Sins of the Father

Detective Nathan Parker, #4

by

James L’Etoile

A threat from Parker’s past teams up with a dangerous new foe.

Sins of the Father is the fourth book in author James L’Etoile’s gripping Detective Nathan Parker series, and pits the canny lawman against a merciless new foe: a seemingly all-knowing and unstoppable criminal organization that even has the Mexican cartels on defense. While investigating a corpse found at a desert crossroads by a vanload of Boy Scouts and their leaders, Detective Sergeant Nathan Parker of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office inadvertently gets involved in a federal Joint Terrorism Task Force operation. After being arm-twisted into working with them, he suddenly finds himself on his own and back in charge of the case when the task force is discovered to be compromised and Red Dawn, the very organization they’re hunting, abducts their loose cannon of a group leader. 

What a great story! The complex plot is full of surprising twists and turns that reach several years back to the murder of Nathan’s former partner, Josh McMillan. His coworker and close friend died in Nathan’s arms, and it has taken him a lot of time and professional help to begin to cope with the emotional trauma. When another detective is critically wounded while working with him on this new case, Nathan quickly realizes he and the man’s partner, Barry Johns, are emotionally vulnerable and should seek out support as soon as they are able. The secondary plot about the experiences of the wounded detective and his wife, forever waiting in the hospital, was so accurately portrayed that it was almost difficult to read. 

The activities of Red Dawn drew in a perplexing cross-section of Phoenix’s society. Multi-millionaires running foundations, rich college students chasing a good time, immigrants minding their own business, and even Nathan’s old friend and Miguel’s boss, the former coyote, Billie Carson, appear to have nothing in common at first, but connections slowly come to light as Nathan and his team follow the clues. Nathan is smart, persistent, and persuasive, putting together a cohesive team that includes both his former and current girlfriends, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Lynnette Finch and Deputy Linda Hunt. 

The relationship between Nathan and Linda continues to deepen, progressing to the point where she and Leon are considering moving in with him and Miguel. Their love for each other and their sons is strong, both having overcome baggage from their pasts. This case definitely puts their connection to the test. In addition, I really loved seeing how Nathan’s relationship with his adopted son, Miguel, has normalized to a natural father-son feeling, and they’ve developed a solid family unit. 

With its strong personal storyline and complex criminal investigation, I recommend SINS OF THE FATHER to readers of mysteries and thrillers, especially those who enjoy a good police procedural with an emotional personal story.

 I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

The Spirit of Vanderlaan

Samantha Hayes, #1

by

Susan Harris Howell

A fun, quirky start to a warm, non-traditional new mystery series.

The Spirit of Vanderlaan is the first book in author Susan Harris Howell’s new mystery series featuring the nurturing university psychology professor, Dr. Samantha Hayes. In this first adventure, supernatural experiences on campus involving her and her students, including some more than coincidental room assignments and a death linked to the professor’s past, have them puzzled. This was a perfect kick-back, relax, and enjoy book for the end of my day, and I found the story warm, nostalgic, and completely engaging. 

Samantha Hayes is a delight, and she is absolutely surrounded by outstanding supporting characters, especially her cadre of teaching assistants and the small knot of students who are regulars in her classes and during her office hours. I enjoyed the easy camaraderie that developed between Samantha and her students and was reminded of my college days with the fun and thoughtful mentors and friends I met while in school. I had to laugh at an incident early in the book where Samantha had to adjust a disgruntled and privileged student’s demands for service! I really look forward to seeing more of this crew. 

I recommend THE SPIRIT OF VANDERLAAN to readers of cozy paranormal tales. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Grandma Yogini

by

Raven Howell

Illustrated by Alexander Santos

This talented grandma is full of surprises!

Grandma Yogini is a new children’s picture book by Raven Howell and illustrated by Alexander Santos and would be a perfect story for grandma to share with her young grandchildren. Visits from your grandmother are always a special time, but Meredith and Henry’s grandma is extra special and full of surprises! 

While their friends’ grandmothers all have their specialties, for example, Anthony’s grandmother bakes cookies, Henry and Meredith’s grandmother is unlike all the others. Even though she’s white-haired, the older woman surprises the kids right from the start by arriving on her bright red motorbike. Grandma is lively and vibrant, her personality brought to life by the vivid drawings of Alexander Santos. Grandma delights her grandchildren and their friends with enthusiastic attention and by introducing them to her practice of yoga. Grandma is a yogini, another name for a yogi or practitioner of yoga. She engages their imaginations with some simple yoga poses that mimic creatures familiar to the children, such as a butterfly, cat, and even a kangaroo. 

With its clean, clear illustrations and engaging story, I recommend GRANDMA YOGINI to young-at-heart grandmothers for sharing with their young grandchildren. 

