Mysteries Galore.com

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

Michael Cantella seems to have it all. He is very successful manager/broker at one of the largest investment firms in the world. Everything seems to start falling apart and Michael seems to be caught in a nightmare with no end.

It all starts when his wife, Ivy, disappears on their honeymoon. She is later declared dead.

Several years later, Michael now has another wife and is still successful until the eve of his thirty-fifth birthday. He had a seven-figure portfolio and checked on it often through the computer. When he checked the portfolio this time, he could not believe what he saw – a balance of zero. Apparently, a transaction was made and his assets were transferred to an offshore account. Everything pointed to Michael. The transaction was done on his personal computer with his password. This was all done while he was attending a birthday party his wife planned for him. How could this have happened? How could Michael prove he did not transfer the money? Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Michael Knight is a young lawyer in a large firm arguing a motion before Judge Amos Bradley. Rumor has it that Judge Bradley is destined to be the next African American justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. When Judge Bradley calls Knight into his chambers and announces that he wants Knight to defend his son in a criminal matter, Knight is shocked. He is even more shocked to discover the criminal matter is a murder charge.

A senior partner in Knight’s firm is Lex Devlin. Once one of the foremost criminal defense attorneys in Boston, Devlin has withdrawn from defense work in recent years. Judge Bradley is hoping that Devlin can assist Knight in the defense. Devlin was once accused of jury tampering although it was never proven. This is the reason that Devlin quit handling criminal defense. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Lauren Walsh thinks that nothing can be worse than what she is living through since her husband left her for another woman. Her children are going through a very bad time and Lauren is trying her best to keep her family together and reasonably happy. However, when her youngest daughter, Sadie, loses Fred a nightmare begins.

When Lauren’s ex-husband goes to the Lost & Found department, picks up a stuffed toy that he thinks is Fred, and takes it home to Sadie he has unknowingly placed his daughter, himself and the entire family at risk. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Teri Davis

Lake Warren has an uncanny sense of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. First, her husband becomes distant and then wants a divorce. Now, he wants full custody of their two children. Is this the best time to be attracted to another man? Well, Dr. Keaton is attractive, attentive, and a fertility doctor. Who will find out?

This one-night-stand is romantic and exciting for Lake. She awakens to find out that she fell asleep on the penthouse terrace. However, when she awakens and reenters the apartment, she discovers that the doctor is dead. His throat was slashed. In a panic, she grabs her coat, clothes, and frantically leaves. Now, how do you contact the police without admitting that you were at the apartment?

Lake is conflicted by missing her children who are at camp and feeling the need to check on them. She also is uncomfortable about her soon to be ex-husband. Why does he need to keep getting things from her apartment? Is there a new woman in his life?

Lake works as a marketing consultant for a fertility clinic. Lake’s job is to discover better ways to promote this clinic. What makes this clinic special? The more Lake learns about the clinic, the more she becomes suspicious that something is not right. Was the doctor killed because of something at the clinic? Why does there seem to be an undercurrent of secrecy?

Her only outlet to relax is Molly, Lake’s friend. Without the kids around and just work, Lake feels the need to reach out to Molly. However, Molly doesn’t seem to be available when Lake has free time. What’s going on? Molly is usually available. Why the change? Molly doesn’t admit to having a new boyfriend, but she is really pushing Lake to find a special man.

Now someone is following Lake. Who is this? Why? Is this because of the divorce, the murder, or the clinic, or something else?

The action in HUSH is non-stop. This is a fast-read that easily could be read in a night. You can’t put the book down once you are inside this story. The characters and action are believable. You truly feel that you are Lake Warren.

Kate White is the editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine and has worked with other magazines such as Glamour, Child, Working Woman, and Redbook. She lives in New York City with her two children and her husband. She was written WHY GOOD GIRLS DON’T GET AHEAD BUT GUTSY GIRLS DO, 9 SECRETS OF WOMEN WHO GET EVERYTHING THEY WANT, and YOU ON TOP in the nonfiction category. In fiction she has written IF LOOKS COULD KILL, A BODY TO DIE FOR, “TIL DEATH DO US PART, OVER HER DEAD BODY, and LETHALLY BLOND.

