Reviewer Jack Evans Weighs in on Joy Lynn Goddard's Contemporary Women's Fiction

Title: The Keepers

Author: Joy Lynn Goddard 

Website: https://www.joygoddard.com/

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction (multi-genre: mystery, romance, suspense)

Age/ Interest Level: 30+ Given the main characters, the book 

       especially appeals to middle-aged and senior readers.

Page #: 388

Awards: Canada Book Award

Publisher: Joy Lynn Goddard

Ebook Purchase link (paperback version available too): 

Reviewed by Jack Evans originally for The Belleville Intelligencer

Review: 

The Quinte area has enjoyed a generous share of talented and successful writers, both fiction and non-fiction.  A name that should be added to that growing list is Joy Lynn Goddard, a Picton-raised girl, who has been making a success with her books in partnership with her husband, Dan Pike. Their latest book, now available, is called “The Keepers,” set in a fictional winery and tourist accommodation operation in Prince Edward County. 

Goddard thoroughly paints a cast of characters involved in a gripping story which includes a brutal murder, marital stress and breakup, a troubled teenage boy as a result, illicit drugs and wild beach parties, troubles with neighbours and budding new romances.

Richard, a successful writer, finds he is drying up and abandons his estranged wife to recover in the quietude of a summer let house at the winery. He soon gets involved with single mom Beth, the do-it-yourself and competent owner and her family and neighbours. 

Alexandre, Beth’s son, is a diamond in the rough teenager seemingly bent on a troubled life, getting involved with irresponsible friends and wild partyers. When a troublesome neighbour is found murdered in a shed at the winery, Beth quickly becomes the prime suspect and Richard pitches in to help clear her.

Lots of tense moments in this gripping story, with a suitably happy ending, and a recognition of the real problems some people have to face, often alone. This is a book for Adult Fiction fans. Exciting, enjoyable and beautifully portrayed.

More About the Reviewer

 Jack Evans is freelance writer and reviewer.

More About the Author

Joy Lynn Goddard teamed up with her husband, Daniel Pike, to write contemporary adult fiction. Both their novels, Moonshadow and The Keepers, have global appeal and won Canada Book Awards. Besides novels, they wrote Buyers, Liars, Sellers and Yellers, a collection of humorous short stories about the real estate industry. Although she is well known for her young adult and junior fiction—starting with the award-winning Daredevils and including Hello, my name is Emily, Charlie's Song, Jazz, When Pigs Fly, and Mrs. Maloney's Garden—her adult novels are attracting wide-ranging attention, each crisscrossing romance, mystery, and suspense genres.

Joy and Dan divide their time between Guelph and Belleville, Ontario, where they spend time with a growing family when not working on their next book.

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Wesley Britton Finds Another Mystery to Review for The New Book Review Readers

TITLE: Marigold

AUTHOR: William G. Howard

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0260-7 (sc); ISBN: 978-1-6657-0261-4 (e)

ASIN: B08ZSDF3NQ

PUBLISHER: Archway Publishing, March 11. 2021

PURCHASE AT AMAZON

 

If you like your reads fast-paced, non-stop, wall-to-wall action adventure,  William G. Howard’s Marigold just might be your ticket to ride. That’s especially true if you’re an aficionado of video games as so much of this novel reminds me of a multi-layered game with a wide cast of characters always on the move. They’re either chasing or being chased, constantly escaping from perilous situations with clever if often implausible gimmicks to get out of harm’s way,    and it’s often difficult to know who are the good guys, who are the baddies.

Howard’s unique vision is set in the year 2270, a time in which eastern countries dominate planet earth, so Howard presents his canvas with a considerable amount of imagery drawn from the mythology of Egypt and India. But this is a world full of dangerous if useful futuristic technology, multi-layered political power struggles, and world threatening dangers ranging from viruses to nuclear bombs. 

With all these moving parts and sub-plots, we get so many characters we don’t get to know any of them in any depth. All the publicity for the book focuses on “Marigold,” a half-human, half-android called an “inorganic” woman on the run as she’s suspected of murder she didn’t commit. She was created in the Lyceum Mechaniska laboratory, an inorganic  built to assist individuals who have experienced emotional or physical trauma. But she’s now on the run, in danger of being terminated while being on a mission to stop a virus from being released and find the mysterious “Pink Bunny.” She’s being chased by, among others, Detective Chabox Brignadoc, who thinks Marigold might be the victim of a high-level conspiracy.

