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Women's Fiction
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Publication Date: January 6, 2025
Page count: 261 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
At her fiftieth birthday party, Tess Thomason, a plain-Jane, divorced mother and decidedly unprepared women’s newspaper columnist, is blindsided by her well-meaning family with a stack of gift cards she interprets as meaning she’s fat, frumpy, and wrinkled. Facing a lonely future and failing career, Tess embarks on a journey of self-discovery, taking her readers along for the ride. But her resolve is nearly derailed by a hilarious season of family chaos that includes a surprise pregnancy, rushed wedding, and unexpected houseguests. In the midst of it all, Tess is drawn into a confusing new relationship with a man who is impossibly perfect for her. But if she can keep herself, her family, and her willpower firmly seated on the crazy roller coaster of her life, maybe Tess will find her own self-worth and a new love in the bargain.
“Tess, Tess, I’m not expecting you to write like Sylvia. I’m not even expecting you to write about fashion. What I have in mind is a column to women, for women, about women. Real women. Like one of those influencers on the Internet. You know…funny, wise, poignant, and… relevant.”
The creeping dread, now fully formed, tossed a grenade into my stomach. She might as well have asked me to write like Shakespeare. “You want me to be funny, wise, poignant, and…relevant? Are you insane?”
Okay, I may have stepped over the line with that last bit, because Ruth’s face twisted a little in the ominous way I had seen so often just before she pounded her fist on the desk. “Just write the damn thing, Tess. I don’t care if you’re funny, wise, poignant, or what was the other thing?”
“Relevant,” I murmured.
“Relevant, for God’s sake. Just do it. I need a column for the women’s page starting next week, and you’re it. Write about what you know. Family. Food. The laundry. You’ve got family. You’ve got laundry. It’ll be a cinch.”
“But—”
“No buts. Just do it. It’ll be good for you. You need to get out of your rut.” She turned her attention to her computer screen.
As if in a trance, I rose from the chair and turned to leave. “Oh, Tess?” she said without looking at me.
“Yes?” Maybe she’s changed her mind; she saw my outfit, and she changed her mind.
“Happy birthday.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cindy Causey taught herself to type in the 8th grade because she couldn't write in her diary fast enough in longhand. A degree and career in advertising were the result. A fifteen-year stint as a copy chief at JCPenney Catalog led to the position of Internet Marketing Manager for JCPenney.com.
After 20 years at JCPenney, Cindy retired in December, 2007, and began working full time with her husband Scott in their multi-media production company, Dallas Media Center. They specialized in audio/video production and editing, vintage media transfer to DVD and CD, as well as website design and hosting. Cindy shuttered the company in 2021, three years after Scott passed away.
After her first book, a non-fiction work called Cherish the Gift: a Congregational Guide to Earth Stewardship, was published, Cindy began writing fiction. She found her voice in romance, the stories of the struggles two people endure on the road to happily ever-after. Her debut novel, A Different Drum was published in May 2009 by The Wild Rose Press, followed by A Hot Time in Texas that same year.
In early 2025, her latest novel, Sensible Shoes, a humorous look at a woman struggling with life after 50, was published by The Wild Rose Press. It will be followed in late 2025 by a romantic suspense novel entitled Saving Samantha.
Cindy makes her home in Dallas, Texas. In addition to writing, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her 5 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She would like to see the edges of the entire world from the deck of a cruise ship.
Award-winning author of the Annalisse series, Marlene M. Bell, brings distant friends together in the rural South only to have one of them become the victim of a brutal crime of passion.
Once celebrated for her show-stopping pastries and irresistible desserts, former celebrity chef Laura Harris is now making headlines for a far darker reason.
Laura has been accused of murder.
How could this petite chef have brutally smothered the beloved small-town matriarch, World War II ferry pilot veteran, Hattie Stenburg? Hattie wasn't just a pillar of the community; she was Laura's confidant and mentor. The shocking twist? Hattie’s will contained recent changes, bypassing next-of kin and leaving her entire fortune and historic estate to Laura.