This is not recommended for recently divorced single-mothers. If you want to read a good, fast-paced mystery, read HUSH.

Reviewed by Douglas R. Cobb

Murder, mesmerism, opium, and mystery - what do these things have to do with the life of one of the all-time best novelists, Charles Dickens? As it turns out, quite a lot, at least if you believe the account of one of his best friends, Wilkie Collins, the first-person narrator of Dan Simmons’s vast and sweeping novel, Drood. The problem is, Wilkie is an unreliable narrator, in that besides admiring his friend, he was also a competitor with him, and he was jealous of Dickens’s greater fame and success, much as Soleri was jealous of Mozart. Also, Collins was a long time sufferer from what he termed “rheumatical gout,” (though a doctor later informs him might be a bad case of a venereal disease) and took prodigious amounts of laudanum to deal with the pain and continue with his writing career. This is ironic, as he looked down on those who smoked opium in the numerable opium dens that existed during the era he and Dickens lived, yet he imbibed what was basically a liquid form of opium, and finally also becomes a habitue of opium dens. He experiences hallucinations sometimes, seeing either a hideous woman with a greenish pallor to her skin, or sometimes his own doppleganger, who tries to complete his novels for him.

The title for Drood comes from Dickens’s final, unfinished work, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. I am a fan of Charles Dickens, though I confess I have only read Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, and The Pickwick Papers by him, and not many of the other novels and short stories Simmons’s book refers to, such as David Copperfield, Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby, Dombey and Son, and Our Mutual Friend. I would like to remedy this some day, especially as Wilkie Collins - the author of several best- selling books and renowned plays of his day, which now most people have for the most part forgotten - compares the quality of Our Mutual Friend to the comedies of Shakespeare. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

The Freedom Project is a charity group whose main purpose is to help clear wrongfully convicted prisoners.

Casey Jordan has always worked to help the people who did not have much. She is made an offer by billionaire founder of the Freedom Project, Robert Graham. He offered her one million dollars annually to use in her legal clinic. All she had to do in return was handle a couple of cases for him each year. Casey could turn down this offer – the money would mean so much to be able to help people.

Casey’s first case is to investigate the case of Dwayne Hubbard, a black man, convicted of the rape and murder of a college student many years ago. Dwayne is serving a life sentence for this crime. Casey figured this case would be easy because of DNA evidence.

As Casey digs deeper into the case, she starts to receive death threats and much resistance. Why? She is shocked when she discovers more and more about what happened in the original case and is now in the middle of trying to exonerate Dwayne and protect her own life.

Is Casey able to exonerate Dwane before someone gets to her?

False Convictions gets more and more exciting with the turn of each page. There are many twists and turns that keep the story going at a good pace. Tim Green has written a thriller with an ending that will not disappoint. As always, the author has created well-developed characters. The story will keep you guessing – just when you think you know what is going to happen, the opposite occurs. Tim Green fans will enjoy False Convictions.

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

When Cassandra Follows, best-selling author, decides to investigate a mystery involving a childhood friend she discovers that things are not always as they seem and that memories sometimes are not exactly as they really happened.

 Cassandra hears a news story about a missing baby and the reporter links the story to a similar incident years ago in Baltimore, Cassandra’s hometown.  A woman named Calliope Jenkins served seven years in jail for contempt of court.  Calliope refused to answer questions as to the whereabouts of her son.  Authorities assumed the child was dead but could not prove it and Calliope was not talking.  Cassandra realizes that Calliope is one of the girls that she attended school with and decides that Calliope will be the subject of her next book.

When Cassandra returns to Baltimore and tries to investigate, she runs up against a dead end every place she turns.  Her former friends either do not want to talk to her or are upset with her about references to them in her previous book.  Calliope’s present location is either unknown or no one is willing to reveal it to Cassandra.

