mystery – Page 10 – Rosepoint Publishing

Trial By Jury by Stephen Penner – #BookReview – #conspiracythrillers

A Rain City Legal Thriller Book 2

Book Blurb:

Murder is an art form. And this one is a masterpiece.

Attorney Daniel Raine has recently gone out on his own and now is struggling to make rent. So when he’s invited to a fundraiser gala at a downtown Seattle art gallery, he sees it as a chance to find some new clients among the city’s wealthy elite.

And it works in the most unexpected way – when a young artist is found dead in the women’s restroom.

The assigned detective declares it a suicide and the young woman’s parents promptly sue the gallery owner for driving their daughter to take her own life. Raine is hired to defend the lawsuit and embarks on a mission to exonerate his client.

He soon realizes that the Rain City art world is a hotbed of intrigue, treachery and secret deals and becomes convinced that the young artist was murdered. But why? And by whom?

Raine finds himself navigating an unfamiliar world peopled by rich collectors, starving art students, and the beautiful and beguiling director of a local art school. Can he piece together what really happened on that fateful night and save his client from ruin?

His Review:

A lovely young lady dies during the debut of her art at Finch Art Studios. The death is declared a suicide and the mystery begins. Raine is engaged to defend the owner of the studio against a lawsuit from the parents of the girl. The mystery begins with the question: Who would want to snuff out such a promising young life and career?

The parents sue the art studio owner for negligence and the lawsuit will likely bankrupt the studio’s owner.

The suit being brought, however, threatens both Raines’ payday and the livelihood of his client. And then the worst happens, another young woman and another suicide. Really?

Stephen Penner has put together a provocative tale of avarice and intrigue in the commercial business of art. The teacher and her students are simply trying to be recognized and possibly sell a painting but it can be a world of deception and treachery. I recommend this well-written story with a twist I did not see coming. 4 stars – CE Williams

The second in the series, this could work as a standalone. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four stars

Book Details:

Genre: Conspiracy Thrillers, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction
Publisher: Inkubator Books
ASIN: B0CFM7NDV7
Print Length: 233 pages
Publication Date: August 23, 2023 – Just Released!
Source: Publisher and NetGalley
Title Link(s): Trial by Jury [Amazon]

The Author: Stephen Penner is an author, artist, and attorney from Seattle, Washington. He has written over 25 novels and specializes in courtroom thrillers known for their unexpected twists and candid portrayal of the justice system. He draws on his extensive experience as a criminal trial attorney to infuse his writing with realism and insight.

Stephen is the author of several top-rated legal thriller series. The DAVID BRUNELLE LEGAL THRILLERS feature Seattle homicide D.A. David Brunelle and a recurring cast of cops, defense attorneys, and forensic experts. The TALON WINTER LEGAL THRILLERS showcase tough-as-nails Tacoma criminal defense attorney Talon Winter and her closest allies. And the RAIN CITY LEGAL THRILLERS deliver the adventures of attorney Daniel Raine and his unlikely partner Rebecca Sommers. Stephen is also the author of the MAGGIE DEVEREAUX PARANORMAL MYSTERIES, recounting the exploits of an American graduate student in the magical Highlands of Scotland, and several other stand-alone works.

In his spare time, Stephen enjoys painting, drawing, and spending time with his family. For more information, visit his website http://www.stephenpenner.com.

happy thursday!

No Mistaking Death by Shelley Costa – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

A Marian Warner Mystery–Book 1

Book Blurb:

When an old Jesuit Mission House in Carthage, Ohio, is nominated for National Landmark status, the committee sends a private investigator to get to the bottom of the hostile letters they’ve received. Arriving in Carthage is Marian Warner, a New York PI whose life was dented by the bombing death—years ago—of her radical boyfriend. The only man with any staying power in her life is Charlie Levitan, the editor of the Carthage newspaper, whose relationship with her includes a long personal history. The day before Marian arrives, an older man nobody in town recognizes turns up dead in the Mission House.

Soon Marian discovers that the identity of the murdered man implicates every key player in the fight over the fate of the Mission House. But for her it gets personal when Charlie’s lover, a local jazz singer, is found murdered on the property of a powerful landmark preservationist, Jack Girard. What connects the two deaths? Why is a key witness avoiding her? How can she discover the truth in a town where hostilities go public, but secrets are so closely guarded? When Marian finally unmasks a cunning killer, it’s at the expense of the defenses it’s taken her years to erect.

