Jayne O'Shea has gone back to Wisconsin to her grandparents' home to put the house on the market. She's unprepared for what she finds when she arrives, as the house has been turned upside down. To make matters worse, there's a body in the backyard... that of a young woman. Jayne had been a cop, so she was smart enough to know how to preserve evidence and protect the crime scene. It always amazes me how with a dead body lying in the yard, how unconcerned the local police often are in these stories. I guess that opens the way for the main character to carry out their own investigation...which will go over like a lead balloon with those same unconcerned police. Being a small town shouldn't automatically...that this is going to be the case, but I'm finding this happening more and more in these genera of books. Jayne sees that the womans body has tats that may indicate an interest or her involvement in Wiccan. About this same time Jayne discovers that her grandmother wasn't home baking cookies all the time...she was also involved in the cult. The little town is filled with strange people with unusual "talents." Some folks evidently can see death coming...some of the younger folks are interested in learning spells...Happy Halloween year-round here:) It's a well written story and the characters are interesting...I just didn't find it particularly believable, but I would be willing to try another by this author. ( )

I am kind of sad that I didn't like this more because there is very little wrong with it.
Normally I have to overlook some major flaws to enjoy a book.
This one had a classic but well-executed opening.
We learn about the MC, her past, and a little about the town she currently stays in.
But then there is just a whole lot of nothing for the rest of the book.
Things start to get somewhat interesting again towards the end but there is no real climax, it felt anticlimactic almost.
This is not a complete story at all. It attempts to have a kind of sub-climax that justifies the book ending where it does but that wasn't nearly enough for me. We still know next to nothing about anything at the end.
While I am interested in where things go, the entire plot so far has been nothing but standard.
If there had been anything in the book that I couldn't predict from a mile away, the slow pacing could actually have created enjoyable tension but that is just not the case.
At first, I wanted to pick up the next one but then I realized I am just not interested enough. ( )

Family Secrets (Book 1 of The Whispering Pines Mystery) is an amazing mystery. From the first page, I am drawn as Jayne is traveling to Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, to clear out her Grandmother's house. Little did she know, she would be entering into a town full of drama and secrets. Oh boy, the action is basically wherever she turns. There's a dead body in her grandmother's yard to a break-in. She meets a handsome guy, Tripp, who basically tells her the town doesn't like outsiders. She's treated like royalty because she's the Original's granddaughter. Jayne sees the attitudes of the town and it makes her mad that they treat Tripp this way. I can't share anymore. You have to read this. It's so thrilling and full of twists and turns and suspense. The character's are incredible. Honey and Sugar running a sweet bakery. It fits so great. The towns people make me think of the weird people I have met in Boulder. They just fit the characteristics so well; weird and hippy chic with a hint of spooky. So worth the read, I can't wait to dig into the rest of the series. I love Jayne and Meeka. Highly recommend. ( )

While the writing wasn't amazing, I enjoyed the story overall. However, the pacing seemed a little off and the ending completely threw me for a loop. Books don't always need to wrap up nicely, but the ending of "Family Secrets" was so abrupt that I felt jolted and completely unsatisfied. ( )

Do not confuse this series with another series by the same title. This was a freebie so I read it; while okay, I do not intend reading any more of it. I think my biggest hang up with this book was that it was full of black magic, witches and the Wiccan religion. I'm just not a fan of any of these.
Summary: Jayne O'Shea comes to Whispering Pines to get her deceased Grandmother's house ready for sale. She finds the house has been vandalized and then finds a dead girl on the property. Since Jayne used to be a detective, the local sheriff offered her a job to patrol the campgrounds and only the campgrounds. Because the sheriff is not investigating the death of the young woman, Jayne takes it upon herself to do so. Jayne's list of possible suspects in murdering the girl keeps growing until the Sheriff fires her. But will that keep Jayne from investigating? ( )