ebooks – Page 16 – Rosepoint Publishing

If Something Happens to Me: A Novel by Alex Finlay – #AudiobookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Book Blurb:

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He’s put his past behind him.

Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali’s car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

In classic Alex Finlay form, If Something Happens to Me is told by several distinct, compelling characters whose paths intersect, detonating into a story of twist after pulse-pounding twist. The novel cements Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

My Review:

It appears there are many more people who enjoyed this one than I did. I listened to the audiobook and will add kudos to the female narrator. But for some reason, I had a problem getting into it and staying with it.

Three POVs, Ryan being the main character, who kicks off the backbone of the storyline by reliving the night he was pulled from his girlfriend’s car and sustained a blow to the head. He can only remember small glitches of that night, but remembers her screams as she is taken. He escapes an arrest for her disappearance, but public opinion as well as his schoolmates tries and convicts him. He changes his name and goes to law school, but it catches up with him in Italy five years later.

We are good so far, huh?

Okay, I’m digging the female deputy. Poppy McGee is earnest, giving it her all. This is it for her as her military experience didn’t go all that well. She is new on the job, suspects she’ll be handing out traffic tickets, when small town law enforcement needs her to follow up on leads for the car pulled out of the local lake with two male bodies inside. It could happen—it’s a small town remember (Leavenworth, KS). Coincidentally, it’s the missing girls’ car.

Okay, so behind the scenes, there is a little mischief going on with the local mob. Now we start getting twists, tropes, and the suspense ramps up. I love how the mob grandpa nurtures his grandson—it’s sweet—never mind what he’s doing with his business—the revenge third of the plot.

Then there’s the cryptic note found in the submerged car and there is much to do regarding decoding what the note says. But, generally, there is a lot going on and the narrative flips between one of the three POVs until there is gradually a connection and an audible, “Ohhh…”.

So, yeah, it is entertaining, engaging in sections while others appeared to lag a bit (for me anyway). Suspend a little disbelief and just go with the flow as the conclusion might just do it for you.

The CE read two of his previous books, What Have We Done in 2022, and enjoyed both.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Psychological Thrillers, Suspense
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0CKM1LNKW
Listening Length: 7 hrs 16 mins
Narrators: Helen Laser, John Pirhalla, Paul Dateh
Publication Date: May 28, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: If Something Happens to Me [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Alex Finlay is the author of the 2021 breakout novel, EVERY LAST FEAR, the 2022’s GoodReads Choice nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, THE NIGHT SHIFT, and his latest 2023 release, WHAT HAVE WE DONE. His work has been an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thrillers of the year. Alex’s novels have been translated into nineteen languages and are sold around the world. All of his books have been option for film and television, and EVERY LAST FEAR is in development for a series on a major streaming service. Learn more at https://alexfinlaybooks.com/

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The Wild Road Home: A Novel by Melissa Payne #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

A beautiful and enriching novel about unforgettable love and the power of friends and family by Melissa Payne, the bestselling author of The Night of Many Endings and A Light in the Forest.

Mack Anders will do anything for his wife, Daisy. Even die. With the woman he loves fading away from Alzheimer’s, Mack fakes his own passing. The insurance makes certain that Daisy will be taken care of with dignity and comfort until the end. In a lonesome cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, he lives off the grid with nothing but thoughts of the past to keep him company and the belief that Daisy is better off without him.

Strong-willed eighteen-year-old Brandi has just been released from juvie. Willing to risk everything to save her young brother, Sy, from their unstable mother, Brandi takes him on the run. Her destination is their aunt’s house in Casper. Maybe there she can finally find a stable home for Sy. After a busted tire strands them in the remote wildlands of Wyoming, they cross paths with Mack. Brandi quickly realizes this quiet stranger might be their only hope of reaching safety.

On an unpredictable road ahead, escape brings these three kindred souls together. But the real world is closing in, and to help Brandi and Sy, Mack will have to come back to life in ways he never imagined.

My Review:

This is one of those beautiful stories of what can happen despite the plans so carefully laid out and then how wonderfully it all turns out anyway.

Mack is the loving husband of Daisy, terminal with cancer and Alzheimers. He has planned his (fake) death to provide insurance funds for her cancer treatment and will then head off to a remote cabin in Wyoming to live out his days anonymously.

Brandi, 18, was just released from juvie. She is determined to get her brother away from their druggie mother. He is only five, but Brandi was once told that her aunt would care for him if something happened to their mother. She just has to get him to Casper.