My Review:

Well, you can’t say this one wasn’t different! Marian Warner is a NY PI—been there, done that now for fifteen years, so she has no problem taking on an investigation into reasons for hostile letters against the nomination for the Jesuit Mission House in Carthage, Ohio for National Landmark status. And yeah, the place is a mostly unremarkable mess.

It’s no coincidence then that the only man still of close acquaintance is Charlie Levitan, the editor of the local Carthage newspaper. Unfortunately, the body of a man is found in the Mission House just before she arrives. It’s also no coincidence that the murdered man is linked to those associated with the Mission House. Further complications ensue when a second body turns up, Charlie’s lover.

The author definitely has some interesting prose and turns of phrase to keep the storyline interesting.

“…leaving Marian five minutes to throw on the brown velvet tank top and wheat silk trousers—the theory being, if it’s pleated, it’s dressy.”

Embroiled in the proof of deciding whether or not the first Jesuit mission in the Northwest Territories has historic significance necessarily includes the identity of the man and the later victim as well.

The plot goes rather convoluted and lost me a few times, not sure where it would pop up next. The narrative is intriguing, but baffling in trying to figure out the author’s dip into rambling. Not exactly a page turner, but still inexplicable enough to hold interest. And it is difficult to become engaged in the main character.

You can’t tune out but even tuned in can get you lost. She sprinkles in the twists and turns. There are compelling reasons to finish the book which has to be down to the author’s deft writing style, but you may be scratching your head at the conclusion.

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 own opinions and honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Private Investigator Mysteries, Amateur Sleuths
Publisher: Level Best Books
ASIN: B0C86N9TGR
Print Length: 311 pages
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: A 2004 Edgar nominee for Best Short Story, Shelley Costa is the author of You Cannoli Die Once (Agatha nominee for Best First Novel) and Basil Instinct. Practical Sins for Cold Climates (Henery Press, January 2016), is the first book in her exciting new mystery series featuring New York editor Val Cameron, who is sent to the Canadian Northwoods to sign a reclusive best-selling thriller writer. Murder ensues. Shelley’s stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Blood on Their Hands,The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories, and Crimewave (UK). Although she reads across the mystery genre, in her own work she especially likes writing an amateur sleuth with a lot of heart who investigates a murder – it’s so utterly outside the comfort zone. Shelley Costa is on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Art, where she teaches fiction writing. http://www.shelleycosta.com.

#TuesdayBookBlog

Memory Man by David Baldacci – #BookReview – #AudiobookReview

nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller (2015)

Book Blurb:

Amos Decker’s life changed forever – twice.

The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to go pro. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field for good and left him with an improbable side effect – he can never forget anything.

The second time was at home nearly two decades later. Now a police detective, Decker returned from a stakeout one evening and entered a nightmare – his wife, young daughter, and brother-in-law had been murdered.

His family destroyed, their killer’s identity as mysterious as the motive behind the crime, and unable to forget a single detail from that horrible night, Decker finds his world collapsing around him. He leaves the police force, loses his home, and winds up on the street, taking piecemeal jobs as a private investigator when he can.

But over a year later, a man turns himself in to the police and confesses to the murders. At the same time a horrific event nearly brings Burlington to its knees, and Decker is called back in to help with this investigation. Decker also seizes his chance to learn what really happened to his family that night. To uncover the stunning truth, he must use his remarkable gifts and confront the burdens that go along with them. He must endure the memories he would much rather forget. And he may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

My Review:

Not content to wallow in a Baldacci book last year, guess I thought if I tried a first in the series, it would work better for me. Or maybe not.

Amos Decker was a football player in Burlington; something I was careful not to promote with my own son (now 6’2”) when he was in school. This fella, however, was good. Apparently as good as he was big (really big) and went pro. His first play is so violent it was also his last. He could have, should have died—would have were he anyone else. But he survived and his world was never the same.

