A story of intrigue, romance, murder, and artificial intelligence…
She was almost out, her life of enforced seclusion nearly over. She’d go to college at MITI, make a name for herself in Machine Intelligence (MI), and develop personal MIs to solve the world’s problems by building on the technology her grandfather had secretly invented.
But the house was on fire when Paloma arrived home. Her grandfather, beaten and tortured, lay dead on the floor. Someone knew about Marlowe, Paloma’s MI, and would clearly kill to acquire it. They’d come for her next. They’d come for Marlowe.
Paloma has no choice but to run, at least until she can figure out who is after them. A tech corporation? The government? Anti-tech terrorists? As she encounters each, her grandfather’s arguments about the dangers of a Marlowe-like MI in the wrong hands begin to make sense. But after 15 years together, Marlowe has become both her best friend and, for better or worse, part of who she is.
A new take on classic noir themes, Private I is a mystery thriller rooted in today’s headlines and driven by characters with distinct answers to the questions those articles ask: what do we mean by machine consciousness? Would we recognize it if we saw it? Would we want it if we could have it? It is the story of a dead body, a society in decay, and the internal monologue of a voice that is still young enough to care and naive enough to stumble. Of course, in our case, that internal monologue has two voices.
PRIVATE I by Ashlei E. Watson, Jill Fain Lehman & Paul Pangaro is a futuristic sci-fi thriller and murder mystery with a bit of romance featuring a young woman on the run after the murder of her grandfather, but that is the simplistic overview. It also involves many philosophical questions tied to an advanced Machine Intelligence (MI) named Marlowe that her grandfather invented and gave to her as a friend and guide at a young age when she came to live with him.
Ready to leave the rules and strictures of her grandfather’s home, Paloma has graduated and is hoping to attend MIT in the next session. When she comes home after visiting the college, she finds her grandfather murdered and their home on fire. Paloma’s MI, Marlowe, has instructions for an occurrence like this, but Paloma would rather be on the run with Marlowe than destroy her friend of fifteen years. As she tries to figure out who wants the technology enough to kill, Paloma seeks help from some of her grandfather’s friends, but even they seem to have ulterior motives. She does not know who to trust.
Paloma is an interesting protagonist. She is young and seems to have led a sheltered life with Marlowe, but she is also tough and intelligent enough to weave her way through the treachery and lies of the people supposedly trying to help. The dialogue between Paloma and Marlowe was at times entertaining, but it also did a great job of demonstrating Paloma’s complex relationship with a machine that sometimes left her feeling as if she was losing her individual human self. There is some technological discussion and a lot of acronyms that at times I did not understand, but you can skip or not understand the jargon and the main plotline will still pull you in and keep you turning the pages. There is a good mix of action and amateur investigation along with philosophical discussions of humans relying on personal machine intelligence that kept me pondering even after the resolution of the book. The ending was not what I was expecting, but it still satisfied.
I recommend this mash-up sci-fi thriller. It was different for me, and I enjoyed it.
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About the Author
Ashlei E. Watson (born July 7, 1975) is an American novelist. Her books include the cyber noir series Private I, co-written with Jill Fain Lehman, PhD and Paul Pangaro, PhD.
About the Author
Career in academic and industrial research in Artificial Intelligence, predominantly natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML) and cognitive architecture. Full info at https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jef/.
About the Author
Career as entrepreneur, teacher, researcher, and performer. Introduced to Cybernetics at MIT with Jerry Lettvin then Gordon Pask, with whom Paul did a PhD and worked with for more than a decade. Involved in a series of startups, often as founder and CTO, culminating with General Cybernetics, Inc., in New York City. Entered academia from 2015, currently at Carnegie Mellon University. Videos on Cybernetics at https://vimeo.com/showcase/9172955. Personal website and blog at http://pangaro.com/
Leona Griffin is at the height of her career as a para-archeologist thanks to a recent Underworld discovery. Her high profile attracts the attention of an organization of elite, secretive collectors. They want her to authenticate the artifacts that aspiring members submit as evidence to join their group. The ceremony takes place at a glittering reception where Leona is shocked to discover that one of the relics is a powerful Old-World object known as Pandora’s Box. But she’s not the only one interested in that artifact.