And there are a few problems with that. No money. An old car. Sure enough, it breaks down.

That’s where Mack meets her and her little brother. Really, he wants no part of it. He has problems of his own. For one, he is missing an arm. She is wary, but he’s plagued by “what would Daisy do” and that’s help!

These characters reach right in and grab your heart. They are so well developed, you can see the snark in the eyes of Brandi—she’s not had it easy—but she is determined to make a better life for Sy. Mack struggles with despair for his wife and the need to hide in his cabin—he took insurance money for his wife, after all. She kidnapped her baby brother. Broken, they are extremely relatable and the Wyoming wilderness comes alive around you.

Themes of love, loss, flawed characters desperate and accidentally finding love outside of family, respect, as well as drug addiction and the savage ravages of disease. The story pounds the feelings, prying senses you don’t wish disturbed. The writing style is disturbingly emotional—but it’s the good kind. A thoroughly unique storyline.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Alzheimer’s Disease, Sibling Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
ISBN: ‎ 166251574X
ASIN: B0CFCXF5LQ
Print Length: 294 pages
Publication Date: June 18, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Melissa Payne is the bestselling author of four novels, including A Light in the Forest and The Night of Many Endings. After an early career raising money for nonprofit organizations, Melissa began dreaming about becoming a published author and wrote her first novel. Her stories feature small mountain towns with characters searching for redemption, love, and second chances. They have been three-time Colorado Book Award finalists and Colorado Authors League 2020 and 2023 winners for mainstream fiction. She enjoys speaking about her writing journey at book clubs, literary festivals and in interviews. She believes that everyone has a story to share. Her upcoming novel, The Wild Road Home, will be released in 2024. Melissa lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children, a friendly mutt, a very loud cat, and the occasional bear. For more information, visit http://www.melissapayneauthor.com or find her on Instagram @melissapayne_writes.

Have a good week!

Lockdown (NYPD Negotiators Book 3) by Sara Driscoll – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

When a horrific school shooting turns into a hostage situation, only Gemma Capello, the NYPD’s most skilled negotiator, has a chance to save innocent lives and end the crisis . . .
Talking a suspect into sending his hostages out alive is NYPD Detective Gemma Capello’s specialty. Alerted to a school shooting at her nephew’s Brooklyn high school, she is one of the first officers on-scene. Detective Sean Logan and the Apprehension Tactical Team arrive next and immediately enter the school to apprehend the two shooters, while Gemma remains outside to help students evacuate. But as time stretches on, and there is no word of her nephew, her fear builds that he is one of the lost.

One of the two shooters has holed up with a group of students and their teacher as hostages. Gemma steps in to negotiate for their survival. Floors away and armed with only her wits and the sound of her voice to convince him, Gemma fights for control of the situation even as tactical leadership pressures her for a more aggressive strategy. But for Gemma, it’s not about a quick solution. It’s about moving heaven and earth to bring everyone in that classroom home. And she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

My Review:

I’m a solid fan of the FBI K-9 series and have read most of them but the NYPD Negotiators series was new to me. Of course, I read the K-9 series because…dogs.

This is a whole nother kind of Driscoll experience. The author brings to this series her sharp-eyed focus on minute details that might fly over the heads of those not in this kind of life or death role.

Gemma Capello, however, is as solid and effective in her skill set of negotiator as Meg and Cody is of the canine disaster recovery team.

In Book 3 of this series, Gemma is on her way to her dad’s house when she gets a call regarding a school shooting at the school her nephew attends. She’s not that far and immediately becomes one of the first officers on the scene, albeit off-duty and out of uniform.

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like, the chaos, the terror, the sights, sounds, and smells, then you’ll get your answers here—in graphic detail. Two shooters have mowed down fellow students (and teachers) when one realizes he has come to the end of the road. He had expected to go out “in a blaze of glory” and he did so, leaving the other shooter to hole up in a classroom with a group of hostages.

Gemma’s goal is to safely lockdown the school and take control of the tactical team whose leadership pushes for aggressive take-down. She is most keen on getting those hostages, and possibly the perp as well, out alive.

Securing an interesting and thorough psychological profile of the surviving perpetrator, Gemma manages to use her position of authority to provide personnel safety, quickly setting up triage stations, medical staff, and coordinating with law enforcement, including Detective Sean Logan who will have a crucial part in extraction.

The negotiations require large coordinating teams each doing their part and all Gemma’s training, education, and psychological experience to see a successful end to the tension and terror-filled scene.

