A Candidate for Murder

A Candidate for Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon, 1991. 224 pages. Published by Laurel Leaf. Source: Bought.

With her father running for governor of Texas  Cary can accept some of the changes in hr life-interviews, no time with her father, tension with her boyfriend. She even knows to expect occasional crank phone calls. But these calls in the night are different and frightening. And Cary is sure someone is following her-stalking her.
     What has Cary unknowingly witnessed that places her in danger? To find out, she digs deeper into the political intrigue surrounding the election. But sometimes digging for the truth can lead to more danger...

First Sentence:

I stepped out onto the darkened country club terrace and shut the heavy carved door behind me, muting the music and the laughter coming from the ballroom.

I finally found time to read A Candidate for Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon. I'm a huge fan of her books so whenever I see one of her books that I don't own, well, I have to buy it because its a Joan Lowery Nixon book.

I actually read this one in November, but decided to put off reviewing it till now since everybody was must likely sick and tired of political junk. While still just a book and more about who and why is someone targeting Cary, the daughter of an oil man running for governor of Texas, with very little about actual politics.
   What makes A Candidate for Murder so interesting is that Cary is not targeted because her father is running for governor, but because they think she overheard something she was not supposed that would make trouble for the villain in the book. It was interesting to read because it made Cary the sole attention of the book because the threats had nothing to do with her father's campaign and everything to do with her being at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

I know Joan Lowery Nixon's books and writing are not for everyone, but for me her writing and ability to weave plots that keep me on the edge of my seat are what I love about her. When I read her books I just sit back and watch the different lines of the plot come together and paint the full picture of the story. While this may not have been my favorite of her books, I still felt like she did an excellent job with the plot, characters, and writing.

Cary was definitely interesting. I am easily annoyed when a character gets all weepy over a fight with the love interest, it just bores me and it happens all the time in books. While Cary may have temporarily annoyed at parts in the book, I liked that she used what resources she had to find out why she was being targeted. I especially liked her at the end of the book because she survived by using her wits.

The suspense is what I loved most about A Candidate for Murder. Joan Lowery Nixon just knows how to write scenes that will have you on the edge of the seat and that are just brilliant. She is one of the few authors that can make me feel all tense and completely invested in the outcome of the book. This is a good thing. Her writing just pulls me in and makes me want more, even when the terror that the characters feel is chilling.

Even though this was a really well written and good book, there's one thing I did not like about it. I wish that Cary's parents had been a little more open with her on certain things in regards to her safety and the cautionary measures they were taking. A quarter of the problems she faced in the book would not have happened if they had just let her know a couple more details. While I can understand why they refrained from telling her, I think that they should have trusted her enough to know especially with the threats that she faced.

 Final Verdict: A candidate for Murder was an interesting look at what some people well do to keep their 'power' and how the truth and justice will hopefully in the end be found.

A Candidate for Murder earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.