Prospect for Murder

First Award-Winning Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mystery

         written & narrated by Jeanne Burrows-Johnson

2017 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards

Finalist, Mystery Suspense and Winner, Cover Art

Natalie Seachrist is a semi-retired journalist living in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai`i  In this first story, she explores the horrifying discovery of her grandniece on a vintage Mustang. Was the death a mere accident or murder. 

J Sakata, GoodReads.com​
​Being a resident of Hawaii, I could not pass up a murder mystery based in Honolulu. It was thrilling while at the same time oddly relaxing to read a story with so many local references to places, food, culture, and traits. The writing was insightful, observant, emotive, and intelligent. Each scene, task, and event was highly detailed and meticulously described - she really was a close approximation or the Hawaiian version of Jessica Fletcher, as her friend  had teased. I savored the sense of familiarity as well as the intriguing storyline.  

MidwestBookReview.com

A deftly crafted and impressively engaging read from cover to cover, Prospect for Murder clearly demonstrates novelist Jeanne Burrows-Johnson as a master of the mystery/suspense genre. Very highly recommended for the personal reading lists of dedicated mystery buffs and community library mystery fiction collections. 

J. Aislynn d'Merricksson, SanFranciscoBookReview.com

I live in California and have a hope to one day visit Hawai'i. I enjoyed reading about Natalie's research work as much as the murder plot. The story is well written, though there were a few places where pacing slowed down a bit. Natalie reminds me somewhat of Fletcher from Murder She Wrote, with a bit of The X-files added thanks to the psychic thread. However, she also reminded me of my forensic anthropology professor, and the person Natalie "looked like" to me as I read. I'd love to read more of Natalie's adventures in the future! Highly recommended for the mystery-lover.

AudioBook Reviewer, Audible.com
If you enjoy cozy mysteries, this is perfect....The Narrator, also the author, Jeanne Burrows-Johnson did an excellent job of reading the book. The enunciation and clearness of her speech as well as the passion was not over the top or fake....Her voice was soothing and calming.

​Cherie Jung, OverMyDeadBody.com
Readers will quickly warm to the protagonist, Natalie, her cat Miss Una, and the many other memorable characters. The pacing of the narrative was perfect. The characters were well-developed, the storyline plausible, and the author’s descriptive writing skill will leave readers wanting more Natalie Seachrist and Miss Una stories...and very likely the reader will wish that they could know Natalie personally.

Joe Kilgore, The US Review of Books
In this debut whodunit, Burrows-Johnson displays a fine eye for detail, a sharp ear for dialogue, and  a commendable commitment to tie up loose ends.  Her descriptions of time, place, and  history, more than make up in substance what may be lacking in suspense. One suspects this is only the beginning of Natalie's adventures.  

Semi-retired journalist Natalie Seachrist has had visions all of her life. But when her twin Nathan confirms that the body she saw draped over a vintage Mustang was his granddaughter, her world changes forever. During research for retired Police detective Keʻoni Hewitt, she has another unsettling vision and decides to move to the Honolulu foothills apartments where Ariel died. With Keʻoni’s cautionary aid, and her feline companion Miss Una, Natalie explores the premises and personalities of the complex. There she discovers the fascinating story of the 1920s Shànghăi origins of the fluent Wong Sisters—and more than a little discord between Pearl Wong’s nephew and the handyman who owns the Mustang. Without forensic evidence, Ariel’s death is deemed an open case that may have occurred during an accident, or even a suicide. But why would a young girl approaching the end of a successful college career kill herself. A third possibility is murder. But what could Ariel have done to incite the wrath of someone during her tour of an apartment? Will Natalie's sleuthing solve the riddle of Ariel’s death before the police close the investigation without an arrest? Or has she put herself in the way of a killer who’s willing to murder again to hide their secret?