The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

November 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment

WINTER
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (357 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Imogen Robertson’s break-out novel – a deep, dark and opulent tale of Belle epoque Paris, and the secrets and dangers hidden beneath its luxurious facade. Maud Heighton came to Lafond’s famous Academie to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town. It took all her courage to escape, but Paris eats money. While her fellow students enjoy the dazzling joys of the Belle epoque, Maud slips into poverty. Quietly starving, and dreading another cold Paris winter, Maud takes a job as companion to young, beautiful Sylvie Morel. But Sylvie has a secret: an addiction to opium. As Maud is drawn into the Morels’ world of elegant luxury, their secrets become hers. Before the New Year arrives, a greater deception will plunge her into the darkness that waits beneath this glittering city of light.

The Belle epoque–what a great time to be alive!
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I love books set at the turn of the century. This was my favorite time to study art… and the clothes! Oh my. Imogen Robertson conveys the opulence and the decadence of the period well. Her writing is exciting and drew me in right away.

I have to admit, the book isn’t exceedingly complex, but for me that was okay. I liked immersing myself in the worlds of Yvette, Maud and Tanya. All three show different parts of society at the time. I rooted for all of them. Yvette was my favorite because she was the most realistic. She held her own and managed to keep her true background hidden. That took a lot of guts.

The scenes and characters are written beautifully. I felt like I was there with them, looking at the art and learning about the artists. I loved my time in Paris via this book.

There is a little bit of mystery to the story, but I wouldn’t classify the book as a mystery. It’s more of an air of mystery that adds to the story.

If you want to meet interesting characters, visit a lush Paris, and lose yourself for a few hours, then this might be the book you’ve been looking for.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , ,

Whispers from the Grave by Kim Murphy

November 13, 2014 By Leave a Comment

WHISPERS
Whispers from the Grave by Kim Murphy
Publisher: Coachlight Press
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (286 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

The Virginia Plantation Poplar Ridge is sprawling, secluded, and foreboding. Chris Olson is immediately swept into its somber history and an inexplicable, electrifying passion for Geoff Cameron, her best friend’s brother. Dreams of a Confederate soldier who strongly resembles Geoff and a haunting one-eyed scout cloud her mind further. Through the eyes of the long-dead Margaret, Chris witnesses mysterious events shrouded in the conflict of the Civil War, until little by little, she uncovers Margaret’s dark and terrible secret–and Geoff’s connection to the enchanting woman from the past.

Some pain doesn’t end at death. It can live on to haunt later generations. Margaret has a story to tell or could her motives purely be to haunt those that hurt her?

I found the excerpt from the book titled Whispers from the Grave to be one that I would enjoy since it was from a historical aspect. The author has a voice for expressing description of details. The landscape, the trees, the house all were painted with words into vivid pictures. I enjoyed the over all story but it took patience to get there. To me there was too much going on and it took away from a beautiful story.
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The opening for the year 2004 Christine “Chris” Olson was in route from Boston to Virginia to visit her friend, unfortunately she has a flat tire. I would assume she didn’t have a car charger for her cell phone because when her cell phone went dead and she didn’t even attempt to charge it, nor did she try to change the flat tire. But all that is fine because her blond haired knight shows up just in time to change the flat for her. Geoff Cameron is the brother of her friend Judith. Chris is there to visit Judith but spends more time with her brother, Geoff. I found it odd that Chris and Judith didn’t have any girl time together to go shopping, staying up late catching up on old times, none of that type female reunion.

The book had many slow parts that watered down a beautiful story as I mentioned before. The character Chris wasn’t displayed as a strong character. She also seemed more focused on Geoff and then when he started having seizures the book went on and on about his seizures and Chris treating him like a child. She was quick to act on her attraction to Geoff and just as quick to hop in his bed. Like I said she spent more time with Geoff than she did with her friend Judith who she initially came to visit. Chris was quick to say she loved Geoff; I was left feeling puzzled because I missed them building a relationship and feelings for one another. The qualities of them growing fond of each other and getting to know each other were omitted. I would have liked to have felt some kind of growing connection between the two, besides the time spent in the bedroom.

