Deadly I llusions by Chester D. Cambell

Deady Illusions
A Greg McKenzie Mystery
By Chester D. Campbell
Published by Durban House Books
Price $12.95

While I don’t usually read first person stories, let alone mysteries, I enjoyed this one. It’s one of a series of books about a married retired couple working as a pair of gumshoe detectives. Stumbling on mysteries and solving murders. Just like in real life then have more than one case they are solving at the same time. Some more important than others.

Molly Saint hires the detective agency to find out more about her husband and then mysteriously disappears. Not soon after, Greg is drawn into the murder of the Federal Reserve Board Chairman.

What I really found fun to read was the detailed snippets about Nashville. The author is local and sets the book here. It was packed full of fun tidbits that allowed me to travel to those places without leaving my armchair.

5 stars

Infidelity by Debbie Gould

Infidelity
Debbie Gould
Red Rose Publishing
Long

Lainie was pregnant and in a violent relationship. Luke was there with her brother when he came to rescue her. He heard the call that detailed her abuse and I tore at his heart. He blamed himself for not staying with her when he was younger. She wouldn’t have married the abusive husband if he did. But now he had his own demons from his past to fight. He wasn’t emotionally ready for a relationship again and the only thing he could offer her was friendship.

Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster. Lainie loses her baby and is in an abusive relationship both mentally and physically and from there things just go downhill fast. Or at least they seem to. Yet the romance is very heartwarming, between two battered souls. Infidelity is just what I want in a romance book, it carries me away into fantasy and touches my heart. The mystery of who is still after her, even after her husband’s death keeps the reader interested.

As a side note, I got a little hung up as a reader when it came to the medical issues. I want to hear to hear the technical terms, like compound fractures instead of a detailed description of the fibula sticking out of the leg. I also got hung up on her taking a bath immediately after having a cesarean with staples. The hospital would have told her not to immerse herself in a bath until her next doctor appointment. Stupid, I know, but those kinds of things throw me off.

Otherwise it’s an excellent book, and it explores the side of life most of us don’t want to talk about. Abusive relationships have been around for years, and it helps to be reminded of the warning signs, so we can recognize it with those we love. It’s a shameful secret hidden in many closets, but this helps to bring some of those details of a battered woman’s life to light. Debbie Gould is a rising star among ebook authors and she is going to be on my autobuy list if she continues to write such interesting books.


4 Stars



Buy your copy at:

www.redrosepublishing.com