Brilliant Disguise by Mary Anne Edwards takes readers on a thrilling journey into the world of Detective Charlie McClung, a seasoned investigator seeking solace in a small town, only to be thrust into a perplexing case that challenges his investigative prowess. This four-star book provides a captivating blend of mystery, suspense, and a touch of life's complexities.

The narrative unfolds as McClung, on the cusp of turning 50, yearns for a change from the relentless world of crime. Settling in a seemingly tranquil small town, he anticipates a simpler life, yet fate has other plans for him. The story kicks off with the mysterious death of a young woman, hastily dismissed as suicide by the chief of police without a proper investigation.

What ensues is a riveting tale of McClung's relentless pursuit of the truth, fueled by his intuition and the insistence of the deceased woman's captivating neighbor. Edwards weaves a web of secrets, intricacies, and unexpected twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The character development is commendable, breathing life into McClung and his determination to unravel a case that proves to be the most challenging of his career.

The author skillfully explores the fine line between murder and suicide, keeping readers guessing until the final pages. The plot unfolds seamlessly, revealing layers of deception and unexpected connections that add depth to the storyline. Edwards excels in creating a vivid small-town atmosphere, immersing readers in the nuances of the community and its inhabitants.

While the novel excels in its suspenseful elements and character dynamics, some readers may find the pacing a bit slow at times. Nevertheless, the intricately crafted plot and the well-defined characters make up for any pacing concerns.

In conclusion, Brilliant Disguise is a compelling mystery novel that delivers a satisfying blend of suspense and intrigue. Mary Anne Edwards showcases her storytelling prowess, keeping readers engaged with a well-crafted plot and memorable characters. Detective Charlie McClung's journey through the complexities of crime and deception makes this book a standout in the genre, earning it a well-deserved four stars.

3.5⭐⭐⭐





- first from the author and interesting style and wouldnt be the last.
got me hooked for the first couple of chapters then flop a little then got back again .
it was too much as some point that it looks like a repeated words .
Anyway , the story is great mixture of mystery and would be awesome for a series.


+thankyou netgalley for the opportunity .

❤️shaye.reads

Brilliant Disguiseby Mary Anne Edwards.
The Charlie McClung Mysteries Book 1.
Detective Charlie McClung nearing 50, wanting more from life than crime, moves to a small town for a simpler life. It turns out his first case is the most complicated of his career. A young woman is killed, and the chief of police rules it suicide without an investigation. But the dead woman's beautiful neighbor and his gut tell him something entirely different. As McClung discovers secrets never meant to be found, he quickly finds himself with more trouble than ever imagined. Can he solve the case before he becomes the next corpse?
Really good read. Looking forward to the next book. 4*.

On the positive side the characters are all easy to get to know even though you might not be enamoured of many of them. It seemed fairly obvious who the body was likely to be but it’s an ok read. Well it would be if you stopped with the baking!!

A first in a series, this one was a good mystery. With its plot, the suspense, the romance, the characters... all of it keeps the reader hooked from start to finish.
An absolutely enjoyable read. Definitely looking forward to the next installment of this series.

I don’t know why the book is titled Brilliant Disguise. I can’t connect it to the story. Or maybe it’s just me. It's just a so so read for me I’m afraid

Marian Selby is just settling in for a quiet night when she hears a gunshot and then screams. These are followed by police sirens. Marian’s dear friend, Dianne Pannell, is taken to the hospital, where she dies on the operating table. Dan, her husband, seems distraught, and Katie, their 6-year-old, is screaming. Amid the confusion arrives Maggie, a friend of Dan’s, and Chief of Police and Dan’s best friend, Perry Miller, who quickly closes the case, deeming it a suicide.
Detective Charlie McClung, who has sought a transfer to this quiet town, is surprised at the speed with which the case is closed. His suspicions are aroused further when Marian insists that Dianne was being abused by Dan, and that her death was a murder.

The book, set in June 1982, is written in the 3rd person limited point of view of Marian, Charlie and Perry.
The prose is marred by awkward tenses in the same sentence.