I enjoyed the story of George and Margaret, though it was a sad one, I felt the connection and love between the two. Their story was a story of dedication, heartbreak and survival during a time of war and hardship. The author did a fabulous job in telling the story of George and Margaret in 1867. I was enthralled with the mystery of how a tragic event built into a crescendo of secrets, and pain that left the Cameron family torn.

During Chris’s visit she keeps having visions of people she did not know: George, Margaret and Catherine. I tried not to put too much reasoning and thought into understand how three people of that era could still haunt the people living in the home now. Maybe I could understand Margaret’s soul being unsettled but I didn’t understand why Catherine and George were still around.

The historical events are more real and relatable. Margaret’s story is one I am sure many women of that time can relate to. A woman committed to her man and determined to stay true. But the cruel world rapes her, literally robbing her of a future where she can only see a bleak existence. Torn but also wrapped in a filth she can’t seem to get away from when the desolate act of rape gives her daily reminders. Margaret was displayed as a woman that was strong and that could survive. I didn’t see those qualities in Chris or Beth. The twist to the story of Margaret and her baby was unexpected and kept me reading to see how the author played it out. Margaret couldn’t be judged for the acts that she committed or for the choices she made to not tell George all that happened while he was away.

This is a good pick for anyone looking for a historical mystery with a current day flair.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Sceadu by Prashant Pinge

November 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment

SCENDEAU
Sceadu by Prashant Pinge
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (246 pages)
Age Recommendation: 10+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

All this while, Matilda’s shadow had been growing larger and larger. Suddenly, it lunged out of the ground and swallowed her, like a python does its unsuspecting prey.

Nine year old Matilda ends up with a century old book through a series of strange coincidences. And disappears. Her brother and cousins are forced to suspend their hostilities and pursue her to Sceadu, a land inside the human shadow. Once there, the reluctant visitors find themselves chased by the vicious Hefigans, creatures of Sceadu. However, everything changes with the revelation of an ancient prophecy that foretells the doom of the world they left behind.
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With the stakes suddenly raised, the children must now navigate the dangerous terrain, overcome grave challenges, and unlock the secrets of the shadow. But can they do it in time to thwart the plans of the treacherous Hefigans? Or will they succumb to the guile of a ruthless enemy who is equally determined to destroy mankind?

Sceadu is a fast-paced adventure which blurs the boundary between the physical and the psychological, the real and the mythical.

Shadows usually follow people around harmlessly. Sometimes, though, they break those rules for very good reasons.

One of the things I enjoy the most about fantasy stories written for this age group is how magical the worlds in them can be. There’s something special about being transported to a time and place that doesn’t share our laws of physics or biology. Discovering what is and isn’t possible in other worlds is exciting, especially in cases like this one when the worldbuilding is so intricate.

With that being said, I had a lot of trouble keeping track of all of the names, places, and terminology that was used to describe the place where the human characters had ended up. Some of these terms shared so many letters or sounds in common that I never did get them completely sorted out. It would have been really helpful to either have a glossary of them or have more context clues about the words that were most similar to each other.

The mythology of Sceadu was well done. It’s hard to discuss where it comes from without giving away spoilers, but I was pleased to see how much work the author had clearly put into piecing everything together. This portion of the book reminded me of the explanatory passages I’ve seen in fantasy tales that were written for an adult audience. While there’s nothing inappropriate here for middle school students, this is also something I suspect much older readers might enjoy as well.

I’d recommend Sceadu to anyone who likes complex, otherworldly novels.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Gideon Lee by Lisa Orchard

November 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment

LEE
Gideon Lee by Lisa Orchard
Publisher: EsKape Press
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (131 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

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Dreams can provide an endless source of hope if you think they might actually come true. If only Lark knew whether or not to trust hers.

Lark was so self-absorbed that at first I didn’t like her at all. It was hard to understand why someone who seemed to have so much going for her would behave so selfishly at times. Whether we’re kind or snobby, there are reasons why all of us act the way we do. Once I figured out what Lark’s reasons were, I saw her behavior in a brand new light. It made her character development even more special than it would have been otherwise.

