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Kate Huntington Mysteries #1
Multiple Motives
Psychotherapist Kate Huntington helps other people cope with the horrible things that have happened to them, but she herself has led a charmed life... so far. Now a killer with a mysterious grudge against her and her closest friend, lawyer Rob Franklin, is threatening everyone and everything that she holds dear.
When the detective assigned to their case decides they are lovers and the attacks against them and their families are veiled attempts to rid themselves of their spouses, Kate and Rob are forced to investigate on their own. Can they identify their mutual enemy, before he or she kills again?
When the detective assigned to their case decides they are lovers and the attacks against them and their families are veiled attempts to rid themselves of their spouses, Kate and Rob are forced to investigate on their own. Can they identify their mutual enemy, before he or she kills again?
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2011
About the author
Kassandra Lamb
57 books232 followersPsychology and writing (or writing and psychology) have always vied for the number one spot on my list of greatest passions. I am now a retired psychotherapist and can afford to spend as much time as I want on my writing.
I am in Heaven! (Well, actually I live in Florida now.)
Some people have asked me if my protagonist, psychotherapist Kate Huntington, is me. I wish! She's much more consistently kind and compassionate than I am.
I was born and raised in Maryland and lived there most of my adult life. In addition to my psychotherapy practice, I also taught at Towson University for a decade. It was my favorite job of my entire lifetime, so I decided to base my first series, the Kate Huntington mysteries, in Towson, Maryland. My newer series, about a service dog trainer, is set in central Florida near where I live now, the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries.
I blog about psychological topics, or anything else that strikes my fancy, about twice a month at www.misteriopress.com.
I am in Heaven! (Well, actually I live in Florida now.)
Some people have asked me if my protagonist, psychotherapist Kate Huntington, is me. I wish! She's much more consistently kind and compassionate than I am.
I was born and raised in Maryland and lived there most of my adult life. In addition to my psychotherapy practice, I also taught at Towson University for a decade. It was my favorite job of my entire lifetime, so I decided to base my first series, the Kate Huntington mysteries, in Towson, Maryland. My newer series, about a service dog trainer, is set in central Florida near where I live now, the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries.
I blog about psychological topics, or anything else that strikes my fancy, about twice a month at www.misteriopress.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
October 12, 2012
I received a free download to read on my Kindle of "Multiple Motives (A Kate Huntington Mystery, #1)" by Kassandra Lamb, through the Goodreads Giveaway.
This is a solid whodunnit mystery novel,that kept me guessing until the end.The novel was well written and paced well.
Kate and husband Eddie Huntington lived on the outskirts of Baltimore city in the small town of Towson.Today, was their 1oth wedding anniversary and they planned a romantic dinner in town.Kate worked in the counselling center, conducting therapy sessions and Eddie was an accountant.They had no children.
Liz and Rob Franklin were Kate and Eddie's best friends.Rob was an lawyer and they had two daughters.Rob often got referrals from Kate through her patients.
On their anniversary night, Kate and Eddie had a message left on their answering machine from Rob.Liz was in the hospital a result of a hit and run.Then the tension started to build. Liz recovered and was resting at home.Then Liz and Rob's daughter had missed being shot by a drive-by shooting. Then Kate's tires are slashed and Eddie offers to take her car in the next morning to get new tires.Then when Kate and Rob are having lunch together, Detective Phillips tells Kate that her husband had been killed, when her car exploded with Eddie in it. Had she been the intended target?
Detective Phillips was only seeing two lovers who had plotted to kill their spouses.Rob and Kate were only good friends and were very close.Why was this happening to them? Kate was determined to get to the bottom of this. Who was doing this to them and why?
This novel was well written and definately worth reading.
This is a solid whodunnit mystery novel,that kept me guessing until the end.The novel was well written and paced well.
Kate and husband Eddie Huntington lived on the outskirts of Baltimore city in the small town of Towson.Today, was their 1oth wedding anniversary and they planned a romantic dinner in town.Kate worked in the counselling center, conducting therapy sessions and Eddie was an accountant.They had no children.
