Tag Archives: mystery

Shadows of the Past by Carmen Stefanescu

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When Anne and Neil leave on a one-week holiday hoping to reconcile after a two-year separation, little do they know that destiny has other plans for them. Their discovery of human bones and a bejeweled cross in the hollow of a tree open the door to the supernatural realm and the anguished life of Genevieve, a nun from medieval England.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve her eternal rest?

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love.–Description from Goodreads.

ebook, 231 pages
Published December 4th 2012 by Wild Child Publishing
edition language
English
You can find this book here
Or you can go visit the author Carmen Stefanescu and find out more HERE
I am very proud to introduce “Shadows of the Past” By Romanian author Carmen Stefanescu. This is an amazing debut novel that really captured everything I love so much about history, paranormal and romance.
My thoughts on this novel:
It isn’t often that I put a book in my “I must read this again pile.” I read so much that I usually won’t read a book more than once because I am always ready to move on to the next one I haven’t experienced yet. This is one of those rare times when I know I will read this book again.I am a huge history buff and I adore historical fiction. This is historical plus a lot more. This book has an exciting plot with a paranormal twist that is so well done that it doesn’t leave you rolling your eyes like so many of the paranormal romances of recent memory have done. I fell into this book hard and never wanted to leave.

Although I enjoyed Anne and her role in the book as a contemporary character, I was completely drawn into the story and fascinated all the way to the end by the story of Genevieve and Andrew. This is the kind of love story that is timeless and makes you feel warm inside. I was happy while reading this.

Although from the cover of this book it would seem that it is more adult in nature, this novel would also be appropriate for a YA audience. The romance is believable and beautiful, but is never too steamy. The mystery of the connection between Anne and Genevieve is really the heart of this book, and it is a supremely written mystery at that. You can’t quite figure it all out until the very end and even then, on the very last page there is more to think about.

Carmen Stefanescu has written a love story for those of us who know what that really means. If you have high expectations for your romance novels and expect to see characters with plenty of development, life and purpose then this is the book for you. When you read this novel, you feel you have entered another world. Stepping back in time through Carmen’s descriptions and research, this was an incredible journey.

I would recommend this book to everyone YA audience and over. One of the best romances ever.

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Aș dori să-i mulțumesc lui Carmen pentru ca mi-a oferit sa citec această carte uimitoare. Am fost surprinsa și încântata de cât de mult mi-a placut. Carmen, esti o persoana minunata!

Nu de multe ori mi s-a intamplat ca am pus o carte pe care am citit-o în  teancul “Trebuie să citesc acest roman din nou.” Am  de citit atât de multe carti, că de obicei nu voi citi o carte mai mult decât o dată, pentru că sunt mereu gata pentru a trece la urmatoarea pe care nu am experimentat-o încă. Acum este una dintre acele rare ocazii când știu că voi citi aceasta carte din nou.

Sunt o mare admiratoare a istoriei si ador ficțiunea istorică. Acesta este un roman istoric, plus mult mai mult. Aceasta carte are un subiect incitant, o combinatie de paranormal cu iubire si istorie, cate putin din toate, care este atât de bine făcut încât să nu te faca sa dai  ochii peste cap de frustrare,  asa cum se intampla cu atât de multe dintre romanele paranormale recente.  Shadows of the Past este genul de carte care ai vrea sa nu se termine.

Deși mi-a placut de Anne și rolul ei în carte ca un personaj contemporan, am fost complet atrasa în actiune și fascinata până la sfârșit de povestea lui Genevieve și Andrew. Aceasta este un fel de poveste de dragoste, care este atemporala și iti da un sentiment placut de bine. Am fost fericita în timp ce citeam asta.

Deși, din coperta acestei cărți s-ar părea că este dedicata mai mult adulților, acest roman ar fi, de asemenea, adecvat pentru o audiență YA. Romantismul este credibil și frumos, dar nu este in nici un moment prea senzual. Misterul legăturii între Anne și Genevieve este într-adevăr miezul aceastei carti, și este un mister extrem de bine scris. Nu iti poti da seama de  adevar până la sfârșit și chiar și atunci, ultima pagină  lasa loc la intrebari.

Carmen Stefanescu a scris o poveste de dragoste pentru acei dintre noi care știu ce înseamnă aceasta cu adevărat. Dacă ai așteptări mari de la un roman de dragoste și așteapti să vezi personajele evoluand, atunci aceasta este cartea pentru tine. Când ai citit acest roman, ai impresia ca esti introdus in o altă lume. Pas cu pas, mergi înapoi în timp, prin descrierile lui Carmen; aceasta a fost o calatorie incredibila.