There was a lot of material in this tale that was barely addressed. Some of it seemed to be written for mature teens, while other sections seemed more appropriate for readers in late middle school or early high school. To me it felt like the author was attempting to reach both audiences even though the subject matter is much darker than what I’ve typically seen being written for preteens.This book would have easily earned a much higher rating from me had it been expanded into a full-length novel, explored its dark subject matter more seriously, and been clearly meant for older teens. The premise itself was really strong, this just isn’t the sort of thing that should be marketed to such a wide age range.

Not everyone who has a child is actually emotionally ready for that kind of responsibility. Some of the most interesting scenes in this novella explore the relationship between Lark and her mother. Lark’s mother didn’t strike me as a particularly mature adult. In a lot ways they actually behave a lot more like siblings than mother and daughter for reasons that I’ll leave up to future readers to discover for themselves. The realistic consequences of their dysfunctional living situation weren’t pretty, but they were well written.

I’d recommend Gideon Lee to anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a rock star.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Ennara and the Book of Shadows by Angela Myron

October 30, 2014 By 9 Comments

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Ennara and the Book of Shadows by Angela Myron
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Genre: Young Adult/Middle Grade, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Length: Full Length (156 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

When strange accidents start happening around thirteen year-old necromancer Ennara and her friends, she must search for the mysterious stolen artifacts causing the attacks while learning the highest form of magic–the spells that could prevent the fruition of a terrible prophecy.

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Being introduced to new mythical creatures is one of my favourite things about reading young adult fantasy novels. Ennara meets some very cool ones during the course of her latest adventure. It’s hard to go into detail on this topic without giving away spoilers, but I really enjoyed how Ms. Myron described the beasts in her story. Some of them were silly. Others were scary. All of the original ones were creative.

I had a hard time figuring out the best age recommendation for this story. The first book in the series was clearly intended for a middle grade audience based on its subject matter as well as the interests of the main characters. This one seems to straddle the divide between novels for preteens and ones intended for a slightly older audience. The pacing and style of the plot seems like its written for the 10+ age group, but the romance feels more appropriate for the 12+ one. I completely understand why the tone would begin to shift as Ennara matures, but this tale would have easily earned a much higher rating if it had been more clear about which age group it was intended for. As it is, the age recommendation is flexible.

The plot jumped into Ennara’s quest to find the stolen artifacts almost immediately. The most important information about her backstory as well as the society she lives in is shared as it becomes relevant to what was currently going on. This was a good choice given the urgency of the situation. I had no problem at all following along with the new information about this universe that is provided later on.

While this is a sequel, it can be read out of order or on its own. The most important details of Ennara’s first adventure are recapped early on. There is great worldbuilding in Ennara and the Falling Druid, but this plot can be understood without any knowledge of the first book. It was interesting to read them in order to see how Ms. Myron has grown as a writer though!

Ennara and the Book of Shadows was a magical ride. This is a good choice for anyone who has ever wished they could attend a school for future wizards.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Rosi’s Company by Edward Eaton

October 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment

ROSIS
Rosi’s Company by Edward Eaton
Publisher: Dragonfly Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal
Length: Full Length (232 pages)
Age Recommendation: 14+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Stuck in the Revolutionary War and reeling from a recent defeat by the British, Time Guardian Rosi Carol must rally a group of fugitives and prepare them for a final desperate battle. Outnumbered and outgunned by a merciless enemy, outsmarted at every turn by and increasingly wicked Kirk, Rosi must marshal all of her wits and her experience to reverse the course of events, save herself and her few remaining friends, and perhaps find a way home.

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Rosi’s Time started with quite a bit of backstory, so I was pleased to see this story jump straight into the action. It felt good to keep following the characters on their mission since I was already so familiar with everyone involved. The pacing remained strong from beginning to end. At times it was so exciting that I couldn’t stop reading until I finished just one more chapter.

Once again the character development in this series was not given much attention. Rosi has barely changed at all since I first met her despite experiencing a wide range of things that sure seem like they would have an effect on how most people behave. I grew to like her quite a bit as an individual, but I found it hard to believe that she could remain almost exactly the same person after all she’s seen and done.

