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James J. Cudney

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Broken Heart Attack: Murder at the Theater (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 2) Kindle Edition

by James J. Cudney (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 220 ratings

Book 2 of 8: Braxton Campus Mysteries

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Who killed Gwendolyn Paddington?

When an extra ticket becomes available to see the dress rehearsal of King Lear, Kellan tags along with Nana D and her buddies. But when one of them dies of an apparent heart attack in the middle of second act, Nana D asks Kellan to investigate.

With family members in debt and secret meetings, Kellan learns that the Paddingtons might not be as clean-cut as everyone thinks. Can Kellan find Gwendolyn's killer, or will he get caught up in his own stage fright?

Praise:

★★★★★ - "Upbeat and entertaining. Cudney's writing style is warm, vibrant and edgy."

★★★★★ - "Fast-paced and full of twists you won't see coming."

★★★★★ - "A well recommended murder mystery."

Editorial Reviews

Review

***** - "Kellan's daughter is only six years old, but she has the same spunk and vocal bluntness as Nana D, just on a much smaller scale. Her presence adds a touch of cuteness to the story, giving the murder mystery a charming aspect. James J. Cudney delights with another intriguing mystery filled with humor, a complex murder investigation, and lively characters you'll love." (Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite)

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07KGGJX1T
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gumshoe - A Next Chapter Imprint; 5th edition (November 25, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 25, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2049 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 345 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B08CWG641T

Best Sellers Rank: #334,934 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #342 in Contemporary American Fiction
- #1,530 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction
- #4,236 in Murder

Customer Reviews:
4.5 220 ratings

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James J. Cudney

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James is my given name; most call me Jay. I grew up on Long Island, lived in New York City for over a decade, and currently live in Stamford, CT, but I've traveled all across the US (and various parts of the world). After college, I began working in technology and business operations in the sports, entertainment, media, retail, and hospitality industries. Although I enjoy my job, I also want to re-focus on my passions: telling stories and connecting people through literature.

In 2017, I published my debut novel, Watching Glass Shatter, a contemporary fiction family drama with elements of mystery, suspense, humor, and romance. The sequel, Hiding Cracked Glass, released exactly three years later in 2020. I've also written another family drama novel, Father Figure, and created the Braxton Campus Mysteries, a light investigation series about a humorous thirty-something guy dealing with murders and the drama of a small town. I've also co-authored a book, Weathering Old Souls, with the wonderful Didi Oviatt.

Most of my books are available in hardcover, paperback, electronic, and audiobook formats, as well as in a variety of bookstores. We've begun translating into Portuguese, Spanish, German, Greek, and Italian for some of the books too. To see samples or receive news from my current and upcoming books, please subscribe with your email address at my website: https://jamesjcudney.com.

Outside of writing, I'm an avid genealogist (discovered 2,500 family members going back about 250 years) and cook (I find it so hard to follow a recipe). I love to read; between Goodreads and my blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, I have over 1,000 book reviews which will give you a full flavor for my voice and style. On my blog, I share several fun features, including the Book Bucket List, Tips & Advice, Author Spotlights & Book Alerts, and the 365 Daily Challenge, where I post a word each day that has some meaning to me, then converse with everyone about life. You'll find tons of humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers... where I poke fun at myself all the time. Even my dogs have segments where they complain about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real and show how I live every day.

A bit of humor: Everything doubles as something else when you live in NYC. For me, it’s the dining room, my favorite space in the apartment, where more than just my cooking is on display! As I look out the windows onto a 12th floor terrace, various parts of nature (trees, bushes, flowers, bugs & animals) inspire me to write. Baxter, a two-year-old shiba inu, constantly tries to stop me from writing so I can play with him and keep him amused. How else can you pen the best story possible without these things by your side?

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4.5 out of 5

220 global ratings

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Amber Garabrandt

A great addition to a fantastic series!

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2018

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Summary:

  Braxton Hall is gearing up for the drama of the year- and I don't just mean their production of King Lear! Kellen is still getting used to being back home and working under a woman that obviously hates him and his family. Emma has finally come down to be with him and he loves having his little girl, but she was delivered with a lot of unanswerable questions. There are things in his past that could affect the future- and not all of them are willing to stay put in the past. Then there's Nana D- it isn't enough that the outspoken senior is running for mayor, she also wants Kellen involved in the life of one of her friends Gwen. The two are sure that there's something fishy going on- Gwen's family is trying to kill her! Before he even has time to process this news, she's dead and Nana D wants him on the case- regardless of the fact that he reminds everyone he isn't a detective. Could someone have seriously harmed an old woman, and why? Suspects- and motives- abound, but can Kellen solve the mystery before his past catches up to him or the sheriff strangles him?