So, okay, fast forward, he is married and a police detective. Unfortunately, he discovers his family murdered upon his return late from a stakeout. The perp is never caught, he leaves the force, and loses most of anything else that matters. Eventually, he becomes a private investigator. In the meantime, he’s let himself go. Big time.

The main character is unappealing in…pretty much every way. This is a guy you don’t want to imagine and descriptions of him only make it worse. His claim to fame now is his side effect from his pro days—hyperthymesia. He remembers everything.

Every stinking detail.

When a guy turns himself in and confesses to the murders of his family, he is thrown for a loop but that event is overshadowed by the horrific slaying of kids and adults at his old school. When they call him back to help with the school investigation, he sees his opportunity to also find out more about the man who confessed to the murder of his family—but clearly can’t remember ever seeing or knowing him. Oops!

Now I remember part of my problem with a Baldacci narrative—he repeats salient plot points ad nauseum, possibly adding a tiny bit of nuance each time (or not), a new clue, direction, person he can glean yet another repeat and clue. I guess that’s one way to get a prescribed number of words, but gosh darn, I do get tired of hearing it again. There are lots of books with better pacing.

Can we just get on with it?

You can’t say he doesn’t add the twists and turns, borders on TMI, but the info on football is one I’ve long been acquainted with in pro sports—the games are physically and mentally punishing on the players. Excruciatingly so. Old at thirty and washed out.

Finally, the plot goes way beyond convoluted, so complicated as to seriously lose the motive. Does it add up or make sense? Guess these things don’t have to.

I ran into somewhat the same when I read Dream Town and yet, here we go again.

I received a copy of this audiobook from my handy dandy library that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. It bothers me sometimes that the male/female narrators give me the impression that one is recording on the west coast and the other the east. They just don’t flow as they should in normal conversation.

Rosepoint Rating: Three Stars

Book Details:

Genre: International Mystery & Crime, Action Thriller & Suspense Fiction, Mystery Action & Adventure
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Narrators: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy
ASIN: B00V6FUY0E
Listening Length: 13 hrs 16 mins
Publication Date: April 21, 2015
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: David Baldacci has been writing since childhood, when his mother gave him a lined notebook in which to write down his stories. (Much later, when David thanked her for being the spark that ignited his writing career, she revealed that she’d given him the notebook to keep him quiet, “because every mom needs a break now and then.”)

David published his first novel, ABSOLUTE POWER, in 1996. A feature film followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 44 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into over 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. David has also published seven novels for younger readers.

David is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the United States.

K, luv u, bye

Split by Alida Bremer – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Nazis, spies, romance, and murder collide in prewar eastern Europe in a mesmerizing historical novel by the award-winning author of Oliva’s Garden.

It’s 1936. The seaside-resort village of Split on the Adriatic coast bustles. The tourist spots are booming, passenger steamers dot the harbor, and Jewish émigrés have found tenuous refuge from persecution. But as war in Europe looms, Split is also a nest of spies, fascists, and smugglers—and now, a locale suspiciously scouted by a German Reich film crew. Then one summer morning it becomes the scene of a murder investigation when a corpse is found entangled in fishing nets in the port.

With so many suspects from all walks of life and with a myriad of motives at a time when tensions are boiling over, crime superintendent Mario Bulat has only rumors to follow. Political archrivals will take advantage of the crime. Local lovers will become embroiled in it. And a propagandist filmmaker will find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. War is coming, and for some in Split, it’s already here.

My Review:

When we took our exchange student home to Split the first time, we were shocked at the still obvious ravages of war in Croatia. He wasn’t with us two months after arriving for his senior year in an American high school before he asked to stay. His initial response to our home at the time was to pat the walls and inform us that they would not stop a grenade. No, they wouldn’t have. That was back in 1995 before the Bosnian War ended. Of course, we couldn’t say no.

So the title of this book naturally caught my eye. I checked it out, and sure enough, it was a book set in Split, right where we stayed with his parents seven years after the end of that conflict. The city so full of old world charm and the sea so green and clear, it was difficult to conceive of the conflict those walls had seen over the centuries.

Set in 1936 in Split on the Adriatic, a tourist mecca, the mood is one of caution. War is looming in Europe and there is an obvious underground of spies. There are widely spread rumors of fascists afoot and now there is a German Reich film crew scouting the town. The political climate is tenuous, opposing factions at odds. And in the middle of it, a body is found in the port.

