Barbed Wire Heart

[Kitt]

LOL Cole must have been posting at about the same time I was!

[Irritable1]

Thanks kitt! I went and looked and it doesn't seem like he killed him so we're ahead by that much....

 

I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed, I have to say.

[Cole Matthews]

Thanks kitt! I went and looked and it doesn't seem like he killed him so we're ahead by that much....

 

I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed, I have to say.

It's a murder mystery so let your mind play with the scenarios. Thats the joy of them. You dont know but it's fun guessing. I have given some clues and so much has been discovered. There is a lot to come. I hope you like the characters or at least intrigued by them.

Thanks!!!

[Irritable1]

It's a murder mystery so let your mind play with the scenarios. Thats the joy of them. You dont know but it's fun guessing. I have given some clues and so much has been discovered. There is a lot to come. I hope you like the characters or at least intrigued by them.

Thanks!!!

 

 

Did you just....    <goes back & rereads>

 

Did you just write a form response to keep from giving stuff away? 

[Irritable1]

 

So, look, they've wrongly identified Brody as the rapist but that's kind of under control, though the investigating detective is kind of a bigot. We know the person who ULTIMATELY hired Killer stood to benefit financially from Sam's death. We know that Killer was separately caught up in a whole drugs undercurrent, but we don't know that any of that had to do with SAM's death, or even with Killer's really. Edit: Killer was killed because he was blackmailing whoever hired him directly, and we don't know if that person was the same as whoever orchestrated the whole show.

 

Right?

 

Edit 2: I have an awful feeling it's Earl who is the link between the two webs somehow. In a way he had more reason for wanting to kill Kyle than anyone, because he was seeing his sort-of partner suffer. And he might have gotten pulled into doing criminal stuff for money to buy drugs originally. 

Edited January 7, 2015 by Irritable1

[Cole Matthews]

Did you just....    <goes back & rereads>

 

Did you just write a form response to keep from giving stuff away? 

Hey all!! Im not sure what Irri means but it's time for a hint. There are four men with motive, means, and opportunity to kill Kyle. All four have been introduced and we've met three of them. Number four is coming up.

 

As a side note, the sleuth in this case is named after the first boy i ever kissed. I named Rush after him.

[Timothy M.]

I'm guessing that Brody has the perfect alibi of being with Brent. But it's fun watching the detectives fumble around.

[Cole Matthews]

I'm guessing that Brody has the perfect alibi of being with Brent. But it's fun watching the detectives fumble around.

 

 

The roller coaster is now approaching the summit. It's about to start plunging. But tomorrow, you get another clue. Nothing is perfect, btw. 

[impunity]

Reply from Cole Matthews (author)

Thank you impunity! Hey, I'm doing my best. I LOVE mysteries and really wanted to try it. I appreciate the review,

 

Hey, you're doing great! I hope my comment didn't imply that you weren't. I blame my faulty memory entirely for my inability to keep things straight. I love mysteries, too. And this one definitely has me guessing.

 

 

[Irritable1]

SO agitated and confused, OMG

 

I will say though that I'm suffering from my Saga Problem: too many people to care about, to such an extent that I start deinvesting in characters when an appealing new one comes along. In that sense it's good that you killed off Grady quick before I forgot about Mir completely. They're all different and all appealing, so that's good, but It's starting to feel like reading two books simultaneously... 

Edited February 18, 2015 by Irritable1

[impunity]

I will say though that I'm suffering from my Saga Problem: too many people to care about, to such an extent that I start deinvesting in characters when an appealing new one comes along. In that sense it's good that you killed off Grady quick before I forgot about Mir completely. They're all different and all appealing, so that's good, but It's starting to feel like reading two books simultaneously...

I am kind of wondering how Craig and Mir fit in. I know they're Brent's friends, and this is technically a sequel to "Button", but they do occasionally feel like a (delightful) tangent. Interested to see where Cole goes with them.

Edited February 18, 2015 by impunity

[Cole Matthews]

Yeah. That does seem to feel like a problem. Go figure making a sequel into a murder mystery would be so hard! Hahaha! I wanted to delve into three characters from Button I felt had more to say. Mirabelle is a really complex character. In fact, her role in this story is as central as Brent and Kevin's. She has a less obvious way of getting to it. It is coming up rather quickly. 

 

Im beginning to understand why most mysteries arent as character driven except the detective and the villain, for the most part.  But, I'm having fun with it. I'm glad to see some of you are as well. I didn't take anything badly. I know it's a complex story and sometimes too much so.  

[Irritable1]

I'm wondering if one of the groups could be separated out into a different story afterward? I could take a LOT more detail on Kevin and Earl and their families. And a separate novella about the restaurant: Nikki and Scott (well, if they survive ).

