Crossing Lines (Sam Mason Mysteries, #6) (2024)

I was excited to read this mystery that takes place in my neighboring state of New Hampshire, especially with one of the main characters being a shepherd named Lucy. Well, Lucy was the only reason I finished it. It felt like a very amateur effort in writing a book. There were very few details in this murder mystery, and the conversations all felt like idle chit chat, as if it was taking place between people waiting for an appointment. I’m shocked it had almost 4.5 stars. The only reader I could possibly recommend this to would maybe be a younger person that may be interested in trying out the genre. It’s very tame and I don’t remember seeing even one swear word. Now, I’m not interested in seeing the “F” word every sentence, but I do like to see any occasional “damn” or “asshole” or maybe even “sh*t.” The chief of police said “crap” and he referred to his friend as his “bestie.” From a grown man in his 40s? SMH! Maybe I’m just becoming picky as I get older.

A good quick read murder mystery. Simple plot, believable characters and light reading. A nice break

I've read Crossing Lines by L.A. Dobbs. Piece by piece we get to know the backstory with the different characters in this series. I love this series it's a small town story with some serious crime going on. The different people involved all have their bagage, even the cat and dog at the station have problems. I really love the way Dobbs describes the people and settings. Maybe I should try something else from this author? If you like complex mysteries involving both the past and the present then I think you would like this.

Another young woman's body is found in a shallow grave, but the man accused of the previous murders is in custody. Could they have the wrong man? Could this be a copy cat? Some things are different than in the murders that happened 5 years ago. Could the killer have changed his MO? Could a small town such as White Rock have yet another serial killer? Sam Mason and his fellow officers need to find the answers to those questions before more young women in White Rock go missing.

Finally we get the answers about the murders of the young women and who the guilty party really is. I never would've guessed who the murderer was, my money was on someone else. I'm excited that officer Kevin Deckard has finally come out of his months long coma and he actually gave a clue to the still ongoing mystery of the former Mayor's murder, and hopefully that ties into why Kevin was shot.

I really liked the addition of Jo's sister, Bridgett and that Jo finally confided to Sam that she's been investigating her younger sister's abduction and murder. The hilarious antics of K-9 Lucy and Major the cat added a light-hearted element to the book. I hope the next installment answers all the still hanging questions surrounding Lucas Thorne and the former Mayor Dupont. I'm ready for Sam and the gang to wrap this storyline up and get on to something new.

An OK book, but no more than that. I was surprised when I realized that this was the sixth in a series - the characters are shallow and not terribly interesting, and the setting isn't much better. Maybe a lot of this was explained in other books, but I have a really, really hard time believing that there is a police department anywhere that relies on cell phones and has only recently added a radio dispatch system. Radios were around for many years before cell phones, leading to the obvious question: What did this department do before cell phones (since they didn't use radios)?

The internal dialog that provides insight into the characters' thought processes is stilted throughout - and could have been done much, much better. In fact, for the most part it didn't need to be there at all; the police chief has three confidants - Lucy (the dog - lots of possibilities there for long, in-depth conversations as he works through theories; in fact, he does that at least once), Mick (whose sole purpose in the book seems to be listening to the police chief), and Jo (his "partner").

Which leads to another interesting point - why does the chief of police have a partner? Chiefs supervise other officers, they don't partner with them.

The intelligence of the police is also somewhat variable. They're not smart enough to see some things (especially those that would make the story move along faster), doubting them even when they're right in front of their face. On the other hand, when it becomes necessary to save the victim, they can put everything together in a heartbeat. That kind of inconsistency bothers me.

This is the sixth in the series and I couldn’t wait to see if Kevin would come out of his coma & would he be ok.

Jody tells Sam about her side case she has been working with an FBI agent.
Jody’s sister comes to stay with her.

With Thorne in jail, who is killing young redheads in the community? The search is on. Are the killings from 5 years ago and these connected? If not, will Sam and company find the killer? Will Thorne get off? How does Beryl’s evidence play into the scheme of things?

There were plenty of twists and turns. We learn more about the individuals that work with Sam. I liked seeing the character growth and sense of family.

I thought the relationship between Lucy and Major Payne was endearing.