Superintendent Mario Bulat begins an investigation with marginal characters on each side dueling against an influx of refugees fleeing the obvious hostile advances. His investigation repeatedly takes second chair to the increasing tensions within the Yugoslavian community, introducing a cadre of old boys arguing the propagandist purpose of the German film production and the division of the political atmosphere.

I enjoyed the references to the local sites, remembered many of the words, stumbled over names, and heard in my mind’s ear the animated, often heated and spirited discussions we heard while there. It was like a visit back to his country and our immersion into his culture. The characters are varied and colorful.

Not so much of a murder investigation as a biting comment of the people, the time, and the place facing yet another conflict so quickly after the shaky resolution of the last. Interesting, probably more so for those who have had a more personal introduction to the people and the history—and it could be rather slow—the mystery getting lost in the political upheaval.

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: Historical World War II Fiction, Historical European Fiction, World War Historical Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
ISBN: ‎ 1662507046
ASIN: B0BGT8885P
Print Length: 262 pages
Publication Date: January 1, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Alida Bremer, born 1959 in Split/Croatia, lives in Münster/Germany. She received her PhD with a thesis on the postmodern detective novel (Kriminalistische Dekonstruktion. On the Poetics of Postmodern Crime Novels, Königshausen und Neumann 1998). In the novel Olivas Garten (Eichborn 2013, TB Ullstein 2017), she wrote about her Dalmatian family participating in the resistance during World War II; her manuscript of the novel Träume und Kulissen was nominated for the 2017 Alfred Döblin Prize (Jung und Jung 2021). Her poems, stories, essays, and novels have been translated into several languages. Together with Michael Krüger, she edited the anthology Glückliche Wirkungen (Ullstein 2017); together with Ulla Hahn and Andrea Grewe, she edits the poetry calendar Fliegende Wörter (Daedalus Verlag).

She has translated from Croatian into German among others Ivana Sajko, Edo Popović, Marko Pogačar, Delimir Rešicki, Zvonko Maković, Predrag Matvejević, Renato Baretić, Asja Bakić, Damir Karakaš and from Serbian Bora Ćosić, Dragan Velikić, Iva Brdar. She has received numerous scholarships and awards, most recently the Barthold Heinrich Brockes Scholarship of the German Translator Fund (2020); in 2018 she was awarded the International Literature Prize of the House of World Cultures as a translator together with Ivana Sajko, the German Youth Theater Prize together with Dino Pešut, and the Brücke Berlin Theater Prize together with Iva Brdar.

Rosepoint Reviews – July Recap – Wild Weather and Scorching Temps

Rosepoint Reviews - July Recap

July in the upper Midwest is a volatile month with sudden, violent thunderstorms or tornadoes or highs in the low seventies with a cool breeze. You can’t accuse the area of boring weather. Still, I shouldn’t be grousing as with the sudden drenching rains and warm to hot days, the lawn has gone nuts—you can almost literally watch grass grow here—and my garden is loving it. Well, my sugar snap peas didn’t love it so much.

Late start with the garden, slow spring, and just now beginning to get some tomatoes trying to ripen. The baby deer are beginning to venture out—still have their spots. They look sweet until they get into my garden—squash being the current favorite. The CE is happy about that though.
Fawns with spots

We are trying to get in some steps, got the bikes all pumped up—and walking or riding any semi-cool mornings we can get. Still we managed fourteen books in July. These are mostly from NetGalley and also my local library with both audiobooks and digital. (As always, links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

Rosepoint Reviews - July Recap
Drowning in the Desert by Bernard Schopen (CE review)
The Night We Burned by S F Kosa
The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda (audiobook)
Splinter by Paul McHugh (CE review)
Trotting Into Trouble by Amber Camp
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (audiobook)
The Last Ranger by Peter Heller (CE review)
Home at Night by Paula Munier
The Wrong Victim by Allison Brennan (audiobook)
Night Owl by Andrew Mayne (CE review)
Some of Us Are Looking by Carlene O’Connor
Unwrapped by Lynda McDaniel
All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers (audiobook)
The Cove by Gregg Dunnett (CE review)

These included historical fiction, literary fiction, psychological fiction, cozy mysteries, and thrillers.

