Tropical Delusions……

It’s a beautiful Saturday in Painters Mill, Ohio and Police Chief Kate Burkholder is out enjoying the morning as she plans to pick up a handcrafted gift for her significant other. Before she can do so, she responds to a call to defuse an argument, then is summoned to police headquarters as she has visitors.  Upon her arrival, she sees three Amish elders awaiting her. As they exchange introductions, she learns they have traveled from Belleville, Pennsylvania in hopes of gaining some assistance. 

As the group settles in into her office, they explain that skeletal remains of a body were found in a field that was being plowed. The remains were determined to be that of an Amish bishop, Ananias Stoltzfus, who disappeared 18 years ago – and he had been shot. Near the remains, a muzzleloader was found, belonging to one of their people – Jonas Bowman – who was subsequently arrested and jailed for the crime.  The Elders have come to ask for Kate’s assistance in proving his innocence. As the reader is quick to learn, Kate and Jonas shared a special friendship in their teen years – before Jonas’ family moved away. 

As Kate heads to Pennsylvania to assist and old friend, she reminisces about her childhood memories with Jonas and the reader is given gradual glimpses into the complexity of their relationship within the confines of the Amish lifestyle.  Once she arrives, she meets with Jonas in jail to gain his side of the story.  He describes a contentious relationship all those years ago, between Ananias and his father, that had once split the community in two. He also admits to having words with the Bishop back then, culminating in vandalism to his property. Then two months later, Ananias disappeared, never to be heard from again – until his remains were found in that field. 

As Kate settles in and meets with the not-so-forthcoming police department, the victim’s family, and Jonas’ wife, she finds more questions than answers, along with a strong belief that Jonas is not capable of the crime and is being framed. As she continues to investigate, she suddenly finds herself fending off an attacker in the dead of night in her hotel room who nearly kills her before telling her to leave town. Now she knows for certain that Jonas is innocent, and she’ll do whatever it takes to free him and find the real killer…. 

This was my first Kate Burkholder novel and I was delighted to learn that this is the newest of a long running series! (If you’ve ever read my other reviews, you’ll know that there’s nothing I love more!) This novel also provided a fascinating glimpse into some inner workings of an Amish society and their lifestyle – all artfully wrapped into an engaging and intriguing who-dun-it! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

It is early summer in Vermont, and Mercy Carr is preparing herself, both mentally and physically, for her grandmothers wedding at the lavish Lady’s Slipper Inn, in just four short days.  With Mercy’s mother Grace acting as the matron of honor, Mercy herself is trying to act as a go-between for her mother and grandmother in attempts to have everything run smoothly.  Now, with her mother coming up the driveway, Mercy can only cringe and wonder what the problem is now. 

As she quickly learns, the director of the resort’s Spa, Bodhi St. George has gone missing, and Grace wants Mercy and Elvis, her retired military trained shepherd, to go and find him. To appease her mother, and perhaps her own curiosity, Mercy agrees to go and assess the situation. 

Upon her arrival, a cursory check of his Spa and office yields no clues. A look at his living quarters, however, and a chat with his landlord, have Mercy intrigued. Even more so when Elvis alerts, and Mercy finds a lockbox for a weapon, and finds the gun is gone. Then Elvis alerts to a body buried under the straw in a goat barn – and things just got a whole lot more complicated

As the murder investigation heats up, the wedding guests begin to arrive, and thankfully, so does Mercy’s boyfriend, Vermont State Game Warden Troy Warner along with his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear. Together Mercy & Troy work to solve this murder, keep peace in two families with simmering feuds, find the missing Yogi and protect Mercy’s eccentric family who insist that the show must go on at all costs…

I absolutely love this series and the Mercy & Elvis duo.  When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was a bit surprised – they have had some stellar adventures together, but…a wedding? I needn’t have worried – it was vintage Mercy, with plenty of suspense, action, conflict, humor, romance (I LOVED the chapter header quotes!) and a wonderfully surprising ending!  I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Mercy and Elvis!  This series belongs right at the top of your must-read list!  

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

It’s a seemingly normal afternoon as 6^th grader Isabella Farner packs up her school gear in preparation from the bike ride home across the park. As she begins pedaling away, friend and neighbor Quinn Braddock, a 7^th grader, catches up to her and asks her to a party at his house after their respective soccer games next weekend.  Izzy barely has the chance to say yes when a jogger comes sprinting their way, ski mask on his face, knocking both kids down before he scoops up Izzy and runs to a van tossing her inside and fleeing the scene. Quinn, wind knocked out of him, does the only thing he knows to do. He frantically calls his Dad, Manchester Bay Detective Will Braddock. 