Oliver Rancourt, a man with a unique talent—they say you never see him coming—is also there. Leona knows she must not underestimate him. Attempting to make a discreet exit, she stumbles over the body of a waiter wearing the emblem of a dangerous cult. Before she can alert authorities, a police raid sends the reception into chaos. To avoid being arrested, Leona slips away with Oliver—a risky decision that gets her fired.
Now forced to work together, Leona and Oliver pursue an investigation that leads them to the town of Lost Creek where the locals are obsessed with a chilling legend involving a long-dead cult leader and illicit paranormal experiments. But Leona knows the real danger may be the irresistible attraction between herself and Oliver.
IT TAKES A PSYCHIC (Ghost Hunter Book #17) by Jayne Castle is another exciting and fun addition to the Ghost Hunter series. All these books can be read as standalone paranormal romances, but this one does tie back to People in Glass Houses, Book #16 with the heroines of both stories being sisters.
Para-archeologist Leona Griffin is still riding the wave of her celebrity from her recent discoveries in the Underworld when she is asked to authenticate items at a meeting for membership in a secretive organization. From the moment she arrives, she has a bad feeling about this group, especially when the final object for her to authenticate is the infamous Old World object Pandora’s Box.
Oliver Rancourt is also at the meeting and has an interest in Pandora’s Box. While the other attendees all seem to ignore him, Leona not only sees him, but feels he is watching her. And she is right. Oliver has a unique ability to blend in and seem to disappear, which is perfect for retrieving his stolen property, but Leona’s ability to see him has intrigued him.
When Leona tries to make a discrete exit, she discovers a dead server wearing the symbol of a dangerous cult around her neck. Before she can alert anyone, a police raid occurs. Oliver shows up at her side and rather than be arrested, they slip away. Oliver has Pandora’s Box, which he tells Leona was stolen from him and when they open it, it has, in addition to its original contents, a strange golden pyramid inside.
Leona and Oliver work together to uncover secrets about the long dead cult leader and the illegal paranormal experiments. The attraction grows between the two, but they are both hiding secrets about their psychic profiles. The answer to questions about Leona and her sister’s past may be within reach, but can Oliver and Leona stay alive to find them.
I wait anxiously for each new installment in this long running series. Not only for a fun, intriguing new pair of romantic protagonists, but also for the new dustbunny. Roxy and her blue fascinator did not disappoint. There was a good amount of heat and chemistry between Leona and Oliver that grew believably over the course of the story, and even though there is sexual intercourse, it is a smaller part of this story than in other books in this series. These books are always a great mash-up of paranormal romance, mystery, and adventure in Harmony.
I highly recommend this addition to the series and would recommend the entire series to anyone. Long live dustbunnies!
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About the Author
Jayne Castle, the author of Guild Boss, Illusion Town, Siren’s Call, The Hot Zone, Deception Cove, The Lost Night, Canyons of Night, Midnight Crystal, Obsidian Prey, Dark Light, Silver Master, Ghost Hunter, After Glow, and After Dark, is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick.
Only The Dead Within, The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise, and Personal Security by Lisa Childs shows her ability to write in multiple genres. These three recent books show how diverse Childs is with her writing style because she writes thrillers, mysteries, and family-oriented stories. Only the Dead Within is the thriller, The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise is the family story, and Personal Security is the mystery.
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Only The Dead Within
Grave Diggers Book 2
Kensington Pub
Book Description
Between mysterious missing persons cases, unsolved murders, and the menacing specter of an eternally blood-thirsty grave digger’s ghost, the town of Gold Creek, Michigan, has a grim reputation, and so does the wealthy, ruthless Gold family, who run the local funeral home and cemetery—and may be behind it all . . .
Yet another teen has gone missing from the Gold Memorial Gardens, and Child Protective Services Investigator Claire Underwood isn’t giving up until she finds him. For Claire, solving the case is more than business. Years ago, she lost a friend in that cemetery.
Over time, the authorities deemed all the disappeared teens runaways, while local legend blamed the ghost of the murderous grave digger—much to the satisfaction of the Golds, also known as the “Ghouls.” Claire has always suspected the Golds were involved, including in some recent murders among their own. She went to high school with Noah Gold. He was very quiet, and very intense. Like someone with something to hide.