As Laura scrambles to clear her name, she uncovers sinister secrets lurking beneath the town’s idyllic surface. The real murderer is always one step ahead, leaving taunting clues and threatening Laura to leave Texas—or face deadly consequences. With time not a luxury, Laura must untangle the web of deceit before the killer makes her the next victim.
In A Hush at Midnight, Marlene M. Bell twists an amateur sleuth crime mystery into a race against the clock to solve her mentor's murder.
Marlene
M. Bell is an award-winning author of the
Annalisse romantic suspense series. She’s also an acclaimed artist and
photographer using her pictures for descriptive prose that eventually lands in
her mysteries. Marlene lives with her husband of 42 years on their East Texas
ranch with numerous sheep. When she’s not writing, drawing or painting, she is
shepherdess to their Katahdin hair sheep and ranch kitties.
An action-packed post-apocalyptic tale where danger comes from every direction!
After the Darkness is a riveting new post-apocalyptic tale featuring terrifying, seemingly indestructible aliens and the desperate human survivors of a city. Society quickly collapsed with the coming of The Drifters, aliens that feasted on the human inhabitants of the planet. The handfuls of survivors huddled together in small groups to maximize their resources while they scrounged the remnants of their broken city for critical leftovers from the past and avoid detection by the predatory invaders. Izzy and her dog Shadow work together as a team, locating and retrieving useful and necessary supplies for their camp situated on the town’s outskirts. But when a roving band of lawless scavengers arrives, making the abandoned local prison their base of operations and claiming the entirety of the city as their territory, Izzy discovers the real threat to their survival may not be The Drifters but her fellow human beings.
Wow! This story is one exciting sequence of events after another from start to finish. The action kicks off on page one with Izzy’s capture by the evil leader of The Reavers, followed by an attack from the alien Drifters, and things never let up from there. The plot is tense as one threat after another presents itself, and Izzy, Shadow, her friend Matt, and a surprise benefactor work to overcome insurmountable odds. The author makes their successes believable and their losses shocking and heartbreaking. A horrifying twist is that victims of The Drifters can be infected, resurrected, and used to lead the aliens back to their former compatriots’ hiding places, where they help exterminate all those they encounter.
Izzy, the heroine of the story, is initially relegated to less vital roles in her hidden community when the head of their camp dismisses her skills and potential value. Still, she perseveres and proves herself more than capable over and over. As if the day-to-day, hand-to-mouth existence of the camp isn’t dire enough, the kidnapping of one of their members sparks a chain of events that pits them against the evil Reavers entrenched behind sturdy prison walls. Not only does this amp up the suspense, but it forces Izzy to face all the fears Hawk embodies.
This author’s writing just keeps getting better and better. The plot is well-paced, and the storylines are tight and focused. The settings are vivid and easy to visualize, putting the readers right in the scene with the characters. I highly recommend AFTER THE DARKNESS to readers who enjoy thrilling post-apocalyptic tales of action, adventure, and suspense.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.
Erotic Horror Publisher: G & G Publishing Publication Date: October 11, 2024 Page count: 100 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
A
sexually open-minded couple, Lester and Val, have recently moved into a stylish
yet eerie apartment building.
Val's
curiosity is piqued when she starts to receive unusual messages and requests
from an anonymous messenger.
Lester
is also cautiously intrigued, as Val starts to fulfill the requests.
A
suspected sex club soon becomes media headlines when a former member
disappears, and the club is reported to have vacated its last premises.
As
the messages persist, Lester and Val start to question whether the anonymous
messenger is connected to the clandestine club mentioned in the media, and if
there is any link between him or the club and the odd newcomers in the
apartment next door.
Val looked at the man again. He was definitely not a real
estate agent. He was thick bodied; his muscles shaping the suit. Gold rings
gripped his thick fingers. He soon found the right key and the trio let
themselves into the apartment. Val stepped back from the peephole. They weren’t
strange looking necessarily; it was just that something about them seemed off.