Liz and Rob Franklin were Kate and Eddie's best friends.Rob was an lawyer and they had two daughters.Rob often got referrals from Kate through her patients.
On their anniversary night, Kate and Eddie had a message left on their answering machine from Rob.Liz was in the hospital a result of a hit and run.Then the tension started to build. Liz recovered and was resting at home.Then Liz and Rob's daughter had missed being shot by a drive-by shooting. Then Kate's tires are slashed and Eddie offers to take her car in the next morning to get new tires.Then when Kate and Rob are having lunch together, Detective Phillips tells Kate that her husband had been killed, when her car exploded with Eddie in it. Had she been the intended target?
Detective Phillips was only seeing two lovers who had plotted to kill their spouses.Rob and Kate were only good friends and were very close.Why was this happening to them? Kate was determined to get to the bottom of this. Who was doing this to them and why?
This novel was well written and definately worth reading.
March 17, 2015
You might wonder why I am rating my own book as a 4-star book. I've had mixed emotions about Goodreads allowing authors to review their own books so I have resisted doing so. But now that I have three books in the series published and am polishing number four, I think I have sufficient perspective to rate this one.
By Goodreads' rating system, 5 stars is "amazing." Honestly, this is a debut novel so, no, it is not amazing, but I think it's pretty darn good.
I am going to reserve 5 stars for Book 3 in the series, Family Fallacies, because, as one of my beta readers put it, I hit my stride as a writer with that book. I then went back and rewrote this one (before it was ever published) once my writing had matured.
This is a solid whodunnit with plenty of twists and turns that I believe will give you a satisfying read.
By Goodreads' rating system, 5 stars is "amazing." Honestly, this is a debut novel so, no, it is not amazing, but I think it's pretty darn good.
I am going to reserve 5 stars for Book 3 in the series, Family Fallacies, because, as one of my beta readers put it, I hit my stride as a writer with that book. I then went back and rewrote this one (before it was ever published) once my writing had matured.
This is a solid whodunnit with plenty of twists and turns that I believe will give you a satisfying read.
July 10, 2020
Enjoyed the thriller/mystery.
Kate and Rob, both have someone hunting their families. The cop who was supposed to help them thinks that Kate and Rob are trying to eliminate their families because Kate and Rob are having an affair.
The premise of the story was excellent and there were enough twists and turns and the mystery is unpredictable till the very end.
Kate and Rob, both have someone hunting their families. The cop who was supposed to help them thinks that Kate and Rob are trying to eliminate their families because Kate and Rob are having an affair.
The premise of the story was excellent and there were enough twists and turns and the mystery is unpredictable till the very end.
June 4, 2019
Engaging, emotional and suspenseful. A dramatic mystery with police, lawyers, psychoanalysts and a host of other professionals, this is not my preferred genre. I usually prefer comedy and adventure in the books I read but Kassandra has captured me with this series. I received the tenth book for free from the author in an ARC giveaway and loved it. So, I've gone back to the beginning and I still love this series. Well-written, thoughtful, emotional and great relationships. I will continue reading this series.
February 6, 2017
I give this a solid 3.5 stars.
The novel had an interesting plot with warm main characters, however it did seem to plod along at a slow pace and I nearly shelved it. I'm glad I didn't because it certainly picked up in the latter half of the book ending in a stunning conclusion.
My only complaint is that perhaps the first half of the book needed to be more tightly edited - it seemed a bit wordy. I enjoyed reading the novel but I'm not sure I'd read any more in the series.
The novel had an interesting plot with warm main characters, however it did seem to plod along at a slow pace and I nearly shelved it. I'm glad I didn't because it certainly picked up in the latter half of the book ending in a stunning conclusion.
My only complaint is that perhaps the first half of the book needed to be more tightly edited - it seemed a bit wordy. I enjoyed reading the novel but I'm not sure I'd read any more in the series.
