Review of, Underbelly, by Karen Crawford

I’m typing this at dawn, when the sun is but a freshly cracked egg peaking above the tree line. Those golden rays are steadily reaching into the shadows hiding among the oaks, maples, and junipers, sweeping away the darkness and mystery of the night.  

Mystery is such a tantalizing facet of life, making it more terrifying and delicious at the same time. This brings me to my latest read. A mystery/thriller by Karen Crawford.

The Gist:

A popular Las Vegas hotel and casino is undergoing a billion-dollar renovation, and a killer is operating in the construction zone. The Square is open for guests, but they are unaware that a predator is lurking below the facade of luxury. One woman’s death will draw attention to the murders and spark an investigation. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department retired detective Taryn Winter, her former partner, Daniel Brady and FBI Special Agent Jenae Shannon are on the trail, risking everything to bring a killer to justice. But their opponent has become obsessed with one of them and is on the hunt. Will they find the killer first or be the next victims?

My Thoughts:

Karen Crawford’s experience working in the Criminal Justice System shines through in this gripping murder mystery. Though the twisty, well-orchestrated plot held me captive, it was the main protagonist that left a positive lasting impression.

Retired Detective Taryn Winter is pulled back into the seedy undercurrent of Las Vegas when her former partner, Detective Daniel Brady, finds himself up against a killer targeting the oppressed. Her strength, skills, and confidence have propelled her to success and enabled her to withstand the rigors of the job for many years. While these are admirable traits, what I applaud most is her refreshing vulnerability and reliance on others.

Taryn isn’t just another carbon copy, buck stops here, gunslinger. She doesn’t blaze through life and death crises with the unflappable demeanor that can cause eye spasms from constant rolling. Those characters have their place, but realism is so appealing. And neither is she a reclusive alcoholic basement dweller, whose diet consists of take-out and canned pasta.

Taryn wrestles with the trauma that comes with the territory, but draws resilience from the unwavering support of her husband and a got your back bond with Daniel.

Taryn’s compassion for the downtrodden has given her great allies on the streets. She’s considered a good cop, winning their trust.  

I recommend this book to those who enjoy a more human take on the world of law enforcement.

Meet Karen:

Karen worked as a probation officer and supervisor for 20 years. During her career, she spent countless hours with criminal offenders, delving into the details that make them tick and gaining insight about human behavior. Her passion and drive for helping people and promoting best practices in criminal justice earned her numerous awards during her tenure, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. Karen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, with a Minor in Psychology, and a Master’s Degree in Justice Management. She has always championed those who serve, and those who are served, in the criminal justice system. Now, she lets her imagination run wild, writing about the other side of the law. Karen lives in Arizona with her husband, dog and cat. 

Review of Protective Instinct, by Joy York

Here we are with February coming to a close in the next week, and the weather’s been bouncing up and down like our dog’s floppy ears during a run. Today we’ve returned to the deep freezer, and that comes as no surprise because this is usually the coldest time of the year.

Yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I volunteered for the, Coldest Night of the Year, fundraiser in support of the homeless. It always does well. We live in a very generous community. 

Right now, I just wanted to share a quick review of my most recent read. But first, let’s get a gist of what this one’s about.

When self-absorbed, international bestselling author Sebastian Bartoli refuses to write the biography of the infamous, mob-connected Maximillian Fontana, the consequences turn deadly.
Sebastian (Bash) Bartoli is an international bestselling crime novelist. Maximillian (Max) Fontana, who is reputed to have ties to organized white-collar crime, has insisted Bash write his biography. Concerned for his safety, Bash’s friend/agent devises an elaborate plan for him to disappear to a secluded location on Guntersville Lake in Alabama. Being accustomed to having his comfortable life managed, Bash is irritated by the inconvenience of having to deal with his own affairs, not to mention the danger it might pose if he is discovered.

Morgan Skylar is a good-natured and unfiltered, southern kindergarten teacher. She is much more comfortable eating potato chips with Cheez Whiz and Louisiana Hot Sauce than champagne and caviar. After the death of her overly protective grandfather (Pops) who raised her in rural Georgia, she takes time off to grieve, ending up in a cottage next door to Bash. When mechanical issues arise, she seeks help from the renter in the main house. Bash is annoyed that his secluded hideout is apparently not so secret. Begrudgingly, he offers her assistance. This is where Morgan and Bash’s worlds collide. When suited, armed men show up at the lake house, Morgan’s trained survival skills take over, and she secures their escape by boat as bullets fly.

Morgan offers to provide a temporary sanctuary to Bash in her Pops’ remote Appalachian cabin. Upon arrival, she discovers a letter from Pops revealing his dangerous past that may now be coming for her. As the unwitting targets of dangerous men, Bash and Morgan fight to stay a step ahead of their pursuers, while seeking answers. Bonds are tested. Trusts are broken. Alliances formed. Agendas hidden.