The young girl looked frightened.
are they my new neighbours
where is the agent
they do lend the key sometimes
has the apartment already sold
Val sat at the
kitchen table. Felt ripples of excitement. They were an attractive trio.
very attractive
mysterious
Her head raced with the possibilities of having the group as
neighbours.
who are they
it's as if they came out of the walls
The young girl seemed submissive. Thin. Lithe. The older
woman had a fuller frame. She strode down the hallway with authority.
Definitely seemed to be the man’s lover. He wasn’t handsome, but his presence
was strong. Purposeful. Val was sure he would put the women to work. The
excitement of those images let off stabs in her stomach. Visualizations upon
visualization. She soon cast herself into the scenarios.
when did i start thinking like this
is lester responsible
am i
She felt the walls watching her. She felt the presence of
something again. It. It. That man. Again. Even though he was standing in the
darkness, she could clearly see his silhouette. He was there.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gregory
Pakis is an Australian author, film-maker, actor and wacky vlogger.
He
has written the short story, The Lonely Australian of the Asian Night; the soon
to be released horror-suspense novellas, The Regressor and He., and Memoir of a
Suburban Hoe-Bo, which is partly an account of when he lived out of a van for
ten years in Melbourne.
Gregory
Pakis is also the writer / director of the feature films, The Garth Method
(2005) and The Joe Manifesto (2013), which have won national and international
awards and been distributed through Accent Entertainment, Label, Vanguard
Cinema.
Gregory's
more informal video projects are the feature documentaries, Garth Goes
Hitch-Hiking (2007) and Garth Lives in a Van (2011) which have screened at film
festivals in Australia.
More
recently, he has created the comedy series, suBURPieS and his Wacky Vlog which
can found on his socials.
Gregory
has been featured in articles in newspapers, The Age, The Herald Sun, Beat
Magazine, Inpress, FILMINK, and the Neos Kosmos. He has been interviewed on
radio by the ABC, 3RRR, SYN FM, 3CR.
This waking nightmare of erotic horror delivers as promised!
He. is a short erotic horror novel by Gregory Pakis
featuring married couple Val and Lester, who have recently moved into a new apartment
building and begun attending a series of swingers parties held in a private
home nearby. Although they have yet to join in the “play” there, they are
intrigued but just not comfortable or titillated enough to participate yet. But
then, Val receives a cryptic cellphone text directing her to a particular spot
in their apartment’s garden, where she discovers a note with a single-word
command on it: “Initiate.”
The narrative is mostly from Val’s perspective. It allows
the reader access to her intimate thoughts of curiosity, confusion, and desire
as she follows later messages and experiences several dream-like sexual experiences
at the hands of the seductive mystery man who sent them. As she leans into the
pleasures he provides, she yearns for his approval of her reactions to his ministrations,
all with the support of her husband Lester, who is slowly edged out of the
action and into a spectator’s role. Adding to the mystery is a detective looking
into the disappearance of a young man, who is somehow linked to a local underground
sex club called “Stealth X,” which Val believes has relocated to the apartment
next door to her and Lester.
The story is definitely adult material (NSFW), the action is
vividly and graphically portrayed, and the demarcation line separating Val’s
reality and dream life quickly disintegrates. The denouement is tense, and it
is immediately followed by an ending that left much unexplained. I was left wanting a better understanding of what happened. Trigger warnings for all of the sexual situations and
body horror.
I recommend HE. to readers of erotic horror.
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The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
Lyla and Jack seemed to have it all. A picture-perfect marriage, thriving careers, and a future brimming with promise. Lyla, an ambitious District Attorney, earned accolades in Virginia Beach, while Jack, the town’s steadfast sheriff, stood as her most powerful ally. Their close bond with the Davidsons—Riya, a celebrated author, and Brent, a cunning defense attorney—added a touch of warmth to their seemingly idyllic lives.
But perfection is often a mirage.
The illusion shatters when Brent Davidson is found savagely murdered at Lyla and Jack’s remote cabin. Suspicion immediately falls on Lyla, the last person to see him alive. The once-solid foundation of her life begins to crumble as whispers of guilt grow louder, threatening to destroy everything she holds dear.
