High Strung

Dollycas’s ThoughtsJax O’Connell gets the chance to follow her dreams when she inherits a house and a bit of money from her aunt. She packs as much as much as her new VW Bug can hold including her cat and leaves Florida behind and heads for Seattle. The house has been converted into a duplex but needs a little TLC. Jax fixes up a few things so she can work on her beads and jewelry from home and makes some friends in the bead-making world. She is excited when she is invited teach a class and [...]

HIGH STRUNG is a fun, fast mystery that I couldn’t put down!I really like books where I am not only entertained, but where I can learn new things as well. My time spent reading HIGH STRUNG contained both.Author Janice Peacock has created a series and protagonist that really captured my imagination. Jacqueline “Jax” O’Connell is a strong, intelligent character who is a pleasure to read. From her passion for making glass beads, to the way she handled investigating a murder, I enjoyed getti [...]

The author's detail in describing the process of making glass art and beaded jewelry was incredible. That being said, I felt that the mystery itself was lost in the process. The murder didn't occur until much later in the book and I found myself feeling like I had to finish it out of respect for the author's hard work for writing about her passion in bead making.I will give the next book in the series a chance, perhaps the mystery will be easier to follow.

As a glass beadmaker and also being from Seattle, this was an amazingly fun read for me! Looking forward to the next!!!

Note: I received a free copy from Booktrope Publishing in exchange for an honest review. High Strung by Janice Peacock is the first instalment in the Glass Beads Mystery series. The novel begins with Jax O'Connell receiving a letter from the lawyer of her late aunt Rita, who offers to give her her house in Seattle, on the condition that she – Jax – must do what she loves.The letter, contains two of the most beautiful lines in the novel:"I know inside your tired heart is a woman waiting to st [...]

What a fun quick cozy mystery. This is the first book in the glass bead mystery series and it is a wonderful introduction to this series.Jax moves from Miami to Seattle to the house she inherited from her aunt. The characters are all believable and some are quiet eclectic. I really loved Jax's friend Tessa and Dylan was really great too and I loved how he tied in with the mystery.This is definitely is a first in the series book. There was a lot of buildup before the first crime, and yes there we [...]

First in a series, and I can hardly wait to read more. Jax O'Connell, the main character, is fun and personable. During a weekend of festivities at a local bead shop opening, she finds herself in the middle of the investigation of a murder and an attempted murder. There is no lack of suspects, and Jax is just as confused as the police--until pieces start to fall into place.I enjoyed all the information on bead and jewelry making throughout the book. The interaction between all the characters is [...]

*** This book was received for free through First Reads ***HIGH STRUNG is the first entry in Janice Peacock's new cozy murder mystery series taking place in Seattle, the glass bead capital. Jax O'Connell is a likeable heroine who ends up embroiled in the attempted murder of local bead shop owner Rosie Lopez. It's up to Jax and her best friend and bead mentor Tessa to unravel the mystery, lest they risk being accused of the crime themselves. Light-hearted and pleasant to read (although the concl [...]

For me, this was kind of an artsy/crafty squee fest from end to end. I'm familiar with the Seattle area; the cast is super cozy and amusing; and the author seems to know her glass pretty well I felt the first-person narration has a high believability index: it's not too "literary", but sounds quite real and is not excessively polished, as one would expect from a narrator who is artsy and smart—but not necessarily steeped in a high-falutin’ literary tradition—setting out to tell her story. [...]

A fun, light read that the beader and animal-lover in me thoroughly enjoyed. Definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

This was a quirky book from the start. Jax O'Connell inherited a house and money from her great Aunt Rita. Only stipulation, Jax has to live in the house. Ok, but Jax lives in Miami and her Aunt Rita lived in Seattle. After looking at her life she decides to shake it up and move and follow her dream of making jewelry.What starts out in the first chapter as the letter from the lawyer, and her deciding to move and the second chapter, is a few years later.Thankfully as the story progresses we do ge [...]

This was a fun, easy read that had a good mystery and lots of very interesting information on making beads. I loved all the information about the beads because honestly, I guess, had I stopped to think of it, I'd have assumed they were all made in some factory in China. It was exciting that the author worked so much of her art into the book, seamlessly, so it didn't feel as if the reader was sitting at a lecture. Quite frankly, now I want someone to make me some special beads in the colors I lov [...]

They say beading is a nice way to relax and be creative. Well, if you're Jax O'Connell, you might not feel that way, especially after the harrowing experiences she had. After inheriting a house from her Aunt, Jax makes a big move and is happy and content creating beautiful bead jewelry. When Jax is offered the chance to display her pieces during a weekend event at another store, she is not only thrilled and honored, but she finds herself in the middle of a murder. Jax forgot she offered to let a [...]

An enjoyable easy read.Jax is a likeable and very relatable main character I found myself drawn to from the start. I loved the casual feel of this entertaining and engaging story, filled with many twists and turns as the plot thickens. In the most part light-hearted and humorous, with a bit of murder and mayhem thrown into the mix to keep the reader guessing to the end. Jax’s passion for glass bead creation is an interesting concept which I thought added a unique touch, culminating in a very e [...]

Great cozy mystery. Jax leaves her bum of a boyfriend to start a new life in Seattle and gets involved in the murder of a local glass beadmaker. Lots of crazy characters, a couple of potential love interests, and a tricky mystery. Looking forward to the rest of this series.I read a proof copy, but it's now available on .

Title: High Strung - Glass Bead Mystery Book 1Author: Janice PeacockPublished: 8-31-15Publisher: Booktrope Pages: 220Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & SuspenseSub Genre: Women Sleuths, Cozy MysteryISBN: 978513700649ASIN: B0140HQ483C Reviewer: DelAnneReviewed For: NetGalley. Hugh Strung may be a cozy mystery that takes a while to get to the murder, but you really don't notice until it happens. You are so caught up in the storyline and characters that they draw you in and you can't put it down. Jacq [...]

High Strung is the first instalment in the Glass Beads Mystery series. After reading this one, I am looking forward to the next. The book begins with Jax O'Connell, living in Florida with her deadbeat boyfriend, receiving a letter from the lawyer of her late aunt Rita. She has been left in her will her house in Seattle, with one condition. She must move there and live in the house. The letter she is sent reads: "I know inside your tired heart is a woman waiting to start living." Then she sets th [...]

In High Strung by Janice Peacock, Jax O’Connell has moved to Seattle after inheriting her great-aunt’s home and sets to work making amazing and intricate glass beads. She is excited to be invited to participate in a high brow bead show, but getting there, she discovers that Rosie, the woman staging the event, is the meanest person around. Putting up with Rosie, Jax and her best friend, Tessa, do their best to enjoy the opening evening. But then Jax hears the screams of Rosie’s 20-something [...]

Janice Peacock has written an intriguing storyline with realistic, well-developed characters. While some of the characters are not likeable, all of them are believable. This book is well thought out and written with just the right combination of mystery, family life, and humor. I found this book to be an easy read that had me laughing while still being caught up in the mystery that kept me guessing until the reveal. The bead descriptions were so vivid I felt I could actually see and feel the bea [...]

Great new series!I really enjoyed this book! Jax is giving a second chance when she is left a house in Seattle the one stipulation is she must do something creative and live in the house! Since her life is not going the way she hoped she packs up her belongings and starts off a new adventure ! Her creative outlet is lampwork beads and she is getting ready for a big weekend and hoping that sales will be great! When the weekend starts out with a fellow bead maker being killed and another one almos [...]

This was a fun read. I liked Jax and enjoyed reading about how she created a new life for herself as a bead-maker. She is smart, talented and good-hearted. The bead-makers in the story made for a quirky collection of believable characters. Some endearing, others downright unpleasant. The story was rounded out by her close friendship with Tessa and the introduction of a potential romantic interest into Jax’s life. All in all, the plot was nicely developed, with twists befitting a cozy mystery.A [...]

**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**This was an interesting book. The characters were well written, and I loved the little cat-astrophe early on in the book. The mystery had a nice pace, and some good minor twists.

I was so excited to read this book because it involved flame-worked glass bead making. I enjoyed that very much, but it felt like a first book. I liked that it was not long or drawn out. I look forward to reading more from Janice Peacock because I make glass beads and jewelry too.

Pure awesomeA little bit of mystery and mayhem rolled up with beads, glass and lampworking. Perfect summertime reading for mystery fans, crafty folk, art lovers & pet fans!

This was a fun first book in the Glass Bead mystery series. While I enjoyed descriptions of making glass beads (which the author does when she's not writing mysteries) it took me awhile to sort out all the characters. Jax, the protagonist, has inherited a house from her aunt in Seattle with the stipulation she must live in the house. She is able to live out her dream of making glass beads and designing jewelry in the studio she created in the back of the house. A murder and an attempted murder o [...]

High StrungJax is in a go nowhere relationship and has a dead end job when she receives a letter from her Aunt Rita's attorney notifying her that she has been left her house with the contingency that she has to live there. Her aunt wants her yo live her creative dreams.Jax is a bead artist who is participating in a juried bead show and demonstration over a weekend. Rosie, the owner of Aztec Beads who is sponsoring the bead show, has anger issues. She is nearly strangled to death by her necklace [...]

Jax O'Connell inherited her aunt's Seattle house and moved across the country to find her passion, a requirement of the inheritance. Jax fulfills her dream of creating lampwork beads and designing jewelry. The story begins two uears after the move, and Jax is well on the way to establishing her business. When a body is discovered after a party for jewelry designers, Jax has to figure out the killer before her best friend, Tessa, is arrested for murder.High Strung is a truly enjoyable cozy myster [...]

This was a fairly quick read for me, but oh so worth it. TheCharacters are colorful and realistic and the story is engaging.I figured out "whodunnit" about halfway through the story but the author kept me wondering if I'd made the right choice up to the reveal. I enjoyed how Jax, the main character, told her back story and how she had gotten into glass bead making. I am used to the murder taking place within the first few chapters, but I like how ms. Peacock waited so that the story was set prop [...]

Chillingly CharmingAs a handmade jewelry designer with a love of mystery, I enjoyed this story. The setting in a bead store and references to making lampwork glass beads made it even more cozy. The charming part is the endearing friendships between beaders that are also around my same age. The mystery murder seems to drag out longer than it should without much detail, but with all the talk about beading, I was fine with that as it lends itself to how we creative's are easily distracted by sparkl [...]

Not the worstHad a hard time getting into this story. It just seemed that the author was trying too hard to make the characters quirky. But too many times they were stock characters seen in too many other stories (the quirky neighbor, the married friend with kids, the possible love interest, etc.). Some information was repeated while other information was withheld make it more of a mystery. I debate on whether I want to purchase the next in the series to see if there is improvement.