The main mystery for this story was answered but left the story ongoing to what happens next, who finds out what in the future and how will the threading mystery be resolved?

I was given an advanced copy of the story and am not required to leave a positive review. I thought this was one of the best in the series.

Crossing Lines is Book 6 in The Sam Mason Mystery Series.

I cannot even express how GOOD this book was. If I could give it 10 stars I would.

The story is told in different perspectives and I found the chapters told in the perspective of the killer added such depth to the murder mystery.

The story starts with a missing teenager and the body is found a little bit later. Is it related to all the murders 5 years ago? Lucas is in jail for those murders, so is this a copy cat?

I love the characters in this mystery. They are well developed, complex, complicated and fleshed out.
There is a playful fun storyline between Lucy, the police K-9 and the resident precinct cat, Major.

There were quite a few surprises and I was impressed with how the author wrote the character of Jo's sister, Bridget, who is a recovering addict.

I highly recommend this series, start with Book 1 and you will not be disappointed.

Another wonderful book in the Sam Mason series!!
In this book, Sam and Jo are looking for a missing teenage girl. When K-9 Lucy finds the body of the girl in a shallow grave, the similarities to past serial killings are giving them pause. Is there a copy cat murderer out there, or did they arrest the wrong man for the previous murders??
The antics of K-9 Lucy and the station cat, Major Payne will have you chuckling while you piece together the clues of this latest case.

The more I read this series, the more I loathe some parts of it. There is always a new murder with suspects galore. That is resolved by the end of the book. That’s good. Nothing that began in Book 1 is resolved. It just goes on and on.

The things that annoy me get more annoying with each book.

Does every single character have a deep, dark secret?

I’d like more physical descriptions of the characters and less of the old post office that houses the police dept. Same for coffee machine and descriptions of everyone’s favorite coffee K-pod including the color. I don’t really need to know every time someone drinks coffee and which K-pod they choose. I don’t need to know a repeat description of Jo’s mug and that she has to balance it a certain way in the cup holder.

I’d like to hear less about Jo’s obsession with jelly donuts and how she drops a blob on her shirt and makes it worse by smearing it around. I don’t need to know which doughnut each character chooses. And STOP feeding Lucy doughnut holes.

Lucy is the one to fall in love with. However, you can’t write a grant for a K9 and POOF, any dog can be a police K9. It takes intense, regular training and certifications for handlers and their dogs. If most readers don’t know how that works, they will enjoy Lucy. I had a working service dog for 12 years. Working dogs aren’t passed around to everyone in the department. Lucy is part Lassie, part RinTinTin and a therapy dog rolled into one. The author should have researched that.

When Lucy is introduced in Book 1, she miraculously finds clues and leads Sam to them. K9 working dogs are amazing without manufacturing “miracles” like those.

Lucy’s relationship with the cat was way too much of the story. It didn’t move the plot along at all.

Does no one in the police department talk to each other like professionals? Kevin wants more types of cases and resents his role. Easily fixable. Talk to Sam.

Jo finally reveals her big secret to Sam, who feels betrayed. This is after Sam shares his and Mick’s secret with Jo, who feels betrayed. The dynamics in this little police department are not healthy.

Spoiler Alert…I was thrilled when Kevin came out of the coma. Another situation that was beyond belief. Any individual who is in a coma for 5-6 months will be weak and need intensive PT and OT to regain strength. It is not like Snow White’s kiss.

Some secrets could not be kept secret if a normal background check had been done.

The end of Book 6 did not answer the ongoing questions from Book 1.

Some of the “shortcuts” that Sam and Jo take are illegal. They are teaching Reece to take shortcuts too. She is attending the police academy. They roll their eyes that she insisted on having and using police codes and the newly installed police radios. Sam and Jo say they hate the radio being in their patrol cars. Sam says he’s going to yank it out of their patrol car. “Why can’t we just use our phones?” Reese explains to Sam that they can be overheard on their phones and give the public access to police business!

And are there really police departments that require officers to drive their personal cars?

Sam and Jo wonder if part-timer Kevin can be “trusted” to not follow the law if asked. These are serious charges.

Sam rationalizes that getting to the truth is all that matters. Even if they skip all of the rights citizens have. Even if it means criminal’s cases are thrown out of court. They ask Reece and then Wyatt to find things, but don’t tell them how they get the information. That is not okay.

I thought I might read Book 7 just to see how everything wraps up. But I won’t. Too many things are wrong.

"Crossing Lines" by L.A. Dobbs is an exhilarating wrongdoing novel that will hold you as eager and anxious as can be back from start to finish. The book follows the narrative of Investigator Madison Knight, who is entrusted with exploring a progression of murders that appear to be associated with a neighborhood strip club.

The writer works effectively of keeping the per user drew in with a high speed plot that is brimming with exciting bends in the road. The characters are advanced, and the exchange is both practical and locking in. The portrayals of the crime locations are clear and itemized, and the activity scenes are masterfully composed.

Something I valued about this book was the scrupulousness that the writer put into making a convincing police procedural. The examination cycle is depicted everything being equal, with the criminal investigators circling back to leads, talking with suspects, and assembling proof. The creator plainly properly investigated things, and it shows in the exactness and legitimacy of the analytical cycle.

One more part of the book that I appreciated was the personality of Madison Knight. She is serious areas of strength for a, criminal investigator who is headed to tackle the case and deal with the executioner. Her assurance and commitment make her an agreeable and engaging hero, and I wound up pulling for her all through the book.

Generally speaking, "Crossing Lines" is an elegantly composed and connecting with wrongdoing novel that devotees of the class will appreciate. The book has all that you could need in a thrill ride: tension, activity, secret, and a convincing hero. On the off chance that you're searching for a speedy, very much created wrongdoing novel, I enthusiastically suggest "Crossing Lines" by L.A. Dobbs.

'Crossing Lines' is one of the most captivating mystery novels that I have ever read, written by L.A. Dobbs. It focuses on Sam Mason, a detective in a small town in Maine who is investigating the murder of a prominent lawyer in a small town.

There is a great deal of drama and intrigue throughout Crossing Lines' plot, which keeps the reader engaged throughout the book. Throughout the story, there are twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Throughout the book, the author creates an element of suspense and tension in the reader as well as providing a sense of tension throughout its course.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Crossing Lines was the attention to detail in the writing. The author clearly did their research, and the small town setting is portrayed realistically, with its tight-knit community and complex social dynamics.

Sam Mason is a strong and likeable protagonist, and her character is well-developed throughout the book. She is a complex and flawed character, but her determination and commitment to solving the case make her a compelling character to follow.

Overall, I would highly recommend Crossing Lines to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted mystery novel. The writing is engaging, the characters are well-developed, and the plot is full of suspense and intrigue. If you're looking for a page-turner that will keep you guessing until the end, then Crossing Lines is definitely worth a read.

This is an odd book and it's a bit surprising to see it is sixth in a series and the author apparently writes several mystery series. It's set in rural New Hampshire, which is nice I suppose, but there aren't many details about anything so not much sense of setting is developed. Characters are all very shallow, similarly not developed, and their conversations are as if from an old sixth grade reader, to the point, general, unrealistic.

There seems to be a serial killer operating in town, and he could be a copy cat or a reappearance of an earlier serial killer whose actions haunt the memories of a few characters, Main characters are the staff of a police department, with the lead cop and his female partner romantically attracted to each other and constantly second guessing what each other might really want or mean but never doing anything about it, never revealing their feelings. That gets old fast!

What details there are center around the canine cop, a German shepherd named Lucy, and a cat that the station adopted that has become Lucy's nemesis in a dispute over a pet toy. We also get regular reports when these animals are hungry, troubled, or in the case of the cat, acting as if they could care less. A day or two after reading the book, that is about all I retain. Serial killer--what serial killer?

It was good but some frowns

The story was clean always a big plus for me but some I guess I’ll call them frowns in that they don’t make sense or just blunders. The biggest for me was and I see it in a lot of books, some bringing a cell phone into a jail or prison. I haven’t been in all the jails and prisons but I’ve been plenty and have never been in one where cell phones are allowed beyond the front gate even by staff let alone near a prisoner. Jo and Sam bring one picture of a suspect. It would never hold up in court.

Then when Jo sees Kevin’s foot twitch twice and the doctors come in and she doesn’t repeat what’s she said so the doctor can see? Petty but it is little things like that bug me.

The thing between Lucy and the cat Major is silly, there are more silly things like it seems everyone assuming what another is thinking aka as insecurity. I’m a curmudgeon so as my wife will say I suck the fun out of everything 🤓

Despite all my petty stuff I enjoy the series, I’d rather have clean and cheesy over sex and profanity any day.

Sam Mason and Jody Harris have a report of a missing teenage girl, Kirsten Stillwell. The next day, K-9 Lucy finds her body in a shallow grave in the Owl Sanctuary. Is Lucas Thorne in jail by mistake for the murder of five young girls? Is he guilty of murder or only drugs? Sam and Jo fear there will be another girl murdered because this murderer has contacted Joseph Menda, a serial killer in prison.
Jo's sister, Bridgett, has come to White Rock to live with her after she has completed her rehab.Kevin Deckard is waking from his coma. Can he help them find the mayor's killer? Does White Rock have another serial killer?
Lucy, the German Shepherd K-9 and the station cat, Major Payne, keep busy playing during the story. I love this series. It keeps getting better and better. I received an advance copy. This is my honest review.

Disappointing

I've been caught up in the ongoing mystery and the characters in the Sam Mason series but I'm disappointed with the whole series. Maybe a bit more editing would help. The dialogue and the characters' thoughts are repetitive throughout the books. The plot had promise and I liked how the officers are meshing as a team. There are still unanswered storylines carrying forward. Still a lot of personal secrets. This series does not really have stand books. Apparently one major plot line is resolved but many more are unresolved. I was dragged along book 1-5 hoping to find out the answers to the main mystery. Book 5 was written in 2018. Book 6 was written in Oct 2020. I hope we don’t have to wait two years for book 7. And hopefully there will be some resolution. Very frustrating.

Sam mason K-9 Mystery Book series

I loved this whole series! Sam as sheriff & Jo, his partner, work together so well they can guess what the other is thinking! After the death of one of their own & another injured, & Because of interference with local mayors, (one of which was killed unexpectedly trying to pass on information ) sheriff from another county , the FBI, they had to do their own private on-the-side investigations with their adopted K-9 Lucy, who started out to be a joke but as more deaths occurred, became a very valuable asset, but Major, a stray cat, didn’t think so. Jo’s secret though threatened the relationship with Sam but Bridgett, Jo’s estranged drug-addict sister brought it all back together! There are so many twists and turns, your interest stays peaked through every book.

Okay, I'm addicted to this series but I can't really recommend it. The characters are familiar and friendly, and oddly, most are not really "bad guys" in all respects. And the plots are pretty well plotted, and the author corrected her endless repetition of a few character descriptions that was starting to bug me. So I should have loved this, right?

No. She decided to jump heads, a lot, including spending a good bit of time in the killer's head. I absolutely hate hate hate that. I'm putting the last book in the series on the bottom of my to-read list, but it will be a while before I get to it. Maybe by then I'll be over my annoyance and she'll stop jumping into peoples' heads all over the place.

Really short!

I generally do not bother to download books with less than 300 pages. This book went by really quickly. This is not ma favorite series. I downloaded this book for free then tried the first in the series to get a taste of the series, I didn't like it. I then read this one, I don't like it any better than the first book. Light and fluffy "Murder She Wrote" scripts not actual mystery genre novels.

I want nothing more to do with this. The writing and editing are professional even though the stories themselves are far too light for my tastes. Mostly clean language no graphic sex, or carnage, despite the murder and kidnapping theme.

A wife bringing the evidence that put her husband in jail for the killings. Now a lawyer, a cousin is going to get him out. The drug charges would still keep him for a time.
Killer didn’t feel bad about the wrong man for what he had done, it wasn’t his fault, more of a need. Now he has a urge for that again, they never will find the burial places
He didn’t know about Lucy the police K9. Secrets between Jo and Sam keep coming up, will this latest about why she came to this little town, be the last straw. Jo could tell Sam was hurt. Good story of them working together and their lives in and around this small community.