The one point repeated more than once that I didn’t understand was the mantra, “Run, Hide, Fight.” How would an unarmed student without even a cell phone fight a perp with an automatic weapon bent on leaving no one alive?

Definitely a heart-pounding exposé of those real life situations we’ve seen repeated too often lately. What would you do?

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Kensington Books
ASIN: B0CM85MQ1V
Print Length: 303 pages
Publication Date: May 21, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna, coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries and author of the FBI K-9s and the NYPD Negotiators. After over thirty years in infectious diseases research, Jen hung up her lab coat to concentrate on her real love—writing “exceptional” thrillers (Publishers Weekly). She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and lives with her husband and four rescued cats outside of Toronto, Ontario. You can follow the latest news on her books, including the FBI K-9s, at http://www.saradriscollauthor.com.

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The Curse of King Midas by Colleen M Story – #BookReview – #Mythology

Book Blurb:

The curse of King Midas is real.

In the ancient kingdom of Phrygia, tribal boy Karem Savas thirsts for revenge against King Sargon II, the man who killed his mother and kidnapped his sister. A deal with the dark goddess of the underworld propels him to a powerful position of leadership with a mighty army and thousands of loyal subjects. Crowned as King Midas, he rules from the prosperous capital city of Gordium, where the future shines bright for his two royal children, Prince Anchurus and Princess Zoe.

But Midas is unable to shake his traumatic past. As his deal with the dark goddess turns sour, he seeks help from another, never realizing it will be his undoing. Burdened with a cursed power and floundering against the savvy King Sargon II, Midas must right his wrongs and save his children before it is too late.

Packed with myth, magic, and vengeance, this captivating tale of King Midas begins the new mythological fantasy series from Colleen M. Story.

His Review:

Ah, everything you touch turns to gold! I remember this as a cherished childhood dream. Imagine, gold at every turn. I could have golden books and every coin gold instead of silver or clad coinage; what a dream.

Ms. Story paints a picture of an aging king trying to keep his kingdom from a jealous adversary. Mix in a couple of witches and the problem becomes compounded. To get the results of your dreams, you must give up your eternal soul! Money, however, is not the most important thing in most people’s lives. What about wives and children and other essentials such as food?

Greedy King Midas quickly discovers the problem with everything he touches turning to gold. How about a cool glass of water on a hot day? It becomes a heavy glass of gold with nothing to quench a thirst. Thank goodness for the sorceress who can alleviate some of the suffering by converting the gold back into food for humans.

Ms. Story has written a very interesting and thought-provoking story covering greed and all of its elements. I recommend you read and enjoy this fantasy. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Greco-Roman Myth & Legend Fantasy eBooks, Greco-Roman Myth & Legend, Mythology
Publisher: Midchannel Press
ISBN-10: ‎ 0999099175
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0999099179
ASIN: B0D4DC9DQR
Print Length: 438 pages pages
Publication Date: June 10, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Colleen M. Story is a novelist, freelance writer, and speaker with over 25 years in the creative writing industry. “The Curse of King Midas,” her newest novel, was recognized as a top-ten finalist for the Claymore Award prior to publication. Her previous novels include “The Beached Ones” and “Loreena’s Gift,” which was a Foreword Reviews’ INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner.

Colleen’s series of popular success guides for writers—”Your Writing Matters,” “Writer Get Noticed!” and “Overwhelmed Writer Rescue”—have all been recognized for their distinction. She frequently serves as a motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers.

A lifelong musician, Colleen plays the French horn in her local symphony and pit orchestras. When not writing, she’s exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest and making up more challenging games for her smart German Shepherd to play. Find more at colleenmstory dot com and writingandwellness dot com.

Enjoy Your Sunday

Can’t We Be Friends by Eliza Knight – Denny S Bryce #AudiobookReview #BiographicalFiction

A Novel of Ella Fitgerald and Marilyn Monroe

Book Blurb:

Award-winning author Denny S. Bryce and USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight collaborate on a brilliant novel that uncovers the boundary-breaking, genuine friendship between Ella Fitzgerald, the Queen of Jazz, and iconic movie star Marilyn Monroe.

One woman was recognized as the premiere singer of her era with perfect pitch and tireless ambition.

One woman was the most glamorous star in Hollywood, a sex symbol who took the world by storm.