Cassandra starts her own investigation and eventually not only finds Calliope and the story behind the story but also finds out a few truths about her own life.  Life Sentences is a complicated book that goes back and forth between the present and the past.  Cassandra’s investigations lead her to understand the relationships with her mother, father and stepmother revealed in her memoirs were not actually the facts.

 Life Sentences is an intriguing book that kept me reading.  If you pick up Life Sentences to read and expect to find a traditional Laura Lippman novel, you will be very much surprised.

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

If you like suspense mixed with a good deal of humor, you will be in for a treat when you read this book.

Charles “Shake” Bouchon is released from prison after serving time for grand theft auto. He wants to change his life and follow his dream to one day own a restaurant. His last few days at the prison are filled with action and he is trying his best to be on good behavior. It doesn’t take long for him to find trouble again. Shake runs into his former boss, Alexandria, who wants to hire him to run an “errand” for her. He didn’t have to think too long about what to do because he wanted the money for the restaurant – just one more job and he will be able to do just that.

Shake is totally shocked when he discovers the “delivery” errand he is about to make for Alexandria. Does he decide to go ahead and complete this job or go against Alexandra?

When I first sat down to begin reading Gutshot Straight, I thought this would be one of those run–of-the-mill crime capers like many others. Talk about one getting a wrong first impression! This is one of the best books I have read. I really looked forward to reading each chapter to see what was going to happen next. Gutshot Straight is full of interesting, unique and memorable characters and the reader gets taken on many adventures throughout the story that will take them from Las Vegas to Panama. Shake is a very believable character who tries his best to go straight but something always gets in his way. This is a well-written book with many quirky characters, suspense, comedy, and plenty of bad guys. Gutshot Straight is highly recommended by this reviewer.

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

A killer who calls himself “The Teacher” is on a rampage.  He kills in broad daylight in front of witnesses but somehow manages to escape.   Detective Michael Bennett of the New York City Police Department is puzzled but determined to catch the killer.

“The Teacher” has an agenda but exactly what that is or how he picks his victims is something that Detective Bennett has a hard time figuring out.  The killer strikes and moves on to the next victim.  There are eye witnesses but the descriptions of the killer vary from one crime scene to the next.

Detective Bennett is a widower with ten children.  The children are currently suffering from a bout of stomach flu.  Bennett alternates between chasing the killer and trying to cope with the trials of ten sick children.

There is excitement between the pages of “Run For Your Life” but overall came off as unbelievable.  This is the second installment in the Michael Bennett series. 

 Disclosure in Accordance with FTC Guidelines 16 CFR Part 255

Reviewed by Nancy Eaton

Faith and her family are spending the holidays at their cottage in Sanpere Island in Maine.  Her husband, Reverend Thomas Fairchild, is recuperating from surgery.  The couple really looked forward to this time in Sanpere Island because it was not too often they got to spend some family time together.  What a place to be for the holidays.  There were plenty of enjoyable winter sports to keep them busy.

It did not take long for this nice, relaxing holiday to turn into something frightening.  On a trip to the Sanpere Historical Society, Faith discovers a body in an antique sleigh that is decorated for the Christmas holidays.  The victim, Norah, was a teen drug addict.  What happened to the young girl?  Did she die of a drug overdose?  Was she murdered?

Things do not get dull as a local resident, Mary Bethany, who raises goats, finds a newborn baby in a manger in her barn on Christmas Eve.  There was a note asking her to take care of the baby.  A large amount of cash was left with the baby also.  How did the baby get there?  Is there any relation to the body found in the sleigh?

Mary asks Faith to help her find the identity of the baby’s mother.  What they discover is more than they imagined. 

Katherine Hall Page has won several awards for her cozy mysteries.  The Body in the Sleigh is one of her best to date.  This storyline has more of a deeper plot compared to your normal cozy mystery.  It’s one that will keep you reading late into the night to find out what will happen next.  Also, there are some really “yummy” recipes at the end of the book. 

A copy of this book was supplied to the reviewer by the publisher.