February 17, 2017
Great mystery story ... couldn't put it down.
Two old friends, Kate Huntington and Rob Franklin, and their families are targeted by an unknown person. They are being attacked using multiple methods while they try to convince the police detective that the attacks are real. Kate, Rob, their family, and friends race to figure out who the guilty person is before it's too late.
These are strong characters who will have you rooting for them to find the perpetrator and find peace in their lives again.
I had to keep reading to find out who was causing these good people so much pain.
Two old friends, Kate Huntington and Rob Franklin, and their families are targeted by an unknown person. They are being attacked using multiple methods while they try to convince the police detective that the attacks are real. Kate, Rob, their family, and friends race to figure out who the guilty person is before it's too late.
These are strong characters who will have you rooting for them to find the perpetrator and find peace in their lives again.
I had to keep reading to find out who was causing these good people so much pain.
December 1, 2019
This book was interesting some parts I was confused as there were many characters introduced but then they come together. Nice twist to the story.
January 26, 2016
Although this was an interesting mystery in some ways, I found the characters to be fairly one dimensional - not believable human beings and this made it difficult to really care what happened to them. Thoughout the story the reader is set up to believe that a certain character is the culprit - a sure clue to me that this person was innocent- and this did make it hard to figure out the ending. I am not planning to read other books in this series.
December 19, 2015
This was not a bad book. Nor was it a great one. The story was well told although the author had a cliffhanger at the end of one chapter that was never explained. The characters were good but I never got a solid sense of ‘place’ until well into the book.
This isn’t a series I’d actively pursue but would read if the books came my way.
This isn’t a series I’d actively pursue but would read if the books came my way.
August 30, 2017
Really dumb.
This man and woman, both married but not to each other, spend the whole time protesting that they're not having an affair, but they hug, cry on each other's shoulders, have meals together, spend time alone with the other, say "I love you," and call it "just friends." Seriously, they do everything married couples do but have sex--and sex is definitely not the only thing required for marriage or infidelity. If you need emotional support so bad, go to your SPOUSE or family. Not your co-worker or friend who is also married.
Of course the detective is a complete and totally unhelpful jackass, so the two and their families feel free to traipse around looking for whoever's trying to kill them.
Oh, and about that? Author spends so much time putting the woman and her not-boyfriend constantly under attack, like they're the center of the killer's universe, someone menacing who keeps hitting and hitting. This person builds "crude bombs," knocks people out, bashes people over the head...and never gets seen or picked up on. As if the crazies or pregnant lady (LOL) they suspect could do all that.
After all that, all the clues point to one person who turns out to not be the perp. Complete red herring. Totally done for the shock value and because mysteries presumably need a surprising twist at the end. This was just annoying.
As was the whole book.
This man and woman, both married but not to each other, spend the whole time protesting that they're not having an affair, but they hug, cry on each other's shoulders, have meals together, spend time alone with the other, say "I love you," and call it "just friends." Seriously, they do everything married couples do but have sex--and sex is definitely not the only thing required for marriage or infidelity. If you need emotional support so bad, go to your SPOUSE or family. Not your co-worker or friend who is also married.
Of course the detective is a complete and totally unhelpful jackass, so the two and their families feel free to traipse around looking for whoever's trying to kill them.
Oh, and about that? Author spends so much time putting the woman and her not-boyfriend constantly under attack, like they're the center of the killer's universe, someone menacing who keeps hitting and hitting. This person builds "crude bombs," knocks people out, bashes people over the head...and never gets seen or picked up on. As if the crazies or pregnant lady (LOL) they suspect could do all that.
After all that, all the clues point to one person who turns out to not be the perp. Complete red herring. Totally done for the shock value and because mysteries presumably need a surprising twist at the end. This was just annoying.
As was the whole book.
October 11, 2016
Kassandra Lamb delivers a heart wrenching mystery thriller featuring protagonist Kate Huntington, a psychotherapist who finds herself in the middle of turmoil affecting everyone and everything she cherishes. Fast moving unfolding events put Kate in the cross hairs of a murderer. At the same time, a narrow minded homicide detective is investigating her for murdering her husband.
