The Camera Never Lies - A Review

The Camera Never Lies

by

David Rawlings

David Rawlings writes fiction that is as revealing as it is fictional. On the surface, the book is about a man, one David Whiteley, whose family, whose job, and whose reputation, stand on a precipice - one that will crumble beneath his feet if something does not change. Beginning with the death of his grandfather and the unexpected camera left to him at his grandfather’s death, life begins to unravel.

But this camera is special. The resulting pictures have exceptional clarity, and they often reveal more truth than the photographer is planning for. Ultimately the question becomes, what will the photographer respond to that truth. And that is the question that David faces as he retrieves his prints from Simon, the owner of the camera shop around the corner from his work as a mental health counselor. 

The author has the very nice ability to ask both David Whiteley and the reader to answer the same two questions: Are we willing to have the truth revealed; and how will we respond to the truth. The answers do not come easily and the cost of difficult truths is often less than the cost of hiding that truth.

David Whiteley finds The Camera Never Lies. Are we willing to look at our lives with the same clarity?
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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 my own.

Murder, She Encountered - A Review

Murder, She Encountered 

by

Peg Cochran

Peg Cochran has written the perfect cozy mystery:

• A good mystery
• Likable (most of them, anyhow; at least one is a murderer) and believable characters
• Dysfunctional families
• Historical setting 
• A light touch of romance

Elizabeth “Biz” Adams is the crime photographer for the New York Daily Trumpet. Ralph Kaminsky is the reporter to which she is assigned. Together, with Detective Sal Marino (Biz’s “boyfriend?”), they will need to identify and find the murderer of the unidentified young man pulled from one of the lakes at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

Along with a fun jaunt through the fairgrounds and the subway system transporting visitors to and from the fair, we also get a glimpse of the historical events and settings of the era. This reviewer was particularly fascinated with the mention, albeit brief, of the SS. (sic) St. Louis’ arrival from Europe. Though the details are not discussed in the current book, a quick search of Google showed how similar the attitude of Americans in 1939 parallel those of many Americans in the 21st century, with similar results.

For the reader looking for a historical novel or just a good cozy mystery, Murder, She Encountered might just hit the spot.

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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 my own.

Always Look Twice - A Review

Always Look Twice 

by

Elizabeth Goddard

Harper Reynolds was a forensic photographer - but too much exposure to the horrific scenes she had snapped over the years required that she take a break. As her break was coming to an end she found herself in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, south of Yellowstone National Park. As she was photographing the grizzly bear on the banks of the Grayback River something caught her eye. It was a hunter. But he was not hunting deer or bear, he was hunting that woman. And Harper watched as she was murdered in the moments that followed. Thus begins Elizabeth Goddard’s latest book. 

In a story that takes the reader from Missouri to Wyoming to Texas, we are presented with a life and death drama that involves first responders from the national government and from multiple states and agencies. It is a gripping tale that holds the reader’s attention from the first chapter to the last - this reader’s heart could not stop pounding. The author does a wonderful job of describing the wildness that is found in the National Forest - whether seen on horseback or on foot. She is less successful in describing the downtown Dallas theater where the story finds its resolution, this reader’s only disappointment in reading the book.

A faith-based novel, Elizabeth Goddard book will find a willing home in the church library. But given its exciting and riveting story, it also belongs on the public library shelf. For the reader looking for a good fall story from a colorful writer, Always Look Twice may just fill the bill. 

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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 my own.