As Good as Dead (Cherokee Pointe Trilogy #3; Griffin Powell #4) by Beverly Barton

As Good as Dead (Cherokee Pointe Trilogy #3; Griffin Powell #4) Reviews

• 
  Katherine Grey

  This is the first Cherokee Point based novel I've read. I had real problems with how nearly everyone in town was portrayed. Some of the stereotypes of Southern people were downright insulting.
  
  I also didn't like how Jacob kept being referred to as a savage quarter breed because he is one quarter Native American. Being Native American doesn't make someone a savage and being only one quarter shouldn't even play into anything. He's three-quarters something else more than he is Native American.
  
  I also had a hard time liking Reve. She may have grown up in a well to do family, but it doesn't make her better than anyone else, but she spent nearly the entire book looking down her nose at everyone she came in contact with.
  
  The romance between Reve and Jacob was also completely unbelievable. They hate each other on sight, try to avoid each other at all cost, or insult each other whenever they are forced to endure each other's presense. They rarely interact with each other throughout most of the book but then with approximately 125 or so pages left in the book, they suddenly are attracted to each other and have passionate sex and decide they love each other.
  
  I'm not going to read the other books in the series.
• 
  Robin

  Rich Reve Sorrell has come to Cherokee Pointe to learn if she has a twin sister. Reve met Jazzy Talbot a couple of months ago. To say they look alike is an under-statement. Reve knows she was adopted, but both women are questioning what they've been told about the past. On top of that, someone is murdering redheads and leaving their bodies in the river. Since both Reve and Jazzy have flaming red hair, their friends are worried about their safety. Sheriff Jacob Butler is determined that neither Reve nor Jazzy will be the next victim.
  
  This is the last book in the Cherokee Pointe trilogy. Just like the previous books, everyone in town has secrets. Most of them are having extra-marital affairs because no one in this town can be faithful. There are a handful of viable suspects which kept me guessing. I actually thought the mystery of the twins was more interesting than who was murdering redheads. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
• 
  Mara

  When I'm sick in bed I can be a harsh critic, which is why I gave the first two books in this series two stars. Honestly, I wouldn't have even read this one had I not already downloaded the whole trio, and, y'know, been sick in bed and, therefore, feeling lazy. Summary point: I'm confident that I wouldn't have enjoyed this book even if I'd been the very picture of health.
• 
  Christa

  As Good as Dead was a very good romantic suspense novel. This book has quite a few important characters and doesn't really focus primarily on the hero and heroine. Jacob Butler and Reve Sorrell are given a satisfying story, but the book also continues the relationship of Jazzy Talbot and Caleb McCord. I was glad to see more of Jazzy and Caleb, as I wasn't convinced that issues between them were resolved after the second book in the series. I felt much better about their chances for a happy ever after when I read this book. Although I really enjoyed the first book of the trilogy, this one was my favorite.
  
  Reve Sorrell and Jazzy Talbot believe that they are twin sisters. When a DNA test confirms this, Reve hires a prominent private detective to investigate the truth of their parentage. As Reve and Jazzy spend time together getting to know one another, a killer who has strangled redheaded victims for thirty years begins to lose control. As the frequency of his killing sprees intensify, Jazzy, and later Reve, become targets of his rage and desire. The danger around the twins increases as someone else has reason to want them dead as well. The animosity that has been present since Reve met Jacob Butler escalates and then finally collapses as they give in to desire for one another. Tangled events and individuals complicate the lives of Jazzy and Reve, and as they learn their history, their lives are placed in even greater risk. Although Jacob and Caleb are determined to protect them, it may not be enough.
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although there were some events related to Jazzy that I would have preferred not to have happened. However, I was satisfied at how everything turned out in the end. I enjoyed seeing Dallas and Genny in the book, but the story was really about Reve, Jazzy, Caleb, and Jacob. They were all great characters, and I enjoyed reading about their relationships. The Cherokee Pointe trilogy was very likeable, and I will be reading more by Beverly Barton.
• 
  Rowena Hoseason

  A highly commercial hybrid of Southern belle romance and serial killer mystery.
  Starts with explicit encounters and continues with smouldering sexual tension that would do Heathcliff and Cathy proud.
  Also features cardboard cut-out characters, weak plotting, graphic intimacy and lots of typos. The graphic moments of intimacy made my skin crawl after a while, and I wasn’t too happy with the gleeful use of violence against women for little more than trashy titillation.
  But what do I know? It was, apparently, an NYT bestseller. Sheesh.
  3/10
  
  You'll find many better crime-thrillers reviewed at
  http://www.murdermayhemandmore.net
  
• 
  K.L.

