Archive | May 2021

True Death by Dale E Lehman

May14

Three Musketeers

True Death by Dale E Lehman is a marvellous contemporary murder thriller. It is the second book in the Howard County Mystery series but could be read as a stand-alone. I would, however, recommend reading book one, The Fibonacci Murders, first as this story follows straight on from that, being set just a few weeks later.

The plotline was intricately constructed and grabbed my attention from the start. I immediately became engrossed in the action and remained glued to the end. The story alternated between present day and the past, which set the scene for the action to come.

In True Death the reader hears the back story of the main characters. They are more than just detectives, they are ‘real’ people who have loved and lost. The three detectives reminded me of the three musketeers, with the police chief as D’Artagnan. Their loyalty to each other and their fight for justice was admirable.

There was an unknown voice that drew the reader in. I was asking questions – who is this? What have they done?

A cold case collides with present day crimes in the novel. The reader is intrigued and wonders if there is any connection? Or just coincidence?

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The Fibonacci Murders by Dale E Lehman

May14

The Thinking Mans Murder Mystery

The Fibonacci Murders by Dale E Lehman is a mind blowing contemporary murder mystery. Murders connected to the Fibonacci sequence really test the reader’s power to figure out what is going on and who will be next?

Not a mathematician but I found the whole book fascinating in its complexity. It drew me in from the start and had me questioning – whose was the mathematician’s voice?

The whole book hung together marvellously with a fabulous plotline and realistic characters. In my head I ‘watched’ the police drama unfold. I could easily imagine a bustling police department, the press conferences and the general panic amongst the public. The novel would make a great film.

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In The Father’s Hands by J.E. Solinski

May13

A Light In The Darkness

In The Father’s Hands by J.E. Solinski is a really powerful contemporary Christian novel about trusting in God’s faithfulness, plans and timing. It is the sequel to A Matter Of Control.

The story is set fifteen years after the original book – two of the troubled teens have grown up and are in leadership roles, teacher Martha Richards is starting her final year. In a poor neighbourhood in Detroit there are more teens who need rescuing from their situations.

Within the novel we meet those whose strong faith is tested and those whose faith has been shattered by others. “What kind of God would let life get this messed up, especially by and to people who claimed to be Christians?” They need to return to God and trust Him again.

We also meet those who have been transformed by God. He had “a constant reminder … of who he had been and who, by the grace of God, he was not now.” God meets us in our situations and lifts us up.

Prayer is important. Prayer is simply talking to God. There is no magic formula. We just need to talk naturally to Him. “Whatever battle he was fighting… This one required folding her hands and kneeling.” When God puts a person on our hearts, we need to pray. Their life may depend on our prayers.

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The Cancer Ladies Running Club by Josie Lloyd

May13

Butterfly Of Hope

The Cancer Ladies Running Club by Josie Lloyd is a charming contemporary novel that will swell your heart as you witness the love, care and bravery of the women within the tale.

As the title suggests the book is about a group of women with cancer who begin running together. They do not focus on the destination but the next one step. They support each other on and off the track.

The novel is written through the eyes of Keira, one of the ladies. We share her highs and lows not just of cancer but of her daily life.

Keira is forty seven years old running a family and a business when she receives a cancer diagnosis. Overnight people see her differently. “I’m being labelled again… as a sick person. And that’s not all I am.” Now she is seen as the lady with cancer but she is so much more… She is a wife, mother, daughter, shop owner, brave and beautiful but all of a sudden people have put her in a box labelled ‘cancer.’ The reader can empathise with her feelings and frustrations. “I still hate being treated differently.”

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