My thoughts:

I could have sworn I did this review a week ago- sorry guys! I read this a bit ago and loved it. It has the great dialogue and character development I loved from the first one, and we are slowly watching each character grow. Kellen is an interesting character, and I love watching him with Nana D and Emma. The plot of this one was interesting and the book had a nice flow to it. It's one of those quick, fun reads that make me love this genre. You know the ones- you find yourself turning page after page long after you should be asleep simply because you aren't ready to let go. Even with the weighty topics here (there has, after all, been a murder), there's a good dose of sass and sarcasm I love. I can easily see this as being a series that I will be reaching for often- I am already praying there's a book three in the making, and you can bet I will be pre-ordering it. For me this is a five star book- I highly recommend it.

On the adult content side, there's some language and violence but it's fairly tame. I think that's one of the things I loved about this one- like Ellery Adam's books, Cudney doesn't rely on sexual drama or shock value to sell books. There's romantic interest, but it's not hyped up or thrown all over the place (this is an issue I often have with Janet Evanovich's books and why I am still on the fence about the new Stephanie Plum book). I would give this one a two.

3 people found this helpful

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L. Higgins

Good Series

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2019

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The best way for me to describe the beginning of Broken Heart Attack is “hyperactive,” a label which is meant to be descriptive, not positive or negative. Author James J. Cudney packs a lot into the first several chapters as he brings readers up to speed on the events in the first book of the series and introduces a complex plot with a lot of characters.

The main mystery of Broken Heart Attack centers around the Paddington family, murder, and a missing will. Unfortunately, the Paddington family is quite dysfunctional, and there is not one member of the family that I could relate to or invest myself in. In other words, by the end of the book, I really didn’t care who the murderer was.

A side issue to the murder is a paternity case. Other stories that affect the main character, Kellan, continue from the first book but make little progress: the reappearance of a presumed dead wife, conflict with co-worker Myriam, a potential love triangle involving friends Connor and Maggie, and a possible softening in his relationship with Sheriff Montague.

I purchased this book; it was not an advance copy. Therefore, I was surprised to see a number of errors. Some were obviously a case of autocorrect gone wrong, some were spelling, and some were, more egregiously, pronoun usage. This is particularly startling because the author rarely has errors in his posted book reviews.

On the positive side, Nana D continues to provide humor and Kellan is a likeable character. Would I read another book in this cozy mystery series? Absolutely! I would particularly like to see what happens as Kellan is pressured by his wife’s mob family, the Castiglianos. I would urge the author to write the next book at a less frenetic pace with more character development. He has the beginnings of a good series with interesting plots and a college setting that provides a background with multiple possibilities. The Braxton Campus Mystery Series definitely has a lot of potential.

One person found this helpful

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NG

Cozy mystery with unique and charming characters.

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2019

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The course of events got me interested from the very beginning. Kellan, the main character, is easily lifelike. He seems to be a really cool guy, friendly, polite, thoughtful, smart and funny. I loved the type of relationship Kellan has with his grandmother. Nana D is quite the character, definitely not like the majority of people her age. She is in her seventies and planning to run for mayor. When her friend Gwendolyn dies during the King Lear play, and the suspicious cause of death is born, Nana D. is the one insisting Kellan to help find the murderer. “The things I did for my family were getting way too weird.”- says Kellan.

With intertwining stories and events, the mystery is evolving. The road is not easy. Kellan has to deal with the Paddington clan. Sheriff April doesn't seem to be on his side but this will not stop him on his mission. Luckily, he is good at being nosy and sometimes a good eavesdropper. Sometimes it seems he can’t catch a break. He has to deal with drama around the family of his no longer present wife. I would love to say more but I am afraid it may be a spoiler. However, Kellan’s daughter is sweet and smart. Luckily, Kellan has his parents, grandmother and sister around that help him baby sit while he’s busy with lots of stuff. He is not only working on the case finding out who the murderer is, but he is dealing with his private drama, helping for Nana’s mayoral campaign, he is being a great supporter for his sister, and he is trying to have some social life between his daily job and all the other interests and obligations.

This mystery had me on my toes, kept me swaying between the suspects almost till the very end. Through details, settings, and the most lovable characters the reader will fall instantly in love with reading this mystery. I will be looking for the other books in the series to see what is Kellan up to again.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Summers

Excellent book

Reviewed in Canada on June 9, 2021

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After reading book one and book 2, I can say that I really enjoyed the humor, the writing style, the classy tone of humor and language and situation. I appreciate the story with no swearing and clean humor. It also has a good plot.

sjhigbee

Strong follow-up to the first book in this engaging cosy mystery series...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2019

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Cudney’s smooth, readable style scooped me up and swiftly drew me back into life on Braxton campus. While you might initially flounder slightly if you hadn’t had the pleasure of reading Academic Curveball, Cudney ensures you’ll soon make sense of what is going on – and indeed, there’s plenty to keep poor Kellen on the back foot.

