A Slow Ruin by Pamela Crane Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. Publishing November 2021. Not my picture.

April 16, one hundred eleven years ago, Alvera Fields goes missing. No one really knows what happened to her. April 16 present day, Vera Portman goes missing; no one knows what happened to her. Is this simply history repeating itself? Or something more sinister? The question is – did Vera find out some dark family secrets that made her run or is she dead?

The family members: Oliver Portman husband to Felicity Portman, father to Vera, Eliot, and Sydney. Sydney, the three-year-old, is sick and only Vera can help her. Is this why Vera ran? Cody, Oliver’s brother, and his wife, Marin. Who has more secrets they need to keep hidden? Debra and Joe, Oliver (Ollie) and Cody’s parents.

Other characters who play an integral part in this story: Austin, Vera’s “secret” boyfriend. Blythe, Vera’s “secret” friend. Barrett Hunter, Marin’s stepdad.

This story is told in the voices of Felicity and Marin in the present and in the past. While I was reading along, I kept waiting for what happens next. Then, boom! At the end this tale ties together and the waiting is over, the secrets are unveiled, and it left me thinking … wait, what? Did I miss something? I will definitely have to read this one again to pick up on all the nuances.

There is one line that I want to share with you that really resonates; Ms. Crane has a subtle way of incorporating hidden messages into her writing. This is a scene where Felicity has found Vera’s journal and has come across a person known as “BS.” Upon figuring out who this mysterious “BS” is, Felicity decides to confront her, maybe get some answers. At first glance, all Felicity sees is a “Goth Girl,” and how could Vera possibly be her friend? Upon talking to her, Felicity finds out there is a person hiding behind the “Goth Girl” look. This is the line I want to share: “Wow. A true athlete. And college-bound. I couldn’t believe how wrong I had been about her. I had been so quick to judge her outside I hadn’t even bothered to see who she was.” There is a lesson here. There is also a lesson at the very, very end of this story, forgiveness and love. 

One of the many things I admire about Ms. Crane is the fact that she incorporates her family into her writing. Such is the case with A Slow Ruin. This story is loosely based on her own family’s history, and her niece wrote the diary entries contained with these pages. Ms. Crane is going to have some steep competition between her niece and her own daughter, both of whom are blossoming writers.

The Art of Obsession by Lori Lacefield Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

Frankie Johnson has the opportunity to be the lead in her own case, a dream of hers. She can’t afford to mess this one up, especially not in front of her mentor, Ben, and ASAC Vicks. If she does, she may not get the opportunity again. During the course of her investigation, she meets two very interesting characters. Those of Dr. Lawrence Banks and Dr. Kenneth Whitman. She is determined to get to the bottom of things, to “get her man.” She also finds herself attracted to one of these men which cannot happen, not in the course of an investigation. Ben wasn’t lead on this case as he was solving a different one, but as it happens that case is solved in the background and he feels the need to reign Frankie in, feeling she is too close to her own case because of this attraction. This rankles Frankie, but it also makes her think. Was she too focused on who she thought was the guilty party? Was she getting too emotionally involved? The twist of this tale … totally unexpected.

This is the kind of book I like to read. A lot of imagery that makes you “see” the author’s intent in your mind. A detective who gets more personally involved in the case she is investigating than she should. A bit of romance. A lot of mystery surrounding the bad guy. The bringing forth of a subject that is generally not talked about. The planting in the story of some hints that take you down one path only to veer off on another. A book to spend your evening with because you want to find out who the guilty party is. There were even a couple of spots that made me chuckle. 

To say I enjoyed this read is an understatement. If you haven’t read Ms. Lacefield’s work before, give this one a shot!