Removed from the investigation due to his connection to the suspect, Jack is forced to watch helplessly as the case is handed to Detective Aiden. Aiden is a relentless investigator with a personal vendetta against both Jack and Lyla. He is determined to see Lyla behind bars, no matter what the cost.
When the body of Lyla’s stepfather—missing for fifteen years—is discovered, the investigation takes an even darker turn.
Lyla is entangled in a web of lies, betrayals, and deadly secrets as her past collides violently with her present. With mounting evidence tying her to not one but two murders, she faces the terrifying possibility that she may never clear her name. Paranoia takes root, and Lyla and Jack begin questioning everyone, even each other.
Is this the work of a bitter adversary from Lyla’s courtroom victories? Or is the actual threat lurking much closer—someone they once trusted implicitly, now bent on tearing their world apart? With her career, marriage, and freedom at stake, Lyla must race against time to untangle the twisted threads of deceit and unmask the real killer before it's too late.
How well do we truly know anyone?
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers, Suspense, Womens Fiction Published by: Indie Scheduled Publication Date: March 21, 2025 Number of Pages: 269
Author Bio:
Shelly M. Patel enjoys writing mystery books. Her first Children's book, Jake has Dyslexia, entered the Reader's Choice award in 2021. In 2023, she won second place in CloutBooks for the Reader's Choice Award for her novel When Secrets Kill. She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband, three beautiful children, and their dog, Teddy
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Deadly When Disturbed follows the journey of leading Realtor and philanthropist Dara Banks. When Dara searches for an assistant, finding someone as resourceful as Meryl “Merry” Rafter seems too good to be true. So good in fact, she neglects to run a reference check. Bad move. Before she knows it, Merry, a former “actress” trying to be “helpful,” has insinuated herself into Dara’s business, family, and charity, and may be the only person saving her from prison. Dara becomes suspicious and begins snooping into Merry’s past. Feeling cornered, Merry reciprocates by launching an investigation of her own and realizes—too late—that she may have picked the wrong mark to con. These women’s unsettling discoveries, and their desperate efforts to safeguard their skeleton-filled closets and fragile self-images, lead to an explosive confrontation certain to destroy the lives of everyone in their midst.
Praise for Deadly When Disturbed:
"Two women. Friends? Hardly. They’re both after the same thing. And as the stakes get higher, the mind games get uglier, until—well, I’m not going to give away the killer ending. D. M. Barr’s latest domestic thriller is a total rush. It’s like being back with Betty and Veronica all over again—only this ain’t high school, and these women (like the title says) are DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED." ~ Marshall Karp, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of the NYPD RED series
"Who’s the hunter and who’s the hunted in this taut domestic thriller? Don’t even try to guess. Just relax, enjoy, and hang on as DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED takes you on a wild ride." ~ Brad Parks, international bestselling author of THE BOUNDARIES WE CROSS.
"Tense, well-written, and surprising—Liane Moriarty meets Gillian Flynn by way of John Lutz in D.M. Barr's latest domestic thriller, DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED. Gaslighting and suburban intrigue abound in this carefully crafted tale, guaranteed to keep you in suspense all the way to the final chapter. Put this one at the top of your to-be-read pile!" ~ Richard Helms, Thriller, Macavity, and Shamus Awards winning author of 22 RUE MONTPARNASSE.
"DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED is a superb dark thriller that offers a brilliantly written bizarro take on the classic All About Eve. Shifts in reality and twists of the plot keep the reader on edge until the stunning and unexpected climax. Fasten your seatbelt and hang on. It's a great ride." ~ S. Lee Manning, award-winning author of TROJAN HORSE, NERVE ATTACK, BLOODY SOIL, and DEADLY CHOICE.
"DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED by D.M. Barr is a clever psychological thriller reminiscent of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, updated for today's culture and with a superior narrative.… With a steady and increasingly intense pace, [it] is a hypnotic read of insanity and wretchedness that will stay with you long after the last page." ~ Gaius Konstantine for Readers’ Favorite
Deadly When Disturbed Trailer:
Book Details:
Genre: Domestic Suspense, Domestic Thriller Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: January 2025 Number of Pages: 310 Book Links:Amazon | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Prologue
She stood at her dining room table and calmly fingered through the cardboard box, double-checking that the paperwork was in chronological order. Even now, no one could accuse Samantha Ellingsworth of being anything but organized and precise. For nearly forty years, it had been both a gift and a curse.
First the letters from Harry, professing his incendiary ardor during their abbreviated law school courtship. The GIA certificate for the diamond, his glittering promise of passion extending through eternity. The deed to their Upper West side condo. A copy of her resignation from Davis & Milliken, where she’d been on the fast track to partner. The birth certificates for her daughter, dated a year later, and the surprise twins, ten years after that.
Next, the children’s coveted acceptance letters from Harrison—Manhattan’s most elite private pre-school and elementary—followed by every one of the glowing report cards she’d worked with them so diligently to earn. Campaign flyers she’d created for Harry’s run for state senate. Her passport opened to the page containing the stamp from that fateful trip to Aruba. The letters she’d written, refuting everything he’d accused her of as lies—all unopened and marked “Return to Sender.” The prescription for Prozac, unfilled, as if any pharmaceutical could rescue her from this pit of depression. Finally, the divorce papers she’d received a few weeks ago, still unsigned.
A lifetime of aspirations, misunderstandings, and betrayals, all encapsulated in a pile of paper less than an inch thick. She affixed the cover to the box and took a long, wistful look at the “perfect” apartment they’d been so ecstatic about buying, beating out several competing bids thanks to the lingering cachet of the Ellingsworth name and its clout in political circles. Confident that the condo was spotless, with everything in its place, Samantha slowly donned her hooded sheepskin coat, grabbed the box, and headed out.
The elevator operator nodded as she entered, but Gloria from the floor above murmured a curt hello and diverted her gaze as they descended from the seventh floor. Samantha had grown used to the frostiness over the past few weeks. Did the other tenants fear it was catching, that they too might be abandoned by their spouse and children, their lives reduced to rubble, if they inched too close? Whatever.
She trudged southbound through the early morning wintery mix; package still cradled to her chest like a newborn. Frigid raindrops grazed her eyelashes before cascading downward and stinging her cheeks as she passed the signs in Zabars’ windows, reminding patrons to purchase their Thanksgiving turkeys. The holiday was only days away. The irony did not escape her.
Shivering as much from the weather as from what lay ahead, she descended the subway staircase at 72nd Street, pushing against the throngs headed toward the sidewalk. She had someplace to go too and nothing—not crowds nor apprehension—was going to delay her.
Today was the day, a chance to have her say. Finally, she’d make him understand.
Samantha ran her MetroCard through the turnstile and headed toward the stairway leading to the uptown train. She positioned herself as close as possible to the opening of the tunnel and stood by the edge of the platform, resummoning her fleeting courage as the crowds swelled behind her. Commuters too involved with their phones to notice the determined woman beside them whose breathing had quickened and whose face had grown hot. She hugged the box even tighter to her fidgeting body and waited. And waited.
A collective sigh arose from the crowd as the loudspeaker announced that the next train was going out of service and wouldn’t be stopping. She saw the light in the distance and heard the clunk-de-clunk and whirl—a deafening gale descending onto the tracks, drowning out the murmur of the passengers. Her ride to the most important meeting of her life. And it was the number 2 train. How appropriate. Just like her, relegated from number one.
Timing was everything, the oncoming gleam only yards away. She tightened her grasp on what was left of her world, recalling the face of the bitch who’d laughed as she’d stolen it all away. Then she took one last breath and jumped onto the tracks.
***
Excerpt from Deadly When Disturbed by DM Barr. Copyright 2025 by DM Barr. Reproduced with permission from DM Barr. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Dawn M. Barclay is an award-winning author who writes psychological and romantic suspense as D.M. Barr and non-fiction under her own name.