Marigold’s saga is, however, just one thread of a complex tapestry that never quits. You can’t let your attention lag for a second if you want to keep up with this adventure-on-adventure-on-adventure. 

I had to admire howard’s futuristic world-building which is extremely vivid and colorful.  You might be a tad disconcerted by just how all the dialogue is so formal and verbose.  Still, that is a small quibble in this flood of thrills and chills and surprises, lots of surprises.

 

 

More About The Reviewer

Wesley Britton, an author in his own right, is a regular review for #TheNewBookReview as well as other websites like BookPleasures.com:

 

 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Elise Cooper Reviews Nicole Trope's "The Boy in the Photo"

Title: The Boy In The Photo

Author: Nicole Trope

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pub Date: June 22^nd, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

ISBN:  9781538754344

Purchase on Amazon

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

The Boy In The Photo by Nicole Trope is a suspenseful read. This Australian author makes her US debut and does it with a bang.  She takes readers on an emotional roller coaster involving love, hurt, heartbreak, and joy.  

 

“The idea started with a story on the news about a woman who was fighting to get her children back from Lebanon. He ex-husband had taken them to visit his family and refused to come home. She ended up hiring an organization who specializes in grabbing your child away from the abducting spouse and returning them to you. The plan failed and she was left distraught. The courts in Lebanon were of no help because the country is not part of the Hague Convention on child abduction. I wondered how long it would be until she was able to see her children again and how they would turn out if they ever returned to Australia. They had been taken from one culture into another and were still very young. I tried to imagine how their father would have explained that they were never going to see their mother again and I realized that he must have only had his own interests at heart.”

 

There is clarification in the story between parental alienation versus parental abduction. “I wanted to show how parental alienation is a term used when one parent turns their child against the other parent. As in the book, it’s mostly a subtle form of abuse because the parent doing the alienating would not simply say, ‘I hate your mother she’s awful.’ What is done is a consistent breaking down of the child’s faith in the other parent. ‘Your mother could have called you today, but she didn’t want to. I would let you do this, but your mother wouldn’t. No one loves you like I do. Your mother is too busy with work to talk to you. You make your mother angry.’”

 

“While I showed in the story how parental abduction is when one parent steals a child from another parent. It’s kidnapping but I’m sure that in some cases the child may not even know it’s happening. It’s a form of abuse and control over the other person in the relationship. It’s a way to make a former partner pay for hurting you by using the child as a pawn. Men or women who are abusive and controlling often use their children as pawns when the relationship breaks down. The child is seen as something to own rather than a person with any rights. Greg took away what Megan loves most, Daniel, to cause her pain.”

 

The story is told in two parts: six years ago, and six years later. Megan Kade divorced her abusive husband, Greg Stanthorpe.  Intending to get Megan back or to hurt her he kidnaps their son and goes off the grid. 

 

“Greg manipulated Megan and Daniel. He took away Megan’s identity as a person.  There is a scene in the book where she is afraid to order a glass of wine.  Her brother asks her ‘what happened.’ She does not even really know.  It starts out as a tiny compromise, and she felt it was not a big deal until eventually everything adds up.  With Daniel, Greg kept him from attending school and was always told not to question. Having raised teenagers when they have questions besides going to their parent they ask friends, teachers, and go on the Internet.  These were all denied to Daniel because Greg isolated him.  Daniel had the same relationship with Greg as Megan did.  They wanted to appease him, feared his anger, and did not want to do anything wrong.”

 

Six years later the boy, Daniel, appears at a New South Wales police station, reporting that his dad died in a fire.  Daniel is distant, volatile, and in some ways resistant to Megan.  He believes all the horror stories told to him by his father.  The flashbacks of how both Megan and Daniel feel in the six-year gap emphasizes their grief and apprehension.

 

“Daniel was a sweet little boy, adored by his mother and just an ordinary six-year-old. At twelve he is confused, distant, aggressive, and filled with uncertainty at his place in the world. He struggles with trusting his mother after everything he has been told including that she no longer wanted him.”

