Ebook290 pages6 hours
Dead Storage
By Mary Feliz
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this ebook
The author of Scheduled to Death “perfectly captures the high-tech lifestyle of Silicon Valley . . . Deeply rewarding and with organizational hints” (Kings River Life Magazine).
As a professional organizer, Maggie McDonald brings order to messy situations. But when a good friend becomes a murder suspect, surviving the chaos is one tall task . . .
Despite a looming deadline, Maggie thinks she has what it takes to help friends Jason and Stephen unclutter their large Victorian in time for its scheduled renovation. But before she can fill a single bin with unused junk, Jason leaves for Texas on an emergency business trip, Stephen’s injured mastiff limps home—and Stephen himself lands in jail for murder. Someone killed the owner of a local Chinese restaurant and stuffed him in the freezer. Stephen, caught at the crime scene covered in blood, is the number one suspect. Now Maggie must devise a strategy to sort through secrets and set him free—before she’s tossed into permanent storage next . . .
Praise for the Maggie McDonald Mysteries
“Abundant with friendly canine companions, from-the-hearth cooking, and banter between long-time friends, this novel serves up a chilling mystery warmed by likable characters and enviable setting.” —KRL News & Reviews
“Bay Area residents will enjoy the heavy local angle.” —San Jose Mercury News
“The setting is delightful . . . Maggie herself, in my opinion, is a major selling point for this new series, aside from the added value of her organizational advice.” —MiddleSisterReviews.com
As a professional organizer, Maggie McDonald brings order to messy situations. But when a good friend becomes a murder suspect, surviving the chaos is one tall task . . .
Despite a looming deadline, Maggie thinks she has what it takes to help friends Jason and Stephen unclutter their large Victorian in time for its scheduled renovation. But before she can fill a single bin with unused junk, Jason leaves for Texas on an emergency business trip, Stephen’s injured mastiff limps home—and Stephen himself lands in jail for murder. Someone killed the owner of a local Chinese restaurant and stuffed him in the freezer. Stephen, caught at the crime scene covered in blood, is the number one suspect. Now Maggie must devise a strategy to sort through secrets and set him free—before she’s tossed into permanent storage next . . .
Praise for the Maggie McDonald Mysteries
“Abundant with friendly canine companions, from-the-hearth cooking, and banter between long-time friends, this novel serves up a chilling mystery warmed by likable characters and enviable setting.” —KRL News & Reviews
“Bay Area residents will enjoy the heavy local angle.” —San Jose Mercury News
“The setting is delightful . . . Maggie herself, in my opinion, is a major selling point for this new series, aside from the added value of her organizational advice.” —MiddleSisterReviews.com
Related to Dead Storage
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Address to Die For Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scheduled to Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disorderly Conduct Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dead Storage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cliff Hanger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Snowed Under Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for Dead Storage
Rating: 3.7083332500000004 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
12 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maggie McDonald is a professional organizer. She helps her customers put order into the unorganized. Each chapter begins with a helpful hint about keeping organized. This is the third book in the series, but can be read as a standalone. In this book, Maggie is planning to meet with her friend, Stephen and his mastiff, Munchkin to organize his house prior to beginning renovations. When Maggie and her golden retriever, Bella arrive at the house, Stephen is not there and Munchkin shows up injured and covered in something. Munchkin is Stephen's therapy dog as he suffers from PTSD. Maggie is immediately worried and after taking Munchkin to the vet, begins making calls to see if anyone knows what has happened to Stephen. Unfortunately, Stephen;s partner, Jason, is off to Texas helping with the flooding situation there. When Maggie finds out that Stephen has been arrested for murder, she immediately tries to help him. The big problem is that Stephen won't tell the police what really happened. Who is he protecting?
