This story was an interesting approach to a murder mystery. Father Frank's approach is to try to understand every angle of the murder mystery and show compassion while doing it. I was disappointed a bit by the ending but it was holding true to Father Frank's character.

I ended up tanking this book before the plot thickened because it moved too slow. My Kindle App says I got 29% of the way through it but every time I sat down to read, it lost my attention. There were a lot of unnecessary details when really the reader wants to get to the mystery and murder plot.
The book seems to be a part of a series with Father Frank. He seems like a main character but I just couldn’t stick with it.

An interesting novel that challenges the perspective of justice. Knowing what you are called to do and living in that belief is challenging in today's lifestyle. This book reminded me of God's compassionate love towards everyone and how He always has our backs.

Writers Conference Killing....
A Father Frank Mystery - mystery unforlds at a writers conference when an award winning writer is killed. Maggie becomes suspect number one and it’s up to Father Frank to clear her name. Will he find the real killer in time? Enjoyable, easy reading mystery. Characters, however, have little depth and if fleshed out fully this would undoubtedly be a more satisfying read.

This story has a lot of potential and I found entertaining.
Interesting plot and solid mystery.
I think it's lacking in character development as they seemed a bit flat and this made the story less entertaining.
I think it could become an interesting series.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Another Father Frank mystery to bite into! This time, Maggie, Father Frank's sister and author, attends a writer's conference in the woods and confronts Rod Granet and accuses him of stealing her work three years ago, word for word. "His" book makes the top seller list and she is justifiably furious. However, her fury turns into choice words, words a murderer may potentially use against an arrogant plagiarist. When Maggie is arrested for Rod's murder, she enlists Father Frank's help.

Mild-mannered Father Frank does some investigating along with the Texas Ranger in charge. A few secrets lurking in Rod's past are exposed. Several other characters, including those who were in the...wrong place at the wrong time at the conference are introduced. Who is the murderer?

This book is a very light, fun and quick read as is usual for cozy mysteries. However, for me the characters are one dimensional without the oomph and descriptions which cause a reader to really get to know and connect with them. The plot is predictable, too. But I will continue to read subsequent Father Frank mysteries as I enjoyed previous ones.

My sincere thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the digital early copy of this charming book.

Father Frank’s sister, Maggie, is the prime suspect for the murder of Rod Granet, a speaker at the Piney Woods Writers Conference. After she publicly accuses the USA Today bestselling author of stealing her plot, Sheriff Bark sets his sights on Maggie’s arrest. When he fails to keep her behind bars, he makes her life miserable. Father Frank has his hands full making sure she stays out of jail, while he assists a Texas Ranger in untangling a barrel full of suspects, who all have motive and opportunity.

This is a fast-paced cozy with a full cast of characters. I found A Plot of Murder a pleasant read. I would have enjoyed learning more about the characters; the sparse descriptions left me wanting to know them better. James R. Callan included plenty of action, although, the reader learn most of it after the fact. The story is a little predicable, but delivers a cozy, clean, and entertaining read.

252 pages

3 stars

When a famous writer is murdered at a writers' retreat, Maggie, Father Frank DeLuca's sister is arrested.

Frank naturally wants to get to the bottom of the murder for he knows his sister couldn't have committed such an act. He teams up with a Texas Ranger and together they investigate the case.

I have some issues with this book. I, too, had a hard time getting into it. (Grantchester, it is not.) I feel like I didn't get to know the main characters at all – or very little. Maggie had a snarky mouth on her which I didn't appreciate. For someone who calls herself a writer, she seems to spend too much time acting and not thinking. I didn't care for her character. Even Father Frank did not strike me as being very intelligent. Maybe I'm being too hard on the book, but it isn't really to my taste. I, like the previous reviewer, think that others may truly enjoy this novel.

I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

James R. Callan has written a faith-based cozy mystery featuring Father Frank and his sister Maggie. Maggie is an author or she wants to be. Three years earlier she attended The Piney Woods Writer’s Conference and had shared her newly written novel with a conference speaker. Three years later she has discovered that the author had copied her book (changing only the names and places) and published it under his own name. Now, Maggie is attending the newest version of the conference where the same speaker was invited back as a speaker. Her plan was to confront him - except he ends up murdered and Maggie is accused of the crime.

Father Frank is not so much an amateur sleuth as he is a man with a lot of contacts both in Lakota Lake TX (the site of his parish) and beyond. He is able to use the contacts to assist Texas Ranger Dick Richards, providing leads to follow based on information gained from his contacts.

The book is lighter and gentler than many cozy mysteries. Father Frank brings a bit of grace to a world of broken people while also maintaining the confidences shared with him as a pastor. The author weaves in the need for both Justice and Compassion within the criminal justice system.

I enjoyed this easy to read book originating from rural Eastern Texas and expect others will as well. I give the book 5-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

Both the author and the Father Frank Mystery series are new to me. I'm glad I found A Plot for Murder, #3 in the series. This is a thoughtful, entertaining cozy mystery and the writing style of James R. Callan is impressive. There are too many suspects in the murder of nasty author, J.R. “Rod” Garnet. Attendees and colleagues at the writers' conference who knew him well detested the guy, some more than others. Unfortunately, Father Frank's own sister, Maggie DeLuca, had just learned that Garnet stole her story and earned a lucrative, best-seller from the theft. She publicly confronted and threatened him hours before his demise and is suspect numero uno.

Father Frank tirelessly works to discover the truth which places him in local officers' and the killer's crosshairs. Yet he will not be frightened off the defense of his sister. A Plot for Murder is an excellent weekend or several evenings of enjoyment.

I received a complimentary copy of the book without obligation. This review is my opinion.

Description
Rod Granet, award-winning novelist and womanizer, is the main speaker at a writers conference. But after the opening session and in front of a crowd, Maggie DeLuca, Father Frank's sister, accuses Granet of stealing her story and says he will pay for it.

That night, Granet is killed.

The sheriff quickly zeros in on Maggie and she is hauled off in handcuffs. When Father Frank comes to her aid, the sheriff threatens him with jail if he interferes.

A Texas Ranger is assigned to the investigation. Soon he sees Father Frank as a valuable asset.

Even as the sheriff continues to threaten Father Frank and interrogate Maggie, the Ranger pushes Father Frank to get involved, telling him the sheriff considers Maggie his only suspect.

Can Father Frank stay out of jail and alive, long enough to find the real killer?

MY REVIEW
A Plot for Murder, A Father Frank Mystery fell short of what I expected. The story itself was interesting and even the cover caught my attention. However, I think the characters needed more depth. There is potential in the book.

Unfortunately I really struggled to get in to this book. I felt I didn't know the characters, like they were a bit flat and I couldn't picture them, maybe not fleshed out enough. Might just be me but names were used repeatedly which I found distracting and a bit annoying. I'm so sorry to be negative, the story was quite interesting but just didn't engage me enough. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this advanced copy and I'm sure others will love it.