Retired FBI Special Agent Tori Hunter is setting up her home office when she gets the call from Will regarding the abduction of Isabella. As the FBI’s Child Abduction expert before her retirement, she is now a special consultant to Shepard County law enforcement agencies, and Will’s significant other. Immediately heading to the scene, she finds a tearful Quinn, and learns all she can from him and his friends, before heading to Isabella’s home to interview her parents. The question – was this a random abduction, or was Isabella targeted? 

As Will & Tori speak with Isabella’s family, there seem to be no red flags, nothing to indicate a kidnapping for ransom. Isabella’s mother is a well-respected pediatrician in the community, and her father is a trustworthy financial advisor.  Neither can think of anyone who would want to do them harm.  But everything the eyewitnesses are able to tell them seem to indicate that Isabella was targeted – but by who? 

As Will & Tori dig deeper, they learn of parallels with two other cases in the general vicinity – instances where children were abducted, never to be found. A suspect was identified in those cases, but there was never any proof.  As Tori looks to him once more as a possible perpetrator, he again has an ironclad alibi. Meanwhile, Izzy’s family receives a ransom demand with proof of life – and a warning not to involve the police, or else…

Another fantastic read from Mr. Stelljes!  I just love this series, and the Mac McRyan series is every bit as good!! While each book is great as a standalone, the character and relationship developments as the stories build are important too – I was wondering how Tori was going to manage retirement when she’s such a driven investigator – I needn’t have worried!  I cant wait to see where this series goes next! Great read! Great series!! I promise!! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

In sleepy Sandy Lake, Minnesota, two teenaged kids break into a home looking for prescription drugs, only to be taken completely by surprise when the homeowner, an obese elderly man, catches them in the act – he’s clutching a double-barreled shotgun, which he fires…twice…

It is acting Sheriff Ben Packards’ day off, although he’s already had to put down a nuisance bear, when he receives a call from his cousin, Susan. Ben learns that his niece, Jenny, seems to have disappeared. Upon further questioning, he learns that Jenny, a Type 1 Diabetic, was last seen last evening, doing her homework in her room.  When Susan went to wake her for school, she wasn’t there.  As she has been caught sneaking out before to see her boyfriend Jesse, Ben & Susan aren’t terribly worried at first. But as time goes by and there’s no trace of or communication from either teen, that changes rapidly.  

As Ben mulls over where Jenny and Jesse may be, he heads out on a complaint call – part of an ongoing conflict between a flamboyantly gay middle-aged male, Gary and his older, very straight-laced Christian neighbor, Cora. (These two characters and their exploits provide some laugh-out-loud hilarity for readers!).  Upon negotiating a truce, sort of, Ben visits Gary’s rescue kennel, and for the first time since his dog’s recent death, considers adopting another.  A hint of Ben’s backstory becomes evident here and will be explained to the reader throughout the story. 

Emmett Burr is an older resident who lives on the outskirts of town, who pops narcotics like candy for his chronic pain and is glad to have finally caught the kids who have been stealing his drugs.  But nothing has helped much today after he pulled something trying to move the Jesse’s body out of his basement, while stashing a seriously injured Jenny in his ‘pink room’ – a hidden area of his basement he built years ago. As he waits for his meds to finally provide some relief, and his buddy Carl to arrive and help him clean up, he reminisces about the first girl he kidnapped, all those years ago… 

As the days go by, Ben and his team begin digging deeper into the kid’s backgrounds and learn that Jesse was peddling pills around the local high school. As the story slowly comes to light, and the police get an idea of where the kids may have been going, their search expands.  As a result, Emmett is getting desperate to be rid of the evidence, and again calls on Carl for help, with the two hatching out a macabre plan.  But in return, Carl wants Jenny… 

This book was AWESOME!!  I was plain sucked in from the first paragraph and could not put this book down!!  Ben’s character is very well-developed, likeable, and all around interesting. Ancillary characters are equally engaging with very colorful personalities. As the reader learns about Ben and what brought him back to Sandy Lake, it becomes clear that there’s more to his story that’s yet to be told…so I am fervently hoping that we’ll be seeing much more of Ben and these fascinating townsfolk sooner rather than later!!  I can’t say enough about this novel – just a fantastic read!! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an objective review.  Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!