Needled to Death

Helping Hands Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Annelise Ryan

Narrated by: Marnye Young

As a colleague of deputy coroner Mattie Winston, social worker Clothilde "Hildy" Schneider is no stranger to unsolved murders at Sorenson General Hospital. Except this time, it's up to her to crack the case....

Motivated by her own difficult past, Hildy has an unparalleled commitment to supporting troubled clients through grief and addiction in Sorenson, Wisconsin. But when a distraught group therapy member reveals disturbing details about her late son's potential murder, Hildy goes from dedicated mental health professional to in-over-her-head amateur sleuth....

Alongside her loyal therapy Golden Retriever, Hildy stumbles through incriminating clues - and an unlikely partnership with Detective Bob Richmond, the irresistibly headstrong cop who shares her passion for helping others. With signs of foul play surfacing all over town, can Hildy and Detective Richmond pinpoint the deadly traits of a sharp-witted killer before another seat gets filled at grief therapy?

©2019 Beth Amos (P)2019 Tantor

A Great Listen

An intriguing story about a social worker who gets herself involved in a murder mystery. The story is very well written, interesting and believable characters, and a great plot with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. The narration by Marnye Young is incredible, and she pulls you into the story so much, you'll be left wanting more when the book is finished.

A highly recommended listen. I look forward to more in this series.

Unusual female detective

Fat, middle aged, foster child turned social worker helps mother resolve her sons alleged suicide

Great Debut

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book . The people in the support group are annoying, but I like Hildy. She's ifar from perfect and is also ntellegent and interesting. I'm also glad to see more of Bob's character. They make a good couple and a formidable team. I look forward to reading more books with these two characters.

Page turned

This is a wonderful book. Slow to get started but after chapter 1 you cannot put it down

Solid Mystery

Hildy Schneider is a social worker at Sorenson General Hospital in Wisconsin. She also runs Grief Support meetings in her spare time. A new member of the group, Sharon Cochran, is grief stricken over her son's suicide. She tells the group that she doesn't believe her son took his own life. Sharon thinks he was murdered. As Hildy listens to Sharon's story, she decides to investigate Toby Cochran's death. With the help of Detective Bob Richmond, Hildy starts to believe that Sharon is right...Toby did not take his own life.

This is the first book in the Helping Hands series. It is a solid mystery with likeable characters. My favorite character was Hildy's eleven-year-old neighbor P.J. who walks Hildy's dog Roscoe. She is a smart kid who has no filter. I loved some of the things she said.

There were several suspects in this story. I wasn't sure who killed Toby or even why he was killed. As Hildy dug into Toby's life, she uncovered some surprises. My rating: 4 Stars.