Under Vixens Mere

by

Kit Fielding

The gripping tale of the intertwining lives of the members of a unique floating community.

Under Vixens Mere is a compelling, mystery-tinged novel by Kit Fielding about the lives of the residents of a unique community of wide-beam boat and barge-dwellers moored in the marina of Vixens Mere near the village of Broome. Portrayed over several years, the story reveals the surprising origins of the close interconnectedness between the permanent residents and those who come and go with the seasons. Once I started, I couldn’t put this book down. 

The storylines feature the permanent, temporary, and seasonal inhabitant who lives on their barges or boats in Vixens Mere marina: a free-spirited but aging hippie couple and their late-life son, a drug dealer who inherited his barge and berth from his father, a severely wounded ward veteran and his full-time carer-wife, a laborer at a local pig farm, a new arrival looking to start over after the breakup of her long-standing relationship, and a handsome Scotsman who arrives looking much the same as he did when he last came to stay fifteen years earlier. Each resident brings an intriguing backstory, all of which is interwoven with the others to create a captivating whole in the present. Tragic secrets bind the quirky community together, and they continue to come together to offer support and share their burdens. 

Each character is endearing in their own unique way, and I would be hard-pressed to select a single favorite, as I was quickly and intimately drawn into all of their lives. Big Ed and Milly the Mystic anchor the community, and though well up in age, remain an earthy, lusty, and loving couple. However, they mask their relationship behind a screen of constant bickering and clever banter. Newbie Lorrie Smith is disillusioned after her breakup with her long-time partner, Petra, but is determined to start afresh after getting back in healthy physical shape, and I rooted for her personal transformation from the start. Drug dealer Jed Rawlins shows a softer nature when he takes in Anna, who’s on the run from a really bad situation. Karen Jones, full-time caregiver to her husband Harry, is at the breaking point and plays a pivotal role in many of the others’ stories. Not only is Harry’s condition rapidly deteriorating, but she’s carrying a load of guilt and regret, which is compounded by the arrival of a figure from the past. 

The plot unfolds from multiple perspectives and an unusual shift in point of view as the individual storylines are established and converge. While most of the narrative is expressed in the third person, Brodie Stewart’s story is delivered in the second person. He enters the tale blissfully unaware of the permanent impact his actions fifteen years earlier have had on the current situation in the floating community. Similarly, Harry Jones has no idea of the collateral consequences of his final actions, believing the results will only be positive. Every resident on the mere has long-held secrets, and even the water itself hides a few. 

I recommend UNDER VIXENS MERE to readers of contemporary fiction, mystery, and drama. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

Reap the Wind

by

Joel Burcat

Riveting road trip during a massive and unexpected hurricane-force storm.

Reap the Wind is the new climate-fiction road trip thriller by veteran author Joel Burcat, and from its edge-of-your-seat opening to the final pages, the suspense never lets up. This book made me stay up half the night just to find out what was going to happen, and it was worth it! 

Although the road trip from Houston involves three people, the story focuses on the young couple, Josh Goldberg and Keisha Jones, who are expecting a baby sometime in the next six weeks. They love each other and are fun and sweet together; their anxiety is palpable when apart. Both have reservations about their futures, and their tense situations have them thinking and rethinking their actions. Josh is an environmental attorney who feels like a sell-out working for his large corporate clients, who are the antithesis of all he believes. While he fights through the massive storm, he also struggles with his ethical dilemma. Along for the ride is a senior associate coworker, Geoff Roberts, and Josh’s selfish and manipulative boss, Diane Scanlon, a villain who is easy to despise. Keisha, confined to the hospital in Florence, has time on her hands for reflection as well, and that includes thinking about Dr. Anthony Sudor, her ex-boyfriend who just happens to be the attending OB/GYN at St. Elizabeth’s. 

Coincidentally, the initial stage of Josh’s drive from Houston was certainly déjà vu for me. I drive to Houston along parts of his route a couple of times a year, and one leg of the trip is ALWAYS through a major storm, without fail. (It has become a joke with my family.) While the storms are not in the same league as this fictional one (except for that one time outrunning an actual hurricane), the trip becomes exponentially longer and more difficult with the smaller highways, winding terrain, and tall, encroaching treelines, all contributing to the experience. Throw in an unfamiliar vehicle (my husband’s pickup rather than my daily driver), and I could absolutely relate. And, yes, there are some odd little towns along the way should you have to make a stop. 

I was definitely on the edge of my seat and actively guessing the whole time as to how the story would work out. I was not disappointed. This is the first book by this author I’ve read, and I will check out his Mike Jacobs series as soon as I have the chance. 

I recommend REAP THE WIND to readers who enjoy exciting climate-related thrillers, stories featuring attorney protagonists, and tense road trip tales. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

Crime Writer

by

Vinnie Hansen

A twisty plot with an atmospheric feel, I felt as though I was being watched.

Crime Writer is a thrilling new novel by author Vinnie Hansen, and the more I read, the more I could sense the emotions of the main character, and I almost felt as though I was being watched. When a patrol officer is gunned down while making a routine traffic stop, the ride-along in his car, a local mystery writer, becomes the only witness and a loose end for the killer. 

Author Zoey Kozinski has hit an inspirational snag in her latest novel. She is on a ride-along with the local police to help get her creative juices flowing again and develop her fictional main character, a cop she’s tentatively named Stan. In her notes, Stan sees his partner shot down before he, too, is hit. Those notes, left in the car when her escort, Officer Stan Austin, was murdered, naturally caught the attention of investigators. Suddenly, she’s under the scrutiny of the police while being hunted by the murderer. 

Set in a small coastal California town, Zoey quickly begins to feel like a sitting duck, especially in her off-the-beaten-path tiny home, perched on the edge of a friend’s possibly-illegal marijuana fields. The story gets dark and down to business immediately, with the murder of the officer occurring early in the story. The action unfolds from multiple points of view, keeping the suspense building and the tension high. Zoey slowly succumbs to the stress, which is exacerbated by the arrival of her mother, and you could feel the pressure radiating off the page. As the police question her role in the shooting, there is also the presence of Jimmy Patak to consider. Was he just a Good Samaritan who stopped at the scene that night, or something much more sinister? A difficult aspect of the story was the reaction of Officer Austin’s widow, who claimed that Zoey’s presence in the car as a ride-along had presented a distraction that led to her husband’s death. It falls to Zoey herself to investigate and clear her name, while still trying to stay out of the sight of the real killer. 

I recommend CRIME WRITER to readers of thrillers, suspense, and mysteries. 

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

Irresistible Calling

by

Sean Mitchell

Warm and engaging, Sean Mitchell shares his fascinating life during interesting times.

Sean Mitchell’s new memoir, IRRESISTIBLE CALLING, is a warm and engaging look into the author’s life and times, as well as a nostalgic journey through the early 1960s up to the present. This author’s immersive storytelling brings to life his experiences as a young adult growing up during some of this country’s more interesting times and his successful and circuitous career as a journalist. 

Sean is a contemporary who grew up in nearby Dallas, Texas, and he writes about many relatable memories (to me) of that place and time. Readers familiar with the area will recognize and enjoy reminiscing about many iconic locations, institutions, events, names, and faces. I enjoyed the fascinating tidbits of history, but especially his insider's views on things that were part of my own memories. 

Though coming from an unusually progressive family (for this area), Sean’s college experiences at Brown in Providence, Rhode Island, opened his life up to different viewpoints that would impact and prepare him for his future career as an insightful and fair journalist writing about the cultural landscape of the country, including literature, music, theater, and, eventually, filmmaking. His experiences as a newspaperman and, later, as he turned his efforts to scriptwriting were fascinating. Throughout his story, I loved how he always remained close to his parents and actively encouraged and supported their artistic endeavors. 

Mitchell’s life story is told with charm and infectious enthusiasm, and I recommend IRRESISTIBLE CALLING to readers of memoirs and biographies. 

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Crime Quiz: Cruising for Clues

by

T.J. Stanley

Fun, cozy mystery set on a crime writing themed cruise.

Crime Quiz: Cruising for Clues by T.J. Stanley is a fun who-dun-it set on a five-day mystery-writing-themed voyage from Sydney to Hobart and back. Inspired by an actual occurrence, the deaths of five passengers onboard a cruise ship overnight, the story features the events before and after the discovery of the fictional deceased during a major at sea. 

The story focuses on a small party of passengers, who, with the exception of one mother-son couple, are complete strangers to one another at the start of their voyage. But as the cruise’s crime writers conference gets underway, their participation in the offered activities brings them together with unexpected results. By the time of the storm, the ill-fated five are all connected to this one group. 

While told mainly from the viewpoint of the newly-unemployed cleric and aspiring author, Reverend Thomas Martin, other characters also get their moments in the spotlight. Interesting secondary storylines develop, and readers get to know the characters who will soon become possible suspects in a bold shipboard crime. The author packs a lot of story in this lively novella-length mystery. I enjoyed the book’s unique and unexpected resolution, as well as the mentions of mysteries and their authors that arose during the passengers’ excursion to literary-connected locations in Hobart. 

I recommend CRIME QUIZ to readers of cozy mysteries, especially those who enjoy stories set on cruise ships or in Australia or Tasmania. 

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