And their friendship was fast and firm…

1952: Ella Fitzgerald is a renowned jazz singer whose only roadblock to longevity is society’s attitude toward women and race. Marilyn Monroe’s star is rising despite ongoing battles with movie studio bigwigs and boyfriends. When she needs help with her singing, she wants only the best—and the best is the brilliant Ella Fitzgerald. But Ella isn’t a singing teacher and declines—then the two women meet, and to everyone’s surprise but their own, they become fast friends.

On the surface, what could they have in common? Yet each was underestimated by the men in their lives—husbands, managers, hangers-on. And both were determined to gain. Each fought for professional independence and personal agency in a time when women were expected to surrender control to those same men.

This novel reveals and celebrates their surprising bond over a decade and serves as a poignant reminder of how true friendship can cross differences to bolster and sustain us through haunting heartbreak and wild success.

My Review:

Marilyn died in 1962, the year we were married. Many historical events happened the same year and I must confess many of them were lost in my own life concerns at the time. Born in 1926, Marilyn was thirty-six. Born in 1917, Ella passed in 1996 at 79 years. Both achieved legendary status, and while it is true that they did form a friendship, this is a fiction accounting of that friendship.

At times, the palaver got so thick, I completely discounted the incident. Indeed, it’s explained at the end of the book that (remember) it is a work of fiction.

What isn’t fiction is that given the time in the civil rights movement, Monroe’s support of Ella could have hurt her career which was already flourishing. It was because Marilyn was up for a pic in which she was to sing that she began hounding Ella to coach her as Ella was admittedly one of her singing idols.

Ella was well-known and successful but struggled for the level of acceptance and the better gigs as that of Lena Horne, Dinah Washington, and Nina Simone. And Ella was a big woman. The Mocambo wanted small and pretty; Marilyn helped her get into the Mocambo.

While I was fully engaged in the voice of Ella in the audiobook, I found the voice of Marilyn annoying at times, cloying, sure she did not use her public persona voice during all the private conversations.

An audiobook, I hoped for a tidbit of one of Ella’s songs. And then there was the iconic Happy Birthday song to President Kennedy by Marilyn—that breathy, sexy song so familiar to generations of fans.

The book jumps between reflections of Ella and Marilyn, sometimes creating a disjointed narrative, Ella coming over as most authentic. I enjoyed the different stories of both ladies and their families, including the account of Ella’s Aunt Virginia! Marilyn’s story inevitably covered failed marriages, including the extremely physically abusive Joe DiMaggio marriage, although Arthur Miller—while not physically abusive—swung just as hard to the mental side of abusive and was just as damaging.

“There is something in the bond of an honest friendship between women that a lover can never breach and that fake friends will never understand.”

To her credit, Ella didn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs and that became a heavy wedge between their friendship. While Ella decried Marilyn’s increasing dependency on drugs and booze, she couldn’t be a part of it.

Lots of literary license here, still there are tidbits to be gleaned between dramatic recreations or fictionalized accounts of what may have or could have happened. The authors spent untold hours in research. Perhaps the most telling is the insight given in the epilogue.

If you enjoy biographical accounts, historical accounts of some of our famous personalities, you might very well enjoy this collaboration. I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Biographical Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Biographical Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B0C7DXY8TW
Listening Length: 11 hrs 15 mins
Narrators: Karen Chilton, Caroline Hewitt
Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Can’t We Be Friends [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Authors:

Eliza Knight is an award winning, USA Today and international bestselling author. Her love of history began as a young girl when she traipsed the halls of Versailles and ran through the fields in Southern France. She can still remember standing before the great golden palace, and imagining what life must have been like. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, her weekends were filled with visits to museums, and historical reenactments. Escape into history for courageous heroines, irresistible heroes and daring escapades. Join Eliza (sometimes as E.) on riveting historical journeys that cross landscapes around the world. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc., the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, a co-host on the History, Books and Wine podcast and a co-host for the true crime podcast, Crime Feast.

While not reading, writing or researching for her latest book, she tries to keep up with her three not-so-little children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping and visiting with family and friends. She lives atop a small mountain with her own knight in shining armor, three princesses, two very naughty Newfies, and a turtle named Fish.

Look for STARRING ADELE ASTAIRE a story full of glitz and glam, delving into the life of Adele Astaire, a spirited and talented woman who served up smiles and love both on and off the stage—with and without her also famous brother Fred Astaire— along with a determined young dancer with rags-to-riches dreams. Coming in June 2024, THE QUEEN’S FAITHFUL COMPANION.

