Missing Pieces - A Review

 

Missing Pieces

“Elvis Has Left the Building” by Cynthia Hickey 

“The Puzzle King” by Linda Baten Johnson 

“A Puzzling Weekend” by Teresa Ives Lilly 

“Puzzle Me This” by Janice Thompson

A Review

The publisher has brought together four different faith-based cozy mysteries all centered on the theme of Jigsaw puzzles. Each was enjoyable and provided a few hours of fun reading.

For this reader the most enjoyable story was Janice Thompson’s “Puzzle Me This”. Set in the annual Camden Jigsaw Puzzle Show, Mariah was opening a new business - selling Jigsaw puzzles - but it seemed like it would be a failure from the start. First were the gunshots heard throughout the Camden Opera House, home to the show; then came the dead body found near Mariah’s booth; the first night ended with the missing, i.e. stolen, “Grindle Point '' antique puzzle valued at over $2500. That puzzle was the key to Mariah’s future success and now it was gone.

Mariah, working with other shop owners and Detective Casey Durham of the Camden PD, would follow (stumble on) clues which would lead to the guilty party. The clues not only guided Mariah and her friends, but they also provided tantalizing breadcrumbs for the reader, leading to a very satisfying conclusion. This final story, and the book, gets five stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Proposing Mischief - A Review

 

Proposing Mischief

by

Regina Jennings

A Review

Offered as a romantic thriller, the publisher forgot to mention this was more romance than thriller. Because of this, this book is not one I would usually pick up and read. On the other hand, it was a light-hearted trip through late-1800s, early-1900s, Joplin MO, that did hit my interest as an historical, faith-based novel.

Beneath the city of Joplin sits a crystal filled cave, now flooded, but at the turn of the century it became a major tourist attraction - inviting both the wealthy and the lowly population from far and wide. This fictional novel creates a story around its original discovery and development into a successful business venture. While the characters and their actions (with a few minor exceptions) are fictitious, the places and community are very real. It leaves the reader wishing he could still visit the crystal cave sitting beneath the city of Joplin.

The book could easily be subtitled “A Marriage of Convenience” as both Maisie Kentworth and Boone Bragg marry to avoid the suitors and connivors who are trying to woo them into unwanted marriages. The last chapter or two leads toward a possible violent confrontation between the various families. The result is a piece of humorous, romantic, fiction that was more satisfying than this reader was expecting as he moved through the story. I give the book 4-½ stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Lights Out - A Review

 

Lights Out

by

Natalie Waters

A Review

The President is traveling to Egypt, terrorists are on the lose throughout America, and private defense contractor SNAP is stymied in it search for those out to destroy the country before the President walks into his own assassination.

Brynn Taylor, CIA Analyst, finds herself unexpectedly assigned to work with SNAP. She would prefer to work the case in Egypt, but Director Frank Peterson has made his decision - now she will need to work alongside her ex-boyfriend or not work the case at all. The story will take the reader from Washington DC to Houston to California to Guam to Egypt. This well-written faith-based thriller will keep the reader’s attention from beginning to end.

Only two concerns prevent me from giving this a five-star review. First is that though promoted as a faith-based book, it is only moderately so. This might make it more saleable to a secular book market, but not as appealing to a Christian audience. Secondly, the conclusion of the book seemed to sneak up on this reader - it was stumbled on rather than discovered through the usual deductive techniques one would expect in an international thriller. I am giving this book four-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Your Words Your Worlds - A Review

 

Your Word Your World

by

Louise Bélanger

A Review 

Jesus wins

Against Satan

We know the outcome

We know the end

It is written in the Bible

“And they lived happily ever after”

Will happen

I’d rather have

That certainty

Than one wish granted

By a story book genie

Even three

Poetry is not often something I would jump at reading, but this book caught my eye - I was not disappointed. The author has composed a set of 28 pieces of Free Verse poetry speaking to the author’s and the reader’s relationship to God and the world. They are thoughtful and meaningful - often addressing real questions that are not simply answered. 

Each poem is two to four pages in length (the snippet above is a fraction of the entire poem), including colorful photographs that draw the reader in. Each poem has its own theme: creation, the Trinity, Fairytale Endings, etc. This thoughtful collection of poems is worth 5-stars.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.