 

This emotionally harrowing story has many twists and turns. It is so heart wrenching for both Megan and Daniel and the reader as well.  People should make sure they have some time because they will not want to put this book down.

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Elise Cooper Shares Newest in J.A. Jance's Mystery/Thriller Series

Title: Unfinished Business 

Subtitle: An Ali Reynolds Book 16

Author: J. A. Jance

Published: Gallery Books Pub.

Release: June 1^st, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

ISBN: 9781982131111

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

Unfinished Business by J. A. Jance brings back the Ali Reynolds character. As with all her books Jance knows how to build tension and is a fabulous storyteller.  This series, more than her other series, focuses and highlights the characters. In this installment there are three sub-plots: A new character, Mateo, has just been released from prison after sixteen years; a tenant who has anger management problems and sees everything as a humiliation; and Ali’s father who has dementia. 

 

Mateo Vega will hopefully be added to the High Noon Enterprises team and readers can see his character grow in future books. Ali Reynolds and her husband B. Simpson own High Noon Enterprises, a computer security service based in Cottonwood, Arizona. Mateo was accused of killing his girlfriend, and though he was innocent, took a plea to avoid a life sentence. When the board finally paroles him, the only job available is working at a thrift store. Because he was a computer expert, while in prison he kept up his skills and decides to ask his former boss, Stuart Ramey, for a letter of recommendation. Stuart happens to work for High Noon Enterprises and is impressed with Mateo’s skills.  Since there is an opening at the firm, Mateo is quickly hired. Just as he begins his new job, another employee goes missing.

 

“Mateo Vega has a case that strands both Arizona and Washington.  I thought, who better to help solve the case than my perfectly good cold case guy, Beaumont. I wrote his scenes in the first person, so the readers understand his point of view, where he is coming from and what he is thinking.  The Ali books are written in the third person.  I tried to write him in the third person for this story, but he said, ‘no way Jose.’ After a few days of absolute frustration, I gave up.  My new editor at Simon & Schuster never read a Beaumont book and tried to change his voice to third person. The moment I read that part I realized he was no longer this living, breathing character but was suddenly a cardboard cut-out.  I hope readers will give it a chance and see that it ties into the story.”  

 

The High Noon business complex contains extra offices, which are rented out to tenants for additional income. One renter is Harvey McCluskey, a crooked home inspector who's two months behind on his rent. Ali and her employee, Cami Lee, go to McClusky's office to serve an eviction notice, which Cami films on her IPAD. McClusky is embarrassed and infuriated, and vows revenge against the ladies. He kidnaps Cami and plans on torturing her.  Needing all hands-on deck, they turn to the artificial intelligence Frigg who can hack into anything. This AI handles everything from background checks to strategic planning and can apply cyber-magic to tracking down Cami’s kidnapper.

 

“I wrote the protagonist as disturbing from the beginning.  The reader knew the High Noon folks were in jeopardy long before those working there knew.  He turned out that way because of his environment.  His mother was mean; I based her on my parental grandmother.  All three had anger issues, were easily humiliated, never took responsibility, and held grudges.  I came to realize now how my grandmother influenced the writing of these characters.  I did not see the resemblance between Broomy, his mother, and my grandma Busk until you asked the question.”

 

While all this is going on Ali must also handle family concerns.  Her father, Bob, has dementia, and her mother, Edie, is having a hard time continuing to be his caregiver. They tried hiding the fact that he's losing his memory and acting out. Edie is exhausted, Bob is depressed, and the couple have been isolating themselves.  As the situation goes downhill fast Ali insists that her parents get help.

 

“I put in this book quote, ‘Lucid and rational one minute to off the charts the next.’  I spent several months the last year corresponding with a woman who had to put her husband into a memory care facility due to dementia.  She cared for him at home until she could no longer do it.  She died six months after he did.  The cost on the caretakers’ health is insufferable. I was thinking of her in the back of my mind as I was writing these scenes.  Seeing what happened to Ali’s mom was sad yet realistic.”  

