The Body On the Roof

4 stars

I would categorize this book as an almost cozy mystery/police procedural.

It is a horrible night in the little town with torrential rain and wind. The next morning, a body is spotted up on a roof. So begins an exhaustive investigation into the mysterious death of Mrs. Mathison, a friendly and outgoing little old lady.

This book details the police search for her killer. It is a very small police force, but they seem competent in their duties. They all get along great and pull together in this tough investigation. There is one woman on the team and she is one smart cookie.

The book has a couple of shocking revelations that turn the case on its head. When the woman police officer gets injured, the tension in the story ratchets up.

Some secrets in the town are revealed and the killer is unmasked. The identity of the killer turns out to come as a complete surprise.

This book is well written and plotted. One event follows another in a logical manner and it all makes perfect sense. I liked the characters – even the killer. I classed this as a cozy mystery because of its gentle pace and decided lack of hard action. That is not to say that it is a slow read because it is not, just that it lacks the hard punch of some of the books I read.

I want to thank NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Everybody in the village liked Grace Mathison, but, when the body of this retired schoolteacher is found on the roof of her home, it is up to the small-town police force to determine what has happened and why. The residents of Summerfield, Ohio, under investigation and ranging in character, all add pieces to the puzzle. But the more the police department learns, the more questions they have, and the scope of their investigation grow. Solving the death of Grace Mathison is only the beginning, and the reputations of several leading citizens become at risk. In a town where everyone knows everyone else, the most danger comes from trying to keep something hidden.

Thanks to NetGalley and Black Rose Publishing for the advance copy.
Very good mystery. The Body on the Roof was a good pace, and you had to like most of the characters. A bit of shock is there. It was not sex filled nor full of blood and gore. Just a good read.

Small town life usually means small police force and usually only misdemeanors to be handled. So when the well known schoolteacher is found dead on her roof following a nasty thunderstorm, it seems as if she was trying to rescue her recalcitrant cat and met an unfortunate end. But the medical examination showed that the skull fracture happened elsewhere and the body was moved to the roof. So the investigation began. Lots of nice people, odd happenings, misdirection and suspense. It's a short book, but very enjoyable.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Black Rose Writing via NetGalley. Thank you!

One morning, in the village of Summerfield the body of well-loved Grace Mathison is found on her roof. An accident or murder. It is for Chief of Police Jeff Pierson and his team to investigate. But what possibly motive can there be.
For me I didn't really take to the writing style and it was just an okay mystery.

A good mystery, entertaining and enjoyable.
I like the plot and the setting, the gentle pace of this cozy mystery.
I think there's a lot of potential and I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This mystery turned out to be a wonderful surprise. Based on the title and the description, I expected the story of the murder of Grace Mathison (who was found on the roof of her house) apparently after her cat. As the story develops, you find that there there is more to it, and other events rock the small town of Summerfield, Ohio. In a small town where everyone knows each other, and with a small police, there is a new surprise in each chapter.

This book is very well done. The characters are well developed and the multiple, intricate story lines are seamlessly integrated. "The Body On the Roof" does not read like a hard core mystery, but is closer to a cozy mystery, which also - pleasantly - surprised me. I could not figure out who was responsible for what until the the conclusion was revealed, implicating prominent members of the Summerfield community

This is apparently Creager's debut novel and he has started out extraordinarily well. I think his work will appeal to many and I encourage readers to follow his work.

Thanks to the author, Black Rose Writing, and Netgalley for the ARC. Black Rose Writing has some wonderful books in their collection, I have never been disappointed. I have volunteered to provide this review.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an unsolicited review! I finished it in two sittings.

I read a lot of mysteries, and was pleased to find that this one took some unexpected directions that added to the overall plot. I enjoyed the characters and felt they were well developed, and I didn't see most of the reveals coming, which is always good for a reader.

The only question I would ask the author was why insert a prologue that had one of the characters talking to Hollywood about developing a film of the events? It was not referred to again as an epilogue, and the book stood quite well alone without it. The prologue seemed out of place to me.

I look forward to seeing Kevin Creager's next efforts!

3.5 Stars

When a retired schoolteacher is found dead on her roof, the entire village of Summerfield, Ohio come under suspicion ... which is strange considering that she seemed to be well-liked.

Today, Martin Addams is the Summerfield's Police Chief. He's dealing with Carl Ulicny, a Hollywood movie producer. Ulicny wants to make a movie of this cold case, with Addams as a consult.

At the time of this victim's death, Police Chief was Jeff Pierson (Addams was a rookie at the time) and a man determined to take care of the people in his town. He was well liked and well respected.

The investigation under way, the police are finding that solving the case is harder than was suspected. First of all, they aren't even sure if there was an accident, or murder. Reputations of highly known, leading citizens are at risk. In a town where everyone knows everyone else, the most danger comes from trying to keep something hidden.

This is more of a mystery than a thriller. There are lots of characters to meet and figure out where they fit into this story. Some of the book is in the present ... some is recounting what happened years ago. It's a fast read ... less than 200 pages.

Many thanks to the author / Black Rose Writing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The Body on the Roof is an enjoyable cozy/police procedural. Although it is a debut novel for this author, it doesn’t have the expected hiccups that so many new writers experience. Instead, it is a well-written, gentle mystery that moves along at a very nice pace. The characters are well-developed and there are enough threads to the story to keep things interesting. I liked the setting, the mystery itself, the dialogue and the variety of characters. I look forward to reading more stories by Mr Creager.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

The Body on the Roof by Kevin Creager -- 4 Stars
Black Rose Writing
9781684332717

The body on the Roof is a gentle cozy mystery set in a small town with a cast of interesting residents some of whom are not as they appear to their neighbors. There are multiple crimes and multiple villains with some misdirection to keep the plot interesting throughout.

The cast of characters at the beginning was helpful. Small town mysteries usually include a host of residents with names to remember. Being able to check back to the list at the beginning of the book to reference their roles was appreciated.

This book is entertaining and enjoyable. Reading it is a pleasant way to spent a few hours.

Reviewer: Nancy

I quite enjoyed reading The Body on the Roof.

Well-written, we find Grace a lovely retired schoolteacher dead on the roof of her home. Perplexed as to why someone who is liked by all could have met with such an untimely death. However, the more the police search the more it becomes clear solving her death is not going to be easy.

This novel is a must-read.