Sentenced to Death

Being a writer, one would think Veronica Blackstone merely wrote about murder, but they’d be wrong. First, Veronica is a writer for hire and she helps others write. Second, Veronica doesn’t write about murder, she seems to stumble upon the victims’ bodies.

Each of the four books so far have each had a great mystery weaved into Veronica’s work and her unlucky talent of finding bodies. With plenty of suspects and red herrings to tease you along until the final reveal. Sure you may suspect the killer at some point, but you’ve likely changed your mind several times and the reveal will finally reveal whodunit, how and why. It’s a great series from a great author and I highly recommend Betty’s work!

Well written with an intriguing and compelling storyline and well developed characters. A gripping read that I couldn't put down.

Sentenced to Death is the fourth book in this writer for hire series.
Veronica gets a job writing copy for the Friends of Hyde Park annual house and garden tour. Two of the houses belong to successful writers with an intense rivalry. When one of the writers kills himself in a locked room, after deleting his newest book, Victoria is not so sure it was suicide. The victim was an egotistical man who had a few enemies. This was a fun quick read with many red herrings with a good solid plot, and likeable main characters. I can't wait to read the next book in this enjoyable series. I give it a solid five stars! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for supplying me with this advanced readers copy.

Sentenced to Death by Betty Hechtman is the fourth in the Writer for Hire mystery series. Veronica Blackstone, writer for hire, is such an original twist on the standard protagonist that one can’t help but be captivated by this series. Veronica has no end of opportunities to meet new and interesting people and has been selected to create the copy for the local house and garden tour. What could be safer, right? That is until one of the home owners is killed in a locked room. Is it suicide or is it murder? Too many loose ends have Veronica thinking that this is not a suicide.
This series is a fresh entry into the often formulaic cozy genre. Veronica’s profession gives her the opportunity to meet people from every profession across her hometown, and her personal friends and acquaintances don’t have to be the ones to get murdered in every book! I love the continuing cast of characters and the further development of (Tizzy and Theo). The pacing of this book seemed slower than the earlier books in the series, and the uncertainty of Veronica’s and Sam’s relationship and interactions cast a lackluster shadow over an otherwise enjoyable mystery. (I reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) Overall a well-written cozy that I hope continues long into the future.

Likeable Amateur Sleuth…
The fourth outing for Veronica Blackstone in the Writer For Hire mystery series. Yet again, Veronica finds herself knee deep in murder when her latest assignment is marred by the death of an author. Whilst a suicide would not have been entirely unexpected, Veronica knows that something more suspicious has taken place. With murder on her mind, Veronica investigates. Wholly enjoyable mystery with a well crafted cast of characters, an entertaining narrative, a solid plotline and a very likeable amateur sleuth.

Sentenced to Death by Betty Hechtman is the fourth book in her cozy mystery series A Writer for Hire and was a solid addition to this series.

An smoothly paced plot that finds Veronica involved in a house and garden tour in her neighborhood of Chicago. The residents of the homes included in the tour were an eclectic mix of people that often did not mix well with their neighbors. I found that the plot slowed down in the middle quite a bit which I found a little frustrating until the paced picked up again to the anti-climatic reveal. All in all it was a good mystery and I was surprised by who had committed the crime.

#SentencedtoDeath #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Great mystery!

Writer for hire Veronica is asked to write the copy for a local house and garden tour, and she’s thrilled to get the chance to get more publicity for her business – until one of the homeowners is found dead. Veronica doesn’t agree with the ruling of suicide, and is determined to figure out what *really happened.

This is book #4 of a series I’ve enjoyed from the start, and I enjoyed it as much as the first three books. I’ve only spent a weekend in Chicago (and that was many years ago), but this series makes me want to go back and spend more time exploring the city. I like Veronica and her friends, and I love the idea of her writers’ group, even though several of them have more than their share of quirks. They’re certainly a great pool of potential “prime suspects” for future books, even though none of them were involved in this particular case :)

There were plenty of other suspects, though, as the dead man wasn’t very popular. The motives were variations on a theme, so that wasn’t a surprise, but I hadn’t quite figured out the identity of the villain before it was revealed in the book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Veronica is pretty sure Landon did not kill himself despite the fact that all signs point to despair and that he was found in a locked room. So, of course, the intrepid amateur sleuth searches for the real villain among the members of the Friends of Hyde Park. She was hired, btw to write copy for a tour but her real claim to fame is ghostwriting and well, solving mysteries. This fourth in the series will be perfectly fine as a standalone (although fans will be pleased to see a bit more development of minor characters). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For cozy fans.

This was pure cozy pleasure. A new series by this author and I enjoyed the change immensely. Fun getting to know new characters and backstories. A great reminder to branch out from tired and true series every once in a while.

Sentanced To Death is the fourth book in the series. I have enjoyed this entire series as Betty Hechtman is a favorite author of mine and her mysteries are always excellent. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opiniion is my own.

I enjoy the protaganist in this series as a savvy talented writer for hire who solves murders. Veronica has a eccentric cliental who hire her for various writing jobs. She has a interesting new job writing for a local garden tour at a estate. When the owner of the property is murdered Veronica is compelled to investigate . She is good at seeking clues and red herrings which make this such a enjoyable read.

The sleuth was very well crafted and kept me guessing to conclusion. I enjoy the supporting charcters and the building of relationship that Veronica has in each book. This is a winning cozy series written to perfection with a great sleuth, wonderful charcters and a interesting protagnist . I look forward to more in this wonderful series.

This i s a great mystery series: compelling, well plotted, and entertaining. Veronica is an interesting characters and I like how she's never reckless and is always very clever.
This mystery is fast paced, solid, and kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The fourth in a series by Betty Hechtman featuring Veronica Blackstone in the Writer For Hire mysteries. Veronica finds that her latest assignment is blighted by the death of an author. An extremely enjoyable mystery with a well devised cast of characters, an engaging narrative, a solid plot line and an appealing amateur sleuth. A fantastic tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Severn House via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.