I didn’t like the author giving us details about Marian’s physical beauty. As if she wouldn’t be real to the reader unless a man inventoried all her attractions. Why did the author have to make McClung register Marian’s beauty with so much emphasis, that too at the scene of a crime? Thankfully, Marian found it inappropriate.

Earlier on, we learn that Marian has a bookcase, spanning a whole wall, and that she loves reading. She even wears a T-shirt, with the legend, So many books, so little time, when she first meets McClung. But thereafter we never catch her with a book throughout the story.

On the contrary, she bakes and cooks entirely too much. There were several long descriptions of the meals she cooks for McClung, complete with emotions awry and lengthy descriptions of meals and endless carafes of coffee.

I appreciated the fact that Marian had a strong faith in God. She emphasises her faith and trusts in God to look after her. When she is stressed after Dianne is shot, she keeps repeating the Lord’s Prayer to herself.

But the rest of her attitude was highly uncharitable and unchristian. She actually shudders when she sees Maggie rub “her man hands with lotion.” That was crass.

I liked the fact that she was 47. Older people aren’t often represented in novels. But her reaction to the onset of menopause was entirely caricaturish. The author made her out to be a snivelling mess of emotions, which is not what menopausal women are like. For the most part, the book is entirely frothy and light, until Marian’s grief gets the better of her.

Marian cries all the time, blaming it conveniently on her inability to get over Lee and on menopause.

On a side note, I wonder why Americans use so much tissue paper. Here Marian plows her way through whole boxes of the stuff, with McClung conjuring up tissues whenever it seems like she is going to cry. Why can’t she use a cloth handkerchief? It can be used, washed and re-used, and is so much better for the environment.

There was another mistake. In one sentence, Officer Stokes is the subject. The next sentence uses the pronoun, he. Naturally, I thought the pronoun referred to Officer Stokes, but, no, it referred to Detective McClung.

One grammatically incorrect sentence talks of ‘empty bottles laying everywhere.’ Another tells us, ‘No one can be that good of an actor.’ One character is said to have sobbed like a little girl.

With Perry having closed the investigation, McClung knows that some foul play is at work. He promises Marian that he has some connections of his own to call on. But the promised connections are not called on until the 87 percent mark in the book.

The insipid romance overshadows the murder investigation. McClung shares the autopsy report with Marian, and seems completely besotted, doing very little by way of investigation. Marian claims to be determined to nail the killer. But she lets the romance and the cooking sidetrack her all the time. The characters indulge in far too much eating and drinking.

I know it’s 1982, and forensic science isn’t as advanced as it is today. But Marian is actually daft enough to wash away the incriminating muddy footprints in her yard.

There’s even a subplot about Marian’s dead husband, Lee, encouraging her to begin a new phase of her life with McClung.

All said and done, I couldn’t care about Marian. She was projected as an epitome of perfection, cooking and baking with elan.

McClung too is rather tepid. As a cop, he doesn’t get to do anything. The details of the drug deal were never revealed, even though some drama was created.

The title makes no sense. Nor did the drop of blood on the watch dial on the cover. This wasn’t a Cozy Mystery at all. Just cozy fiction.

I tried, I really did. This story was just not for me. The dialogue was very choppy and the characters spoke out loud to themselves way too often. I read about 25% then skipped ahead because it just wasn't getting any better. I skimmed through the climax at the end, but found that I just didn't care what happened or who the bad guy was.

Predictable. There is no need to rewrite the synopsis. I found the plot intriguing. However, the love sick widow and new detective story line was cheesy. If this had not been a Netgalley book that I agreed to read and review I would have stopped. It's not bad, it's not good, it's meh.

#Netgalley
#MaryAnneEdwards
#BrilliantDisguise

Detective Charlie McClung wanted to get away from dealing with murder all of the time but after a very short time he is looking at it again in his new town. The police chief has arrived before him though and he says it is suicide. The neighbor does not think so and neither does Charlie. They work on the clues together to see what they can find. It turns out to be more than they bargained for in the end.