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

To Condemn a Witch

Tales of the Witchborn, #1

by

Lisa A. Traugott

A gripping but grim tale of witches pursued by evil men in search of wealth and power.

To Condemn a Witch, although the second book published in author Lisa A. Traugott’s gripping Tales of the Witchborn series, is chronologically a prequel to last year’s To Rescue a Witch. This complex novel tells the backstories of many of the main characters of the earlier book, most specifically that of Eleanor, the Scottish orphan who went from the workhouse to the arms of a handsome married nobleman to banishment and a difficult life in the Virginia colony. Due to the complex nature of the plot, this proves to be a massive undertaking. While sounding like a romantic cautionary tale of historical fiction, the story takes a different, darker, and much more intriguing path, combining the political power gaming of rich nobles with the presence of witches and witchcraft. 

For the most part, all the main characters are surprisingly unlikable creatures. Eleanor, while a tragic figure on the one hand, is immature and manipulative on the other. Her paramour, Lord George Hallewell, who has also risen from the ashes of family tragedy, is weak, needy, disloyal, and greedy, while his wife, Lady Margaret Hallewell, is grasping, greedy, bored, and cruel. William MacLeod, the Scottish laird and attorney I so wanted to be the steadfast hero of the piece, while a strong figure, is a “fixer” for the noble privileged and often resorts to violent means to achieve his ends. His loving marriage to Fiona, a natural witch, is laced with neglect, arrogance, and mixed signals as he backslides on the promises he made her at their handfasting. Fiona is inconsistent in her willingness to stand up to William at times and keeps secrets from him that she shouldn’t. Fiona’s Aunt Matilda is a doubly intriguing character, burned at the stake as a witch 20 years earlier than the events in the book, appears as a ghost, and only during the local fire festivals, when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. A bitter, drunk of a woman when alive, her mood hasn’t improved over the course of her half-life as it is, stuck between the physical world and the realm of the “Otherworld.” Still, she’s entertaining during her quick appearances, especially when she leaps from the ethereal to a physical presence when she occupies the body of Fiona’s poor, confused cat, Pooka. While these people may sound like terrible individuals (and some are), they are a delight when compared to the story’s villains: the aforementioned Lady Hallewell, Elspeth, Matilda’s former friend and coven sister, and the vicious witch hunter named Lord Blackmere. 

Set in Kirkhaven, Scotland, and London, England, in the early 1700s, the author crafts such descriptive and realistic backdrops for the events of the story that I felt I was there. From the glittering ballrooms of the Ton to rural Scotland’s villages and manor homes to rat-infested alleyways and hovels in London or the harsh wilderness of the Virginia colony, Traugott paints living, breathing pictures of what conditions were like 300 years ago. Of course, the time period, with its vast discrepancies between classes and genders, also informs the attitudes and, therefore, many of the actions, of the main characters. The lives of the poor and working classes, and all women, held little value for the ruling class of white noblemen, so many of the characters are treated as disposable or property. 

While the main characters may have low charisma scores, their stories were engaging, and I wanted to know how things resolved. However, some aspects of the characters’ histories were only hinted at for so long before they were revealed, and I began to feel like I’d missed a prequel to the prequel. Another issue that bothered me was the depiction of three-year-old Broderick MacLeod. While I realize children were expected to grow up much quicker then, I still felt Broderick seemed a couple of years more developed in his thinking, skills, and especially William’s treatment of him. 

TO CONDEMN A WITCH fills in or expands on much of the previously untold pasts of the characters in the series debut. I recommend it for readers who enjoy a gritty historical fantasy featuring tales of political power seeking, witches, and witchcraft. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Literary Life Book Campaigns.

Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage

by

Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran

A family reunion turns sour when there’s a murder backstage.

Murder, She Wrote: Murder Backstage is the 58^th book in the popular Murder, She Wrote cozy mystery series based on the long-running television series of the same name. When Jessica and her Cabot Cove friends, Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Sheriff Mort Metzger, and his wife, Maureen, travel to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to meet up with Jessica’s cousin, actress Emma Macgill, they are anticipating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the men’s childhood film idol, Derek Braverman, whom Emma is preparing to co-star with in his final musical revue before retiring. However, instead of a warm family reunion and a special visit with the star, they have a close encounter with death when a member of the company is found murdered backstage. 

As on the television show, Jessica can’t escape murder, even while on vacation and with family and friends. She, Emma, and the folks from Cabot Cove are pulled into the investigation, especially when they witness suspicious behavior by some of the theatre staff. Jessica, in her usual manner, is blunt and persistent in her pursuit of answers and uncovers secrets in places the police never thought to look, while Seth and Mort realize that it’s often best never to meet your idols. I was stumped on the who and why until the final reveal, but there were plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing one possible suspect and another. 

I recommend MURDER, SHE WROTE: MURDER BACKSTAGE to cozy mystery readers, especially fans of the book and television series. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.