Lamb introduces support characters to her readers giving them each characters backstory and their role in the storyline as her story proceeds.
The author places her readers in the middle of a story of manipulation and danger, as they follow Kate and her war council members as they search for the murderer. Lamb skillfully illustrates the value of trust, family and friendships. MULTIPLE MOTIVES keeps readers' involement in Lamb's spellbinding story.
Lamb introduces support characters to her readers giving them each characters backstory and their role in the storyline as her story proceeds.
The author places her readers in the middle of a story of manipulation and danger, as they follow Kate and her war council members as they search for the murderer. Lamb skillfully illustrates the value of trust, family and friendships. MULTIPLE MOTIVES keeps readers' involement in Lamb's spellbinding story.
February 19, 2020
There are some serious flaws with this book.
First, the main character's beloved husband dies towards the beginning of the book. Yet in a couple of weeks she is able to resume her role as chief sleuth.
Second, no sleuthing or detecting is actually done. There are no clues, no evidence, no searches... just a pile of files which get continually rearranged.
There are one or two redeeming features such as the awkward romance between the police officer and a friend who is ex-military. But not enough.
First, the main character's beloved husband dies towards the beginning of the book. Yet in a couple of weeks she is able to resume her role as chief sleuth.
Second, no sleuthing or detecting is actually done. There are no clues, no evidence, no searches... just a pile of files which get continually rearranged.
There are one or two redeeming features such as the awkward romance between the police officer and a friend who is ex-military. But not enough.
September 12, 2017
Kate is a psychologist. Her husband gets killed while getting into her car. Now someone is after her and her family. There are multiple suspects because some of her clients suffer from DID or altered personalities. The main Characters finding that funny but listen intently, nonetheless. The group comes together to unravel the crimes against them.
~ this book was all over the place; drawn out and often plain boring. Sorry but I did not enjoy it and almost gave up a couple of times.
~ this book was all over the place; drawn out and often plain boring. Sorry but I did not enjoy it and almost gave up a couple of times.
April 14, 2020
A bit formulaic, but love the Baltimore setting and think the characters are interesting. Good ending.
May 2, 2018
A Multiplicity of Characters
This was not a mystery that was easy to finish, mostly due to its leisurely pacing which turned leaden at times. Also, there are too many characters overall, especially because the story includes multiple personalities of character(s) diagnosed with DID.
I found it difficult to empathize with the MCs who were not likable and lacked believability, because of their actions. Example: the disturbingly close relationship of male and female friends, who had spouses.
The plot itself suffers from clichéd tropes: 1) the police are hateful, brainless idiots, 2) the MCs non-investigate while the murderer targets them, and 3) a blinking neon sign is pointed at suspect(s), which means he/she/they must be innocent. As a mystery reader, I enjoy guessing the culprit’s identity, but in this story there were no indications that another character was guilty.
There are other problems, but I’ll close with: this book needed a good editor/grammarian.
This was not a mystery that was easy to finish, mostly due to its leisurely pacing which turned leaden at times. Also, there are too many characters overall, especially because the story includes multiple personalities of character(s) diagnosed with DID.
I found it difficult to empathize with the MCs who were not likable and lacked believability, because of their actions. Example: the disturbingly close relationship of male and female friends, who had spouses.
The plot itself suffers from clichéd tropes: 1) the police are hateful, brainless idiots, 2) the MCs non-investigate while the murderer targets them, and 3) a blinking neon sign is pointed at suspect(s), which means he/she/they must be innocent. As a mystery reader, I enjoy guessing the culprit’s identity, but in this story there were no indications that another character was guilty.
There are other problems, but I’ll close with: this book needed a good editor/grammarian.
