry in the RBPD series would be. Truthfully, I had no idea how I would tie in the title until I was nearly finished writing the book. I think what I came up with fit perfectly.
F.M. Meredith has outdone herself with Murder in the Worst Degree. I have enjoyed this series ever since I read my first one, but this is the very best one yet. All the familiar characters return. their lives continue to change and progress. When an elderly man’s body washes up on the beach at Rocky Bluff, the police begin their investigation, only to discover he was already dead before his body went into the water. In addition, a rapist strikes. As always, all the plot lines are completed, and the ending is very satisfying. This is a great read and highly recommended. --Lorna Collins
This is my first review ever. I received an ARC of Murder in the Worst Degree yesterday and read it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the book. It was the tenth in a series but I was able to enjoy it without reading the first 9. It was the type of book I really like, a police procedural with their home lives included. Makes me want to read the other books in the series to see how they all ended up where they are.--Cheryl Stoeser in DorothyL
Truly and interesting, good quick read. (It probably took me all of 6 hours tops to read it.) This action packed police procedure mystery was well plotted, well written and most enjoyable. So wonderful to find an author that doesn't need 300 pages plus to really write an entertaining novel!
And, even though this is 10th in a series - this is the first I've read and would recommend to anyone who likes to read! --Lynn Demsky in DorothyL
Although Murder in the Worst Degree is the tenth book in F.M. Meredith’s Rocky Bluff PD series, you don’t need to have read the nine previous novels to pick up on the action. I think the several characters would’ve been easier to keep track of if you’d read the earlier books, though, so this is a hint that you might want to read a couple of those first. It doesn’t take long before you learn who is who, however. And you'll find the setting—the California coast—so vividly depicted you can almost taste the salt air. I loved the foggy scenes.
The story begins with a couple surfer dudes discovering the battered body of an elderly man in the water. Turns out he didn’t drown, which brings a murder investigation to the fore. Suspects are rampant. The men and women of the Rocky Bluff PD are soon knee deep in not only contending with the murder, but with a new chief of police, and what may be a serial rapist on the loose. Then an earthquake hits. Good stuff, for sure.
F.M. Meredith ties up all the loose ends concerning the mysteries, and doesn’t neglect the drama of her character’s lives in this most enjoyable short novel.
--C.K. Crigger
5 Stars
By cherylr620 on March 6, 2014
I knew it would be a winner! After each chapter, I thought I had figured out who did it, but Marilyn tripped me up. This is a must read and I'm ready for the next one.. Thanks, MM, for the advanced copy.
By Evelyn Cullet on March 5, 2014
Murder in the Worse Degree is the latest novel in the Rocky Bluff Mystery Series. While I haven't read all of them, I have read quite a few and they were all good, but this is one story I especially liked. Ms. Meredith knows how to write a solid mystery with interesting characters, and this time she threw in a clever twist at the end that I wasn't expecting, but in my opinion, made the story exceptional. I recommend this novel to all mystery lovers.
5 Stars
By Willow on February 12, 2014
I was lucky enough to get an advanced Readers Edition of this book, for an honest review.
I must say I really enjoyed this fast paced story. From the first page I was filled with excitement of a good murder. Full of twists and turns and suspense.
Murder in the Worst Degree is #10 in the series but reads as a stand alone book. I will be reading the rest of the series in the near future.
In real life, police seldom have the benefit of being able to concentrate on one case at a time. F. M. Meredith realistically depicts this in her mystery series.
Her cops in this particular book are dealing with the body of an elderly man found washed up on a beach, a serial rapist whose attacks appear to be escalating, plus an assortment of drug deals, auto accidents and other minor incidents. At the same time, the officers have the normal run of family concerns, love interests and adjustments to a new chief of police.
If all that isn’t enough to keep them on their toes, Meredith throws in an earthquake to add a bit more tension.
This is the 10th in the Rocky Bluff PD series, but it isn’t necessary to have read the preceding books to enjoy this fast-paced, well-plotted addition. I’d be willing to wager if you haven’t read the earlier books, this one will incline you to seek them out. –John Lindermuth
…The author has created a cast of characters that are likable combines a number of activities together demonstrating how small towns handle the pressure of rising crime with budget cuts and the shortage of manpower. --Mason Canyon
5 Stars
In many ways this entire series goes "outside the box" normally set up for a mystery series. The stories are all about officers in the Rocky Bluff Police Department and their families. Outside the box? One way is that point of view shifts are many and frequent but--surprisingly--not confusing. We learn what all individual members of the PD are thinking as well as what they're doing, and are also privy to the thoughts of some in their families. All of the characters soon become close friends of the reader's and we really care about their lives, whether it be in crime solving, family difficulties, or in what their fears and joys are. Meredith has several police officers in her family so is privy to what really goes on in a police department in a relatively small town. All the events and thoughts not only seem accurate, one can trust that they do follow real life in most cases. MURDER IN THE WORST DEGREE is the latest novel in the series, and, though there are references to past events in the series, enough information is dropped seamlessly into the plot to satisfy our curiosity. I know of no other author who handles multiple points of view so masterfully, OR who entertains and thrills me so completely! Only quibble--I don't think the cover does the book justice, and the "in the" part of the title is lost in the--I suppose it's the beach--scenery. (Well, the series IS set in an ocean-side community.)—RTN (Deanie)
5 Stars
This is the tenth book (!) in her Rocky Bluff PD series--and if a series has gone on this long, you know it's good. However, it's a standalone book that will allow you to click right in without having read the others. You'll figure out the characters and their relationships quickly.
One of my favorite aspects of the book is the setting on the California coast. It's just about my favorite place to be. You feel enveloped in the fog along with the surfers. Surfers! What's not to like? Earthquakes can be . . . well, not so much fun.
The book is a fast read and I recommend it to anyone who likes an old-fashioned murder mystery.
--Denise Weeks (AKA Shalanna Collins, y'know, the APRIL, MAYBE JUNE girl)
I was asked to read and review this book for her blog tour and I'm glad I did, I really enjoyed reading this well- written, fast- paced whodunit! Marilyn pulls you in from the start and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters are great and after reading this one you feel like you know them more and are part of the plot.
This is the first one I have read in this series and after reading it, I will be going back to the beginning of the series so I can enjoy it as a whole. –Shelley Guisti
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