Noah is sick of being cast in the same light as his conniving, money-hungry family. He’s still a bit anti-social, but he’s just as determined as Clare to unearth the truth—and finally bury the legend of the grave digger. With a common goal, he and Claire join forces, but it’s a quest that puts them in mortal danger. Only with the help of the local sheriff—whose own brother vanished years ago—do they have a chance of surviving. Yet, the truth that awaits them is more terrifying than any ghost . . .
Elise’s Thoughts
Only The Dead Within tells the story of Child Protective Services Investigator Claire Underwood looking for a missing teen last seen in the cemetery. Over time, the authorities deemed that there were multiple teenage disappearances there, but it was determined that the teens were runaways since no bodies were found. But this time it is different because Tyler Hicks’ body was found by the grave digger Noah Gold who becomes a person of interest. Now he wants to join forces with Claire to find out who is behind the murder and the missing teens.
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The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise
Bachelor Cowboy’s Romance Book 1
Harlequin Pub
Book Description
A baby found in the barn means…
An instant cowboy dad!
When a baby is abandoned on the Four Corners Ranch, CPS investigator Elise Shaw drops everything to find the parents. She can’t understand why Liam Lemmon, the bachelor cowboy who found the child, first denies being her father, then claims her as his own! Elise visits the Wyoming ranch regularly to check up on them and soon starts to feel like part of the family. But her heart is getting too involved with the case…and with Liam. And when she learns the cowboy’s secret, will she be forced to take away the child they’ve both come to love?
Elise’s Thoughts
The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise opens with rancher Liam Lemmon finding an abandoned baby in his barn. Child Protective Services investigator Elise Shaw is called in to help find the parents. Elise visits the Wyoming ranch regularly to check up on Liam and baby Lucy. Elise grows closer to both, yet knows her duty is to find the missing parents.
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Personal Security
Bachelor Bodyguard Book 15
Harlequin Pub
Book Description
He’ll risk anything to protect her…
Even his heart.
Watching over Blair Etheridge as she reopens her family’s art gallery is Ivan Chekov’s first chance to prove himself as a bodyguard. He hopes it’s also a chance to start over. But this job brings up bad memories, and Blair doesn’t want him anywhere near her. Ivan overcomes her stubborn streak after an attack on her life proves she’s in danger. The undeniable attraction sizzling between them makes posing as her boyfriend easy, while the thought of losing her frightens him more than he’s willing to admit.
Elise’s Thoughts
Personal Security has Ivan Chekov hired as a bodyguard for Blair Etheridge as she reopens her family’s art gallery. At first reluctant to have a bodyguard, Blair overcomes her stubborn streak and relents after multiple attempts on her life. The undeniable attraction sizzles between them since he poses as her boyfriend.
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All three books will keep readers furiously turning the pages to find out what happens.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for story?
Lisa Childs: Only The Dead Within is a thriller based on my daughter’s profession, a child protective service investigator, which is a difficult job. I wanted to use her field because I
like writing more than law enforcement professionals. I was able to speak with her to make sure I got everything correct because the heroine in two of my books works as a child protective services investigator.
The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise is a more lighthearted book after writing Only the Dead Within. It is part of my Bachelor Cowboy series. The main character, Elise Shaw, is very near and dear to my heart because of my daughter.
Personal Security is a series that has been going on for many years. This is a redemption storyline where the hero was forced to do things in his past that he is not proud of but was able to turn his life around.
EC: How would you describe your heroines?
LC: Claire is the heroine in Only the Dead Within. She is a survivor, skeptic, felt numb and sometimes dead inside, was abused, and is untrusting. Yet she is also independent, caring, strong, and can connect the dots.
Elise is the heroine in The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise. She is mistrusting, direct, kind, strong, capable, and determined.
Blair is the heroine of Personal Security. She is naïve, strong, stubborn, independent, determined, intense, and a loner.
EC: How would you describe your heroes?
LC: Noah is the hero in Only the Dead Within. He is rich and influential but has the job as the grave digger. He can be a loner, resilient, protective, antisocial, and determined.
Liam is the hero in The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise. He is caring, has integrity, tender, sociable, gentle, responsible, and lonely. He assumes responsibility for a baby left in his barn. He steps up.
Ivan is the hero in Personal Security. He has become a protector while being someone’s bodyguard. He is cautious, charming, and a survivor.
EC: How about each relationship?