July 29, 2017
STRANGE, HARD TO EVALUATE
I should have been a shrink... I'm that person who is fascinated with human nature, often getting into "analysis paralysis". As an only child, adults formed my most frequent and lasting interpersonal experiences...... I basically had no choice but to become very analytical. That aspect of my personality enjoyed reading the insights sprinkled throughout this read - the author seems more interested in (1) showing us she knows her stuff; nothing wrong with that when you actually deliver....but, (2) With an excellent plot, characters need to be realistic in behavior - these arent; they are devices for the author to advance her "points" about gender roles, etc.....that got old, and the best and tidy personalities developing to advance an agenda for really old and boring.
I should have been a shrink... I'm that person who is fascinated with human nature, often getting into "analysis paralysis". As an only child, adults formed my most frequent and lasting interpersonal experiences...... I basically had no choice but to become very analytical. That aspect of my personality enjoyed reading the insights sprinkled throughout this read - the author seems more interested in (1) showing us she knows her stuff; nothing wrong with that when you actually deliver....but, (2) With an excellent plot, characters need to be realistic in behavior - these arent; they are devices for the author to advance her "points" about gender roles, etc.....that got old, and the best and tidy personalities developing to advance an agenda for really old and boring.
June 13, 2012
I really liked this book. Kate Huntington, a psychologist, is a wonderful character - a strong female lead, compassionate and loyal. The author is able to shed light on some very serious mental health issues through Kate's character, but in a way that it is woven throughout the storyline/plot. The other characters, each with their own unique voice, keeps the book entertaining. These are folks I wouldn't mind having in my circle of friends. I hope they show up in the next book as well. There is plenty of suspense and Ms. Lamb keeps you guessing who the bad guy or gal is. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
March 2, 2018
Good story line. Overall, I enjoyed it, but was annoyed by the fact that the main characters were so sicky-sweet toward each other. I prefer to see a little more realistic grit in main characters. Maybe some dirt in the background.
September 30, 2018
Enjoyed
Too many characters to keep tabs on. Overwhelming. I finally resorted to following Kate, Rob and Liz. The ad detective angle just felt wrong, A few exit errors but not too bad.
Too many characters to keep tabs on. Overwhelming. I finally resorted to following Kate, Rob and Liz. The ad detective angle just felt wrong, A few exit errors but not too bad.
August 12, 2017
Ok, parts very good
A bit confusing choppy in places and slow in places. Some p arts I had trouble following, not predictable, didn't guess end.
A bit confusing choppy in places and slow in places. Some p arts I had trouble following, not predictable, didn't guess end.
August 14, 2017
I hate to write a bad review about any author because I'd love to be able to write books butttttttt I just felt like this book went on & on & onnnnnnnnn. Very repetitive & drug out
December 26, 2017
I enjoyed the mystery of this book.
The rather low rating is because it was long and in parts appeared to somewhat drag. The book was wordy.
The rather low rating is because it was long and in parts appeared to somewhat drag. The book was wordy.
July 26, 2018
Did not care for
This book took me a while to read. I finished it because I was hoping that the ending might surprise me. Unfortunately, it did not. Story was predictable.
This book took me a while to read. I finished it because I was hoping that the ending might surprise me. Unfortunately, it did not. Story was predictable.
November 26, 2018
This is a good story idea, but sometimes it seemed to get just a bit too complicated.
But, overall, still a pretty good book. I would recommend it.
But, overall, still a pretty good book. I would recommend it.
January 19, 2018
You try and help someone and they take everything from you. Kate & Eddie are busy celebrating when they get a call from the hospital that their close friend Liz has been a victim of a hit & run. She was very lucky she will recover but why would anyone want to run her down. They think nothing further of it until more things start happening to them all. But who would want to harm Kate & her friends, she might deal with some ill people but no one has ever wanted to hurt her. Kate & Rob are out for lunch one day chatting about work and how Liz Rob's wife is doing. Someone has slashed her tyres but they just shrug it off that is until her husband Eddie is killed by a car bomb. And the detective in charges thinks that Rob & Kate are having an affair and that they wanted their spouses out of the way. But they aren't and they both love their partners. But who could be doing this? Then killer loses control and tries to kill Kate's sister and Rob, will anyone walk away alive? A good read.
