Abducted by Janice Cantore

Carly Edwards is back on patrol with her partner Joe. They get a call telling them to go to the hospital as Joe's wife has just been brought in. Joe and his wife have a 4 month old little boy named AJ. He too is brought into the hospital to be checked over to make sure everything is well with him. As Joe's wife spends days unconscious while the doctors run tests to find out what is wrong, AJ is abducted from the hospital by an unknown woman. Carly is determined to find out where AJ is and who took him.

Nick is Carly's ex husband. They have been working on reconciling but now Nick is backing off leaving Carly confused and angry. Ever since Nick was shot and been in rehab he's been acting differently towards Carly. Carly thought since both of their lives had changed with their commitment to Christ that things were going in the right direction. Not only is her relationship with Nick off, but also her relationship with her roommate and best friend Andrea has become rocky.

Between following clues to finding AJ and her relationships with Nick and Andrea, Carly learns that she must first and foremost put her trust in Christ.

Abducted is the second book in the Pacific Coast Justice series. I'm really enjoying this series. I like the strong character of Carly. She can be tough when she needs to be for the job, but she can also be soft and caring for the people in her life. The pace of the book moved along quickly and never seemed to lag. Several times I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for some scene to play out before I could relax. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series. If you like strong female characters with a bit of mystery and suspense thrown in with some romance this is a great series for you!

I purchased my copy of Abducted from Amazon.

GIVEAWAY!!

See below for author interview and my review.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Amanda Flower is offering her book A PLAIN SCANDAL to one commenter. Leave a comment with your name and email and you will be entered. Drawing ends tomorrow March 18th 7:00pm CST.  

Interview/Review of A Plain Scandal by Amanda Flower-Plus Giveaway

Welcome Amanda Flower to My Favorite Pastime:

1. A PLAIN SCANDAL is your second book in the Appleseed Creek Mystery series. How many books do you plan on for the series?

AMANDA: As of right now I am contracted for six novels and one novella. The six novels will be narrated by computer specialist Chloe Humphrey. The novella will be narrated by former Amish teen Becky Troyer. There is the potential for a spin-off series starring Becky, but it’s too early to tell yet.

6 novels? That is so exciting! I'm looking forward to them!

2. Having lived near an Amish community did you have much interaction with the Amish? If so how did that interaction influence your writing of the Appleseed Creek Mysteries?

AMANDA: While I lived in Amish country, I would see the Amish when I was grocery shopping or out in town. I had a great opportunity to observe the culture. At the time I lived there, I never dreamed I would write about the Amish. Since moving out of the area, I have gone back and interviewed both Amish and former Amish for my novels. Many of the Amish details I include in a novel are directly from someone who grew up Amish or is still part of that life.

3. Can you tell us about why you love to include a bit of humor in your novels?

AMANDA: I love to laugh, and I think everything in life could use a bit of humor even a murder mystery.

I agree!

4. As a writer of mysteries is that also the type of genre that you like to read?

AMANDA: Mysteries will always be my first love. They are what turned me into a life-long reader as a child. However, I read across genre. I’ve been reading a lot of Urban Fantasy and YA lately. 

Oh me too! I started reading Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew when I was a young girl and so mysteries have always been my favorite. I love a good YA story now too!

5. How long does it take you to research and write one of your novels?

I research and write my novels at the same time. The drafting period takes 2-3 months.

AMANDA: Thanks so much for the interview!

Thank you Amanda!!

About Amanda Flower: 

Amanda Flower is the author of the Appleseed Creek Mystery Series, which are set in Ohio’s Amish Country. Her newest novel is A Plain Scandal and fictionalizes the 2011 true crime Amish haircutting scandal. She also writes mysteries as Isabella Alan for NAL/Penguin and children’s mysteries under her own name for Zondervan/HarperCollins. Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland.

 

Where to contact Amanda:

Follow Amanda on Social Media at: Facebook Twitter Goodreads Pinterest

MY REVIEW OF A PLAIN SCANDAL: 

The Amish of Appleseed Creek are being terrorized. Girls' heavy braids have been cut off and beards of some men have been cut off. When the attacks turn into murder Chloe Humphrey takes it upon herself to investigate since she is close to some of the Amish.

This is not the first time that Chloe has been involved with the police. New to the partly Amish community Chloe has already helped the police solve one mystery. Now that the culprits are out of jail could they possibly be the ones terrorizing the community of Amish in order to get even? 

