Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Download from Apple iTunes (eBook) Download from Smashwords (eBook) Amazon Barnes & Noble.com Michael J. McCann Powell's Books Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: The Plaid Raccoon Press ISBN-10:  0987708724 Type: Fiction Pages: 258 Copyright: March 18, 2012 ISBN-13: 9780987708724 On vacation in Virginia, Homicide Lt. Hank Donaghue is mistakenly arrested for the murder of a local woman. Detective Karen Stainer arrives from Maryland to assist in Hank's release, and to help find the real killer. Is it the abbot of a local monastery, who resembles Hank? The drunken detective with the perfect memory? Or perhaps the chief of police himself?  This is the second novel in the Donaghue and Stainer crime fiction series.  Homicide Lieutenant Hank Donaghue is on vacation when he stops overnight in Harmony, a quiet little town where nothing ever happens. Without warning, the police kick down the door of his motel room in the middle of the night and drag him off to jail on suspicion of having strangled a woman behind a bar. Although he insists he’s a cop himself and had nothing to do with it, the local chief of police won’t listen. An eyewitness claims he saw Donaghue go behind the bar where the murder took place – and the victim was Chief Askew's wife! Donaghue calls on Detective Karen Stainer to help get him released from jail. Once he's free, he and Karen must find Marcie Askew’s killer before it’s too late!

Kathleen Kelly
Marcie's Murder by Michael J. McCann takes place a short time after the previous book, Blood Passage. Homicide Detective Lieutenant Hank Donaghue is on a much needed vacation after the previous case that he and his partner Detective Karen Stainer solved. Wherever the road takes him is where he goes and when he decides to stop in a small town in Virginia, he finds himself in trouble. He checks into his motel room but he can't sleep so goes to a bar for a beer or two. He sees a woman on his way into the bar but other than a glance at her he does not pay her a lot of attention. He has his drink and heads back to the motel, goes to sleep but is awakened by the local police. They proceed to take him to the jail after they have roughed him up. The police chief is one of the ones who had a hand in beating him and even though he tells them he has had nothing to do with the murder of a woman they do not believe him and keep him locked up. It turns out that the murdered woman is the police chief's wife and the woman that Hank saw at the bar. She was found behind the bar strangled. Hank finally gets his phone call and calls his no nonsense partner Karen Stainer. There the story really gets going. Getting the police to believe that Hank had nothing to do with the murder with Karen's help is not an easy task but they finally do let him go. Both Hank and Karen are asked to help with the investigation, they are reluctant at first in the light of how Hank was treated but they eventually agree. That is all I am going to say about the story other than the fact is that you absolutely have to read this authors work. This can be read as a stand alone novel but I would recommend that you read Blood Passage first so you do not miss out on getting to know Hank and Karen. A thoroughly enjoyable novel and I eagerly await the next installment in the Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel Series. I give it 5 stars!!


Rebecca Scarberry
Detective Karen Strainer, Lieutenant Hank Donaghue and assistant Detective, Ansell Hall are working together to solve the murder of Marcie Askew. Marcie is the wife of Chief of Police, Billy Askew.

The murder took place in Harmony, Virginia. Detective Strainer was brought in from Glendale, Maryland Police Department. The portrayal of a small town feels authentic and a perfect backdrop for a murder investigation. Of course, the Chief is put on administrative leave until it's cleared up.

I highly recommend this intriguing mystery. It is the sequel to Blood Passage, but is truly a stand-alone novel men, women and teens will thoroughly enjoy.

The sequence of events leading to the identity of Marcie's murderer, are exciting and you will find it hard to put this book put down.

The nice smooth pace makes for easy reading also. I like hostage situations in the books I read and this section of the book was exciting and well written.


saniko
Marcie's Murder is set against the backdrop of a small town named Harmony. The story explodes with a first chapter that places Lieutenant Hank Donaghue in serious trouble as a potential suspect in a woman's murder while he's on vacation there. His partner, Detective Karen Stainer, arrives on the scene to help him out, and things heat up as she negotiates his freedom in no uncertain terms. In an odd twist, the detectives end up helping the local police solve the murder.

Donaghue and Stainer are mainstays in a cast of entertaining characters McCann has created in Marcie's Murder, the second installment in the series. Donahue is cool and collected, whereas Stainer is outspoken and quick to react. The contrast in personalities doesn't diminish their ability to read each other when interviewing suspects. If anything, the disparity in their approaches adds a realistic and interesting perspective to the investigation and to the dialogue between them.

The other members of the cast are equally fleshed out and their individual history, temperaments, and quirks contribute to a well-rounded story. Several suspects are offered as events unfold, but when the real killer surfaces, everything falls into place and results in an action-packed capture.

Marcie's Murder is an easy read, the setting and characters feel genuine, and it's apparent McCann has done a lot of research on weapons and small-town attitudes. I definitely recommend it and look forward to the next book in the series.