 

Serious real-life issues are addressed in this story.  The characters make the story come to life and Jance does a wonderful job telling their story.  Making a cameo appearance, speaking in the first person instead of the book’s normal third person, is J. P. Beaumont, the retired detective who is now solving cold cases. Fans of Beaumont will understand how his presence is only enhanced with first person narratives.  This does not affect the flow of the story which is very fast paced.

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews cover several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women's fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband. She is a frequent reviewer for #TheNewBookReview. Use this blog's search engine (in the right column of the home page) to find more of her reviews.  

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Elise Cooper Reviews Texas Murder Mystery Book Two for The New Book Review

Title: Flight 

Subtitle: Texas Murder Mystery Book 2

Author: Laura Griffin

Publisher: Berkley Pub, March 30^th, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Romance

ISBN: 9780593197349

 

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

Flight by Laura Griffin is a riveting mystery with very believable characters.  She excels at writing characters the readers root for, and her descriptive details of the Texas landscape has readers believing that they are there. 

 

“I think the Texas coast setting is great for a murder mystery.  There is the natural drama of the coast, thunderstorms, and wildlife.  Mother Nature is a dramatic piece of the story.  Lost Beach is based on Padre Island in Texas.  South Padre Island is a beautiful place with a mix of tourism and nature.  There are bars, motels, and shops.  They have a turtle rescue and a Birding Center.  North Padre Island is basically an uninhabited park with sand dunes.  The water is clearer, and the sand is whiter.” 

 

The heroine Miranda Rhoads, the sister of the heroine in the last book, decides to move to Lost Beach Texas after experiencing burn out and a need to destress after her last case went awry.  As a forensic photographer she uses those skills to capture the native birds for the Texas Birding Association’s upcoming calendar. Unfortunately, she discovers two bodies in a canoe. Although Miranda wanted to escape the life she led before, she finds herself unable to step away.  She has a nose for detail and her insights are spot on.  The detective on the case, Joel Breda, convinces her to join the team as their forensic photographer. As more murders turn up the police realize they don’t just have a murderer on their hands, they have a serial killer.

 

In a short time, both Miranda and Joel find themselves very much attracted to each other; the chemistry between them was great.  Working together they find clues that will lead them to the killer. Joel wants to protect her and the community, while Miranda is an intelligent and complex character.  The tension is ratcheted up with the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and all the other factors that come together to make Texas such a unique environment.

 

“Miranda is conflicted.  Observant and has an eye for detail.  She is a visual person where she cannot get images out of her head. Miranda is also a people person. She has a lot of baggage that makes her anxious. She decides to stay at Lost Beach to escape the emotional upheaval she experienced at her job as a forensic photographer. She has guilt, anger, confusion, and worries about the previous case.   While Joel is tenacious. Determined. Persuasive.  Charming. He is also intense, confident, and self-assured.  He wants to protect the community as well as Miranda.  He sees the economic benefit to a small town but does not always see tourism as good. They realize they are more alike than different. . Both are wary of having a relationship and are not looking for a serious one.  They need to evolve for it to work.”

 

Laura Griffin is a master at suspenseful storytelling. Her books never disappoint.  The complex mystery has readers on the edge of their seats. 

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews cover several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women's fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband. She is a frequent reviewer for #TheNewBookReview. Use this blog's search engine (in the right column of the home page) to find more of her reviews.  

 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. 

#TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Elise Cooper Reviews Melissa Koslin's Debut Book

Title: Never Miss

Author: Melissa Koslin

Publisher: Revell Pub.

Release: May 4^th, 2021

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Christian

ISBN:  9780800738396

Reviewed by Elise Cooper

 

Never Miss is Melissa Koslin’s debut book.  If her future novels are anything like this one, she has a long career as a romance suspense novelist. The story has a unique premise in that the heroine is a female sniper who worked for the CIA. The other piece of the story is a man-made virus used as a weapon.  Although readers might have fatigue having gone through Covid-19, the essence of this plot is finding those who want to unleash the deadly biological weapon, not the weapon itself.