LC: At first in Only the Dead Within Claire suspects Noah of murder. Yet they have in common a loved one who is missing. He sees her as vulnerable with a hardened heart and a sharp tongue and worries about her safety. After they get over their first impressions they realize the attraction.
Elise wants love and stability. She is vulnerable and I had her forward in this story. They are both avoiding their attractiveness. The baby left in Liam’s barn brings them together and shows Elise a different side of him.
Both Blaire and Ivan are attracted to each other. They have in common that because of their last name people frown upon them. Ivan teases her a lot. Blaire is very vulnerable and has built walls where she is trying to avoid a relationship.
EC: Next books?
LC: The Unknown Colton is written with multiple authors and a setting of Alaska. It will be released in October. It features Lakin and Troy. She is pursuing her dream of creating a boutique hotel without Troy until it is discovered someone is stalking her. Troy sets aside his own personal problems to help her find out who is after her.
Christmas Security is the story of Blade and comes out in November. The plot has biophysicist Dr. Priscilla Pell fearing for her life, and the life of her unborn child. Living in the mansion where she’s still unwelcome among her late husband’s family, she doesn’t know whether the threats are coming from inside or outside. That’s why she hires professional security. She’s grateful for Blade Sparks’s around-the-clock protection.
The Cowboy’s Claim comes out in December. It is Blake’s story. The story features lawyer Maci Bluff who is under a lot of pressure to win a lawsuit for the Lemmon brothers so they can stay on their beloved ranch. Yet, as the legal battle escalates, so do her feelings for cowboy Blake Lemmon.
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 ECHOES ON THE WIND (Maggie O’Shea Romantic Suspense Book #4) by Helaine Mario on this Partner In Crime Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Kingsumo giveaway. Enjoy!
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Book Description
TWO STRONG WOMEN, GENERATIONS APART, CONNECTED BY MUSIC…
In 1943 war-torn France, a young woman on the Night Train to Paris has a chance meeting with two very different men who will change her life, setting in motion a Dual Timeline story that will resonate like ripples on water for generations to come.
Many years later, classical pianist Maggie O’Shea is drawn to Brittany by a long-lost letter from her French grandmother and the stirring music of Chopin, whispering like echoes across the years. But as Maggie discovers the secrets of her past, her life spirals out of control, threatening her upcoming wedding and those she loves.
Set against the backdrop of World War II France, Maggie learns her grandmother’s story, chord by chord, through Chopin’s emotional Preludes. And, in one shocking moment, Maggie’s love story will take a heart-breaking turn that will change her life and echo into her future.
Past and present converge in this haunting tale of loss and sacrifice, friendship and family, courage and survival – and the transcendent power of hope, music and love.
Genre: Romantic Suspense Published by: Suncoast Publishing Publication Date: June 18, 2024 Number of Pages: 364 ISBN: 9781735184975 (ISBN10: 1735184977) Series: A Maggie O’Shea Romantic Suspense, Book 4
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My Mini Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
ECHOES ON THE WIND (Maggie O’Shea Romantic Suspense Book #4) by Helaine Mario is the exciting finale of the Maggie O’Shea series. This story has a dual timeline featuring Maggie in the present and her French grandmother during WWII. I have been waiting for this culmination of love vs. vengeance anxiously and was not disappointed. These books should be read in order because there are over-arching threads throughout the series with Maggie and the other main characters continually evolving.
WOW! I could not put this book down. Not only do you get Maggie in a final showdown ending, but you get the survival story of her grandmother Clair, who was in the French Resistance during WWII written in dual timelines with alternating chapters. The main characters are all fully developed, more so if you have read the entire series, and I feel like they could walk right off the page. This is an extremely emotional book in both timelines, but as in the entire series, family, love, and music, carry the main characters through the worst that is thrown at them.
All the books are intriguing, pull you in, and are worth reading. This series also had me continually listening to the classical music pieces mentioned throughout that Maggie practiced for her concerts, which was a fun reminder of my trips to the Cleveland orchestra when I was younger.
I highly recommend this harrowing romantic suspense/WWII historical fiction mash-up and the entire engaging series!
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Excerpt
OVERTURE
“Like so many things that matter, it began with an accident.” David Ignatius, 12/28/98
NOVEMBER, 1943. THE NIGHT TRAIN TO PARIS
Light and dark.
The bleak November landscape rushed past the train’s window. Black tree branches against the dark night sky, then a sudden flash of light. Then blackness again.