Favorite Book of the Month

I was gifted two ARCs from favorite authors in July, one being Unwrapped by Lynda McDaniel and the other, Some of Us Are Looking by Carlene O’Connor, both of which earned my five stars. I really like that slightly darker turn in Ms O’Connor’s Irish mysteries and Unwrapped proved to have a sweet Hallmark type of ending–timed perfectly for the Christmas season. The CE also had a couple he particularly enjoyed, one for the sense of humor (The Last Ranger) and another because of that totally off-the-wall wallop of a surprise ending (The Cove). There were several others hovering in the 4.5 star range for both of us–it was one of those great reading months. But in the end, I’ll have to go with–

Book of the Month for July—Unwrapped.

My Reading Challenges page… I have 88 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (one book ahead of schedule) and still riding at a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley. As always, I’m struggling to keep up with the rest. *Sigh* Maybe after the summer months…

First the death of the Instagram feed—then Musk messed with Twitter—and there went that feed. I’d boycott that stupid “X” but need to Twitter away my reviews. Is anyone getting around this (other than adding another job to the post) so they can show both feeds on their blog? All I’ve got now are the blank spaces where those feeds used to show up in my right column. Any suggestions, help, or ideas? I’d welcome them all!

Welcome to my new subscribers and thank you, as always, to those who read and comment. I love hearing from you!

k-luv-u-bye

The Cove by Gregg Dunnett – #BookReview – #psychologicalthrillers

DCI Stone Crime Thrillers #1/Detective Erica Sands Book 1

Book Blurb:

Date: November 5th, 10:32pm (everyone thinks I’m asleep!)
Age: Nearly exactly eight and a half!
Dear Diary, I saw something last night. I shouldn’t even write it down, but I need to tell someone. I’m so, so scared…

Six months later. After the sudden death of her husband, Christine Harvey would do anything to give her precious children Molly and Ryan a fresh start. The huge clifftop house she’s hastily purchased has the most breath-taking ocean view she’s ever seen. Surely here they can someday be happy again?

But Christine had no idea that her family’s new dream house is right next door to where a child was abducted and murdered. And nobody told her that the father – who was the main suspect in the police investigation before it collapsed – still lives there.

Everyone urges her to move on, but Christine can’t stop thinking about that child. Fearing for the safety of Molly and Ryan, she frantically delves deeper into the old case, looking for anything that will give them some answers.

But some secrets are best left buried, and as the behaviour of their new neighbour grows increasingly unsettling, Christine wonders if digging up this one was the worst thing she could have done for her family…

From the number-one bestselling author, this is an unputdownable read with a twist that will make you gasp. Perfect for fans of JP Delaney, The Housemaid and Shari Lapena, you won’t be able to put this book down.

His Review:

This is the tragic story of an 8-year-old girl found murdered and mutilated on a beach. They recently moved to a new home overlooking a beautiful bay. The mother is very excited about the times she will have sharing the bay and the beach with her daughter. But it will never happen.

The murder is the first investigation in this locale in seven years. The mother and father are devastated. The prime suspect is an escapee from a mental institution, but the prime question is: How was he able to get into a newly built and secured house on the beach, abduct the child, and take her to the water.

The writer keeps the tension high as the investigation continues. Following the near-manic thought processes of the mother are exhausting.

A masterful switch at the end startled me and made me question what I thought I knew about the entire story. The writer has a macabre imagination regarding a very dysfunctional family. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good crime thriller saga. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own opinions.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Serial Killer Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers, Cozy Animal Mysteries
Publisher: Storm Publishing
ISBN: ‎1805083740
ASIN: B0C5TKWLYD
Print Length: 408 pages
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Gregg Dunnett is a #1 bestselling author of thrillers and mysteries, usually set around the coasts, oceans and beaches. His book ‘The Things you find in Rockpools’ has sold over 100,00 copies, and the series has over 20 million Kindle Unlimited page reads. In 2022 he and his family moved from the UK to live in Cantabria, northern Spain. For more information visit his website at http://www.greggdunnett.co.uk or sign up to his newsletter to try one of his books for free.

http://www.greggdunnett.co.uk/more

Enjoy Your Sunday

Unwrapped by Lynda McDaniel – #BookReview – Cozy Craft & Hobby Mysteries

An Appalachian Mountain Christmas Mystery

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Laurel Falls, N.C., Christmas 2012: The walnut dresser I bought my son sure brought a load of trouble. Not because one of the drawers kept sticking and the whole thing needed so much refinishing. No, I could handle that, what with being a woodworker most of my life. It was the diary hidden in a secret compartment for almost sixty year that turned everything upside down.