For more information about book club visits, downloadable reader guides, upcoming author events, book news, newsletter and more, visit her website: http://www.elizaknight.com

If you love history and want to dive in for some fun, visit Eliza’s popular, award-winning blog:

http://historyundressed.com or her history podcast: https://historybooksandwinepodcast.buzzsprout.com

To connect on social media, visit/follow Eliza at the following:

Twitter: @elizaknight

Denny S. Bryce is a best-selling, award-winning author of historical fiction. A former dancer and public relations professional, Denny is an adjunct professor in the MFA program at Drexel University, a book critic for NPR, and a freelance writer whose work has appeared in USA Today and Harper’s Bazaar. She is also a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers. Originally from Ohio, she likes to call Chicago her hometown but currently resides in Savannah, Georgia. You can find her online at DennySBryce.com.

Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates, represents her.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Two of a Kind: The Beginning by Gail Meath #BookReview #HolidayFiction

Jax Diamond Mysteries Book 4

Book Blurb:

It would take a pint-sized miracle to save this Christmas holiday. A prequel novella.

December, New York City, 1923
Officer Jax Diamond doesn’t always play by the rules, and he’s in the hot seat again with the captain of his precinct. So, when a brazen little puppy alerts him of a crime, Jax is ordered to stand down or get canned.

On the city streets, broke and alone, Jax beats himself up for not following his own instincts and saving a boy’s life. Even the little tramp who keeps trailing him everywhere can’t lift his spirits. But crime never stops in New York City and a string of deadly Christmas capers spirals out of control.

The city’s only hope is Jax and his new pint-sized partner who team up to save the Christmas holidays during the Roaring Twenties.

My Review:

I love it when a historical novel captures not only the atmosphere but the vernacular of the period—in this case, the Roaring Twenties. Even though it is Book 4 of the series, this novella is issued as a prequel to establish the introduction of the puppy Ace as the canine partner of Jax. See that cover? Can you not just love that face?

So, yes, I was drawn in, always looking for a good book with a dog involved and a PI in New York nearing Christmas checks the boxes. It doesn’t take long to be there in the midst of the action, which begins almost immediately.

The German Shepherd will have your heart thinking a 120 lb dog might just be the right companion for you—well—I thought the same of the series in which a Belgian Malinois is featured until I read a profile of the latter (lighter weight, faster, more agile). (But no, thinking I’ll stick to the under 15 lb breeds.) Jax is clever, caring, relatable, and multi-talented. Jax and Ace make an effective, engaging team.

There are skillful twists and turns and the Christmas season permeates throughout with the well-plotted narrative focusing on seasonal criminal activities. Fast and easy to read.

I previously read Book 1 of the series, Songbird, and was taken with the period and the characters. Definitely an engaging series and nice that each can be read as a standalone. I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Holiday Fiction, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Cozy Animal Mystery
Publisher: Cranberry Pond Publishing
ASIN: B0BC981875
Print Length: 112 pages
Publication Date: November 25, 2022
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link: Two of a Kind [Amazon]

The Author: Gail Meath is the author of the multi-award winning Jax Diamond Mysteries, the fun series about of a wise-cracking PI, his sweet German Shepherd partner, Ace, and his Broadway singing heartthrob, Laura, as they solve crazy crimes during the Roaring Twenties. She’s currently working on the first book in her exciting new 1930s mystery series, Stone & Steele Mysteries, takes place during the glamorous Golden Age of Hollywood. As always, she blends the most loveable characters with a good, solid mystery.

Gail also has a growing list of other award-winning historical romances, mysteries, westerns, and fictional biographies of true heroines. She lives in a small village in Upstate New York with her husband and their sweet, little Boston Terrier, and she spends loads of time with her grandchildren.

Loggin' off

The Wharton Plot: A Novel by Mariah Fredericks #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Mariah Fredericks’ mesmerizing novel, The Wharton Plot, follows renowned novelist Edith Wharton in the twilight years of the Gilded Age in New York as she tracks a killer.

New York City, 1911. Edith Wharton, almost equally famed for her novels and her sharp tongue, is bone-tired of Manhattan. Finding herself at a crossroads with both her marriage and her writing, she makes the decision to leave America, her publisher, and her loveless marriage.

And then, dashing novelist David Graham Phillips—a writer with often notorious ideas about society and women’s place in it—is shot to death outside the Princeton Club. Edith herself met the man only once, when the two formed a mutual distaste over tea in the Palm Court of the Belmont hotel. When Phillips is killed, Edith’s life takes another turn. His sister is convinced Graham was killed by someone determined to stop the publication of his next book, which promised to uncover secrets that powerful people would rather stayed hidden. Though unconvinced, Edith is curious. What kind of book could push someone to kill?