There’s a big difference between what it was actually like to live in a specific era and what people remember about it several hundred years later. The most interesting parts of this novel explore some of the assumptions that people living in the twenty-first century make about the past in enough detail that I was curious to see what else I’ve been mistaken about in this time in history. By far the most interesting snippets involved how fast wagons are actually able to move.

I recommend catching up with the beginning of this series before jumping into this one. The storyline is so entwined with book two in particular that it works much better if the reader already knows who is who and why these characters have been thrown into the past.

Rosi’s Company is a good choice for anyone in the mood to dive into a young adult trilogy that’s already been completed.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Lassoing A Groom by Jacquie Rogers, Kirsten Lynn, Tracy Garrett, Kristy McCaffrey, Linda Hubalek, Kathleen Rice Adams

October 17, 2014 By 2 Comments

GROOM
Lassoing A Groom by Jacquie Rogers, Kirsten Lynn, Tracy Garrett, Kristy McCaffrey, Linda Hubalek, Kathleen Rice Adams
Publisher: Prairie Rose Publications
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical
Length: Full Length (229 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Aloe

How is a woman supposed to catch a husband? In the wild, wild west, she’s got to find a way to Lasso a Groom! Some of them are lawmen…some are outlaws. Ranchers and homesteaders are fair game, as well—none of ’em safe from love’s lariat, or the women who finally manage to rope ’em in!

DON’T GO SNARING MY HEART by Jacquie Rogers
Can rancher Dex Madsen get past loner Betsy Lynch’s goats and killer chicken to help save her mining claim and win her heart?

RACE TO MARRY by Kirsten Lynn
He’s in town to tame a man-killer. She’s accused of being one. When she proposes marriage the race is on.

WANTED: THE SHERIFF by Tracy Garrett
He’s a confirmed bachelor…but she’ll capture his heart.
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CANYON CROSSING by Kristy McCaffrey
In search of her brother, Annabel Cross enters Grand Canyon. When U.S. Deputy Marshal Angus Docherty rescues her from a cliff side, her most guarded secret might save them.

THE PERFECT HOMESTEAD BRIDE by Linda Hubalek
Will a dangerous man from Gussie Hamner’s past sabotage the future she’s building with Noah Wilerson?

THE WORST OUTLAW IN THE WEST by Kathleen Rice Adams
An inept bank robber and a bossy spinster team up to rob an empty vault. What could go wrong?

This is a nice collection of western romance stories that include everything from snaring a man to being dragged off a horse by the man who won you in marriage. There’s a sheriff, an outlaw, a bronc rider and an Indian in this collection. Sometimes it’s the man catching the woman; sometimes it’s the woman catching the man!

These ladies know the west. They have their historical references down, make their characters believable and have sweet romances for you to read about. Some of these romances are whirlwind, others take longer. I wasn’t bored a bit reading this.

I particularly enjoyed the first story in the book by Jacque Rogers. It’s titled: Don’t Go Snaring My Heart. She’s a young woman who is trying to survive in a cabin in the wild. Her dad is a miner and looking for silver. She’s selling goat cheese. When her dad dies from being ambushed, she doesn’t leave. She sets snares. When he’s hunting and finds one of her traps, he’s slung in the air and has to negotiate with her to get free. She’s end up with part of his pronghorn. Then she starts selling him goat cheese…

The last story by Kathleen Rice Adams is also special. I think it’s because there’s a spinster in it. Titled: The Worst Outlaw in the West, she manages to barter with a bank robber to stop robbery. She creates a plan that will help the bank and get even with her brother. The problem is that she’s not the only one who has that idea…

These were fun to read and some of them made me laugh outloud. One thing about it, if your marriage began the way these did, you’d have some good tales to tell the grandkids! You did a great job, lady authors.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville

October 10, 2014 By 1 Comment

GRETL
Gretel and the Dark by Eliza Granville
Publisher: Penguin Imprint – Hamish Hamilton
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (358 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Daisy

A dark, distinctive and addictively compelling novel set in fin-de-siècle Vienna and Nazi Germany—with a dizzying final twist.

Vienna, 1899. Josef Breuer—celebrated psychoanalyst—is about to encounter his strangest case yet. Found by the lunatic asylum, thin, head shaved, she claims to have no name, no feelings—to be, in fact, not even human. Intrigued, Breuer determines to fathom the roots of her disturbance.