Just My Thoughts:

Morgan Skylar is the benchmark for unassuming characters. A mild mannered kindergarten teacher who uses the phrase, “Turkey feathers!”, to sum up her feelings for dire situations. But she’s got a secret life. A childhood that any doomsday prepper would be proud of. 

Mix in a pampered best selling author, Bash, who believes a crime boss is out to get him, add a visit from a pair of goons, and watch the wheels spin. Though the story borders on the fantastical at times, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The moments of cheeky banter between Morgan and Bash added spice and filled out their profiles.    

Amidst the action, two constant themes emerge: people are often not what they seem, and sometimes you just have to trust. The writing style is naturally tweaked for the action genre, with one or two-word sentences sprinkled throughout; but not overdone. The protagonists are highly dynamic, seasoned by trials and reliance on each other. 

I recommend this one to those who enjoy an American thriller with a spritz of James Bond.   

Meet Joy:

Joy York grew up in Alabama but has spent much of her adult life in the Midwest, currently living with her husband in Indiana with their two golden doodles, Jake and Bailey. Inspired by a family legacy of oral storytelling, she began creating stories and adventures for her son when he was growing up. With encouragement from family and friends, she began to write them down. Her first book, The Bloody Shoe Affair: A daring and thrilling adventure with the jailer’s daughter, a YA mystery, was published in 2015. Genuine Deceit, an adult suspense novel, is her second book. For more information, visit joyyork.com.

Review of Broken Rhodes, by Kimber Silver

With Christmas in the rearview, I’m using the interlude between Boxing Day and New Years to post my last review of 2023. I hope each of you has been able to spend some quality time with loved ones while finding moments of restful solitude.

So, What’s It All About?

Kinsley Rhodes blows into Harlow, Kansas like a tornado, twisting Sheriff Lincoln James’ life into knots. Her grandfather has been murdered and she wants answers.

As if the town’s first homicide in twenty years wasn’t enough, the beleaguered sheriff now has to deal with Henry Rhodes’ bobcat of a granddaughter, plunging his life deeper into chaos. As a dark storm threatens, long-held secrets are exposed, placing Kinsley directly in harm’s way.

In a race against time, Lincoln’s prime objective is to discover the killer’s identity before Miss Rhodes becomes the next victim…

Just My Thoughts:

Kinsley Rhodes is the embodiment of a conflicted soul. In her youth, the abhorrent cruelty of her peers diverges the course of her life. The once shy, but trusting Kinsley, constructs an emotional safe room, keeping a distance from normal social interactions and relationships. At the outset, her innate characteristics surface in moments of perceived security, but are frequently shelved as real or interpreted threats arise. Towards the end, Kinsley has begun to heal from her trauma, perhaps at a tempo that may not accurately reflect reality. In fairness, I had to keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.      

Returning to Harlow brings her face to face with her tormentors and a dangerous criminal enterprise that stretches far beyond the town limits.

This is compelling tale of ancient grudges, buried family secrets, a healing journey, and the struggle against a psychopathic force that has poisoned a community for too many years.

If you possess an affinity for the underdog, a curiosity for what lies beneath, a taste for mystery, and a fondness of slow burn romance, this is your next read.  

Meet Kimber:

My love of reading began early, cultivated by my grandmother. I cut my teeth on the works of Louis L’Amour. Then my curiosity for other genres blossomed, and I spent any free time I had in the library. The stories took me away from the farm, and the small town I lived in, to a world so vast, that I felt I could achieve anything.

My imagination has always been vivid, and my grandparents encouraged me to write down the stories I regaled them with. I have never felt more alive than when I’m immersed in a new tale, as it takes form.

Visit her website and order your copy:

Kimber Silver

Review of, Warning Signs, by Carol Balawyder

As I gaze out into this cold October morning, my mind goes back to yesterday. Yesterday, was a record breaker for the number of people lining up for breakfast at a community outreach organization I volunteer for. While it’s good to see those in need using the services available to them, it’s a disturbing indicator concerning the state of things.

I’m so thankful for agencies that exist to help, and for those who dedicate their lives to correcting the imbalances in society, while protecting the vulnerable.

This brings me to my latest read. That core belief, correcting imbalances and protecting the vulnerable is a staple when it comes to the main protagonist, Homicide Detective, Darren Van Ray.

What’s it about?

Eugene’s research into his criminal mind is not about the why, but how to prevent his horrific crimes. Angie, a young woman starving for passion sees Eugene as her saviour from a lonely life of caring for her heroin addicted mother. How far is she willing to go in order to save her relationship with Eugene and his promise for a future together? Detective Van Ray is out on a vindictive mission as he attempts to solve the murders of young girls in Youth Protection. Their lives collide in a mixture of mistrust, obsession and ignoring the warning signs. A psychological thriller about human frailty and loneliness.