That diary was filled with awful stories of mistreatment and misfortune, stories that twisted up something inside of me. Especially because the teenage girl who wrote them stopped writing mid-sentence. Like someone grabbed her and took her away. Or killed her to keep secret what she’d written.

I just had to find out what happened to her. I knew what a lousy upbringing looked like, but even mine couldn’t compare with what she’d faced. I needed to know she’d made it through, like I had.

I was awful glad Della Kincaid could help. It’d been almost thirty year since she’d moved next door, buying Coburn’s General Store after Daddy drove it into the ground. She’d made a success of it, and hired a good assistant a while back, which meant she had time to join me on the search for the truth.

The timing, though, couldn’t have been worse: Christmastime and I had the boys that year. I was set on making it the best one yet, but with vile threats and truck chases and family feuds raining down on us, it was hard to squeeze in very much ho-ho-ho.

Turned out our investigation took us all through the mountains of North Carolina and up into Virginia to places I never wanted to see again. ~Abit Bradshaw

You’ll enjoy this suspenseful Christmas mystery because who doesn’t hope someone would care if you disappeared?

If you love Louise Penny, Richard Osman, and Fern Michaels, you’re sure to enjoy the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries series.

My Review:

When I discovered the first in the Appalachian Mountain Mysteries, I knew I’d found a new series I’d greedily follow as each new book came out. Welcome to this year’s first Christmas theme book with all your favorite characters from that series!

Immensely empathetic Abit finds the perfect chest of drawers for one of his sons for a Christmas surprise, but as it was an old one, requires cleaning and some refinishing. As some old drawers do, one of them stuck but Abit persevered until he got it opened and discovered the reason it stuck—a hidden diary.

Human curiosity being what it is, Abit can’t help but read it. The problem is that it ends abruptly. After a chilling story of abuse, the unexpected and terse cessation sends off alarm bells in Abit’s head, and obsessed about it, decides he must find the writer, Daisy, and learn of her circumstances. Is she even alive?

Abit doesn’t hesitate to bring in his friends and allies to help him search for Daisy, and, of course, includes Della Kincaid. I love the characters of Della and Abit. Their relationship is borne of respect, inspiration, and a kinship only those folks of a small, tight-knit mountain community in isolated circumstances can foster. Life was hard. They survived together.

“…the way I see it, God is Dog spelled backwards, instead of the other way around.”

The author has a way of building the tension, extending the drama, wringing out the emotions, and proposing various plausible explanations of what could have happened to Daisy. Her family are tight-lipped.

Her novels can be read as standalone but hopefully you’ve been following this delightful series and know these characters like family—have thrilled over their triumphs. This short narrative introduces a sweet Christmas-themed mystery entry to the series and will leave you with that Hallmark feeling as well.

I particularly loved Murder Ballad Blues and my last in the series Deep in the Forest. This is a lovely quick read that I can recommend will help to kick off the season for you.

I received a review copy of this book from the author who in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Craft & Hobby Mysteries, Mystery Series, Christian Suspense
Publisher: Lynda McDaniel books
ISBN: ‎ B0CC7FLMYG
ASIN: B0CC43CPGF
Print Length: 193 pages
Publication Date: July 16, 2023
Source: Author

Title Link(s): Unwrapped [Amazon]

Lynda McDaniel - author — Lynda McDaniel – author

The Author: I love writing page-turners—both fiction and nonfiction. And I love helping others to do the same, living into their dreams of writing books. I believe my success comes down to a respect for my readers and clients. I know I’m easily bored, so I work hard to engage and inspire my readers.

After all, we’re all busy these days, and I want to deliver value–whether that’s a gripping mystery filled with memorable characters or books on writing that give you the tools to write your own fiction and nonfiction. Both make me happy.

