Review: Someone Missing from Malapais Mountain (The Accidental Detective #4) by Kris Bock

 

It’s hard to walk away from the truth when you need a cane…

Former international war correspondent Kate Tessler had to trade her illustrious journalism career for her childhood bedroom after a brush with death almost took her leg. But when the editor of a local newspaper asks for her help, Kate is drawn back into her old world. A journalist covering a sprawling story of political corruption may have uncovered explosive new evidence, but she was run off the road in a hit-and-run accident. Gabriella, Kate’s mentee, has been injured and can only communicate by blinking yes or no to questions. Meanwhile, another reporter is missing.

The editor is short-staffed, with no one experienced enough to handle something this dangerous. Kate can never give up on the search for truth, so with her trusty senior sidekicks and new PI partner—her sister, Jen—Kate takes the case. Can a fifty-year-old journalist still recovering from a war injury survive the dangers of the Arizona desert long enough to catch a killer?

 

My Review:

An exciting mystery.

Journalist, Kate Tessler, is back living at her father’s house in Arizona while recovering from an injury she suffered in the Middle East.  After an investigation at the nursing home, where her mother resides, she has found herself becoming a bit of a detective.   Kate and her sister are once again hot on the trail of solving a crime.  This time it’s a journalist who is seriously injured after a car runs her off the road.  Her passenger is missing. 

I always enjoy reading about Kate and her team of family and friends who work together to solve crimes. They might not always play by the rules, but they can solve the crimes just as good as the police.  Even though this book, and the series, is a bit on the serious side with the nature of the crimes, you can still find lots of fun banter and witty dialogue in the stories.   

 

Review: Four Hidden Treasures (The Secrets of Hartwell Book 1) by H L Marsay

Welcome to Hartwell, an English village full of cobbled streets, ancient curses, and buried secrets.

Reeling from the last few years of uncertainty, the villagers of Hartwell are adjusting to their new normal. When two new women separately move to town, they attract local attention and quickly realise Hartwell isn’t as sleepy as it appears.

Lady Lucy Hanley is beautiful, friendly, and struggling to preserve crumbling Hartwell Hall for her son as rumours circulate about her husband’s disappearance. Rachel Foxton feels trapped. She’s lived in Hartwell all her life and is exhausted from teaching during the pandemic, grieving her father, worrying about her mother, and battling heartache. Dr. Meera Kumar has always been the good girl, but as her sham marriage unravels, she seeks a fresh start for herself and her young son. And former London detective Jo Ormond has been transferred to Hartwell in disgrace. With her career in tatters, a quiet village in Yorkshire where everyone knows your business is the last place she wants to be.

Secrets run through this close-knit community like a loose thread—with just one tug, everything can unravel. As the women’s friendship grows, and a body is discovered, will the secrets of Hartwell bring them all closer together or tear them apart?

 

My Review:

An amazing start of a new series.

Secrets, curses and rumors are part of life in Hartwell.  But in the center of it all, are the great friendships formed between the four main characters in this book, even though they all are a little bit different from each other.  I enjoyed seeing the new friendships start as well as the old friendships go through changes and end up stronger.  These women are there for each other no matter what happens.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next to see what happens next.

Review: A Soft Place to Fall (Stories from the Ridge Book 1) by Liz Flaherty

 

Early McGrath doesn't want freedom from her thirty-year marriage to Nash, but when it's forced upon her, she does the only thing she knows to do - she goes home to the Ridge to reinvent herself.
Only what is someone who's spent her life taking care of other people supposed to do when no one needs her anymore? Even as the threads of her life unravel, she finds new ones - reconnecting with the church of her childhood, building the quilt shop that has been a long-time dream, and forging a new friendship with her former husband.
The definition of freedom changes when it's combined with faith, and through it all perhaps Early and Nash can find a Soft Place to Fall.

 

My Review:

Learning to love again. 

Early and Nash have divorced after being married thirty years.  Their children are grown and on their own and they have somehow forgotten what their marriage meant to them.  Early decides to return to her hometown and reunites with her old friends and starts a new life for herself.  But she never forgets the love she once shared with Nash.  Nash has moved on too, but when he needs someone the most, he still turns to Early.  The love Early and Nash once had is still there.  They just need to find their way back to each other.

This is a powerful Christian story filled with love and hope and a family that is always there when you need them.  I found this to be one of those books that will stay with you a long time after reading it.  I would recommend it to anyone who loves a nice feel-good story with a happy ending.