Her eight other published books include Expired Listings, Murder Worth the Weight, and Saving Grace: A Psychological Thriller. Along with Deadly When Disturbed, in February LBB will also publish the first of her multi-volume series, Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover's Travel Guide.
Dawn recently completed her second stint co-editing a Sisters in Crime NY/Tri-state anthology. New York State of Crime, published by Down & Out Books in the fall of 2024, which includes her third published short story, "Orchestral Removals in the Dark." She is currently editing an anthology of crime fiction for Down & Out Books inspired by the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Dawn offers developmental and copy editing through SuggestedDevelopment.com, and ghostwrites personal histories and corporate profiles through LegacyQuest.net. A member of ITW, she has served as president of Hudson Valley Scribes, vice president of Sisters in Crime-NY (still a board member), and the newsletter author/board member of the NY chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Desperate for help, super-realtor Dara Banks impulsively
hires Merry Rafter to fill the position of her assistant, even though there’s
just something “off” about the woman and her slim resume. What with her disabled
husband sinking deeper and deeper into depression since his accident, a teenage
stepson withdrawing from the family and leaning more toward undesirable
companions, and a young stepdaughter with autism, Dara has her hands full; she’s
stressed and certainly doesn’t have time to vet the woman’s past. But happily, Merry
proves to be a quick study, a willing worker, and amazingly resourceful, even
if she tends to sing her own praises a little too much. As she becomes indispensable
at the office, her helpfulness begins to extend to the Banks’s household, with
her winning over each one of the family members with elaborate and studied measures.
When Merry copies Dara’s hairstyle and color and always seems to be taking her
place at events or with clients, Dara realizes Merry’s real goal may be to take
over her entire life.
Deadly When Disturbed is a twisty new domestic
thriller by author D.M. Barr, and it kept me on the edge of my seat from its
shocking opening to its surprising, gasp-inducing resolution. With its clever
characters and cunning, complex plot, this is one heck of a page-turner!
The story unfolds from two points of view, Dara’s and,
eventually, Merry’s, so readers get the inside track on what both of these
women are thinking. From the start, Dara refers to “Celeste,” who is her
psychological inner voice, guardian, and protector, and, at times, the one who
is actually calling the shots. However, Dara was such a sympathetic character that
I tended to forget about “Celeste” until Dara brought her up. Dara stepped into
her marriage with Jason to help him after a work accident damaged his hands beyond
use. She’s also the guiding light for a successful children’s autism non-profit
in honor of her stepdaughter and devotes any free time she has to fundraising
and volunteer work. She’s the top-producing realtor in her area for a good reason,
though, as she’s absolutely ruthless in her dealings with buyers and sellers
alike, with “Celeste” often pulling the strings.
Merry Rafter is an odd character, and Dara is right when she
senses something is “off” with her. She wears designer clothes, but they’re all
either too tight, too short, or too low-cut, and she chooses to accessorize
with gaudy or inappropriate baubles. Merry takes on any task, nothing is too
menial, as she ingratiates her way into Dara’s life. But her background is a little
murky until Dara starts looking into it, already regretful she didn’t do her
due diligence.
The plot is fast-paced and complex, with Merry always
several moves ahead of Dara as she manipulates Dara’s and her family’s
perception of what she’s up to. When Dara begins to question Merry’s motives
and actions, her research into the other woman’s background reveals surprise
after surprise. However, the women have a lot in common, and it is the way they
choose to deal with their pasts that differentiates the two. The story becomes
a race between the two to see who will come out on top.
I recommend DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED to readers of domestic or
psychological thrillers.
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A great start to this cozy mystery series featuring retired science teacher Seffi Wardwell.
A Coastal Corpse is the first book in veteran author Rebecca M. Douglass’s coastal Maine-set cozy Seffi Wardwell Mystery series, which launched in August of 2023. This smart senior sleuth from California is a retired science teacher who has relocated to the village of Smelt Point to recuperate from lingering COVID at the urging of a former student who is now the local police officer. However, rather than finding the rest and comfort of small-town living she anticipated, she finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation and surrounded by the unfriendly and suspicious faces of her new neighbors.