I kept putting this book down because I just wasn’t connecting with the characters. I eventually did finish m but I was not enamored with Marion at all. She came across as a poor me , feel sorry for me kind of person. There were so many times I just wanted to say it’s time to get it together and start living. The other thing was it seemed like she was in late 50’s instead of mid 40’s.
Charlie was one of the characters that I liked, but I definitely couldn’t see why he would want a person like Marion!
I liked the storyline and the overall premise of where it was going, but how the author was putting it all together with the characters was taking too much of a leap for me.

I received a advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Cosy detective with a widow solving the murder with a bit of help from an older police detective. Bad Chief who determines suicide whereas our Marian is convinced it's murder. Forensics agree but only the young guy, not the senior one. Victim shot herself in the back is perhaps a bit of a giveaway. McClung of the detective ilk is definitely a good guy who wants to determine the truth. Small town darkness rules. There are relatively few characters so it's easy to sort them out but it did seem clear to me early on who was the 'bad guy/gal'. Characters need a bit more work - Marian was a widow but this varied from 11 months, 11 years and 15 years and, like all cosy detectives, she bakes a lot. It's good to have older main characters however, assuming that you consider 47 and nearly 50 as older! An ok read but it didn't especially grab me. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good mystery and while it’s not often I read cozy ones, I enjoyed Brilliant Disguise. Discovering that the story takes place in Georgia made it all the better!

The story began with a death by a gun shot and Marion the next-door neighbor, doesn’t believe it was a subside. Marion knows her friend Dianne would never commit such a travesty as taking her own life. Soon after the heart-breaking indecent, McClung interviewed Marion and they hit it off pretty quickly. They soon joined forces to find out what happened to Dianne and they uncover a cover up that took them into the heart of the very police force he works for.

The story flowed well and there was enough intrigue and suspense to keep you me invested. I have to admit, there were only two characters in the story I cared about and surprisingly neither of them was Marion. Strange that seeing that she is the star of the show, along with McClung. That said, since McClung likes her, maybe she will grow on me. I did, however, want to walk in her garden and try one of her freshly baked cookies and sit with her and talk about books.

Brilliant Disguise is one of the better cozy mysteries I’ve read. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!
Stephanie Hopkins

This book is just not good. The first chapter and she thinks the cop is dreamy, not including her "knowledge" because she reads too much. Just ugh.

The crime story is neither very suspenseful nor surprising. The love story is a bit more interesting but not surprising either.
Do you like descriptions of food preparing, furniture, clothes, gardens and antiques? Than this book is for you. For me there was way too much of all that.
The novel is still entertaining enough to get 3*, but I probably won't look out for other books of this series.

2.7 Stars
*The review contains spoilers*

Detective Charlie McClung moves to a small town, looking for a less complicated life. However, his very first case has all elements that make him wonder how a town is any different from a city.
A young wife, Dianne, is found shot dead. Before McClung can investigate, the Chief arrives and takes over the case. McClung meets a distraught neighbor, Marian, who swears that Dianne was murdered.
The Chief closes the case in quick time, declaring it a suicide. But Marian is insistent, and McClung finds too many clues to counter her. Can he solve the case before more lives are in danger? Is Marian at risk for actively working on the case with him?
What will happen to the budding relationship between McClung and Marian?