  Really good plot, but the writing style wasn't great. Also, at the risk of sounding prudish, but there was far too much unneccessary sex which distracted from the storyline
• 
  Nae

  Triggers: racism, slut shaming, snobbery, murder
  
  Confused as to why more reviewers aren’t seeing the same issues with this book as I did, which to summarize were racism, slut shaming, snobbery, and a shitty lead. Elaboration below.
  
  The book itself wasn’t bad - it was a pretty good conclusion to the series. However, there were a few MAJOR problems, the biggest of which being the racism that was really hard to overlook. Although they are some of the well-loved characters in the book, any of the characters who have Native American heritage are referred to as “breeds” and looked down on constantly by the snobby characters with money. Reve insults Jacob’s heritage the very first time she meets him, and on numerous occasions the author refers to him as “a savage”. Not cool, Beverly Barton.
  
  Secondly, Reve, the female lead in this book, quite frankly sucks. She is certainly much better by the end of the book, but she’s such a stuck up bitch for so much of the book it’s really hard to root for her. She constantly refers to people as being inferior to her, lesser than her in money or status, white trash, “breeds”, etc. The very first time she meets Jacob, the male lead, she calls him a big redneck hick and insults his race - wtf he just helped her out of a car wreck. Why does he ever end up liking her? Sexual chemistry shouldn’t be enough. Okay, so she chills out over the book - we find out she’s just lonely & keeps people at arms length and she ends up loving her sister & being a good sister in return. But other than that, I’m not seeing why he falls in love with her? Because she stops being a total bitch and loves her sister? That’s not a reason to fall in love with someone...and it’s like, the bare minimum for being a good person. Idk, I don’t get it. Between her constant stuck up attitude, thinking she’s better than other people because she was raised with money, and the racist undertones, this book has to get a low rating from me.
  
  Furthermore, it feels like such a stretch that there’s a second serial killer / third crazy killer in such a small town all in the space of a couple of years, like come on. They say in the first book there’s not even been murders or crimes there before and now they just happen to home multiple serial killers? Eh, I get it’s a romantic suspense series, but it’s definitely hard to believe. What’s in the water in this town?
  
  Finally, one last issue...this author needs to chill out with the slut shaming WOW. The number of times women are called sluts & whores & trash is astounding. I get that some of that is coming from the killers’ point of views, but it’s not all - a lot of the townspeople and other characters (including the lead female in this one) make remarks about this too. It’s very heavy-handed. Jazzy has only actually slept with a handful of guys and is labeled the town tramp, and while it is said that she’s not actually a slut, it’s implied that if she had taken more lovers over the years, she would be, and that would be unacceptable. Meanwhile almost every man in this book is sleeping around on his wife, but the women are the sluts. Gross and outdated. Multiple times characters are revered for being “pure”, especially with Genny and her virginity from the 1st book, carried through with the idea that Reve is the more pure, classy one of the twins.
  
  Ok rant done. But wow, too many issues to recommend this one to anyone.
• 
  Lesley

  What a horrible book. One big predictable cliché with horrible sex scenes.
  
  Oh and happily ever after for all 🙄🙄🙄
  
  Thank god it’s only a trilogy.
• 
  Lila Nazarian

  Listened to this on my audible trial and didn’t realize it was part of a series, but the references to other “cases” made me realize it was. Honestly kind of an underwhelming and predictable plot with some really troubling language/stereotypes directed at Native American people. Same for southern people especially the dialect and language choices for some of the characters. Overall decent for killing time on a road trip but a problematic and low-grade mystery story.
• 
  Vickie

  Excellent series end.
• 
  Dasha

  Horrible.
  Tíos casados de 40 años que se enamoran de prostitutas de 20 y las dejan preñadas. Me da mucho repelús tanta diferencia de edad... Y se supone que ella era más joven aún cuando empezaron 🤦🏻‍♀️
  Me da la sensación de que la escritora intenta que le tengamos lástima. Pero él no me la da, nada.
  
  Pero quitando ese “pequeño” detalle, el libro no está bien escrito. Los diálogos son malos, malos. La relación amorosa de los protagonistas es... no sé, poco creíble.
• 
  Jennifer Dyal

  This was hard to finish. If it had not been included in my audible membership I would not have finished. Is anyone in the town faithful?
• 
  Pinkroyale

  Least favorite of the 3 in the series definitely. Certain things didn’t make sense.
  
  The fact that Jazzy actually went alone to meet the caller. I mean I know she’s brave but I didn’t think she was stupid? Cellphones existed. why didn’t she call Caleb first after receiving that call. shoot him a text maybe? Also didn’t her sister have a cellphone being an heiress and all. go over to her cabin first maybe? knowing about who her mother was wasn’t that urgent, especially with a serial killer on the loose.
  
  And how did that old woman manage to carry a 5’8 woman over the railing of the bridge? she would’ve broken her back. I know I would’ve and I’m not even 70! nothing against 70 year olds there might be some who can but it was clear that she didn’t take care of herself and worked out.
  
  Finally the reveal was so disappointing. A 12 year old? Really? Maybe the 12 year olds i’ve been around are babies so it wasn’t as believable for me nor was it as satisfying a conclusion as the previous 2 books. And how nice it was that everyone turned out to be heirs to millions. So. Convenient. *rolls eyes*
• 
  Donna

  3.5 stars. In this sequel, Reve Sorrell goes back to Cherokee Point, Tennessee to find out if Jazzy Talbot really is her twin sister. Meanwhile, redheaded women are being murdered with a black ribbon tied around their necks. Of course, Reve and Jazzy are both redheads and you can see where this is going. Genny continues to see her visions of the murders. Sheriff Jacob Butler features strongly in this sequel. Several subplots are going on as other wealthy families are cast into the mix of finding out who gave these twins away thirty years ago.
  
  This book is written in the same vein as The Last to Die. I suspected who the murderer was alhough the author threw doubt on several suspects.
• 
  Sherry

  Beverly Barton has wrapped up her Cherokee Pointe series with a great story. Not only is Reve and Jacob's story told but several loose ends are snipped off most satisfyingly.
  
  If you are looking for a page-turning trilogy and you like a little romance thrown in with your mystery/suspense, I highly recommend the Cherokee Pointe Trilogy.
• 
  Julia

  This book contains a 30 year old murder mystery, a modern day serial killer and a set of long lost twins. Throw in some romance and there you have it. The book was pretty solid, and was interesting. I haven't read the previous books in the series, and I was still able to enjoy this one.
• 
  Novee

  3 bintang utk ceritanya + 1 bintang krn pelakunya sungguh tak kusangka + 1 bintang lagi untuk epilogna yg sangat memuaskan, sungguh penutup yang manis utk trilogy Cherokee Pointe ini.. :)
  
• 
  Shona

  same book as
  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36...
• 
  Night Runner

  While I did not write a review of the other books in this series, I am glad that I waited until the end of the series before doing so.
  
  It seems like everyone is a cheater in this series with the exception of the main characters and to an extent, that is true.
  
  My spoiler is not about 'whodidit' but about the 'cheaters'. The main cheaters actually married based on family requirements but maintained relationships with the ones they loved. I am not justifying cheating in any way as it is something that I could never do but there are some blue blood families that essentially force relationships for appearance purposes which is even worse.
  
  I gave this a 4-Star review because I enjoyed how Beverly wove the story and how it eventually turned out.
  
  Drawbacks for me throughout the series.
  
  * Extremely brutal rape and torture scenes. I prefer that it be left to the reader's mind instead of graphically described.
  
  * Too many last second saves
  * Way too many TSTL moments from the h's
  * Stories were quite long with scenes dragged out with deliberate tension pauses (about to reveal something, then 1-5 minutes of filler before the reveal).
  
  In the last book, it was difficult to care for Reve as she was overly pretentious through 80% of this story and 100% throughout the second book.
  
  With all of that being said, I like the author and the way she tells a story.
• 
  Samyann

  Plot. The series begins as an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer arrives in Cherokee Pointe, Tennessee. A smallish town with a cast of quirky characters, including a psychic, her protective Cherokee brother, a redheaded bar owner, a bouncer, some snobby upper class, all drop-dead beautiful people. The murders are grizzly, bloody, violent, and descriptive - not for the faint of heart.
  
  I enjoyed the murder mysteries ... I found the abundance of sex scenes an overkill that was gratuitous and predictable.
  
  Narration. Gavin isn't my favorite. Listen to the sample before you invest; you may find her just peachy. Three-novel series written by Beverly Barton, narrated by Marguerite Gavin. All characters traverse all three novels, so read in sequence - The Fifth Victim 10.5 hours of listening, The Last to Die just over 11, and finally As Good As Dead 11.5. All books were released in 2018 by Blackstone Audio.
  