I liked Seffi from the start and sympathized with her physical limitations brought on by her struggles recuperating from COVID. She was so relatable as she encountered the many challenges that the illness had left her with on top of those presented by the aging process. Seffi is 72 years old, however, her mind and attitude are still sharp, clear, and healthy, and she quickly decides to help solve the murder of the town’s pariah – Al Conkin, a local man the residents blamed for a death and injuries that occurred years earlier at his family’s fish plant.
The depiction of life during the pandemic is somewhat unique in that most mysteries seem to avoid the timeframe, choosing to begin their story well after quarantines, masking, and vaccines are history or skip mentioning it entirely. In the story, vaccines have already been made available, but the precautions of that time are still fresh. Seffi’s debilitated physical condition was sad and hard to watch but realistic. The unfriendly attitude of Smelt Point’s residents toward newcomers was appalling, and I hope it was an exaggeration of a reputation for being unwelcoming. While Seffi makes some headway in gaining friends in her new hometown, it isn’t easy, and she herself is reticent to open up and reveal her past life. The plot is compelling, offering complexity and a welcome freshness, despite sounding a bit like a Bizarro episode of Murder, She Wrote.
I highly recommend A COASTAL CORPSE to cozy mystery fans, especially those who would enjoy a Maine setting or LGBT representation.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
Good, traditional-style police procedural to kick off this new mystery series.
Measured Deception is the first book in the Nick Blaine Mystery series by the writing team of Richard E. Kalk and T.A. Pryor, and it is a very good new police procedural-style murder mystery investigation set in 1984 Los Angeles. Sergeant Detective Nice Blaine and his partner, Detective John Phillips, investigate the shooting death of Ainsley Brown, a young gay man, which occurred as he and his roommate parked their car in front of their apartment building. While there were several people on the scene, no one, including the surviving roommate, could give the detectives definitive details of what happened or where or how the murderer fled. However, many of the young man’s friends and family members implicated Ainsley’s self-proclaimed godfather, Rodney Williams, the man who was paying Ainsley’s way through beauty school, as his killer. The accusations and conflicting reports of Rodney’s relationship with Ainsley and the discovery that he is the beneficiary of multiple life insurance policies taken out on the young man’s life raise the detectives’ suspicions, as does his long history of contacts with local law enforcement. But without a shred of concrete evidence that Rodney is behind the murder, all they can do is continue to search for clues.
Sergeant Detective Nick Blaine is an interesting character who is totally focused on his cases but willing to discuss his illustrious career with a reporter who needs a human-interest story. Having lost his wife and only child in a traffic accident a couple of years earlier, he’s at the age where he should be winding down. However, his gut is telling him something is off with this case, and he’s not ready to hang up his shield.
Detective John Phillips is Blaine’s able and capable partner with his own family drama. Estranged from his much-loved and looked-up-to older brother, Stephen, the investigation into the Ainsley Brown murder exposes his parents’ struggles with their eldest son’s sexual orientation and lifestyle choices.
The plot follows the traditional path of an old-school police procedural, with the detectives working every angle in person out in the community. It was an interesting realization that while 1984 doesn’t seem that long ago, it’s actually 40 years, and a lot of technological advances in everyday life have been made, let alone law enforcement, that we take for granted today: no cellphones, no personal computers even. If you wanted to talk to a suspect, you had to catch them at their house or workplace, even for a phone call. Answering machines weren’t even that common. However, dogged persistence and attention to every clue finally pay off for the two detectives, but the resolution doesn’t happen before additional tragedy strikes.
With an interesting and intrepid pair of detectives, reminiscent of Sergeant Joe Friday and Detective Bill Gannon of Dragnet fame, and an engaging style of storytelling, I recommend MEASURED DECEPTION to mystery readers, especially those who enjoy the police procedural sub-genre.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.