His main relationship is with his feisty, sharp-tongued grandmother, Nana D. I really like the intergenerational dynamic within the story. Kellen’s grandmother isn’t introduced just to give us a few smiles at his expense as her snarky replies leaves him waving in the wind, Nana D is important to the story as a character in her own right. I also like the fact that the victim is one of her elderly friends – and that her death is investigated with the same rigour as the hapless youngster in the previous book. Far too much casual ageism is exhibited within this genre, so encountering Cudney’s take on the older characters in his story is refreshing change.

The mystery is nicely twisty, with plenty of potential suspects. I also liked the character development moving forward through the series – while the Sheriff was extremely hostile towards Kellen’s involvement in the previous book, she becomes less so during this investigation, as Kellen proves his worth and gains her rather grudging trust. Once more, Cudney’s skill in handling the whodunit is apparent, while I had a couple of candidates in mind for the wicked deed – neither of them were responsible and yet the culprit had a solid motive.

Any niggles? Well, I was floored by the revelation at the end of the first book and very eager to find out exactly what had happened – to the extent of skimming the first few pages to discover the outcome. If I have a grizzle, it would be that this major plotpoint was slightly squeezed out of the story at the expense of the investigation. So I’m hoping the next book will put Kellen’s personal issues right in the centre of the story, because I’m very keen to see him finally face up to that cauldron of regret, anger and thwarted love…
9/10

Isobel Blackthorn

Upbeat and entertaining

Reviewed in Australia on December 1, 2018

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I have dived straight into the second book in the Braxton Campus Mysteries without reading the first. While it soon became clear I would have benefited from reading the earlier mystery, I was quickly brought up to speed and settled into the story without any difficulty.

Broken Heart Attack has all the elements of a good cozy mystery, including an amateur sleuth who sets out to solve a suspicious death, in this case Gwendolyn Paddington, a family friend dying while watching a dress rehearsal of King Lear. The narrator, professor Kellan Ayrwick, is a satisfyingly flawed protagonist with a full portion of problems, both personal and professional, on his plate. In true cozy style, the reader is drawn into an intimate world filled with loveable, and well-rounded characters. Even chair of the department, Miriam Castle, the "venomous barracuda", is sympathetically cast.

As Kellan bends to his grandmother Nana D's wishes and investigates Gwendolyn's death, he struggles to deal with the complex matter of his own nuclear family. Cudney has given his sleuth a challenging and heartbreaking dilemma. Cudney's handling of this theme is sensitive and considered.

There is nothing not to love about Broken Heart Attack. Cudney's writing style is warm, vibrant, edgy and upbeat, the humour leaping off the page in the opening paragraphs. The first person narration is strong, the use of a modern vernacular style appropriate. Broken Heart Attack is a racy read, the reader kept entertained as the plot unfolds, eager to discover the culprit. The novel ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the reader hungry for Book 3. It is a device that does not always work, but in this case it does.

P. Matthews

Fun read and great, believable characters

Reviewed in Australia on March 8, 2019

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This is book 2 of the Braxted Campus Mysteries. The main character is likeable and there's an underlying sense of humour that's quite appealing.

Eileen Thornton

A Most Enjoyable Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2019

Verified Purchase

Kellan Ayrwick accompanies, his grandmother, Nana D and her friends to a dress rehearsal at the Paddington Theatre. However, during the performance, Gwendolyn, the woman sitting next to him suddenly falls against his shoulder. When he checks her pulse, he finds that she is dead. At first, it is thought she’d had a heart attack, but was there something more sinister going on? Gwendolyn had mentioned to her friends that she thought someone was trying to kill her. Therefore, had they succeeded? Once it is established that she had been poisoned, Nana D, calls on her grandson to find the killer. After all, he had uncovered a murderer only a few weeks previously, when bodies had been found on the campus.
But this case would be much more difficult for Kellan, as Gwendolyn had a number of relatives, many of whom needed money to cover debts or planned new ventures. Anyone of them could have killed her to receive their share of her will. As if that is not enough, Kellan has to face the local sheriff again. She didn’t like him interfering with her last case and certainly doesn’t want him intruding again.
But there is another problem he needs to come to terms with; something he never thought possible. To say anymore would spoil it for readers.
I found this novel to be really attention-grabbing. I didn’t want to put if down. Despite following Kellan closely, hoping to find the murderer before he did, I got it wrong. Will you guess whodunit?

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Broken Heart Attack: Murder at the Theater (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 2) Kindle Edition

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James J. Cudney

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