As recomanda această carte pentru toata lumea, audiență YA și peste. Unul dintre cele mai bune romane de dragoste din toate timpurile.

 

Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards

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Frozen Shroud

 

Death has come twice to Ravenbank, a remote community in England’s Lake District, each time on Hallowe’en. Just before the First World War, a young woman’s corpse was found, with a makeshift shroud frozen to her battered face. Her ghost – the Faceless Woman – is said to walk through Ravenbank on Hallowe-en. Five years ago, another woman, Katya Moss, was murdered, and again her face was covered to hide her injuries. Daniel Kind, a specialist in the history of murder, becomes fascinated by the old cases, and wonders whether the obvious suspects really did commit the crimes. He spends Hallowe’en at a party in Ravenbank – only to find death returning to this beautiful but isolated spot. Once more, the victim is a woman, once more her damaged face is shrouded from view.–Description from Amazon.com

  • Paperback: 250 pages
  • Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (April 2, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1464201072
  • ISBN-13: 978-1464201073

You can pre-order this book here: http://www.amazon.com/Frozen-Shroud-District-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1464201072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359664188&sr=1-1&keywords=The+frozen+shroud

 

My Review of Frozen Shroud:

Frozen Shroud is one of those novels that plays with your mind. Just when you think you have everything figured out and you begin to expect something, it doesn’t go at all the way you thought it would. As an avid mystery reader, I appreciated this greatly.

There were some places in this book where I felt there was a bit too much dialogue and not enough action, but they were thankfully brief. Also, the dialogue was very well written and was exactly like overhearing a real conversation, so that helped. I enjoyed the story and the way the author created the townspeople was a fine example of plot and character development. The actions of the minor characters helped me feel closer to the setting and the main characters.

This is a book that features real literature. The wording is always eloquent, intelligent and fitting for the style of writing. The plot does not feel contrived and the development of the story has a natural seamless feel.

If you love a good mystery and beautifully crafted writing, this would be just the thing!

This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.

 

**NOTE: I do not yet see and ebook version for this title.

Sleeping in Eden by Nicole Baart

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The lives of a middle-aged doctor and a love-struck young woman intersect across time in Sleeping in Eden, Nicole Baart’s haunting novel about love, jealousy, and the boundaries between loyalty and truth.On a chilly morning in the Northwest Iowa town of Blackhawk, Dr. Lucas Hudson is filling in for the vacationing coroner on a seemingly open-and-shut suicide case. His own life is crumbling around him, but when he unearths the body of a woman buried in the barn floor beneath the hanging corpse, he realizes this terrible discovery could change everything. Lucas is almost certain the remains belong to Angela Sparks, the missing daughter of the man whose lifeless body dangles from a rope above. When Angela went missing years earlier, he and his wife never really believed she was just another teenage runaway. Fueled by passion, Lucas resolves to uncover the details of Angela’s suspected death, to bring some closure to their small community and to his wife. But his obsession may not be able to fix what is broken, and Lucas may be chasing shadows…

 

Years before Lucas ever set foot in Blackhawk, Meg Painter met Dylan Reid. It was the summer before high school and the two quickly became inseparable. Although Jess, Meg’s older neighbor, was the safe choice, she couldn’t let go of Dylan and the history they shared no matter how hard she tried. Caught in a web of jealousy and deceit that spiraled out of control, Meg’s choices in the past ultimately collide with Lucas’s investigation in the present, weaving together a taut story of unspoken secrets and the raw, complex passions of innocence lost.—Description from Amazon.com

You can find this book available for pre-order here. http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-in-Eden-ebook/dp/B008J4RPQG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359135119&sr=1-1&keywords=sleeping+in+eden

ISBN: 978-1-4391-9736-3

My review of “Sleeping in Eden”

This is a pretty incredible read. While I love a good mystery, this novel goes much farther than just a simple whodunnit. The layers of mystery in this novel keep you guessing from beginning to the end.

There are two very interesting and complete stories being told in this book simultaneously. I found myself completely absorbed in both, wondering how they would tie together in the end.

In this novel, the author Nicole Baart, has managed to tell a tale of young love, more mature love, loss, murder and betrayal. I was enthralled with this book from the very first page.