[impunity]

I'm wondering if one of the groups could be separated out into a different story afterward? I could take a LOT more detail on Kevin and Earl and their families. And a separate novella about the restaurant: Nikki and Scott (well, if they survive ).

I was thinking along the same lines, although I'd quite forgotten about Kevin and Earl for the moment. Oops.

 

I'd probably separate all the parts of the murder mystery from the rest of it and expand both. The problem is we don't really know which parts are connected yet.

[Cole Matthews]

I was thinking along the same lines, although I'd quite forgotten about Kevin and Earl for the moment. Oops.

 

I'd probably separate all the parts of the murder mystery from the rest of it and expand both. The problem is we don't really know which parts are connected yet.

 

They're all connected.  The chaff will be blowing away quite soon and Mirabelle, Brent and Kevin will be intertwined at the end.  All the strands come together.   You're right though.  I could have cut back on the storylines. 

[impunity]

You're right though. I could have cut back on the storylines.

I think that's what the post-writing editing process is for. You don't really know what's needed until you've set it all out.

[Jaro_423]

Is this the end of the Forum discussion? I can't seem to see another page beyond 8.

Was glad to find why Rush was called Rush. Odd name! But such and endearing reason, Cole! Wow! You really are so sappy, it's wonderful!

[Kitt]

Well, it is the end untill we all get gabby again!  It grows as we discuss which way Cole's over active imagination will turn next!

[impunity]

So, was the whole Mira/Jaxson subplot a cunning ploy to situate Mira at the Braggart? You play an impressively long game, Cole.

 

I think I will use this next week wisely by rereading the story to date. I definitely need a refresher on characters and plotlines.

[Kitt]

As one of Cole's editors I have read and re-read the story several times, and even being a bit ahead of you, I still get the feeling I am missing something fairly important!

[Jaro_423]

Yes, I can say it really does help to read it more or less in a sitting as you remember earlier bits a little better. When one reads a complicated story so interwoven with characters like this, it is very difficult to keep a handle on things when reading it a chapter a week or so. I feel almost like making a wall chart of the characters and the story lines. I think that way one can picture things a little more clearly.

The wall chart would make a fascinating piece of art too.

[impunity]

Ok, I have reread the story to date and think I may have worked it out. Although, I'm sure Cole has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

Edited March 14, 2015 by impunity

[Kitt]

[Irritable1]

Quoting from my review... brought it here because otherwise I'd just've gone on yammering forever:

 

 I can't help thinking that Kat knows something she doesn't know she knows. If you know what I mean... Remember that moment when she got crazy attracted to Brody? What WAS that? Did she... could she have been exposed to something?

 

Suppose someone in the party/play culture (and I don't know ANYTHING about this really so forgive me if I accidentally say something dumb, please) provided the drugs that did away with Sam. Poppers can kill people, right? And then there was enough left over somehow to disorient Kat? Is that even possible?

 

Edit: Sigh, nope, I got confused. I guess you can die from taking it orally (?) but the heart attack link is about combining the inhalation with other drugs, and anyway we know Sam was given ethylene glycol, because that was revealed in Ch11. But I know something that backs up my theory now!!!

Edited March 19, 2015 by Irritable1

[impunity]

Haha! I didn't know we were saying who we thought it was. I am so behind on forum etiquette.

 

I also think it was Sam's husband. There is something in the hidden part of the survey report that indicates the ranch is valuable. Husband wanted to sell; Sam wanted to keep. Sam had to die. It also explains why Grady was killed. And why the husband (Doug?) wants to keep Brody out of the maintenance job -- to keep the focus on Brody rather than himself. Also, I wasn't sure why the killer had to wear less flamboyant clothes so as not to draw attention to himself; surely it would make sense to stay the way he was. However, if he was in mourning...

 

I think the part Kat knows is that Killer was there. I believe he was the waiter with the funny hair (Brody recognized him, too). He was supposed to do a another shift after the murder and didn't show up the day that Damian suspended her. She also remembered something about a reporter; no idea who that was.  

 

I don't know Earl's role unless it's just to lead Rush to Kevin. Or if party/play is a part of it, maybe Earl recognizes Doug.

 

Not sure about Damien's disappearance, unless he was Doug's accomplice. The staff said he had a new older boyfriend. Damien would also have hired Killer and tipped Doug off about Grady's investigation. Edit: Can one man lift a dead body into a dumpster by himself?

 

I am also wondering if Doug's dying sister is Stuart's wife, although he said she was in Denver. And Stuart is hired as the new "property manager"; that sounds ominous.   I really want to know what Ian remembered about Sam.

Edited March 19, 2015 by impunity