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Gretel and the Dark is a strange mixture of genres. Historical, fantastical and sometimes sadly romantic, it keeps the reader yearning for more details of its protagonist’s life, right up until the end. There are three distinct time periods which make up the narrative of the book. One is in the past, one the assumed present and one becomes the new, later, present towards the end of the book. It becomes apparent as the pages go by that these narratives are intertwined. Fairytale links help to support this, as well as the similarities in characters.

The protagonist in this book does not have an easy ride and this is not a traditional romance by any means. There are some romantic elements but these are often sad, seemingly impossible, or darkly one-sided. The main character faces paedophilia and cases where men much older are keen to be intimate with her. However, these implications are subtly done and not too graphic to read. They are along the lines of saying the man placed his hand on her bum and forgot to remove it or that he touched under her skirt where the woman said no man should. These instances are by no means present throughout the whole book but it is a recurring theme in light of the historical time period the main character experienced.

The novel covers the time period of Hitler, pre-Hitler and post genocide. The protagonist and her love interest are the main sweet romantic thread. They make it through horrific scenarios together and come out stronger but this is not a tale which ends in marriage and kids. The ending reminded me of the bitter-sweet movie PS I love you; even though it didn’t end in death, it made me tear up. This is not a feel-good novel.

The fantastical elements consist of the protagonist’s imaginings and fairytales or old wive’s tales remembered from her youth and threaded into the narrative. In one case this was used repetitively to imply the rape of the protagonist as a child by older men to avoid any graphic descriptions. However, this is also used to show the child’s shaky grip on reality and their need to escape it for a better world, where she can make a difference to the outcome of her life. The fairytales may be dark but they hold the determination of a strong woman, prepared to battle the monster behind her misfortunes.

I gave this book 4.5 stars because, despite all the strong thematical links and historical references, the beginning of the book was too full on. Too many fantastical references were thrown at the reader at once. I would have preferred a slower opening. I also found that I did not pick up on the historical links until much later in the book. Someone thinking along more historical lines would have made the connection a lot earlier but because nothing like this was mentioned in the prologue, I assumed this was merely a dark tale based upon a fairytale, with no real life, historical links.

However, I believe a reader will feel the emotional pulls of history through this book, following in the footsteps of a character full of hope, obstinance and determination to survive and have her own way. She can be too stroppy, as most children can, but she makes it through terrible times off her own back and, through her, I had a peep hole into history I could never have experienced first hand.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

A Winter Wedding by Amanda Forester

October 9, 2014 By Leave a Comment

WINTER
A Winter Wedding by Amanda Forester
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (410 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Peppermint

Miss Penelope Rose, exclusive matchmaker to London’s elite, successfully creates love for everyone but herself. Her toughest client yet, the sexy Duke of Marchford, has commissioned her to find him a bride. But he’s more interested in tracking down a spy, and she’s in no hurry to speed up the process…
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When the fate of England falls in the Duke’s hands, he enlists Penelope for a new plan—they announce a sham engagement in order to flush out the traitor. But as the stakes get more deadly, and their feelings more real, will they discover that love is the most dangerous plot of them all?

Love, mystery and a plot to overthrow the king is just a taste of what this story has to offer. As Penelope and James try to figure out if they are capable of love, let alone loving one another, they seem to have to fight the elements as well and danger at every turn.

Penelope was by far my favorite character in the story. She was not what you would expect from a woman during the time period, in all the right ways. She is determined, independent and smart. She will not accept a life of dutifully following behind a man even if the man is the Duke of Marchford. She would rather a life without a husband that to be pitied or wed for the wrong reasons. Unlike her peers whom seem to throw themselves at the poor Duke. I can understand why he wants her as his bride so badly as she is truly a catch.

James has everything a man would want of his statue. Yet underneath it all he is still a lonely child abandoned by those who should have loved him. It has created a rash, sensible man who fears he is incapable of love. While he may not realize it, to me it was obvious he was much more capable than he knew. It was not his words that showed but his actions that clearly he cared for Penelope fondly and would do anything even take a bullet for her. Unfortunately for him, he had to prove just how willing he would be taken said bullet on more than one occasion.