 

Readers are introduced to the heroine, Kadance Tolle, who is on the run.  Having been a part of a family of assassins she no longer wants that job, but her family has other ideas.  While in her car she notices a glint from across the street.  Realizing someone is trying to kill some strange man, Lyndon Vaile, she risks her own life and pushes him away from the bullet.  Despite the danger she feels compelled to help Lyndon discover why and who is after him.

 

“I wrote Kadance as super wise, while with other things she is super sheltered.  Her family has isolated her.  She has a unique family in that they all are assassins.  Because she is a marksman and a CIA operative, she has deceptive skills. She is a loner, someone who strives to achieve justice. Kadance is very observant, keeps everyone at a distance, a control-freak, and is sometimes judgmental, but she is also kind.”

 

Kadance finds out that he has three doctorates and has researched how the Ebola virus is man-made (sound familiar?) and can be weaponized. Unfortunately, someone doesn’t want his discovery to come to light, making Lyndon the ultimate target. They decide to work together to stop the mastermind behind the attack and save as many people as possible. Kadance and Lyndon are being stalked, pursued, watched, and targeted as they make their way across the country to stop a disastrous event. 

 

“Lyndon is a paradox.  He can be analytical and logical yet cannot lie.  He can recognize the difference in behavior but doesn’t understand the emotions behind it. Lyndon has a photographic memory.  He has three doctorates, in Microbiology, Pathology, and Epidemiology, plus a master’s in cyber security.  Besides being a genius and a scientist, he has a strong faith. He has an unusual alliance with Kadance because he is so different from her in many ways. These are two people who have different backgrounds, different philosophies on life, and different faiths, yet they come together.”

Blending science and intrigue into an intense action-packed story will keep readers on the edge of their seats.  But there is also humor, thanks to a Maine Coon cat named Mac that offers a welcome relief from the riveting plot. This first attempt by Koslin was hit out of the park. 

More About the Reviewer

Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best selling authors since 2009. Her reviews cover several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women's fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband. She is a frequent reviewer for #TheNewBookReview. Use this blog's search engine (in the right column of the home page) to find more of her reviews.  

 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. 

#TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

DR. Wesley Britton Reviews British-Flavored Mystery by Timothy Miller

The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle

Timothy Miller

Publisher : Seventh Street Books (January 19, 2021)

Paperback : 256 pages

ISBN-10 : 1645060217

ISBN-13 : 978-1645060215

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1645060217?tag=simonsayscom

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

 

Sherlock Holmes pastiches, of course, are nothing new.  In stories penned by literary descendants of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the fictional detective has encountered actual historical figures from Aleisteir Crowley to Winston Churchill to the Dalai Lama. He has been portrayed alongside literary characters created by other authors  like Count Dracula, Fu Manchu, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

 

I admit, when I first saw that Timothy Miller was merging the realms of Holmes and Watson with the characters George Bernard Shaw introduced in his play, Pygmalion, later adapted by Lerner and Loewe into their classic musical, My Fair Lady,   I suspected I was about to experience a real stretch. At best, a humorous mash-up.  I couldn't have been further off the mark.

 

In fact, The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle is a inventive pastiche true enough,  but it's no laughing matter. Mostly. I must say Miller did a very credible job at capturing the well-known and oft-imitated cadence of Dr. John Watson as demonstrated in all the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle yarns.  Miller does mix into that well-established style comic touches, especially his use of similes and metaphors. one humorous scene featured actual American actor William Gillette. Known for his portrayal as Holmes in the London theatre  (it was Gillette, not Conan Doyle, who gave Holmes the trademark of wearing a deerstalker hat), Gillette plays Holmes in a scene where Holmes bemusedly looks on and Watson is surprised to see the real and fictional detectives together in the same living room with Henry Higgins.      

 

Throughout, Miller shows a very detailed knowledge of the historical milieu when the Victorian era was giving way to the Edwardian period when motor cars were replacing hansom cabs. There's a strong tone of danger as Holmes and Watson try to find out just how Eliza Doolittle had been so transformed. Was she in fact a continental princess taking on a secret identity to avoid assassination? Had the original Eliza Doolittle been replaced by a doppelganger? Or had something sinister happened to completely transform a flower girl into a proper English lady beyond phonetic tutoring?