*Unpopular opinion*
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The premise was intriguing, and the reviews were just as good. Categorized as thriller and women’s fiction, I hoped the book would have some strong elements of both genres.
What I got instead were a mediocre thriller and a surreal heroine. Or maybe it was just the writing that made Marian surreal. I couldn’t understand her much. She’s a 47-year-old widow with a fixed schedule that includes community service, helping others, baking, and spending time with her two friends, Dianne and Joan.
Joan seemed to have a steady character that’s not confusing the readers. Marian goes this way and that, and while I don’t mind it, none of it seems touching (at least to me). Her character had all elements of sadness. She lost her parents when young. Then she lost her husband to a flight crash. She’s been a childless widow more as long as she’s been married.
Yet, it just didn’t work for me. Her mercurial behavior has been attributed to menopause. Though it makes sense, it doesn’t give the story the required meat. Not when some of the other characters are two-dimensional.
That aside, the mystery is barely a mystery. I could figure out the murderer quite early. The red herrings did nothing to change my guess. Yes, I don’t mind guessing the killer right. But when I do it before completing 35% of the book, well, not much of a thriller then, is it? Even a cozy mystery can be complex.
I was willing to let it go if the rest lived up to the expectations. Sadly, it didn’t. We get a couple of chapters with the limited POV of other vital characters, and that’s it. We don’t almost see them again.
Imagine the dead woman’s husband, who was at home when the incident happened, not having any role after 60-65% of the book. To say that their child got more space than Dan would be correct. Kate was an interesting kid, a gray character. If only the reader wasn’t repeatedly told that she was a bully; she hated her mother, and blah blah.
I am ranting here and can’t seem to help it. The case is more or less solved by Marian, that too by chance. McClung shows promise, but the case doesn’t give him enough to prove his worth. He is the one who guides and steers Marian's ideas, and she's the one who discovers the killer could be so and so.
Two more characters from the police station waltz in and out. It only establishes what the reader knows by then.
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To sum up, the book is neither a mystery nor a thriller. It could be a cozy mystery but not that interesting either. I still don’t know why the book is titled Brilliant Disguise. I can’t remotely connect it to the story. Or maybe it’s just me. It's clear that most people loved the book, and I'm a minority here.
The book does have a few good things. The pace is steady, and there is some action towards the end. I like Marian’s relationship with Joan and others. She’s sweet and loved by all, and of course, a terrific cook and baker.
Go with the least expectations and consider this a cozy mystery for beginners. You might enjoy it more than I did.
Thank you, NetGalley and BooksGoSocial, for the digital review copy.

The sentence that really got my attention occurred around Loc 495 “all the memories of past deaths spilled out and magnified the present.” I was intrigued. Whoa, is this sentence a red herring? Is Marian a murderer? As the story unfolds the author does reveal all the past deaths and why they are important to the story.

Marian, a widow whose neighbor, Dianne, has died, and Charlie, a new detective in the area, join forces to solve the issue of whether the neighbor’s death is a suicide or a murder. If this is a murder, many people are suspects, including the deceased’s young daughter. Marian and Charlie are likeable characters and I found myself rooting for a possible romance. I also liked Marian’s friend Joan. Everyone needs a friend like Joan.

I recommend this to those who enjoy a cozy mystery with good characterization, intrigue, and suspense.
Thank you #netgalley and #maryannedwards for an opportunity to read #BrilliantDisguise

Honestly,this book was interesting to read.I liked the way the story evolved and how it changed,but what i liked even more?What happened between Charlie McClung and Marian Shelby.Love at first sight?Yikes.
The book was easy to read and it had an interesting story.The characters were good(I hated Maggie and that chief..Oh,yikes,i don't remember his name),especially Marian and Charlie.Marian was the kind of friend i wish i could have in real life .Charlie?Well,he was good.Really good.Lol.
I know,i know i didnt' write about the story and what was happening..But honestly?You should read the book,it's the only way to know the truth.Hehe.
I can honestly say that this book falls in the "you can't stop reading" list,the only thing that ruined everything for me was: things happened way too fast ,deal breaker for me.Sorry.Oh and it was a little chaotic.
It had an interesting beginning and piece by piece you start to understand more and you can't wait to read the rest.Well,it happened to me.And i know that the fact that i gave it only 3 stars won't say much(maybe it sounds strange),but i am at that point in my life were i try to be more realistic about my ratings.BUT.Like i write in all my reviews:..Give it a try and see how you feel about this book,you might like it more.

Brilliant Disguise by Mary Anne Edward's is what I would consider a cozy mystery. There are a lot of details about food & table settings, as well as the relationship between the main Character, Marian, and Detective Charlie McClung. Marian's friend and neighbor, Dianne, has obviously been murdered but the Chief of Police has ruled it a suicide. Marian and Detective McClung are not about to fall for that. With a lot of help from the Detective's coworkers, they are "on the case". Now they just need to make sure that they're not next. This is a great book for those who enjoy sweet, cozy mysteries with a lot of extra details.

Amazing read which i really enjoyed, the author has a way of keeping you engaged and wanting to turn the page, i really love this type of writing and the author really shone with it. The storyline was captivating, i really enjoyed this book and would thoroughly recommend to book readers, friends and/or family.