The plot line in the story is extremely dynamic and entertaining. I love the mystery behind the spies. Not only do you not know who they are, but their intentions are keep secret until the very end. This long with the love line, and interesting array of sub-characters made this story truly entertaining, and at times I did not want to put it down. While I am fairly new to historical romances this one is definitely a stand out to me and I would highly recommend you reading it.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Wayzata by Ted Korsmo

October 8, 2014 By Leave a Comment

WAYA
Wayzata by Ted Korsmo
Publisher: John Edward Korsmo
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Historical
Length: Full Length (178 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Thornapple

A detective. A Millionaire. A Millionaire’s wife. A mistress.

Hijinks and tragedy ensue.

Set in the late 1930’s, our yarn is set in the rural, resort suburb of Minneapolis. Detective Carroll LaRue has quit his badge, picked up stakes and put a haunted past in Hollywood behind him — after all, his fellow officers on the LAPD kept mistaking him for a perp. LaRue exchanges the hilltop lifestyle and orange groves for a hardscrabble, hand-to-mouth existence in the blue-gray Midwest. Taking photos through windows, even if the people aren’t movie stars? It might not be sexy, but it’s a living.

“Wayzata” pays homage — hell, it outright steals — from the great writers of pulp fiction: Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James V. Cain; an intricate, convoluted mystery story full of seedy characters and dialogue sharp enough that you just may have to read a sentence over once or twice to get it. Funny, tough, with short chapters built to be read in airports. And check it: when the movie comes out you can say, “Hey, I read that when it was a book.”
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Sure you did, smart guy.

Many mystery fans has a love for the old detectives from the 1930’s and 40’s. This author is obviously a fan, a person that has a respect for the hardboiled detective, the pulps, and this novel is a like a homage to those by gone days.

Carroll LaRue finds himself a long way from the glitz of Los Angles, where he was in law enforcement. Wayzata , Minnesota is where LaRue hangs his hat and works as a private detective. He is hired by the wife of a millionaire to keep tabs on the woman she believes may be having an affair with her husband. This is oldest job there is for a detective, but LaRue finds himself embroiled in a mess of frame ups, cover ups, deceit, adultery, greed, and of course murder.

This novel is set in the late 1930’s when millionaires were not as commonplace as today. But, the mindset is still the same… everyone wants a piece of the pie, especially the ladies, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the money. LaRue gets sucked into their vortex as he tried to solve the mystery of what makes these people tick. There were some interesting twist, and some surprising double crosses.

A few things didn’t quite work for me. While it is obvious the author is attempting to mimic the works of someone like James M. Cain, and I believe this was done with his heart in the right place, this is a super ambitious undertaking, especially for a first novel, so it didn’t quite pull off the dark, sleek, edgy atmosphere it was trying to accomplish. At times it became more of a parody ,which I am sure is hard to avoid if you are purposely trying to emulate a specific genre or sub- genre. At this point I do want to add that I was under the impression the book was categorized under “ Noir” and for the record, noir is similar to hardboiled fiction, but protagonist is not a detective.

The other issue I had was a plot hole involving the divorce laws of the period. Some things had lightened up a little in the late 30’s, but it was still uncommon to divorce and it was big deal, I mean HUGE. This part of the story wasn’t all that plausible, not for present day, and certainly not in that time frame.

But plenty of the story did work for me. For a first novel I thought this book was very well organized and planned out. The dialogue was true to the period and didn’t lapse into using modern terms and phrases. The story was compelling and was an interesting look into the dark recesses of human nature. This author does have talent and it’s exciting to that. Despite the critiques I mentioned earlier I was truly impressed with the effort. I think a little professional editing and some research for authenticity is all this book needed to give it a nudge up the leader board. Hardboiled and pulp fiction is very hard to pull off. Too much one way or the other can make a mess of the whole thing, but this was an admirable job overall.

Overall, this is a good book and I do recommend it to lovers of historical mystery and detective novels. I enjoyed the book and appreciate the author’s ability to reprise a by gone era. I happened to love Noir, Pulps, and detective novels from the 30’s and 40’s. I have an extensive vintage paperback collection of books from this time era and I still enjoy reading them.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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