This book was very well done. I have had a review copy of this book for a very long time and really regretting the fact that I didn't read this one a long time ago. I love a good mystery thriller and this book pulled me in right from the start. I had such a good time trying to figure out how everything would come together and who the killer would be in the end. I glad I finally decided to give this book a try.

I have to admit that some of my favorite parts of the book were the parts that let us in the killer's head. I liked the fact that we get to meet the killer from the very beginning of the book and even learn his name very early. His identity and everything about him was still a complete mystery to me. The book isn't overly bloody but getting to really see the thought process of this killer really took the story to a new level.

Rowan is a teacher and mother of three in the town of Mundy's Landing. She leads a happy life now despite a mistake that she made and put behind her in the past. When a simple package shows up that could threaten everything, she tries to figure out what is going on. Mick, Rowan's teenage son, leads the busy life of a high school boy. He plays a sport at the school and works a part-time job where he is trying his best to be noticed by the pretty teen girl. Rowan and Mick tell the majority of the story along with the killer but we do also get to hear from a couple of police detectives and Rowan's sister, Noreen.

There were times in the book that I did wonder where things were leading. Honestly, I couldn't understand why Rowan was making such a big deal about things. I kind of wanted to tell her to just move on but I had a feeling that there would be more to the story and there was. It was really the killer's point of view that helped keep the story moving forward. By the end of the book, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough because I had to know what would happen next.

I would recommend this book to others. I liked how all of the pieces of this book came together to tell a very exciting story. This book is the start of a trilogy but I really felt like the story in this book is complete. I am not sure if I will be reading the other installments in this series but I do hope to read more from Wendy Corsi Staub in the future.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from HarperCollins - William Morrow via Edelweiss. ( )

Blood Red by Wendy Corsi Staub is a 2015 William Morrow publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Blood Red gets the new Mundy’s Landing series off to a great start with a psychological toned thriller that kept me glued to the pages from the first chapter to the last.

Mundy’s Landing is known by many as the setting for one the most puzzling unsolved mysteries of all time… The Sleeping Beauty Murders. There is even a museum of sorts, and every year amateur sleuths and crime buffs descend upon the town hoping to solve the mystery.

Otherwise Mundy’s Landing is a picturesque and peaceful place to live… until now.

Fourteen years ago, when her husband, Jake, was often working away from home, Rowan became close to her neighbor, Rick, a stay at home dad. One fateful day, the friendship nearly became a lot more, but Rowan was saved from making a monumental mistake by a batch of burning cookies and a smoke alarm.

Crisis averted, Rowan puts Rick out of her mind, and over the years learned she had adult ADHD, after her third child was diagnosed with the disorder. Now taking medication to control her impulsiveness, Rowan has settled into a normal, healthy life, teaching fourth grade and raising her children.

But, when a strange package arrives, with fourteen burned cookies inside, wrapped in a newspaper dated fourteen years ago, to the very day she and Rick nearly went too far, Rowan’s peaceful, mundane life is turned upside down.

There are several threads working at once here and all three are tense and upsetting. There is someone out there taunting Rowan, and that same person may be kidnapping and murdering other women, while Rowan struggles with trying to find out who is taunting her and why. We also follow Rowan’s son, who has a crush on a girl that could become the killer’s next victim.

I got so caught up in Rowan’s guilt, regret, and fear of discovery, that I sometimes forgot the real danger that lurked under the surface. Rowan was a potential victim, and in grave danger, but I occasionally lost sight of that due to her extreme distress over being found out and having her whole life upended.

But, I was also very curious about who was sending her these little packages and why it took them fourteen years to make a move. Was it Rick? Or one of the few people Rowan had confided in? Or someone Rick told? Or… Jake?

The reader has access to the killer’s inner thoughts, but we don’t know how he is connected to the players involved in this cat and mouse game, but we do know he has an affinity for redheads. In addition, we know before anyone else what he’s planning, but must sit by helplessly, as events unfold.

This is a crafty thriller, with outstanding pacing, bringing all the elements together, with a huge crescendo, that left me feeling like I had survived a harrowing situation myself.

While this story is most assuredly taut with suspense and mystery, it’s also a bit of a cautionary tale. Secrets and lies usually refuse to stay buried and will eventually find you out and the consequences could be deadly…
Overall, if this book is any indication, this series will be one to watch for. ( )

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as a part of a book tour for a fair and honest review.

A fan of mystery books and thrillers, I jumped at the chance to read and review Blood Red by Wendi Corsi Staub, the first book in her Mundy’s Landing series. Using a small town setting, a series of gruesome murders that took place in the 1600’s and a recent set of killings, Ms. Staub takes us inside the mind of a killer and a woman keeping secrets. While not quite what I was hoping for, this is a book many mystery lovers would enjoy reading.

Introducing us to Rowan Mundy, the main character of the story, Ms. Staub quickly provides a quick sketch of “Mundy’s Landing”, the gruesome crimes that are a part of the town’s history, and the person whose plans will once again put this small town in the spotlight. While the mystery of who sent Rowan the “burnt” cookies, how it ties into her past and why she reacts the way she does is well done, I felt as if something was missing. I felt like the story jumped between Rowan’s viewpoint and the viewpoint of “Casey”, another primary character, too much.

While there are plenty of secondary characters, only a couple of them are interesting. I especially liked Mick, Rowan’s teenaged son and it was interesting to watch him and Rowan interact – especially since they both shared a medical condition. I also expected a touch of violence and blood but most of that action took place off the page. While I am not into a lot of blood and gore, perhaps a touch of it would have made the “serial killer” aspect of the book more realistic.

Will Rowan discover who is behind the threat to her safety before it is too late? Will she be able to keep her family out of danger? You will have to read Blood Red to find out. ( )

It has been a while since I have read anything but this author. So when I saw this book and that it was the first one in a new series from the author I thought now was a good time to read something by this author again. I was disappointed in this book. There was hints of murders being conducted but there was none that really took place expect for a quick moment in the beginning. However if you blink you will miss it. Plus I did not find anyone in this book that particularly intriguing. I did read this book all the way which is amazing. I guess I just held out the whole time that it would get better. I would have to say this book is not one of the author's best showings. ( )

I won this paperback of “Blood Red (Mundy’s Landing #1)” by Wendi Corsi Staub, on Goodreads.com and am posting an honest review. I gave it a rating of 2 stars.

The premise of the book sounded good and I was excited to read it, however, here it is 3 weeks after I begun reading it and I just can't get into it. I'm still on page 104 and I had to force myself to read that far.

I think the problem for me is there's to much going back and forth from the present time to over 200 years ago. Every chapter goes backward in time and back again to the present and I just don't see the connection.

This is the first time I've read anything by this author and I seriously doubt that I'll try anything else by her.

Sorry, just can't see myself finishing this book. ( )