This is a well written and developed story. There are so many issues in this one, such as immigration, homelessness, gambling, small business issues, bullying and threats in schools, cost of education, therapy dogs, PTSD and natural disasters. The story deals with trust and friendship as well as the solving of a rather intricate and detailed mystery. There were many twists and turns in this story with a lot of red herrings. The characters are strong in this series. I enjoy Maggie and her family. With everything going on, she still makes sure she is there for her boys. Stephen is stubborn yet proud, and everything he does has a reason, even though some people do not understand what that reason could be. The suspense in this story builds gradually until coming to a satisfying conclusion, one that I did not expect. This was a great story that kept me hooked to the last sentence. I listened to the audio version of this book via hoopla and enjoyed the narration very much. I definitely recommend this book and series to cozy mystery lovers. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dead Storage by Mary Feliz is the third in the series. It can be read as a stand alone book but I wish I had read the previous ones so I could get a better sense of the characters. The title character has an organizational business and the author includes tips at the start of each chapter.This was a fast paced book and the only thing I would have liked was less on the homeless and more on the mystery.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There was less focus on organizing in the third book in this series. Maggie and her dog Belle really sleuth the old fashioned way as they hit the streets of Orchard View (and Mountain View) in hopes of finding information to help their good friend Stephen, who may be charged unnecessarily in the death of a Chinese restaurant owner. With the automatic entrée into the homeless society in town because of the presence of a well known mastiff, what I thought would be impossible became possible for her. She moves facilely from her family life to investigating, her boys and husband Max always offering good sounding board opportunities. Besides helping a young man named Rafi, I really didn't have a lot of guesses to what happened to Mr. Xiang and enjoyed the whole path to the end.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mary Feliz has created a good strong mystery that will keep readers guessing as to what is really going on in that area of small businesses where the murder occurred. She also addresses such issues as homeless people, immigration status, and PTSD with sense and sensitivity.But what she's done that I appreciate the most can all be found in the character of Maggie, and of her family, too. She and her family honestly try to do good for their friends, their neighbors, and their community. Maggie, her husband Max, and their two boys are also intelligent and filled with common sense. When one of the boys is threatened at school, it's handled swiftly and appropriately. Maggie is not the type of amateur sleuth who takes chances with her family's lives. She's also not the type of person who takes ill treatment like a doormat. Her response to an obnoxious lawyer had me laughing and cheering.Maggie also does what so many other amateur sleuths don't-- she keeps in close contact with local police, and any time she finds something pertinent to an investigation, she shares it with them immediately. This means that the dangerous parts of the case are handled by the professionals... and that the reveal is not done onstage with the heroine narrowly escaping with her life. We learn what's happened by sitting down with Maggie, her friends, and family at her kitchen table and talking it all over. This is something that not all cozy mystery fans are going to appreciate, but I certainly do. Intelligence and common sense go a long, long way with me, and this means that I'm looking forward to visiting with Maggie again soon.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dead Storage by Mary Feliz is the third installment in A Maggie McDonald Mystery series. Maggie McDonald lives in Orchard View, California with her husband and two sons. She owns Simplicity Itself Organizing Services. Maggie is ready to start her new job decluttering Stephen Laird and Jason Mueller’s beautiful Victorian home before they embark on their remodel project. Jason has been deployed to Texas on an important assignment, but he wants Stephen and Maggie to proceed as planned. The next morning Maggie arrives and Stephen is not at home. She notices Stephen’s dog, Munchkin limping towards home without his owner (and they are always together). While at the vet with Munchkin, Maggie receives a call from Paolo Bianchi, Jason’s partner on the force. Stephen is in jail and will only speak with Maggie. After promising to not tell Jason, Stephen tells Maggie the story. Stephen stumbled upon a murder at the Golden Dragon, and he is considered the prime suspect in the death of Mr. Xiang, the owner. He has a good reason, though, for not talking to the police. Stephen needs Maggie to find the culprit before the local prison becomes his permanent home.Dead Storage is nicely written, has a good pace and easy to read. I like the author’s writing style. While it is the third book in the series, it can be read alone. The details on Maggie’s background and family are in Dead Storage. Maggie is a good character with an understanding family. I particularly enjoyed Maggie’s tips at the beginning of each chapter (on storage, organizing, decluttering—i.e. taking care of your junk). My rating for Dead Storage is 3 out of 5 stars. The mystery was straightforward (some readers will be surprised). Avid mystery readers should be able to solve the whodunit before they hit the halfway mark (at the latest). The ending is a little anticlimactic (disappointing). It was wrapped up a little too neatly and easily. While the cozy element is enjoyable, I wanted a more complicated mystery. It would be nice if it was hard to solve and, maybe, had a good twist (has more meat to it). The author addressed some serious issues in Dead Storage (PTSD among veterans and the plight of the homeless). Dead Storage is a good “escape from reality” book. The type to cozy up with on a wet afternoon.