  All three novels are very, very descriptive, containing explicit sex scenes; if explicit sex scenes make you hit fast-forward, skip this series - because you will fast-forward through at least 1/3 of the books - otherwise, the murder mysteries are good!
• 
  Lydia's Bookshelf

  What is it with this town and sex? Crimes in the series seemed to revolve around it and practically everyone was having an affair. Like okay, we get it. You all love sex! 😂
  
  Besides all THAT, which had me fast forwarding my audiobook a bit, the suspense was actually pretty good! The mystery had me wondering who the bad guy was the whole time. The author did a great job in giving us multiple possibilities and then the actual psycho made absolute sense.
  
  I will say, I wasn’t a huge fan of Reve. Sure, she came around but her snobbish and closed off persona didn’t help one bit. Her chemistry with Jacob was not really there either. While they were mean towards each other, it was clear they didn’t really dislike one another. They had simply gotten under each other’s skin and the author did a great job at portraying that. However, once together it all went super fast and their passion (besides all the “hot sex”) just wasnt there. There was more energy on them “hating each other” than on them developing feelings towards one another.
  
  On a plus, I loved getting a lot more of Caleb and Jazzy!
  
  3.5 - 4 stars!
  
• 
  Reggie

  I was really eager to get to this book to discover the truth behind Jazzy and Reve's births and was not disappointed! When we left off in book 2, Jazzy and Reve suspected that they were twins...even though Jazzy's Aunt Sally swore that Jazzy was the only child of her dead sister. Reve decides to use her vast resources to get to the truth...starting with a DNA test to prove that they are twins. We also learned in book 2 that Jazzy's bf, Caleb, was the only surviving grandchild of Jim and Reba Upton...now we get to see if Ms. Reba will accept Jazzy as Caleb's beau. After all, she's always disapproved of and thought the worst of Jazzy and her teenage relationship with Jamie. As the private investigator digs for the truth of Reve and Jazzy's parentage, a serial killer is targeting red heads...will the twins learn the truth before one or both of them become the next victim?
  This was a great series that forced me to binge listen to get the whole story!!! Definitely a re-read/listen series.
• 
  (Grace) Kentucky Bohemian

  I've Been Looking Forward to This One
  Maybe I anticipated the romance of the hot sheriff Jacob Butler too much. He's been an interesting character since the first Cherokee Point novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, but this one just didn't seem as well written to me. Perhaps the author was struggling with a deadline or something... It just lacked a bit of the sparkle and sizzle found in the first two books. At least for me.
  
  I did enjoy the romance between Jacob and Reve, although readers who aren't comfortable with graphic sex scenes may not appreciate elements within this story. It's also necessary to remember that this is a tale about a sadistic rapist/murderer, so certain points are gritty and raw.
  
  While this wasn't my favorite of the series, it was still an enjoyable listen, with many characters from previous books returning for this story line. It also presents a very pleasant HEA, which was nice after feeling like I'd been dangling through most of the book.
• 
  Jeffrey Bates Equipment

  It'll take a minute,but when it does!!
  
  I read this book last instead of first. Getting to know Genny, in this odd ass trilogy was how it worked better for me. It never mentioned Reve in book "the fifth victim" that should have book 1. Had I read this as backassward as the publisher wanted, I wouldn't read the others. Beverly Barton can write a damn good mystery but she needs to become better acquainted with her publishers , they almost screwed this woman out of a wonderful trilogy.
• 
  Jannelle Silva

  I’ve read the entire series and I have mixed reviews. Overall, I enjoyed it. You get to know and love the characters. I love the twilight feel the first one had with mind reading and seeing the future but as they went on, they got more and more graphic. The killing scenes became progressively more gory and adding sexual assault was hard to listen to. I enjoyed the over all story lines and was glad to see everything wrapped up with happy endings.
• 
  Nessa

  Wow, absolutely wow, this book has left me speechless and in awe of the author. It just amazes me how the author continues to keep coming up with these amazing plot ideas.
  
  This is an edge of ure seat gripping crime thriller, I could not put this book down, was completely taken in by the story from beginning to end.
  
  As always I love the characters in this ongoing series of books. :-)
  
• 
  Linda

  Why two stars? The excessive sex scenes destroyed the storyline, which would have been good. The author's writing mechanics would have been good had they not been destroyed by the excessive sex scenes. I, like the author, did not believe the perpetrator had the ability to rape a woman. As the issue was resolved, we were both wrong.
  
  Thank you, Ms. Barton, for the read.