 

Along the way, we don't just see Holmes and Watson being inserted into Henry Higgins cantankerous environment where we might expect Rex Harrison breaking into song.  Not for the first time in the Holmes canon, we see the transformative formula of Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter ego Edward Hyde, sort of, becoming a major thread of the complex plot. Because of that plot line, we have many dark and bloody scenes.

 

In short, The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittle is full of surprises and no shortage of twists and turns in the multi-layered plot.  The book has a rich vitality with it's inclusion of many tones and in-depth characterizations and vivid descriptions. In addition, there are many passages, notably the fast-paced chase scenes, that show a strong influence of more recent high-octane screen versions of Holmes adventures. 

 

You don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes aficionado to enjoy The Strange Case of Eliza Doolittlealthough Doyle fans will get to see many references to events and characters from the Holmes canon updated into a sort of sequel to the original stories.  So, on many levels, the novel is a lot of fun. I enjoyed this book more than      many  a title I've read of late. A perfect diversion from the weird world of 2020.

 

 MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

 

 Dr. Wesley Britton is the author ofThe Beta Earth Chronicles and a regular reviewer BookPleasures.com and #TheNewBookReview. Learn more about him here: 

 

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 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

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Mary Treadwell Review A Five-Star Cozy Mystery

Title: A Place With A Past

Author: Marlene Ratledge Buchanan 

ISBN:  978-1950308224

ASIN: B08CCLSKCM

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Reviewed by  Mary Treadwell 

5 star

Reviewed by Mary Treadwell originally for Amazon, Goodreads, and IndieAuthorBookReviews

Some secrets stay dead and buried. Some come back to haunt you.

Patty was mourning the death of her beloved Great Aunt Belle, or “Ring a Ding, as she called her. As the only living family member, she became the heir to the family farm and the surprising contents. Patty never expected to inherit two ghosts, and family secrets that had long been buried. In a town where everyone knows everything about their neighbors, murder, moonshine, and mystery threatens her happiness with William. Will Patty and William be able to solve the mystery and put the spirits to rest or will Clarisse and Morton drive them away? This cozy mystery will have you thinking twice about opening closed doors.

Southern Humorist, Marlene Ratledge Buchanan debuts her cozy mystery, A Place With A Past. The story, set in her beloved South, has mystery, romance, and her trademark humor. It’s a great book to grab a glass of sweet tea and escape with.  I look forward to more books by this gem of an author. 

About the Author:

Southern Humorist, Marlene Ratledge Buchanan has been entertaining readers with her observations about life through her column, Hey Y'all, published in the Gwinnett Citizen. The subject matter for her columns primarily center around life events she has experienced, but no topic  or any person is off limits. After 34 Years in public education she retired and a few years later began writing for the local newspaper. 

Marlene lives with her husband of over 40 years and her adult son on a little patch of heaven outside of Atlanta. You can often find her on the bush hog or accidentally losing a rubber boot in the pond.  Marlene loves history, jewelry, antiques and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. One thing you won’t find her doing is cooking. Her husband and son are quite happy about that. 

 You can connect with Marlene on her FB page @marleneratledgebuchanan

Or her website. https://www.msratwrites.com/about

  

Her books are available at the following retailers

The Southern Pen Bookshop, Scribbler’s Web  and on Amazon

About the Reviewer

Mary Treadwell like most book lovers began her love for books at an early age.  She devoured all the books in her school library that interested her by the 6th grade. Her accomplishment gained her permission to check books from the high school library.

She has put two successful careers behind her as a Social Worker and 911 Communication Officer and returned to her true passions: books., cooking, and being a savvy shopper.  

Mary lives in Metro Atlanta with her husband of over 30 years and her two rescue pups. When not enjoying the four children and three grandchildren, Mary and her husband love to travel. In her spare time she runs Creative Indie Author Services and helps her longtime friend with her bookshop that carries only indie authors. She is also the co-host of Between The Pages Live with The Southern Pen Bookshop.  She also reviews only indie authors on her website Indie Author Book Reviews.

Follow Mary on FB https://www.facebook.com/indieauthorbookreviews, Twitter https://twitter.com/author_reviews, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/indieauthorbookreviews/and her website  https://indieauthorbookreviews.com/

MORE ABOUT BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!

 Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing