Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $3.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $13.54

Save: $10.55 (78%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Richard Houston
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A View to Die For (Books to Die For Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Richard Houston (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 9,758 ratings
See all formats and editions
From a USA Today Best Selling Author

The story is not your typical murder mystery. The sleuth is not a detective, private eye, or lawyer. He's an ordinary guy with an extraordinary dog.

Jacob Martin is trying to make the best of a divorce and mid-life crisis when he gets a call at two o’clock Sunday morning from his mother. His sister has been arrested for the murder of her fourth husband, and his father is near death. Thus begins an adventure that takes Jake and his golden retriever from their Colorado retreat to a backwater town in the Missouri Ozarks where they search for cold-blooded killers, a cache of gold coins buried by Jesse James, and the love of a beautiful nurse.
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 9
    Books to Die For
  2. Print length
    253 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    October 8, 2012
  6. File size
    554 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Next 5 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $19.95
By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use
More like A View to Die For (Books to Die For Book 1)
Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  4. Guaranteed to Bleed
    Kindle Edition
    $4.99
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is quite simply one of the bestbooks I've read in a long time. I absolutely loved it. While I know the Ozarksand Colorado well, it certainly isn't necessary for the reader to haveknowledge of those areas because of the superb dialogue, the plot, and theauthor's obvious love for animals. Fred is a wonderful character. And yes, myhusband has also given a little beer here and there to our dogs over the years!When you pick this book up, better create a little time to devote to the read,because once you begin it, you won't want to put it down. Kudos Mr. Houston onwriting a great read!" - Dianne Harman, best selling author.

About the Author

Richard is working on his third career. His first was as a carpenter and roofer for twenty years while working his way through college. With a BS in Math he spent the next twenty-five years as a successful software engineer by working on the Space Shuttle at both Vandenberg AFB, and Johnson Space Center. He then went on to start Master Mind SofTools where he developed software for fortune 500 companies. After taking early retirement in 2007, he moved to Warsaw, Missouri and built a home on the water with a view to die for. Richard now devotes his time to raising his great-granddaughter and writing. He is currently working on the second novel in the Jacob Martin series.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009NNL8EC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ; 2nd edition (October 8, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 554 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 253 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 9,758 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Richard Houston

Richard Houston

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

USA Today Best Selling author, Richard Houston, lives and writes at his lake home in Missouri where he and his wife are raising their granddaughter, two dachshunds, and a rescue dog that is mostly Golden Retreiver.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
9,758 global ratings
it was a good reader kept you know whats on the next page
5 Stars
it was a good reader kept you know whats on the next page
If you read the book you will be surprise and the end
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Danq
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a great story. It was not quite a cozy novel as I thought; however, it is a calmer, though exciting story. There are no bloody murders, cursing, shoot-outs, sex, etc. This is an enjoyable mystery-murder tale. I am now looking to move on to # 2. I highly recommend this book. Well done.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Dorothy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is an entertaining mystery. It is well written, well explained, flows smoothly, and has a large dose of humor in it. There is just enough mystery and humor to keep you at the edge of your seat through the entire book.

The characters vary from totally believable to crabby or spoiled rotten. Jake's mother and father have catered to Megan for what seems, to me, to be all her life. She is a spend-a-holic who should have had her pants whipped long ago. Shall we even get into this is her 4th husband? No, I don't think so. Janke's mother treats him like garbage. She wakes him up at 2 a.m. and thinks nothing of it. If you say something to her about things she turns into the crab from hell.

Jake Martin is trying to make the best of his life after getting divorced from his wife. He's in the throes of a midlife crisis. He gets a call from his mother at 2 a.m. to let him know his father is near death and his sister has been arrested for the murder of her 4th husband. Jake leaves his Colorado retreat to head back to the Missouri Ozarks with his trusty dog Fred.

I do recommend this book for ages 16 on up. It is an easy read and enjoyable as well. No sex scenes. Next to no cuss words.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cissa
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but disappointing
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
This was a pretty entertaining novel, but it has some serious problems.

The plot is intricate and twisty- too much so! It was very hard to keep track of who knew what when, who did what when, etc... AND it left a lot of loose ends, some minor but some major. It just didn't tie up into a thorough solution to the various threads. I suppose that is realistic, but it left the impression more of our author not keeping track than of the differences between fiction and real life.

It's also a problem that all the characters are pretty arbitrary. Our protagonist is a doormat when it comes to his family- but that's not really explored; he cashes in hir retirement funds to loan money to his sister, and insteqad of paying her mortgage- she's on the verge of foreclosure- she buys many bottles of expensive wine, just for instance. They both excuse that as "she's bad with money", and accept it, even though they are both broke and not working. Their mother is a nasty piece of work, but so variable as to not have much of a character. The more minor characters are generally worse, though the 2 teenaged boys are drawn pretty well.

The dog is fine, and also pretty well-drawn.

Another quibble- if much of the plot is based on driving hither and yon, a map would be a good addition. I could not keep track of what is where and how far- and, more importantly, why it matters so much. And so much vehicle juggling!

It's not a bad book. It was fun to read. But it did not for me hold up to much thinking about what was going on, especially since it was so confusing.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Bj7eick
5.0 out of 5 stars a book to die for
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
A View to Die For left me wanting more. The relationship between the protagonist and his dog felt so real, it reminded me of some pets I had in the past. The storyline was just intricate enough to keep me reading but not confused. Overall a good read that I would recommend.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
V. Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars Jake Saves the Day, But Who Will Rescue the Dog?
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
Raunchy guy, rough around the edges. The average American guy? One would hope not, but this single, hard-drinking, McDonald burger man from a one room cabin in Colorado goes to Missouri to help out his sister from the tight spot she's found herself in following the death of her husband. The house sits on a bluff overlooking the Lake of the Ozarks--gorgeous view--hence the title, but underneath the beauty of the home and the humidity of the land lay a chorus of characters caught in a multi-plot of intrigue and felonious activities. Jake owns Fred, his Golden Retriever, who is rapidly having his liver ruined by the beer and burger diet of his owner, but loves Jake and doesn't realize dogs are supposed to have food of their own. Jakes sister, Megan, is not only looking at a possible homicide charge in the death of her husband but is apparently in the process of defaulting on the loan of that gorgeous house on the bluff and seems to handle it with an abundance of alcohol as well. Jake and Megan must prove that she neither killed Mike, nor that he committed suicide--a serious obstruction to collection the much needed insurance money. Megan has a son, Kevin, whose best buddy is Travis, both of whom seem to personify today's teen generation and might be enough to make a barren couple feel better about the situation. Thrown into the mix is a cast of characters adding to the twists and turns of the plot. Jake struggles mightily with each twist and turn and eventually triumphs. Returning to Colorado, however, Jake discovers the fat lady had not yet sung. Interesting and different, a bit of Americana. Men might identify better with this novel and I could recommend to anyone with mid-western origins.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Grammas4
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
The story line was captivating. I love how the author combines humor with the mystery making the characters so believable. A great beach or rainy day read.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Nicole MacLean
4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Kept me guessing to the end. Good read and I enjoyed the humor thrown in too. Dog doesn't die. Bonus points.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Claudine Delacour-Jarrett
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book
Report
Déborah
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Read
Reviewed in France on October 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
I thouroughly enjoyed reading this book. The main character was delightful as was his dog!

I look forward to reading more from this author. I recommend you try it!
Report
John R
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Australia on September 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
A very enjoyable book that is well worth reading. Will read more by this author
One person found this helpful
 Report
Sharon E. Leighton
5.0 out of 5 stars Laid-back but still suspenseful and meaningful
Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2015
Verified Purchase
Jake's laid-back longsuffering when it comes to his family fills this book with humor, without ever drifting far from the plot. He has no wish to solve mysteries; he just wants to get by. But when his mother tells him his sister needs him and he'd better come home, home he goes - and does whatever he has to do to solve the mystery and straighten things out for his loved (and barely tolerated) friends and family. Don't let the pace deceive you; there's a lot of suspense. Hidden under it all is the teasing question, is any view worth dying for? Is any house worth losing your husband for? What matters in this life, after all? In its own very laid-back way, this was a terrific story.
3 people found this helpful
 Report
Shelgor
4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read.
Reviewed in Canada on May 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good plot. Likeable main character. His family is a bit irritating, but I suppose that's why he lives in another state. They do drink a LOT of beer. Suspenseful but low-key, so your manicure isn't in danger. I will definitely read the next book in the series.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report