Inspired by a true story, The Wharton Plot follows Edith Wharton through the fading years of the Gilded Age in a city she once loved so well, telling a taut tale of fame, love, and murder, as she becomes obsessed with solving a crime.

My Review:

You can’t fault the author for shorting the development of her protagonist, Edith Wharton. Based on a true story and character, Edith becomes blood and bone in conflict with aging when fifty in the Gilded Age was definitely over the hill. Looking at herself and not liking what she sees, in or out, she is conflicted, which is carried like a vulture on her shoulder throughout the novel.

An author, struggling to retain her status, she meets David Graham Phillips, also an author who is narcissistic, arrogant, and abrasive. She finds him most disagreeable but following his murder the following day becomes immersed in the mystery of helping to discover his killer.

While you might expect the activity to provide a distraction from her own problems—that of her marriage, her husband’s illness, and the writer’s block that began her serious introspection, she continues to wrestle with those same issues throughout the narrative. She was asked by several to read his last manuscript, which apparently included accounts best felt left unpublished by whoever took umbrage. The investigative attempts tend to be overshadowed by her personal concerns.

Okay—back in the day—she would stand out. Well-educated, attractive, successful, intelligent, and embroiled in her decaying career, she is a force to be reckoned with while striving to maintain the decorum of the day which limited the ability of a woman to exert many of her strengths. The frustration leaks from the pores of the pages.

The location and everyday life are vividly described; manners still strongly Victorian. Strong characters are well developed but I must confess to going cross-eyed at times when the pages blurred into boredom for me. I couldn’t make the plot get into second gear. It wouldn’t go faster for me. Rich in atmospherics, authentic characters and dialogue. Just moved at too slow a pace for me.

The CE read The Lindbergh Nanny back in 2022 and really enjoyed it. I received a copy of this book from our local library which in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: 20^th Century Historical Fiction, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ASIN: B0C1X7W5QQ
Print Length: 285 pages
Publication Date: January 23, 2024
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Mariah Fredericks was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Vassar College with a degree in history. She enjoys reading and writing about dead people and how they got that way. She is the author of the Jane Prescott mystery series.

#TuesdayBookBlog

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo #BookReview #OrganizedCrimeThrillers

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Abigail Barnes is young, pretty and petite, but her looks and size can be deceiving. A tough as nails drifter who makes her living collecting outstanding debts for low-end bookies and loan sharks, Abigail arrives in Hackensack, NJ, from Baltimore, MD, and gets a job collecting for a small-time bookie, who winds up dead.

With a large Wall Street firm moving into town bringing jobs, prestige, and money, the press is soon up in arms about the killing. So the cops put the squeeze on Ronnie “Slacks” Falcone, a mobster who heads organized crime in the Jersey City area, to help find the killer.

Soon Abigail finds herself being sought by a gang of hoodlums, the mob, and the police. She knows she can’t run and she won’t turn herself in because she has a past that could send her to jail. She has little choice but to try and find out who killed the bookie – without getting killed in the process.

His Review:

Abigale Barnes is a lovely 5 ft. plus blond who turns many heads. Men wanted to protect her like a long-lost daughter. She disarms them with her smile and always presents as a very demure person. Abigale is a debt collector though; not for small bills but for large gambling debts. Most men laugh when she tells them why she is there. Her fees are not cheap, usually 35% of the amount owed plus expenses. Misjudging this person can be very painful.

Most collections are handled by big burly men who promise to break legs if they have to come back. Abigale has found that the best place to collect is at the source, the bookie’s office. Many bookies have made the mistake of underestimating her. Usually, weeks of recovery from broken bones is the reward.

I’ve found Mr. Russo’s writing style to be retro in its’ presentation and mesmerizing once engaged. I recommend his books for light hearted yet suspenseful entertainment. Enjoy! 5 stars – CE Williams

I read and reviewed The Dead Don’t Sleep back in April of 2020 and thoroughly enjoyed it. These are standalone novels that are fun, fast reads and recommended.

Many thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Organized Crime Thrillers, Murder Thrillers, Literature & Fiction
ASIN: B0CZ3XVQLM
Print Length: 197 pages
Publication Date: April 1, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s): The Debt Collector [Amazon-US]
Amazon-UK

The Author: Steven Max Russo (no bio listed on Amazon or Goodreads)

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