Just My Thoughts:

I’ve always been fascinated by what actually makes people tick, so to speak. After years of working with the Eugene’s, in a different capacity than Darren, I’ve honestly come no closer to really understanding what drives them to such despicable acts. The traits mentioned in this book do align with what I’ve witnessed. Their outward behaviors are readily observable, but to look into a pair of windowless eyes and discern what’s stirring within their murky depths is a daunting task.

 That being said, Carol’s experience and knowledge shines through in this gripping journey into the mind of a serial killer and the man bent for leather to stop him. The lack of overly graphic violence was appreciated, as I don’t think these scenarios add any value to the story.

As the title foretells, this read is far more about the back room of conscious thought. It’s where the rats scurry around, gnawing away the innocence of childhood dreams and innate needs for love and acceptance. The very things that may create these monsters. And those denizens of darkness do not necessarily produce serial killers. Some are driven to find love and acceptance wherever they can, while others seek meaning by keeping the wolves at bay. It’s Carol’s intriguing presentation of a genre that many choose to fill with the gore of the physical acts themselves that kept me turning those pages.

I highly recommend this book to those who possess a curiosity for human behavior yet prefer a comfortable pace between a mild shiver and a sleepless night.

Introducing Carol:

I hold an undergraduate degree with a major on English Literature and a graduate degree in Criminology. I taught Criminology in Police Technology and Corrections programs in Montreal. My area of expertise was in drug addiction and I worked in a methadone clinic with heroin addicts. I helped set up a writing workshop for women in prison and worked in halfway homes and drug rehab centers.

My short stories have appeared in Room Magazine, The Canadian Anthology of Fiction, Mindful.or, Between the Lines and Carte Blanche. I was awarded an honorary mention for a play submitted to The Canadian Playwright Competition.

I manage a blog where I write about: Women Nobel Prize Winners for Literature, Famous Writers’ Desks, Femmes Fatales, India, Book Reviews and my dog, Bau. http://www.carolbalawyder.com/blog

Review of, The Drowning Kind, by Jennifer McMahon

The weather has taken a breather from melting us into oblivion and brought in some much-needed cooler days. Now, I’m not wanting to boot summer out the door, not by a long shot, but these lower temps are bringing thoughts of Fall. I’m thinking of crisper days spent walking along one of the many woodland trails as I kick up a rainbow of colored leaves. Oh, and those chilly nights, too. Chilly nights and even chillier reads. Oh, speaking of which, here comes one now.

Want to hear more?

Be careful what you wish for.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie’s mental state has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax returns to the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching their family’s and the house’s history. And as Jax dives deeper into that research, she discovers that the land holds a far darker history than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the spring is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

A haunting, twisty, and compulsively readable thrill ride from the author who Chris Bohjalian has dubbed the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson,” The Drowning Kind is a modern-day ghost story that illuminates how the past, though sometimes forgotten, is never really far behind us.

Did this blurb lure out the scaredy-cat in you? Here’s what mine is purring about:

It didn’t keep me up at night, but the next time I jump into dark water I’m going to be a tad more mindful of exactly what might be lurking beneath my toes. McMahon paints a creepy scenario that spans generations, flitting proficiently between two timelines about supernatural occurrences at the same location.

In the beginning, at least, this tale seems all about perspective. Some say the water is cursed while other’s deem it miraculous.  Is it delusion or reality? That’s what drew me in. I enjoyed the tension; the sense of witnessing a gathering storm when pregnant clouds are closing in. You just know it’s going to open up at any moment.

I wanted redemption for the long-suffering Lexie, and for Jax to get her head out of the tediously sterile textbook version of life and embrace the supernatural.

There’s a slow but steady unravelling of the mystery surrounding Jax’s family history in connection with the pool.

My only issue, and one that’s a pet peeve of mine, is the use of parenthesis. Thankfully just a sprinkling of them. Seriously! What is up with those things, lately?

I recommend this read to those who enjoy a spooky read with a pinch of classic horror.

Introducing Jennifer McMahon:

I was born in 1968 and grew up in my grandmother’s house in suburban Connecticut, where I was convinced a ghost named Virgil lived in the attic. I wrote my first short story in third grade. I graduated with a BA from Goddard College in 1991 and then studied poetry for a year in the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College. A poem turned into a story, which turned into a novel, and I decided to take some time to think about whether I wanted to write poetry or fiction. After bouncing around the country, I wound up back in Vermont, living in a cabin with no electricity, running water, or phone with my partner, Drea, while we built our own house. Over the years, I have been a house painter, farm worker, paste-up artist, Easter Bunny, pizza delivery person, homeless shelter staff member, and counselor for adults and kids with mental illness — I quit my last real job in 2000 to work on writing full time. In 2004, I gave birth to our daughter, Zella. These days, we’re living in an old Victorian in Montpelier, Vermont. Some neighbors think it looks like the Addams family house, which brings me immense pleasure.

Check out her website and see what else she’s written:

Website