Audiobook Review: Trailridge (Guy Hogan Mystery, #1) by Kevin Wolf

Trailridge by Kevin Wolf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Suspense, action, betrayal, and murder!

Trailridge, the first novel in Kevin Wolf's Guy Hogan Mystery series, is a suspenseful, action-filled tale of betrayal and murder. Guy Hogan, a recent widower, is living a quiet life in Colorado near Rocky Mountain National Park, occupying his time flyfishing, guiding the occasional tourist to optimal fishing spots, and teaching some the finer points of the sport.

One day, while in pursuit of a prize catch, he is surprised by the appearance of a young woman on the opposite bank of the river, apparently in search of an emergency spot to relieve herself. As he starts to make himself known, she screams and points at something in the water out of Guy's line of sight: the body of a dead man floating face-first in the water. After notifying law enforcement, Guy finds that some details of Willa Stanford's story about her presence in Colorado don't add up, and he is later surprised to see her at a bar in town with another woman who has strikingly similar physical features.

In the meantime, there has been a spate of bull elk found butchered, their antlers removed, in the national park. Guy had discovered carcasses during his hikes, and while his ranger friends had a good idea who was behind the slaughter, the complexity and breadth of the current activities hinted at something much more organized than the usual suspects were capable of. On the day following his discovery of the dead man, Hogan finds himself the target of an unseen sniper, and he decides to dig deeper into both cases.

Guy Hogan is an engaging older man with grown children, and he is a very sympathetic main character. Still grieving the recent loss of his wife, Jenny, to cancer a scant ten months earlier, he is slowly rebuilding his life without her. He most enjoys spending time in the national park, indulging his passion for fly fishing. He's kept himself active, which is helpful when the bad guys come after him. He's like a Timex watch, "Takes a licking and keeps on ticking."

Willow Stanford, her latest alias, is shocked but not surprised when she discovers her mother is involved in the death of the man she found in the river or in the highly lucrative and illegal elk antler smuggling operation; there's a lot of money at stake. Not only that, but her mother's late husband, a candidate for political office and an environmental supporter, stood in the way of her latest caper.

The action is fast-paced from the start, but even that kicks up a notch or more with an exciting and dangerous car chase sequence along Trailridge Road, the highest paved road in the U.S., and a breakneck flight on foot down the side of a mountain away from men with guns in the midst of a coming storm. While readers are clued in to the identities of the perpetrators, the suspense lies in whether Guy and Willow can escape and stop the men from doing more harm to the wildlife and beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park.

This audiobook edition is narrated by Greg O'Donahue, who delivers a fluid, flawless performance with a distinctive range of voices for the different characters. I believed the vocal pattern and intonation he developed for Hogan to sound like those of an older man, whether in pain, on the run from his pursuers, or finally relaxing beside his favorite fishing hole. I noted no unusual pronunciations, and the audiobook's production quality was excellent.

I recommend TRAILRIDGE to those who enjoy action-packed mysteries set in the great outdoors, flyfishing, and Colorado.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a provided copy through RABT Book Tours and PR.

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Book Review: Murder Under Redwood Moon (Murder, Tea, & Crystals Trilogy, #1) by Sherri L. Dodd

Murder Under Redwood Moon by Sherri L. Dodd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Magical and suspenseful!

Murder Under Redwood Moon is the first novel in author Sherri L. Dodd's cozy paranormal mystery trilogy, Murder, Tea, and Crystals, and is an exciting introduction to the magical and suspenseful story of Arista Kelly, a young witch just coming into her powers – powers passed down in her family from generation to generation and coveted by a close family member.

After the loss of her parents as a child, Arista was taken in by her father's aunt, Bethie, and taught about herbs, crystals, nature, spells, and natural magic to prepare her for the day when her own powers would manifest. She grew up in the quiet mountain town of Boulder Creek, with lifelong friends who still reside nearby. But when one of her friends from middle school disappears and is later found murdered, and then other young women Arista knows are also targeted, she and her aunt protect themselves the best way Bethie knows. Still, Arista may have attracted a serial killer's attention.

Arista, the main character, is a positive personality, always looking on the bright side and giving people the benefit of the doubt. From the start, you know she is about to come face to face with the dark side of humanity, including that which resides within her own flesh and blood.

From its unnerving opening, a literal parent's nightmare, the suspense builds. But while maintaining this tension, the author must handle the heavy lifting of creating the world in which these characters exist, and the complex, multi-layered plot unfolds. Dodd quickly populates a small town and Arista's past and current relationships, and that is a lot of information to take in. But along with vivid, living, breathing imagery, I think she pulls it off and gives readers a solid sense of the place and the people who live there. But even as the world-building unfolds, the plot moves briskly, and I found myself really engaging with Arista and the story, staying up late to reach the exciting resolution.

I recommend MURDER UNDER REDWOOD MOON to readers of paranormal cozy mysteries.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through WOW! Women On Writing Book Tours.

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