Book Reviews
Reviewed by Shawn Remfrey for Armchair Interviews
It all begins in the small town of Rose Hill. This is your average small
town, where everybody knows everybody else, as well as everybody else’s
business. When the town’s rich bully is murdered, however, everyone’s
dirty little secrets are revealed. In a town where everyone is not what they
seem, Rose Hill’s chief of police Scott Gordon must wade through all the
gossip to get to the truth and solve the murder.
Huge praise for Pamela Grandstaff! This book reminded me so much of
Jan Karon’s Mitford series. We have this small town, where all the
characters are so realistic and the town is so alive, that you feel like you
actually live there and know these people. The major difference between
Rose Hill and Mitford is that here we have a murder mystery to solve. It’s
so much fun getting to meet everybody and then getting to read all about
the skeletons in their closets! The women are mouthy and the men are
well-trained. Bravo!
In the background we have a budding romance between Maggie, the town
bookstore owner, and Scott, the chief of police. Too bad Scott’s a mama’s
boy and Maggie has commitment issues. In the midst of this great mystery
and all the wonderful small-town closeness, we get to feel this wonderfully
tense energy coming from these two characters.
Every once in awhile I read a book that I just have to share with everyone
I know. This is that book! I love the descriptions, the town, the characters,
the intrigue, the romance, and the tension! The only problem I have is
that I don’t want to wait until 2009 for Morning Glory Circle , the second
book in the Rose Hill mystery series, to come out. Pamela is currently
working on the third book, Iris Avenue.
Pamela Grandstaff’s book is available on her web site and Amazon. Also if
you go to the Rose Hill mystery website, she has valuable information
about self-publishing.
Armchair Interviews says: What a good deal–being compared to Jan Karon’
s Mitford series.
Link to review on Armchair Interviews Site
A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Pamela Grandstaff, an independent author, about
reading and reviewing her latest book, Rose Hill. First things first, I want to apologize to Pamela for
taking so long to read the book. I got it right before I started the whole moving process, and it's
taken me a while to get started on it. However, once I started it, I couldn't put it down. Let me tell
you what it's about:
When the bludgeoned body of rich and rotten Theo Eldridge turns up in the kennel of the local
veterinary, police chief Scott Gordon is determined to solve the case before Sarah Albright, the
county sheriff’s investigator, beats him to it. Scott is convinced that temperamental bookstore
owner Maggie Fitzpatrick is the woman for him, but she’s still grieving over the mysterious
disappearance of the love of her life six years previously. Although determined to resist the
powerful chemistry between them, Maggie is resolved to help Scott find the killer. As Maggie and
Scott attempt to untangle the sticky web of Theo’s shady business dealings, they discover a dog-
breeding scam and enough arson, graft, and blackmail to supply motives to a dozen suspects. They
also uncover some dark family secrets that may connect Theo’s murder to another committed
twenty years previously.
I have to tell you, I loved this book. It was a great mystery set in a very small town, where
everyone knows all your business. I grew up in a small town, so I could really relate to these people
and actually kind of felt like I knew them. I definitely know people LIKE them! Another fun
addition to the story was Duke, the community cat. Duke pops up all over town, finding food,
places to relax, and love with all (or most!) of the locals.
Not only did this have a great mystery with a bunch of twists, there is also a budding romance in
the background of this novel. Scott and Maggie - will they? Won't they? Could they?
All in all, I loved this book - you should definitely check it out. I am definitely looking forward to
the next book in the Rose Hill mystery series, Morning Glory Circle.
- Thanks again to Pamela! You wrote a highly entertaining book, and I am so glad that I am able to
spread the word!!!
link to review on Real Librarian web site
Amazon Reviews: Bridget gives Rose Hill 5 Stars
Rose Hill is the scene of the crime. It's your average, small town gossip haven. Theo, the town bully
and the town drunk, has been found dead. None of this small town's population are saddened.
Actually it's quite the opposite. It seems everyone has had words with Theo at one point or another.
Most people in the town believe that they are better off without Theo around. This makes police
chief, Scott Gordon's, job very difficult.
Maggie Fitzpatrick, a fiery redhead with attitude, owns the local bookstore and Scott's heart. Maggie
and her best friend Hannah, go looking for clues on their own and uncover a secret so big that it
incriminates almost the entire town.
I really enjoyed this book. Pamela is so good with her descriptions that I feel like I was actually a
part of Rose Hill. I'm a sucker for a good mystery and I'd rate Pamela up there with Mary Higgins
Clark. - Bridget's reviews
Amazon Reviews: Drebbles (top 500 reviewer) gives Rose Hill 5 Stars
Theo Eldridge was a bully and very much hated in Rose Hill, so it isn't a surprise when someone
finally murders him. The only real question is who the killer is and police chief Scott Gordon has
plenty of suspects who all have reasons to want Theo dead, including his own family. A potential
eyewitness to the murder is missing and Scott would love to find him. Scott works reluctantly with
Sarah Albright from the county sheriff's office while trying to avoid her passes and trying to
convince Maggie Fitzpatrick to enter into a relationship with him. Rose Hill may be a small town,
but life there is complicated.
Often when reading a book, it will take me to a place that's fun to visit, but I don't miss it when I'm
done. Other times, I'll visit a place that I miss long after I've finished reading the book. "Rose Hill",
I'm happy to say, is the latter. I loved my visit to Rose Hill and was sorry to see it end. The book is
full of interesting characters - Maggie, Scott, Sarah, Sam, Hannah, and many more - all of whom are
multi-layered characters with secrets all keep buried, sometimes even from themselves. Rose Hill is
a small town and author Pamela Grandstaff does a great job of making Rose Hill come alive and
capturing small town life. Scott is one of the best developed characters I've come across in a
mystery novel. He doesn't gossip and consequently misses a lot of what goes on around town. He is
weak and easily manipulated, especially by his mother, and he knows it. He and Maggie are an
interesting couple and I want to know what happens to them next and more abut what happened to
Maggie in the past that makes her so reluctant to commit to a relationship. The mystery elements
are well done and readers will enjoy trying to figure out who killed Theo, but it is the characters
that drive this novel and make it work so well.
I loved my visit to "Rose Hill" and hope to visit it again. Well done. - Drebbles' reviews
Amazon Reviews: Lesley Conner gives Rose Hill 5 Stars
This is a very good book. The writing is clean and easy to read. Grandstaff's characterization is
wonderful, with her characters coming to life and developing into people that I would love to
know. The romantic tension between the two main characters, Maggie and Scott, is sustained
throughout the book and leaves the reader begging for the second book in the series. Grandstaff
created an entire town of eccentric characters that I can't wait to visit again and again.
- Lesley Conner reviews
