Legally Blind Luck (Braxton Campus Mysteries #7) by James J. Cudney
Published April 15th 2021 by Next Chapter
About the Book: Surprising new family members. A hidden talisman. Deadly curses. Murder. Months after tragically losing a loved one, Kellan learns his relativeโs death wasnโt an accident.
Someone has discovered a cursed talisman, and a rogue government agent will stop at nothing to retrieve the heirloom. Unfortunately, it has already changed hands and found its way on campus. Moments before Braxtonโs controversial art exhibition opens, Kellan stumbles upon another murder victim, and it appears he might be next on the avengerโs list.
Can Kellan protect the talisman’s true heir and prevent the killerโs nefarious plan? Given all the suspects have ties to prominent Braxton citizens, heโs uncertain whom to trust. Together, Kellan and Sheriff April are determined to solve the mystery – via legal means or blind luck.
4.5 Stars:
Once again, James J. Cudney has penned a cozy mystery that had me reading long after I should have gone to bed. In the seventh book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries we meet up with our intrepid sleuth Kellan Ayrewick and his family and friends. Kellan has found himself in the middle of another murder mystery, as well as having suspicions that the death of a family member might somehow have not been an accident. How such a small town can have so many murders, and how Kellan seems to be in the middle of them is one of the things that makes this series so interesting.
Kellan has been a professor at Braxton Campus since we met him in the first book when his dad encouraged him to take the job and move back home. He has an interesting relationship with his boss, but there seems to be some thawing in this book. I liked that we learned a bit about Miriam’s life and background in this book, it made her more likable. Nana D, one of my favourite characters, didn’t play as much of a role in this book, but that’s okay, there were others that made up for it. I enjoy Kellan’s family’s antics, but I also liked the new characters that appeared in this book. That is one thing I like about James’ books, his characters are well developed, diverse and interesting. The mystery in this one was quite twisty and I enjoyed the history and story about the curse. It added a lot of enjoyment to the story, especially for this history buff. The plot was well-developed and with its many red herrings, I wasn’t sure who the culprit was. When the reveal came, it did not surprise me as it was one of my suspects, however the showdown was quite exciting. Now, you might wonder why only 4.5 stars? Jay’s books usually end with a cliffhanger or something to get the reader thinking about the next book. The cliffhanger in the last book had me quite anxious to see what happened and although the information was there, it was doled out in a way that had me wondering for sure if I remembered what had happened in the last book. The ending of this one sets up a plot for the next story, but it was not really a cliffhanger, which I liked. The story has a great conclusion and all is tied up well. I definitely recommend this one to lovers of mystery, especially cozy mysteries. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.
About the Author: James is my given name, but most folks call me Jay. I live in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Moravian College. Iโve spent twenty years building a technology career in the retail, sports, media, and entertainment industries. I enjoyed my job, but a passion for books and stories had been missing for far too long. Iโm a voracious reader in my favorite genres (thriller, suspense, contemporary, mystery, and historical fiction), as books transport me to a different world where I can immerse myself in so many fantastic cultures and places. Iโm an avid genealogist who hopes to visit all the German, Scottish, Irish, and British villages my ancestors emigrated from in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Writing has been a part of my life as much as my heart, my mind, and my body. I decided to pursue my passion by dusting off the creativity inside my head and drafting outlines for several novels. I quickly realized I was back in my element growing happier and more excited with life each day. My goal in writing is to connect with readers who want to be part of great stories and who enjoy interacting with authors. To get a strong picture of who I am, check out my author website or my blog. Itโs full of humor and eccentricity, sharing connections with everyone I followโall in the hope of building a network of friends across the world.
When I completed the first book, Watching Glass Shatter, I knew Iโd stumbled upon my passion again, suddenly dreaming up characters, plots, and settings all day long. I chose my second novel, Father Figure, through a poll on my blog where I let everyone vote for their favorite plot and character summaries. It is with my third book, Academic Curveball, the first in the Braxton Campus Mysteries, where I immersed myself in a college campus full of so much activity, I could hardly stop thinking about new murder scenes or character relationships to finish writing the current story. I canโt believe Iโve finished writing the sixth book in this series. Come join in the funโฆ
Website: https://jamesjcudney.com/
Blog: https://thisismytruthnow.com
Next Chapter Pub: https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/james-j-cudney
Social Media Links: Amazon โ Twitter โ Facebook โ Facebook (Braxton Series) โ Pinterest โ Instagram โ Goodreads
April 26, 2021 at 1:18 pm
A great review of Jay’s new Braxton Campus mystery, Carla.
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April 26, 2021 at 1:41 pm
Thanks Robbie.
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April 25, 2021 at 7:22 pm
Excellent review Carla! This sounds so good and I’ve got to make time to fit Jay’s stories in! I own them all; just have too many blog tours month after month! ๐ฅ
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April 26, 2021 at 7:42 am
I hear you. I am actually ahead on reading for my blog tours, so hope to fit in a fun romance series this week that I have been wanting to read for awhile and the last one just came out. I hope you get a chance to start them soon. ๐๐
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April 25, 2021 at 7:31 am
Glad you enjoyed this one, Carla! Excellent review. โค๏ธ
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April 25, 2021 at 7:32 am
Thanks Jen. It was good.
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April 24, 2021 at 2:13 pm
Carla,
This is an amazing review. I was a little nervous to see what you thought of this one… it’s different but similar, and I am definitely right up against that edge of a cozy.
I love what you said, and I am shining today because of you! ๐
xoxo
j
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April 24, 2021 at 2:23 pm
My pleasure Jay. There are some diehard cozy afficienados that might think it is a too close to the edge, but I like that. I veer away from the too saccharine sweet cozies, so this is perfect for me. I was very happy with this outing, Jay.
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