I got my start as a writer in the most unlikely place—a town of 200 people in the mountains of North Carolina. But living there changed my life in so many positive ways. Decades later, I realized that everything I value today, I was introduced to there. My Appalachian Mountain Mysteries–“A Life for a Life,” “The Roads to Damascus,” “Welcome the Little Children,” “Murder Ballad Blues,” “Deep in the Forest,” “Up the Creek,” and “Unwrapped”–pay homage to the people of Appalachia who taught me so much. And to Mollie the Wonder Dog, who plays a role every book starting with “The Roads to Damascus” (aka Millie in that book)..

To keep up to date with Abit, Della, and the gang (and receive a free novelette, “Waiting for You,” that pulls back the curtain on Abit’s and Della’s lives before they met in Laurel Falls), head over to http://www.LyndaMcDanielBooks.com. No spam, no pestering, just the free novelette and timely offers/updates.

Over the years, I’ve written more than 1,200 articles for major magazines, hundreds of newsletters and blogs. I’m proudest of the 21 books I’ve written. My nonfiction books include my Write Faster Series. “Words at Work,” which I wrote straight from my heart, a much-needed response to all the questions and concerns people have about writing today. (It won top honors from the National Best Books Awards.) “How Not to Sound Stupid When You Write” and “How to Write Stories that Sell” complete the series.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but I’ve lived all over this country—from the Midwest to the Deep South to Appalachia to the Mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest. Whew! I finally settled by the sea in Eureka, California, a place that reflects the values I learned while living in the mountains of North Carolina, all those years ago.

Authors to books to reviewers

Night Owl by Andrew Mayne – #BookReview – #technothrillers

A Trasker Thriller

Book Blurb:

A shocking act of sabotage draws a retired spy into a deadly conspiracy in an explosive thriller by an Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

After three decades in counterintelligence, Brad Trasker is retired, disillusioned, and dealing with a tragic loss. Spy games are behind him until he attends the launch of a next-generation aircraft. When the project of innovative aerospace CEO Kylie Connor explodes on the tarmac—nearly killing her in the process—Trasker is pulled back into the line of fire.

The mystery of the sabotage quickly deepens. All Kylie’s data has been wiped from the server. One of her engineers has disappeared. A seed investor has died in a suspicious car accident. And a cold-blooded murder raises the stakes even higher.

To discover who’s pulling the strings behind a dangerous conspiracy, Trasker needs to find a motive. Corporate espionage, revenge, or something he can’t yet see? Targeted by assassins, he finds himself overmatched when he realizes he can’t trust anyone—including Kylie. Too long out of a game he no longer understands, Trasker must adapt or die.

His Review:

The rich and powerful do not want “We the People” to invent any new or revolutionary technology. They will hire infiltrators and spies to get your technology and then file patent papers to preclude you from completing your project, the concept of this novel and the beginning of a new series.

Kylie is a very rich lady who has developed a breakthrough propulsion system which uses hydrogen and oxygen and is environmentally sound. As her invention is exiting its’ hanger, however, it suddenly explodes. Kylie barely escapes with her life. Trasker is hired to assure her safety and handle security. The explosion would lead one to believe that someone was lacking in job performance.

Kylie’s technology is very valuable to the Russians and mirrors the efforts of Kylie’s group. Kylie’s life is constantly at threat and Trasker must find the culprit and stop the threat. Easier said than done!

This book illuminates the underworld of espionage and the dangers therein. It is an interesting book well paced with action including bombs, snipers, and technology. The narrative keeps the reader in suspense. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

I read Sea Castle in January and greatly enjoyed that established series. Night Owl is a strong start in his new series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Technothrillers, Assassination Thrillers, Kidnapping Thrillers,
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: ‎ 1662506430
ASIN: B0BVCXCYH4
Print Length: 312 pages
Publication Date: December 1, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Andrew Mayne is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose books include The Naturalist, a Thriller Award finalist and Black Fall an Edgar Award finalist Black Fall. He’s the star of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week special Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver, where he swam alongside great white sharks using an underwater invisibility suit he designed and also was the star of A&E’s Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne. He currently serves as the Science Communicator for OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT and GPT-4.