While I expected a good mystery, I didn’t expect the level of tension amongst the characters and the masterful way the author managed to make the past and the present collide in her finale.

After growing to care for the characters in this novel, to find out the truth of what caused them to end up where they are at the end of the book actually provoked real emotion in me.

This is the most impressive mystery I have read for a long, long time.

If you are searching for an absolutely stunning read with an impossible mystery, this is a sure bet. I highly recommend it.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley.

 

Interview with Patrick Freeman, Author of “A Smoking Gun.”

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A Smoking Gun

This was one of my favorite books of the last year. The author, Patrick Freeman, has generously agreed to do an interview with Readful Things Blog to discuss his book “A Smoking Gun,” and the other projects he has in store for his fans.

You can find this book available for purchase at : http://www.amazon.com/Smoking-Jacob-Franks-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0087WZLS4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357413858&sr=1-1&keywords=a+smoking+gun

  How did you first start writing and what inspired you to write in the genre you have chosen?

I’ve always been creative – I started writing songs when I was fifteen. I also have several screenplays that I’ve written in various genre. But mystery, to me, is a thinking person’s genre. I used to love Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes when I was younger. Today I read a lot of Connelly, Hillerman and the like. As I read I catalog all the clues and details in my mind and try to solve the crime before the narrative does. I guess I write the kind of books I would like to read.

 Jacob Franks is a strong character, with a unique personality. How did you come up with his character?


In many ways Jake is me, or at least a lot of who I’d like to be. The sarcasm and cynicism is all mine. The humorous observation of the world around him – that’s something I do all day.
But there’s a quality to him – his desire to help the little guy, the trod upon and the disadvantaged – that I’ve always found appealing in a character.

   What did you find was the hardest part of “A smoking Gun” to write?


My mind moves a lot faster than my fingers when I’m writing. I have to constantly stop and look back on what I’ve written and I’ve found that more and more I leave material out that the reader needs to know. The material is in the story, in my mind, but not on the page. 
I have to learn not to assume anything. I can’t assume that the reader understands something that I have failed to make clear.

 
   What is your routine when you first start a book? Which came first, the idea for the novel or the idea for the character?

I think there may be as many methods to writing as there are books. A Smoking Gun is my first published novel but I have another finished and several on the back burners. And with each one the process has been a bit different.
With A Smoking Gun I already had the basic character because it was me. I actually began to formulate the basic story line back in 2008 and blocked out a few chapters. But it got put aside for later while I worked on other things. 

    Do you have any advice for others who are looking to break into this genre?


As the old saying goes, ‘write what you know’. That doesn’t mean you have to be a detective to write mystery – most of the great ones never were – though a long stellar career in law enforcement would sure help you find a publisher. Much of what you need to know about any topic can be gained through research. But if you have a particular area of expertise then put it in there if it’s appropriate. An example would be Joan Hess’s Character Claire Malloy runs a book store. There’s an opportunity for a writer who knows and loves books to develop a lot of interesting sub plots and characters revolving around books

I’m hyper critical of everything I read or watch. I want to believe what I’m hearing or I stop reading. Make your characters/story believable. Don’t expect the reader to suspend belief just so you can create tension in your plot.

    How personal is your writing, do you strongly identify with the characters you create?


My writings have always been extremely personal. With the exception of a few comedy scripts I’ve written I have three goals in mind for my audience. 1. Make them think. 2. Make them feel. 3. Make them laugh. As far as I’m concerned if I don’t accomplish all three then I’ve failed as  a writer.
Readers are investing hours in my work. That’s precious time they will never get back. I want them to care enough about the story and characters I’ve created that they’ll look forward to the next story and the next one after that. I want them to feel like each time they read a book it’s like catching up on the life of an old friend.

    Do you have anything specific that you would like your readers to know about “A Smoking Gun?”


As with all of my books I do my research carefully. My stories and scenarios always have a grain of truth in them regardless of how far fetched they may seem at times. I was told by more than one reviewer that certain instances seemed unrealistic – such as the DA prosecuting a case without sufficient evidence, or police or prosecutors disregarding exculpatory evidence. I have personal knowledge of such events occurring on a regular basis. These are things the general populace doesn’t want to think can happen from their public servants. Unfortunately these things do happen and not infrequently.

    Do you have any projects due to be released in the near future and can you share a little about them?


