Murder Mezzo Forte: A Preston Barclay Mystery #2 By Donn Taylor

I received this book from Litfuse Publicity for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Description:

He is a reclusive history professor with musical hallucinations, she a headstrong professor of religion, a converted Wiccan. Earlier, they solved a campus murder, but now police say they formed two-thirds of an illicit love triangle with a newly-murdered female colleague and they're probably guilty of her murder. A leak of the alleged scandal to the college administration threatens their jobs. Their desperate attempt to prove themselves innocent of the triangle and the murder plunges them into a tangle of unsavory corporate relationships among college trustees. And it puts their lives in danger from a mysterious criminal organization that seems to have tentacles everywhere.

Can this ill-matched pair's stumbling efforts succeed against the entrenched forces of the police, the college's incompetent administration, and that powerful but unseen criminal organization? If not, they may end up unemployed, in prison, or suffering a fate much worse . . .

My Thoughts:

Murder Mezzo Forte is the second book in Donn Taylor's latest series, The Preston Barclay Mysteries, and it is FANTASTIC. These are the first books I have read by Donn Taylor and I am hooked.  This book is a Christian Mystery, one of my favorite genres. When I saw this book I knew I had to read it so I bought the first book, Rhapsody in Red, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Donn Taylor writes with authority on all things music, Wiccan beliefs, teaching college classes, Christian college policy, the military, computer terms, latest technology, homicide investigations, crime scenes, and the mob.  The action started right off the bat in this book and it continued until the end. I could NOT put this book down. I really enjoyed the characters in this book, they are definitely not what they seem. They definitely have messy lives that don't just work out in the end. It's hard to pick one character in this book as my favorite....I really enjoyed Preston, Mara, and Dr. Sheldon. They are such a great group and offer so much comic relief throughout this book. I love the way they do for one another and work together. I love Donn Taylor's style of writing. I really felt like I was there with Preston through his process. I found the music theme throughout fantastic and learned more about music. Preston's music hallucinations are so interesting and added so much more to the story. I cannot say enough good about this book! My review does not feel like it does this book or series justice. I do recommend reading Rhapsody in Red first, there is a lot of references to the events from it and helps clarify things in Murder Mezzo Forte. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery stories, you will not be disappointed. I cannot wait to read more books by Donn Taylor. He is definitely on my list of must read authors. I give this book 5+ STARS.