It is not easy to investigate a crime among the Amish. Chloe’s friends Timothy and Becky are former members of the Amish community. They still have family in the community but are at risk of causing the family to be shunned if they continue their friendship with Chloe. With a new Bishop to the community, seemingly being guided by an overzealous Deacon, rules in the community have become stricter. Chloe must be careful not to bring more judgment onto this family that she has come to love.

A PLAIN SCANDAL is the second book in the Appleseed Creek Mystery series. I have to admit that I haven’t read the first book in the series A PLAIN DEATH, but once I started reading A PLAIN SCANDAL I had to go and order the first book. I thought the mystery in A PLAIN SCANDAL was intriguing and well written. It caught and held my attention throughout the novel. I also liked the romance happening between Chloe and Timothy and hope to see that develop more in the next installment of the series A PLAIN DISAPPEARANCE set to come out in September 2013. 

GIVEAWAY!!!

Amanda is offering a giveaway of her book A Plain Scandal to one winner! Leave a comment to be entered into the drawing. I will choose a winner via Random.org on Monday evening March 18th. Be sure to leave your e-mail address to contact you. 

Grave Consequences by Lisa T. Bergren

Cora and her family are still on the Grand Tour of Europe. A new person has joined the group. Art with his new Kodak camera begins touring with them, snapping pictures wherever they go. Cora finds him unsettling at first as he seems to focus his camera on her more than the others.

Cora is still confused about her feelings for both Pierre and Will. Will seems to hold her heart, but Pierre's affections are also hard to deny. When Cora's father insists that she allow Pierre to try and win her heart Cora is further thrown into turmoil.

Dogged at every turn by the men that attacked them at Pierre's home, Will must hire more guards for protection. When the attackers continue to follow the Kensington's and Morgan's, Wallace Kensington and others in the group hatch a daring plan to catch the culprits.

The more time Cora spends with her family the more she truly comes to love them and refuses to let anything happen to them. Cora also refuses to cut the Tour short and go back home to Montana. The more time that Will and Cora spend together the more their affections grow, but both know that Wallace Kensington would never allow one of his own to marry a man with no means.

Grave Consequences takes Cora and her family from Provence through Venezia where each stop they tour beautiful countrysides, ancient castles, and glittering palaces. They get to experience not only the culture of each stop, but also new experiences such as jumping from great heights into an ice cold river. They attend elaborate parties where they wear their finest garments and dance the night away. At each stop we as the reader are able to see and feel the same sights, happiness, thrills, fears and heart-aches that the characters themselves experience. The second book in The Grand Tour series definitely did not disappoint and I am looking forward to the third installment Glittering Promises coming out in September.

I received a copy for review from the publisher David C. Cook through NetGalley. I also bought the book from Amazon because I love the cover!

Truth Stained Lies by Terri Blackstock

Jay and his wife Annalee are going through a messy divorce and custody battle. When Jay gets an email from Annalee asking him to come over and talk without the lawyers present he takes it as a good sign. Jay rushes right over to Annalee’s. When Jay arrives a clown is just emerging from Annalee’s home. A bit confused Jay proceeds to the house only to find Annalee dead. 

Jay is soon arrested for the murder of his wife. Jay’s sisters Cathy, Juliet and Holly know that their brother would never kill someone. Nothing is going their way though when a judge grants temporary custody of Jay’s son to Annalee’s mother and brother. 

Cathy has been getting threatening letters for her blog that she writes. In her writing she has convicted several high profile criminals even though they have “walked free”.  She is determined to use her investigative powers to help find Annalee’s real killer. She has enlisted the help of Michael a private investigator and Cathy’s fiancés (who was killed by a drug dealer) brother.

Cathy’s sisters become temporary private investigators to help Michael keep track of several criminals currently out walking the streets. They all believe that the killer is somehow connected to Cat and her blog posts. Michael is determined to keep Cat safe even though she insists she can take care of herself.

When the killers next move is to try and kill Jay’s son; Michael, Cat and her sisters become desperate to catch the killer before it is too late.

MY THOUGHTS:

Not only does Terri Blackstock weave a great mystery, but while doing so she delves into her characters emotions and what makes them tick. There are so many emotional scars that Cat, her sisters and Michael are carrying around that they too become part of the story and a part of what makes the suspense and mystery even better. I have recently wondered if other people feel like me by getting so caught up in the story that you actually want to pray for the characters. I know they aren’t real, but that is the beauty of a great novel, when the characters display such real emotions and actions that you forget for a moment that they are fictional. TRUTH-STAINED LIES is a great suspense novel that kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime!

I received my copy of Truth Stained Lies from the publishing company Zondervan through NetGalley for review.