Progressively worse

A few chapters in and I knew I couldn't finish this book. What really got me was the over-dramatization of Jo not telling Sam, when she first came to town, about her quest to find the killer of her missing little sister. All the back and forth in their heads, "is he mad at me", " is she hiding something from me", on and on and on. I thought this aspect was unrealistic and childish. Each book, after the first in this series, got progressively more like that. I thought I could make it to 6 but I just could not. I went to the end to learn who the killer was and that aS it for me.

Light weight reading, lazy writing.

This series may have made one mediocre novel, but dragging it out in a series seems to be an attempt to sell more books and increase the number of readers. The plot line is scattered and suspects too predictable. The primary protagonists are not believable as law enforcement personel.
The author has engaged in what I call a cut-and-paste approach to writing: way too much repetition from one book to the next of scene setting, character description and history. Only purpose seems to be filling enough pages to publish as a standalone book.
My recommendation: save your time for reading a real mystery written by a genuine novelist.

Serial murders

Sam, Jo, and Lucy finally find the serial killer who has been murdering young girls in the area of White Rock. At the end of the last book they thought they had him but as another girl is killed and another abducted they find clues to a new killer. His niece framed her husband and took the investigation in a different direction.
Now as Kevin is waking up from his coma he might be able to rap up the investigation of the mayors death.
As always Leighann Dobbs writes a fast moving story. Love reading her books.

Will you keep Sam and his friends coming back

OK you've got me hooked I've gone from 1-6 in 4 days Are you going to keep Sam and his crew together? I'm sure you write other books really well And I may try them out, But I like this crew. I just would like you to Please keep them coming, because it was very easy to lose myself in this town.
I Spend A lot of time in pain, Any distraction is a help, And this one is a fun one and interesting one that makes you think! Sam Mason is the best!

Well you fooled me.

Didn't see that happening. Another serial killer caught. What is Marine up to? What on her agenda if she becomes mayor? Is Beryl involved in anything with Marnie? Bridget is home and seems to be making progress. Kevin is awake but needs more time in recovery. Lucy is healing and Major is well...a pain. Now that things are a little quiet they might be able to restart they're own private investigation. Great story. Thank you. Looking forward to Book 7.

Crossing Lines ( A Sam Mason Mystery book 6)

I loved reading all 6 books in this series, you have to have book 7
coming out soon , no way your leaving your reads hanging like this
just when Kevin wakes up , things are heating up and pointing to another murderer. I am so excited to following Sam & Jo with their investigation about what happened to Tammy and the story ends.
Please say your continuing this big mystery...😁
Big Fan L.A. Dobbs, I will be looking forward to seeing more of this series.

Cindy Riley

Though this outing can pass as stand-alone, it does double duty continuing Killing Dreams. Thorne is still in jail while he and his lawyer loudly protest his innocence; Beryl vamps as a femme fatale though Sam isn’t falling for it. Candidates for the mayor’s office try to woo Sam; Lucy and Major feud over top pet and the kidnapping/murders continue.
Rating: 4stars

Ok I was wrong

I thought this was the last in the series. Had the wrong person pegged as the killer. Oh well. I have binged this for long enough but may come back to it. Would recommend reading once in a while instead of all at once. Easy to get back into as the story and characters are overly described/declared/explained in each book. Just enough is left out of each characters trajectory to want to read more so cudos for that

While it didn't feel as "high stakes" as other murder thriller novels, I enjoyed this one.
For starters, I was concerned about the fact this is the sixth book in the series, but I never felt lost.
Both Sam and Jo are great characters, and even with the absence of gut-wrenching action scenes, the investigation was exciting.
I didn't guess who the real killer was until the very end. So this is either well-written, or I'm getting dumb. Undeniably a great novel!

Story could have been written in three books.

While the story was interesting, every book in the series described over and over again things from the last
books. And book six never seemed to be finished. Maybe the author had planned to explain certain events in another book seven. There were too many unexplained questions. Would I read any other books by this author, maybe I will give the author another chance.

Left hanging!

The series after 6 books leaves readers hanging! I love this series, however too many unanswered questions!🙁

What happens with Kevin and his memories? What happens with the bloody glove?
The mystery of missing little sister... Do they find her body?!
Do Jo and Sam finally admit they care about each other!
What about Marine and Beryl?!!!
It can't just end like this!!!