July 18, 2021
This is a good, solid mystery with an interesting premise. The lead character, Kate Huntington, is a psychotherapist who is being stalked by one of her clients. I enjoyed the portrayal of the therapy sessions and also seeing Kate’s take on the actions of other people. She is even able to do some self-analysis as her emotions swing between grief, joy, and terror. It is obvious that Kate (as well as the author) knows her stuff.
I’m fascinated by psychology so this novel was definitely a win for me. My only difficulty was the sheer number of characters. Kate has a big entourage of friends, family, colleagues and clients, and sometimes it was hard for me to remember who was who. But I enjoyed the many supportive relationships between all the friends and family. We should all be so blessed!
I plan to check out Lamb’s other titles and add them to my bottomless TBR pile.
I’m fascinated by psychology so this novel was definitely a win for me. My only difficulty was the sheer number of characters. Kate has a big entourage of friends, family, colleagues and clients, and sometimes it was hard for me to remember who was who. But I enjoyed the many supportive relationships between all the friends and family. We should all be so blessed!
I plan to check out Lamb’s other titles and add them to my bottomless TBR pile.
December 26, 2018
This was pretty good for a first novel. It's about a psychologist who finds herself, family and friends being stalked by someone. Possibly one of her clients.
The author managed to extend the story quite a bit, without making it seem too bogged down. There were a few places I felt myself saying "OK, we've done this. Get on with it." but not many. That and the writing was a bit simplistic, or maybe stilted is a better word, are my only real complaints. The author said it took her 15 years to write, and there are others coming (already out?) I'd be willing to try the next of the series to see if the author ups her writing style.
The author managed to extend the story quite a bit, without making it seem too bogged down. There were a few places I felt myself saying "OK, we've done this. Get on with it." but not many. That and the writing was a bit simplistic, or maybe stilted is a better word, are my only real complaints. The author said it took her 15 years to write, and there are others coming (already out?) I'd be willing to try the next of the series to see if the author ups her writing style.
October 20, 2022
Thriller mystery combining many great elements of storytelling
This novel combines several elements of a psychological thriller and a cosy mystery to make an exciting page-turner with a big cast of characters and many surprises. Each character is individually realised and the different points of view create variety perspective rather than confusion. The pace picks up even more towards the end, making this a real page-turner. I was unable to put it down until its very satisfying conclusion, cheering the characters on. Few books make me want to read especially satisfying moments again, and this was definitely one of them.
This novel combines several elements of a psychological thriller and a cosy mystery to make an exciting page-turner with a big cast of characters and many surprises. Each character is individually realised and the different points of view create variety perspective rather than confusion. The pace picks up even more towards the end, making this a real page-turner. I was unable to put it down until its very satisfying conclusion, cheering the characters on. Few books make me want to read especially satisfying moments again, and this was definitely one of them.
June 3, 2019
I had just finished reading a book of Ms. Lamb's from another series and loved it (To kill a Labrador from the Marcia banks and Buddy series), so I decided to try a book from this series. I love this one, too.
Both books kept my interest and covered subjects I wasn't all that familiar with; PTSD and dogs, and Psychology therapy. The pace was just right, characters funny occasionally and interesting. The author played fair with the reader with red herrings.
I will definitely read more books from both series by this author. Recommended!!!
Both books kept my interest and covered subjects I wasn't all that familiar with; PTSD and dogs, and Psychology therapy. The pace was just right, characters funny occasionally and interesting. The author played fair with the reader with red herrings.
I will definitely read more books from both series by this author. Recommended!!!
June 5, 2017
The book is well written and packed with suspense. My only negative is my personal taste, not anything the author did wrong. With the opening scene and the danger level throughout, it reminded me more of a thriller. It was more intense danger and how to stay alive than the puzzle to contemplate that I love in a mystery. So while it is VERY well done, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me right now. It might have n a different day. 4 star
Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews