When a husband, wife, and son are murdered in their Denver home and the family’s teenage twins vanish, the case draws the attention of FBI profilers Helen Belle and Benedict Hoffman. It triggers more than professional alarm. It mirrors a horrific case they investigated five years ago, when a boy slaughtered his family and went mute after speaking only a handful of haunting words. Among them: Midnight Man.
Then, nearly thirteen hundred miles away, one of the twins is found dead in a snowy Ohio field, and the parallels between the past and present cases grow more disturbing. Identical suicide notes. The same symbolic blood imagery. And a shared obsession with an online fantasy game. Its mastermind is an influencer who manipulates his most vulnerable and alienated players into killing the people they love most.
The Midnight Man is back.
Helen and Benedict must hunt the darkest corners of the internet to find him before someone else falls prey to an insidious evil that, for now, is in total control of the game.
A VOICE IN THE DARK (Benedict Hoffman and Helen Belle Book #1) by Barbara Nickless is a chilling crime thriller/FBI police procedural that is very relevant in all current discussions regarding AI, minors’ use of the internet, and the ever-present dangers on the world wide web. This is the start of a new series with two compelling protagonists and a serial killer crime plot that hooked me immediately.
Five years ago, Helen Belle and Benedict Hoffman had their belief in an outside influence and assistance from the Midnight Man in the slaughter by a boy of his entire family discredited in court. Helen goes on with her work at the FBI and Benedict walks out of his life and job. A detective from the old case is faced with a similar case as well as the kidnapping of the twin of the believed perpetrator and alerts FBI agent Helen Belle.
From almost identical suicide notes to a shared obsession with an on-line multi-player fantasy game, Helen believes the Midnight Man is back and reaches out to now Professor Benedict Hoffman for assistance. They put their personal past aside and work together to unravel hidden identities and motives as they realize they are racing the clock to rescue the missing twin and stop the Midnight Man before someone else is led to murder.
I was pulled into this story immediately and terrified by the possible reality of the crime plot. Ms. Nickless does a good job of not preaching that the internet is all bad and all gamers are going to become killers, but the gray of the situations and discusses the type of adolescents that can be influenced. The crimes are horrific but could also be ripped right out of the current news. Helen and Benedict are interesting protagonists with not only a somewhat unique outlook on humanist psychology on the study of crime, but with interesting backstories, also. This is a couple I will look forward to following in their future investigations.
I highly recommend this first book in this compelling crime thriller series!
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About the Author
Barbara Nickless is the award-winning, WSJ and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of nine novels; her first and third series have been optioned for film. A teacher and activist, she teaches combat veterans and civilians in the U.S. and Ukraine. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association, the World Affairs Council and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. A former fencer and falconer, Barbara lives in Colorado where she loves to hike, cave, snowshoe, and drink single malt Scotch.
Lou Gomersall’s going as far as it takes. And there’s no turning back.
When her nineteen-year-old daughter Abby disappears, Lou embarks on a reckless road trip in the family RV, scouring the highways and back roads of California. Through desert and mountains, into the woods, and to the ocean’s edge.
A year later, the police don’t believe Lou’s theory that four other missing young women have been taken by the same elusive predator. So, when another college sophomore vanishes, Lou jumps on the fresh trail, enlisting millennial #vanlifers, Gen Z entrepreneurs, boomer RVers, homeless sages, truck stop prostitutes, and everyone in between in her do-or-die mission to rescue Abby …
THE GRAPEVINE (The Lost Highway Book #1) by Alexandra Sokoloff and Craig Robertson is a tension-filled thriller featuring a mother who will go anywhere and do anything to find her missing daughter. This is a collaboration between two authors I have enjoyed reading individually, so of course I was excited when I was asked to read this book.
Lou Gomersall’s daughter, Abby, is missing without any clues. Leaving her husband at home, she takes the family RV and begins scouring the highways and byways of California. She collects any mention of other missing young women and uses the network of other people on the road living the van life, campground operators, and even prostitutes at truck stops to search for connections. Even when the police are skeptical and tell her to stay out of the cases she has found and go home, she continues. She refuses to believe her daughter is dead, no matter how crazy she seems or acts.
Lou is on a mission to save Abby and kill the man who took her.
Lou is such a memorable protagonist. You have empathy for her, you feel sorrow for her, you cheer her on even when she seems or acts crazy, and you keep hoping with each revelation she discovers the truth of what happened to all the missing girls, not just Abby. All the secondary characters are believable, and I was glad she had Ethan in the second half of the book to help her search for clues and try to keep her more grounded in reality. The plot pace continuously builds as more pieces of the puzzle of the missing young women cases are revealed. The ending chapters kept me on a rollercoaster of emotions and left me completely shocked and not expecting the revelation at the climax of the crime plot and I love it when that happens. I am not sure what these authors and this series will have instore in the future, but you can definitely count me in.
I highly recommend this emotionally charged, edge-of-your-seat crime thriller!
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About the Author
Alexandra Sokoloff is a Bram Stoker, Anthony, and Black Quill Award nominated author of the supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, The Unseen, Book of Shadows, The Shifters, The Space Between, and the bestselling Huntress/FBI Thrillers series. As a screenwriter she has sold original horror and thriller scripts and adapted novels for numerous Hollywood studios. She is a California native and a graduate of UC Berkeley.
Craig Robertson had a twenty-year career as a journalist with a Scottish Sunday newspaper before becoming a full-time author. His gritty crime novels are set on the mean streets of contemporary Glasgow. His first novel, Random, was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA New Blood Dagger, longlisted for the 2011 Crime Novel of the Year, and was a Sunday Times bestseller. Murderabilia was longlisted for the 2017 Crime Novel of the Year and shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize. The Photographer and Watch Him Die were longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize.
In postwar Los Angeles, former spies Evelyn Bishop and Nick Gallagher dig into shady real estate dealings, murder, and the appalling aftereffects of Japanese American internment during World War II.
Now president of her father’s company, Bishop Aeronautics, Evelyn is presiding over a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of her factory when she is approached by Billy Takemura, a Japanese American soldier who announces that she’s building on stolen land.
Like Evelyn and Nick, Billy is a war hero. He served in the decorated 442nd Nisei company, while most of his family were forcibly interned at Manzanar. Their thriving family restaurant, and the land it occupied, were taken while they were in the camp.
Determined to right this wrong—and concerned about her father’s possible involvement in profiteering—Evelyn enlists Nick in her investigation. What starts as a discovery of widespread fraud quickly graduates to murder. Suspects range from an unscrupulous business partner to a bitter widow to Billy’s hotheaded brother. It’s up to Evelyn and Nick to expose the truth. However, it’s not easy when Evelyn is fending off betrayal in her own company and Nick’s brutal childhood returns to haunt him.
Nothing is as it seems as secrets threaten to destroy the life they have worked so hard to build .
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Elise’s Thoughts
Echoes of Infamy by Shaina Steinberg intertwines a black mark of American history with an intense mystery. The internment of American Japanese during World War II is a period marked by significant injustices and Steinberg skillfully shows the struggles of that community post-World War II.
The story follows the Japanese American Takemura family. The female lead, Evelyn Bishop is President of her father’s company, Bishop Aeronautics. She is presiding over a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of her factory when approached by Billy Takemura, a Japanese American soldier who announces that she’s building on stolen land. Like Evelyn and Nick (her husband), Billy is a war hero. He served in the decorated 442nd Nisei company, while most of his family were forcibly interned at Manzanar. Their thriving family restaurant, and the land it occupied, were stolen by a carpetbagger while they were in the camp. Billy implies that the land was fraudulently purchased. Moreover, things go from bad to worse after a construction worker, preparing the factory’s foundation, unearths a corpse with its head bashed in. Evelyn and her husband Nick decide to investigate, because shady law enforcement seems to be dragging their feet and stalling the official cause of death.
The other sub-plots of the story include women empowerment, Nick’s family issues that include abuse, and misogyny. Steinberg skillfully ties everything together in a satisfying and emotional way.
The reader is immersed in the era with the attention to historical detail. The story is gripping and enlightening with a mystery that has intrigue.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Shaina Steinberg: I’m Jewish, and I watched people coming out of the concentration camps, and trying to find their friends, and trying to find their family, and trying to find where to go. And I think so many people have written so many incredible, brilliant books about the Holocaust, that I decided not to write about it. But I think there’s such a strong parallel with the Japanese and Japanese American people who returned, in interned, down the West Coast.
EC: Did you base the story on anyone?
SS: No, it wasn’t based on anyone. I did a lot of research. I read a book called Farewell to Manzanar which is a memoir by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston about their experiences before, during, and following their relocation. Naomi Hiriahara, who is also a mystery writer, wrote a brilliant book called Evergreen, about a family who had been interned, and moved to Chicago.
EC: You seem to have a lot of subplots in the story. There’s murder, there’s Rory, there was Lewis, there was Willa. Was there a reason for that?
SS: We look at mystery books, and usually murder, but not always, as being the center of the plot. And I think that whenever you have something major in your life, your life doesn’t stop. I think of Nick, I really enjoyed writing that part because he’s had such a horrible family, such a hard life. And in many ways, he and Evelyn are opposite in that respect.
EC: Carl seemed very single-minded that he got angry at Evelyn without even talking to her. Is that a fair statement?
SS: Yes. Absolutely. Carl was angry at her because she continued associating with her dad, who she loved very much. But, her dad did something very bad as well. And once he took a step back, he realized that what he was angry about was not that big of a deal. It’s the small thing, and then it’s this massive thing behind it, and it appeared that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. And I think for Carl, it was difficult not to be able to be who he is and not feel his friends would accept him for who he is. Plus, there was the constant fear of being discovered, because, obviously, being gay in the 40s, is a lot different from being gay now. We’ve made so much progress and thank God for it. And I think that with Carl, it probably feels very unfair that he must hide how he feels and who he is. And it’s just one more secret on top of everything. I think he is annoyed and not thrilled that Evelyn is talking to somebody who he thinks is a traitor, who he believes did horrible things. But I don’t think that element, per se, is why he cut her out. I think it’s him needing to deal with a lot of his own stuff
EC: How would you describe Rory, Nick’s nephew?
SS: I love Rory. I think that he’s smart, and driven, and curious, and dealt a bad hand in life. And I think Nick sees himself in this kid. And he saw somebody who was completely innocent. They both had a second chance for family. I really admire Rory for being able to be self-directed enough to make a change, to make his life a little bit better. It is difficult to step outside a comfort zone, but he really does that. Rory was abused in the book. His mother would let the men in her life knock him around. And yet, he still doesn’t want people’s pity or charity. He doesn’t want to open his life and say to people, look at how hard this has been.
EC: What role did Lewis, the executive director, play in the story?
SS: I think Lewis is unfortunately a typical man for that era. He’s misogynist, but doesn’t know that word, wouldn’t think of it. He’s the kind of man who sees a very strong difference between the sexes and believes that women have a particular role, and that role is not president of the company, which is Evelyn’s position. He watched Evelyn grow up from, her toddler years, all the way into a grown and a very capable woman. And I think that it can be hard, not just for Lewis, but a lot of people to see someone they knew from childhood going off to college. And with strong opinions and passions. And he had a hard time not seeing her as a child anymore.
EC: Is there women empowerment in the story?
SS: I think Evelyn has been fighting the good fights since the beginning of the series. And, Willa, who had engineering and chemistry degrees from UCLA, now going for her PhD, and working brilliantly for the company, even finding broken brackets on the plane’s engine mounts. She has this job that she loves. But it’s not necessarily easy. She’s coming into a world of these men, and asking them to take her seriously at a time when women weren’t really taken seriously. Unlike Evelyn, Willa comes into a department where she’s the only woman, she’s on the bottom of the totem hole, she has a very different experience. And as much as I love Evelyn, I do think sometimes it can take her a minute to look around and see that other people’s experiences are different from hers. even if it’s lumped into the same general category.
EC: Do you think Evelyn is a feminist?
SS: Absolutely. Even though she’s a feminist, she was brought up in the other world, too. Evelyn was expected to become a wife, and a mother, and a socialite, and I think that if the war had never happened, it is probably a life that would have never fit her well, but it was probably the life she would have had. Yet the war happened, and she went to save her brother, and she found herself in many, many ways, and she found her strength. When she came back, going back into that prescribed role really didn’t fit her. And she knew herself well enough to know that this is something she couldn’t do.
EC: How would you describe the villain in the story, Russell Clements?
SS: Clements was a scam artist, uncaring, self-centered, and unlikable. He also took advantage of the American Japanese situation during the war.
EC: What do you want to say about the three American Japanese children?
SS: Hanzo, Mary, and Billy Takemura. It’s a family story. But they had conflicts. Hanzo and Billy have butted heads ever since they were kids. They each have different strengths. And they can struggle to respect the other ones’ strengths. Hanzo was never able to understand why Billy went and fought for a country that put their family in these horrible camps. And Billy will never overcome his resentment, because he feels that Hanzo abandoned the family. And I think Mary is in the middle. She can see both sides, but at the end of the day, Hanzo was the one who pulled the family out of the camp. Hanzo was the one who helped them relocate to Chicago. So, in many ways, yes, there’s this massive historical event that affects their family dynamics.
EC: What do you want to say about the Japanese internment camps?
SS: I explain in the book that the Japanese Americans were rounded up like cattle. They were only entitled to one single suitcase. The vultures circled, trying to buy heirlooms for nothing on the dollar. Their living conditions weren’t great.
EC: What do you want to say about Billy’s unit the 442nd Infantry Regiment?
SS: It was an American Japanese unit that fought for America. A lot of them went out with the motto of wanting to prove their loyalty, their family’s loyalty, to the United States. When they left, their parents might have approved, or they might not have approved. But almost universally, their parents told them, ‘Don’t shame the family. Go out and make us proud.’ And I think they really carried that very strongly into battle. They were incredible fighters. There were many times when they broke through the German lines after people said it was impossible. They were so incredibly brave, sometimes people recognized their humanity and the sacrifice they made. But, unfortunately, sometimes they came home, and were not accepted. People wouldn’t rent to them. There was a story of a guy who walked into a barbershop, wearing his army uniform, and the barber kicked him out, and said, ‘Nope, we will not serve you.’
EC: Next book?
SS: It will not be an Evelyn or Nick book. I’m writing a book about grief, and it centers on a young man who loses his father, and his father’s dying wish is for him to say Mourner’s Kaddish for a whole year. Traditionally, Jews are required to say the Kaddish for 30 days after burial for a child, spouse or sibling, and for 11 months after burial for a parent. It follows this young man as he grows and changes, and how he and his family struggle with that awful first year of grief. The working title is Kaddish.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Truffle Trouble, an Amish Candy Shop Mystery book, and Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off, an Amish Matchmaker Mystery book, both by Amanda Flower, have humor, great characters, and a puzzling mystery. Unfortunately, the Candy Shop series will have only one more book before it ends, and this is the last one in the Matchmaker Mystery book series. But as the saying goes, “every story has an end; yet in life every end is a new beginning.” Amanda Flower discusses what is next in store for readers with her new series as well as her insight into these two books.
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Book Description
Summer is finally upon the village of Harvest, Ohio, nestled in picturesque Amish Country, and folks are abuzz over their very own Bailey King’s upcoming June wedding. The Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV’s Bailey’s Amish Sweets is marrying Holmes County Sheriff Aiden Brody. To sweeten the occasion will be a scrumptious giant chocolate truffle wedding cake, made especially for the happy couple by Bailey’s New York City mentor, Jean Pierre. Other than the risk of the ring bearer, Jethro the pig, taking a bite out of the confection, what could go wrong?
As it turns out, a food-related disaster does befall the day. But with Bailey in the mix, it’s nothing so pedestrian as a peckish pig. At the reception, a wedding guest dies after sampling the hors d’oeuvres. Café owner and new caterer Darcy Woodin, who made all the food except the desserts, is pegged by police as the number one suspect. Even more incriminating, the victim is one of Darcy’s ex-boyfriends . . .
Still, Bailey is friends with Darcy, and she’s certain the young woman is innocent. Even before the first dance with her new husband, Bailey’s on the case. Can she help solve it in time for her honeymoon—or will a killer try to end her happily ever after before it’s even begun . . .?
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Elise’s Thoughts
Truffle Trouble’s plot includes the long-awaited wedding between candy shop owner Bailey King and Sheriff Aiden Brody. The wedding allowed for readers to have their favorite characters together, old and new. All the regular characters are present including Margot Rawlings, Charlotte Little, Ruth Yoder, Millie Fisher, Lois Henry with her over-sized purse, granddaughter Darcy Woodin, the caterer of the wedding. And of course, Jethro the pig. Bailey’s old boss and mentor from New York City, Jean Pierre is also in it and he takes a shine to Lois Henry.
But an Amanda Flower book is not complete without a murder. At the reception, a wedding guest dies after sampling the hors d’oeuvres. Café owner and caterer Darcy Woodin, who made all the food except the desserts, becomes the number one suspect since the victim is one of Darcy’s ex-boyfriends, Jason. Now, Bailey must put aside her honeymoon plans to prove her friend Darcy’s innocence.
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Book Description
After years on her own, Millie has been busy adjusting to married life once again. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lois Henry, is still salty that Millie didn’t have a big wedding where she could get dressed up and be maid of honor. But there’s a way Millie can make it up to her: with a dreary January upon them, it’s the perfect time for a girls’ trip to the Amish community in sunny Pinecraft, Florida. Oft-divorced Lois is decidedly not Amish, but she thinks it will be a hoot.
With the blessing of her sweet husband, Uriah, Millie agrees to go. On the tour bus that transports Ohio’s Amish snowbirds to Florida every year, Millie and Lois strike up a friendship with a young woman traveling alone. She reminds Millie of her beloved niece, and Millie takes her under her wing. But even before the end of their first day in Florida, tragedy strikes.
Millie and Lois find their new friend dead on the beach, seemingly drowned. But who would want to hurt the sweet young woman? Is there a murderous snowbird among them? Or was it someone vengeful from her past? Clearly, vacation time is over for Millie and Lois, and it’s time to dive beneath the surface to hook a killer . . .
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Elise’s Thoughts
Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off has Lois and Millie taking a girl’s trip to the Amish community in sunny Pinecraft, Florida. Oft-divorced Lois is decidedly not Amish, but she thinks it will be a hoot. On the tour bus that transports Ohio’s Amish snowbirds to Florida every year, Millie and Lois strike up a friendship with a young woman traveling alone. She reminds Millie of her beloved niece, and Millie takes her under her wing. But even before the end of their first day in Florida, tragedy strikes. Millie and Lois find their new friend dead on the beach, seemingly drowned. Her hands had been tied and there were signs of trauma. Both Millie and Lois realize a murder has taken place and are intent on finding the killer.
Any Amanda Flower book will have characters that readers can connect with and a murder that is not easy to solve. There are red herrings and misdirection at every turn. Readers will be sad to see that these two series are ending but will find joy in her new series coming out next year.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story, Truffle Trouble and the wild mushrooms?
Amanda Flower: I know some people here in Ohio that are mushroom foragers. So, I kind of got the idea from that, and the Amish also forge mushrooms. It’s like one of the things they do. So, it seemed like a good fit.
EC: Was it hard to write the marriage scene between Bailey and Aiden?
AF: I didn’t spend a ton of time on it because I wanted to get to the murder. I think the wedding scene was fitting because the couple are pretty simple. They knew everyone wanted to celebrate, so they did it as simple as they could for the whole town to be there.
EC: Darcy was accused of killing her ex-boyfriend. How would you describe her?
AF: Darcy is the grand-daughter of Lois Henry. I would say Darcy is more of a loner than Bailey. She likes to go back to her one room apartment because she spends all day talking to people that dine there, and she needs to get away. Although she’s curious, a skill needed as an amateur sleuth, but I think she’s not as curious as her grandmother who kind of pushes her to get involved in stuff. She’s a little more reserved, definitely than Lois for sure.
EC: How would you describe her ex-boyfriend, Jason?
AF: Jason, her first love interest, is chauvinistic, temperamental, and felt he was owed something. He would do anything for money. He is also critical, untrusting, sophisticated, greedy, spiteful, and self-centered.
EC: What about the relationship between Lois and Jean?
AF: Lois Henry and Jean Pierre will appear in most of the future Harvest books. There will be one more candy shop book that’ll come out in the spring of 2027. It’s called Strawberry Scam. Jean Paul will come and visit because he likes Lois. He is a retired, very wealthy man, so he can come as often as he wants to get on his plane and fly over.
EC: What about the idea for the other book Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off?
AF: There is an Amish community in Florida in Pinecraft, where they go, and I went there to visit, probably 3 years ago, and I just thought it was so fascinating to be walking on the beach by the ocean. I saw Amish ride around on their scooters, they’re not allowed to have horses and buggies there because it’s in the city limits of Sarasota. They get around on electric bikes and electric scooters for the most part. I just thought that would be really funny to send Lois and Millie there. There’s a bus that comes to Holmes County every week in the winter and takes Amish snowbirds down south. So just, like, Ohioans that aren’t Amish go to Florida for the winter, elderly Amish go to Florida for the winter, too
EC: Who finds more dead bodies, Millie or Bailey?
AF: Bailey, because there are ten books out in “The Candy Shop series” featuring Bailey. So, she’s found quite a few dead bodies by this point, and Millie’s on her 6th book in the “Amish Match Maker Mystery series.” So that’s how I would decide it.
EC: How did you come up with the great quote about community?
AF: You are referring to “a community is like a quilt. Each piece is important to make a whole. That is actually a nice Amish proverb. They have a lot of sayings like that.
EC: Are your series interconnected?
AF: I think my greatest example is when you see Ruth Yoder, the bishop’s wife, from Bailey’s point of view. Bailey sees her as crotchety, creepy, and mean, but Millie and Lois grew up with her, so they have a completely different view and they don’t take her as seriously. It’s fun to see characters with a different point of view of someone, because they have a different experience or relationship with them. So that’s really fun to write to show how each character has a different experience or relationship with them.
EC: Are you ending these two series?
AF: Kensington is stopping their mass market paperbacks. All their series are either being switched over to trade paperback or being ended that are in mass market. There will be one more Bailey book and no more Millie/Lois books. The new series, featuring Darcy will come out in trade paperback.
EC: Rumor has it there is a new series?
AF: In February of 2027, there’s a new series in harvest featuring Darcy Woodin, Lois’s granddaughter as the main character. The series is called “The Amish Country Cafe Mysteries.” And the first book is called Apple Cornered. Darcy takes over Bailey’s role as an amateur sleuth. Lois always helps out Darcy who owns the café and Millie’s always with Lois, so they have very large parts in the new series. Bailey and Aidan will make cameos, and Jethro, the pig, will too. All the characters will drop in here and there. And you’ll see Aiden and Deputy Little quite a bit because there’s always a murder, and they’re the ones that are the cops involved. So, readers will see all the regulars, which is fun because I can write them from a different point of view.
EC: Will Darcy have a love interest?
AF: She will. A guy that owns an apple orchard is her love interest in the first book. And he’s not Amish. He is former Amish. His brother, his family is still Amish, but he’s not.
EC: Does she question her choices in men?
AF: She feels she has terrible taste in men and feels her track record is bad. Darcy is a little more standoffish about the idea of dating anyone. She’s just trying to focus on her business and put relationships to the side.
EC: Are you writing another non-Amish series?
AF: I’m writing a third Katharine Wright mystery. I have a new series with Kensington, which is called “The First Ladies Murder Club.” It’s set in the 19th century and will have first ladies and murders in the White House. The first has Francis Cleveland, the first lady, set in 1894. Her husband is President Grover Cleveland. The first book is called First Lady’s Guide to Murder, and it comes out November 26th, which is Thanksgiving week.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (Kyndall Family Suspense Series Book #2) by Blaire Morgan on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Blast.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a PICT giveaway. Enjoy!
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Book Description
In this chilling romantic suspense, U.S. Marshals investigator Heather York stumbles into danger at a Maine lakeside lodge, with Jordan Kyndall’s protective instincts as her only hope.
A woman hunted by corruption.
Heather York thought her life was ordinary—until a sudden threat pulls her into a deadly game. In Shadow of Betrayal, she’s forced to question whether she’s a target—or collateral damage.
A man who won’t walk away.
Jordan Kyndall planned a weekend celebrating his college roommate’s wedding. Instead, he finds a grisly scene in the woods—a woman’s lifeless body—and a surge of protective instinct binds him to Heather in ways he never expected.
A danger that could destroy them both.
As threats multiply and secrets surface, Heather and Jordan must navigate corruption, desire, and deadly stakes—trusting each other may be the only way to survive.
Genre: Romantic Suspense Published by: Blaire Morgan Books Publication Date: June 8, 2026 Series: Kyndall Family Suspense Series, Book 2
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (Kyndall Family Suspense Series Book #2) by Blaire Morgan is an exciting second romantic suspense in the Kyndall Family Suspense series. I would suggest reading book one, Witness in the Shadows, first because while the romance plot and suspense plot are complete in each book, there are a lot of family character crossover and history from the first book in this second book.
U.S. Marshal investigator Heather York is to be the maid-of-honor in her best friend’s wedding in a beautiful Maine lodge in the woods. When she and another friend at the wedding go in search of their other friend who is going to miss the rehearsal, they are attacked.
Jordan Kyndall is in Maine for the wedding of his college roommate. He is instantly taken with the red-headed maid-of-honor and hopes to get to know her better. When he goes in search of the missing women, he discovers a horrific scene. One woman is near death and Heather is unconscious. Jordan’s protective instincts are awakened, and he refuses to leave her side until the danger is identified.
Jordan and Heather work together to discover if Heather is the target or just a part of a random crime. The threats multiply and they are being chased and attempting to stay ahead of the danger until they discover why Heather is being targeted. They need to learn to trust and rely on each other if they are going to survive.
This is a romantic suspense plot with plenty of action and many plot twists that leave you guessing throughout. Jordan is a great hero that you would want as your protector. His previous military service and wilderness training made him perfect for the job. I also love his love and connection to his family. I had a few problems though with Heather as the heroine. She is a U.S. Marshal investigator and she is intelligent, and while she works in the office only on warrants, she uses that as an excuse for no type of physical or police training. I believe she should have had more training to even have that job and make her character realistic. I also did not like how she continued to go back and forth on trying to get rid of Jordan through almost the entire story, while she had no physical skills of her own, whether she was worried for his safety of not. Even with these small points, they work well together as a couple.
Overall, it is an enjoyable, action-packed addition to this series, and I look forward to hopefully reading the other brothers’ stories.
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Excerpt
Prologue
The drive to the dingy bar outside of the city had been rough when the directions led him down a series of dirt roads before reaching what managed to loosely be called civilization. The bell above the door chimed a dull sound, barely registering his presence. He shook his rain-soaked umbrella, drawing a few curious glances his way before the three men at the bar decided their cold beer and stale peanuts were more interesting than him.
The bartender, a man in his late fifties with a marine tattoo on a bicep, asked him if he wanted anything. Though kind, if the bartender had offered him a bottle of the Alps’ finest water, he wouldn’t accept—not in a place like this—but he was trying to blend in.
“Whatever is on tap,” he said, and found a table in a back corner.
Although he had no intention of staying longer than necessary, the location offered him anonymity. The front door, with its surprisingly clean window, opened and brought with it a strong wind and his associate. The new arrival scanned the room, nodded at the others, and crossed the dark bar.
“You’re late.”
“I’m here now. You have something for me, Hewitt?”
He’d made a mistake giving the man a name, even if it wouldn’t lead back to him. They’d agreed not to use names, not here, not ever. He removed a black, zippered deposit bag from the inside pocket of his rain slicker and slid it across the table.
The man across from him chuckled and unzipped the bag.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Hewitt asked, his whisper a low hiss. He quieted when the bartender set a beer in front of him.
His associate raised an eyebrow and continued to wear his smile. “You’ve seen too many movies.” He closed the bag and leaned forward. “Do you honestly think anyone here cares who you are or what you’re doing? At least you dressed for the occasion—kind of.”
Hewitt stared at the man across from him, confident that despite his off-balanced behavior at times, he’d get the job done. History had proven he was capable, if not entirely trustworthy, and willing to do anything—for a price.
“You’re forgetting something,” he said.
Hewitt hated this man. “It’s in the bag.”
Another chuckle. “In the bag, I like that.” He pulled the colored photograph from the deposit bag and studied the image. “How’d you find me?”
“Does it matter?”
“I like to know what I’m getting into.”
Hewitt studied him, unsure now of his idea but knowing he had to move forward. “All you need to know is I can make your other . . . inconvenience go away.”
“And what might that be?”
Hewitt pulled a folded sheet of paper from his inside breast pocket and slid it across the table.
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
“You know who I work for?” Hewitt asked.
“I checked it out.”
“Then you know I can do what I say,” Hewitt said, growing impatient. “Will it be a problem?”
“No, no problem.” Instead of returning the picture to the bag, he slipped it into the pocket of his dark, denim shirt. “You going to drink this?” he asked before he lifted Hewitt’s beer and drank deeply.
From Chapter One
Jordan eased the rented SUV into the graveled parking lot of the lakeside lodge. Nestled in the thick pine forest surrounding Moosehead Lake, the Highlands Lodge reminded him of the fishing camp his family frequented in Alaska.
He stepped out and walked around to the back of the vehicle, breathing in the fresh northern air. Though nothing like his hometown of Stewart Crossing, which was tucked away on a remote Alaskan bay, Moose Creek, Maine, was a pleasant escape from the spring heat of North Carolina, where he operated the main branch of Eagle Wilderness Journeys.
The parking lot was empty, but he heard voices coming from the back of the lodge, laughter carrying through the trees and echoing over the water. Adam, his college roommate and the reason Jordan trekked up north, ambled across the gravel and pulled Jordan into a big hug. Considering Adam stood four inches shorter than Jordan and weighed thirty pounds less, it wasn’t easy.
“Dang, it’s good to see you.”
Jordan returned the amiable smile. “You look happy.”
“Wait till you meet her.” Adam opened the back of the SUV and lifted the duffel out before Jordan objected. “You’re going to love her. I mean, whoever thought I’d ever be monogamous.”
Jordan laughed, closed the back door, and followed Adam to the lodge. “If I recall, you didn’t know the meaning of the word throughout our senior year.”
“Well, yeah, but could you blame me?” Adam led him around the corner of the lodge and stopped. “Wait, there she is.”
Adam had described her perfectly. Girl-next-door pretty and fresh off the cheerleading squad, Grace was only a year younger than his friend. Her pale, blond curls bounced as she walked on long legs across the lawn. “She’s something all right. I wouldn’t have expected—”
It wasn’t often when life’s unexpected moments stunned Jordan into silence or immobilized him, but none stopped his breath quite like his first glimpse of the woman standing next to Adam’s fiancée.
“Who is she?”
“It’s Grace, man, who do you think . . . Ah.” Adam nudged Jordan’s ribs with his elbow and laughed. “That’s Heather, Grace’s maid of honor.”
Jordan didn’t want to use the word “dumbstruck,” but at the moment, he couldn’t formulate another. His sister would have called him “twitterpated” and normally he would put her in a headlock until she cried “mercy” and take it back, but it had been a long time since she’d had cause to tease him about a girl.
“Hey, buddy, close your mouth before you drool.”
Jordan wiped his mouth before he realized Adam was messing with him. “Don’t forget, I can still kick your golf-playing butt from here to next Tuesday.”
“Why don’t I introduce you instead, and then you can owe me one.”
THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE * LORI FOSTER Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s really screwed up by finding herself possibly accidentally pregnant, and definitely not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. But telling Knox everything may change . . . well, everything. Especially amid a comedy of pregnancy test errors, a robbery, a cat rescue mission—and the realization that Knox sees her as so much more than a pretty face . . . .
THE RANCHER’S UNEXPECTED FAMILY * MAISEY YATES Ellie Parks helplessly watched her beloved sister, Melanie, spiral into addiction in high school, thanks to her toxic relationship with Ty Porter. Ellie, now a teacher, hasn’t seen Melanie in over a year when she gets a call from Child Protective Services that Melanie has a baby—and she’s surrendered her parental rights. Ellie races to the hospital, but someone’s beat her to it: rodeo champion Clark Porter, the baby’s uncle. Clark’s a good man and he’ll be damned if his niece grows up without him. Until they find a custody solution, Ellie will just have to move into his ranch house. Temporarily. Obviously. Except that they’re attracted to each other. Risking the unconventional family they’re creating is the last thing they need. Then again, if what they feel is deeper than attraction, it may be what they need most . . .
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Elise’s Thoughts
Love Comes in Small Packages is book 2 of the novella anthology by Lori Foster and Maisey Yates. These two short stories, one written by Lori and one written by Maisey, are wonderful reads by two very talented authors. That Special Someone by Lori Foster features characters readers first meet in “The Odd Couple” of the book The Two of Us.
Laylee and Knox are pet-sitting for his brother and her sister. Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s a wreck believing that she is possibly accidentally pregnant, and not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. Readers are once again delighted to have animals in the story and to find intriguing characters.
A bonus is that this is one of Lori’s benefit books where all of Lori’s advance & royalties will go to the Animal Adoption Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter.
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Author Interviewwith Lori Foster
Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?
Lori Foster: My idea for the story was just to show the topsy-turvy trip a romance can take before it lands where it’s meant to be. Rarely is it smooth. Also, we can fall in love with someone because of things they’ve done for others. We see their heart in how they give to someone, the care they take with different relationships.
EC: What is the theme of the book/story?
LF: “Love Comes in Small Packages,” meaning love isn’t always a tidal wave that knocks you over. Often, it’s finding common ground over things we love – like children, animals, and good friends.
EC: Did you write the story independently or consult Maisey?
LF: I write every story 100% independently. I’d be a terrible collaborator because I’d want everything my way. Plus, Maisey has her own unique, wonderful voice, and it’s different from mine. (That’s probably true for most authors!)
EC: How would you describe Laylee?
LF: Overall, Laylee uses bravado and a party-vibe to hide her insecurity. Her family often compared her to her studious, very serious twin sister, and she felt she had to live up to the role assigned to her. Yet, she’s also smart, just as her twin is also pretty and lively. Too often parents innocently say things without realizing how it might impact their children later in life.
EC: How would you describe Knox?
LF: Knox is a hard worker, a loyal friend, a family guy – he has a great family – and he wants to settle down. He wants home and hearth, with that one special woman. Finding her was the issue – until he met Laylee. Unfortunately, Laylee didn’t realize that, so she stuck him in the friend zone. Once he was there, she feared losing his friendship if she pushed for more.
EC: How is Laylee different from her twin sister Skye?
LF: She’s far more of a fashion icon, comfortable in crowds, and always ready to have a good time. She’s also a local model, doing well enough to live independently.
EC: What role did Laylee being possibly pregnant play in the story?
LF: The pregnancy scare was the catalyst to their romance. Knowing a guy would stick with you, even if you were pregnant with someone else’s child, showed Laylee just how much he cared, and how reliable he was for the long term. It also drove home to Knox how important she is to him, no matter what.
EC: What role did the dogs and cat play in the story?
LF: Pets are a great unifier! If you’re sharing responsibility as “pet sitters,” you’re naturally brought closer together. It also gives insight on how someone nurtures, and the level of their responsibility and reliability.
EC: How would you describe Laylee and Knox’s relationship?
LF: They were very good friends – biding their time until they could declare their true feelings. The friendship was important to them both, and that alone is a great basis for a relationship. Of course, friendship will only do for so long when you’re in love with someone, and fortunately, they get to work that out in the book.
EC: How about your next book(s)?
LF: THE LAKE HOUSE was just released May 26th. It’s the 2nd book in the Firefly Summer series, though each book stands alone. Both Pixie and Brogan have wounds to heal; Pixie is already well on her way, thanks to a big-hearted but tiny town and the wonderful, quirky people who live there. She’s part of a “found family” now, and wants to concentrate on raising her toddler son. Brogan never had much family, until he joined the service, but then he loses his team, his brothers, and finds himself gravely wounded in a hospital. He had little reason to live – until an estranged sister made him guardian of her infant daughter. From the moment he meets Pixie, the young single mother gets a grasp on his heart. Now together, they deal with threats from his past, and the secrets he reveals. I recently finished writing book 3, THE RAINBOW CONNECTION, which will be out next year.
WHEN I FIRST MET YOU will be released July 14th. It’s the 2nd book in the Family Ties series, and again, each book stands alone. It shows how first impressions aren’t always accurate, something Kam figures out when Glory has a stalker threatening her life. He steps up to protect her, and as they grow closer, he realizes there are layers to Glory he never expected. Also, he had a truly awful, abusive childhood before being adopted into a great family. In many ways, Glory helps him to really deal with his past, something he hadn’t yet been able to do.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