Before I wrote A Smoking Gun I was shopping the manuscript for another book called Gone Missing. Gone Missing is the story of Lalita Singh, a NYPD veteran who transfers to a small town PD in Colorado. Once on board she finds herself in the middle of a political battle between an aging good-old-boy Police Chief and a progressive feminist Mayor. And all of this while hunting a serial killer.

Talk about characters being personal. This project began as a screenplay. As I nurtured it along I realized that there was so much in the back story that would never fit into a single feature-length movie so I novelized it. I’ve always loved strong smart female characters who can compete in a man’s world without compromising anything. Lalita Singh is all that and then some.

  
    If you could sit down and have a conversation with anyone in the world, whether alive or dead, who would it be and why?

It wouldn’t be just one person it would be a group. I would love to see A Smoking Gun made into a movie and if I could get Adam Sandler to produce it, Kevin James as Jake; Roselyn Sanchez as Roz; Kerry Washington as Grace. I think it would be a smash hit. (of course, that opinion might be just a little bit biased)
  
Patrick also says:
I have more than two dozen ideas/outlines/treatments for stories, films, etc., with new ideas coming to me all the time. If I produce one new work each year and live to be a hundred I won’t finish them all. It would sure be great to see them all turn into  best sellers. But for now I enjoy the creative process just (or almost) as much.
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I would like to thank Mr. Freeman for taking the time to give such a great interview. I enjoyed reading about his creative process and look very much forward to seeing what he has to offer his fans (including me) in the future.

The Chicago Cap Murders by Warren Friedman

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The Chicago Cap Murders

What if your life depended on the Chicago Cubs making it to the World Series? Diehard fans have always supported the team, which has not won a World Series since 1908, the longest drought in Major League Baseball, but this year people are dying for the Cubs to win literally. A serial killer is killing fans when the team loses, leaving them alive when the Cubs win. Either way, the killer leaves a calling card a Chicago Cubs cap. Can the police, the Cubs, and Major League Baseball stop the Cubs Cap Killer? The case falls into the lap of Detective Slats Grodsky, once Chicago s top cop but now resurrecting his career after a broken marriage and years of alcohol abuse. Grodsky’s road to redemption is rocky, however. Will his demons, detractors, and blunders keep him from following the killer s trail? Tension mounts outside and inside Wrigley Field as the team fights to pile up wins and not corpses.–Description from Amazon.com

 

This review is from: The Chicago Cap Murders Kindle eBook

“The Chicago Cap Murders” by newcomer Warren Friedman was a highly entertaining murder mystery. I will not go into the plot of the book and so forth as it would be too easy to give away something important and inadvertently include a spoiler. What I will say, is that this book surprised me in a good way. I am not an over-the-top baseball fan, but I found that I was still able to fully enjoy this book regardless. The author does a remarkable job of character building, giving each of the important characters in the book a history and a unique personality. The characters in this book are all necessary to the plot, which was a nice change. This author does not waste space with fluff. This book never loses pace and kept me turning pages long after I should have been in bed.

The book has been edited professionally, making it stand out from the crowd when it comes to the work of first-time authors. The descriptions are very visual and help move the story along as you can easily imagine being the main character and seeing through his eyes. I would bet that everyone in Chicago who reads this book will be smiling and nodding their heads.

Although I have seen plenty of murder mysteries with a tortured character leading the pack, I thought Mr. Friedman did an exemplary job of showing us the more human effect of alcoholism and what it can cost someone who struggles with it. I liked that the characters in this book were not from a cookie cutter and neither did they feel overly sensationalized. They seemed like real, everyday people which drew me into the story that much further.

The only negative I can really mention as far as this book goes, is that the swapping from flashback to flash-forward threw me a couple of times, but at the end of the book it becomes apparent why this was necessary. I felt that the author may have gone to a little bit of an extreme when making an original killer, but then again, with such a litany of other fictional killers parading through the world of literature, I also congratulate him for his originality.

The ending of this book contains some surprising elements and I thought it was a nice cap (no pun intended) to an exciting book.

Overall, this was one of the better books I have read this year. I am somewhat amazed that this is a first effort. One thing is for sure. If Mr. Friedman ever decides to set down the proverbial quill and parchment, he might have a fantastic career as a sportscaster. A very readable book by a new author to watch.

You can find this book available for purchase by going here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Chicago-Cap-Murders-ebook/product-reviews/B009160S7O/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_four?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addFourStar&showViewpoints=0