The blackout had claimed the streetlamps and cottage windows. Clair Rousseau stared out the rain-streaked glass, waiting for the next glimpse of light. A lone lantern. Car headlights tilted down, a sliver of gold beyond a cracked curtain. Sheet lightning over distant hills, a glimmer of light on water. But all she saw was the blurred, pale oval of her reflection staring back at her. Dark hair scraped back, framing huge eyes beneath winged brows, sharp cheekbones, the too-wide mouth.
No hint of the emotions flowing through her, except for the deep purple shadows beneath her eyes.
The dim, four-person compartment was cold, and she pulled her coat more tightly around her body. The seat beside her was still empty, thank God. Across from her, two German officers. One asleep, snoring loudly, his hands slack between thick gray-green uniformed knees. The other awake, a Gauloises cigarette clamped between thin lips, a jagged line of white scars marring his left cheek. The narrow fox-like face stared at her through thick round glasses and wreathes of curling blue smoke. His jacket was heavy with insignia, oak leaves, medals. Military Intelligence, she thought with a sudden chill. A high rank, SD or Abwehr. What was he thinking?
The watchful, unblinking eyes made her afraid. Like a snake’s eyes, waiting to strike. She looked away, forcing herself not to reach for her satchel, touch her identity papers for reassurance.
The carriage’s glassed door slid back and forth with an unnerving rattle as the train rocked around a bend. From the hallway came the sharp scent of burning coal, wafting back from the old steam engine several cars ahead. A cloud of steam billowed past the window like sudden fog.
She could feel the vibration beneath her, hear the rumble of the train’s wheels speeding along the tracks. The lonely call of a train whistle, echoing in the night. A quick flare of light, illuminating the rain like silver threads streaming down the window.
Light and dark. Light and dark.
Movement at the edge of her vision. A tall figure appeared in the hallway, beyond the door. Her chest tightened. Would she ever feel safe again?
A sharp crack of thunder, a sudden bright flash lighting her face.
“Mademoiselle Clair?”
Startled, her head came up. The stranger had stopped, was staring into the compartment. Across from her, the watchful German stiffened and slid pale eyes toward the voice.
Be careful.
There was something familiar about the gaunt face, the faint, questioning smile just visible above a thick woolen scarf. She stood quickly, stepping between the German and the carriage door to block the officer’s view.
“Oui,” she said softly, peering into the dim hallway. The man nodded and moved closer. Something about those gentle eyes, the arch of silver brows. Memory surged. Father Jean-Luc.
She flashed him a warning glance for silence and stepped into the train’s narrow corridor, closing the door firmly behind her. “Mon Père, is it really you?”
“Oui, ma petite, c’est moi.” The priest pulled the scarf down to offer a glimpse of his white Roman collar, then lost his smile as he gazed over her shoulder and saw the Germans. “But we cannot talk here. Come with me.”
He slipped a hand beneath her elbow and guided her to the end of the dark passageway, where an open exit door led across shifting metal plates to the train’s next car. She felt the sudden bite of night wind on her face, cold and wet with mist. Here the clatter of the train wheels was loud enough to hide their conversation.
They sheltered just inside the doorway, in the shadows, away from the rain. Outside, the countryside of France rushed by, then disappeared in a billow of black smoke. In the dim corridor, the planes of the priest’s face were lit by a tiny, flickering overhead bulb.
Light and dark. Light and dark.
The priest looked down at her, shook his head. “Little Clair Rousseau,” he murmured. “Now such a beautiful young woman. It’s been – what? – four years since we met? You were just thirteen, I think. Playing the piano in your parents’ apartment. Bach, yes? It was so beautiful, so stirring. I hope you are still playing?”
She shook her head. “You need hope to create music, Père.” She looked back toward her carriage compartment. The hallway was empty. “But I remember that day. The war was coming. You asked us to help you remove the stained-glass windows from Sainte-Chapelle. To save them from the bombing.”
“You were fearless, Clair. I remember watching you, swaying at the top of that impossibly high ladder. The morning light was coming through the stained glass, spilling over you like shimmering jewels. I’ll never forget it. I told myself, Clair means light, she is perfectly named.”
He leaned down. “And I can still see your sister, Elle – too young to help us, biensûr – dancing around the altar.”
Her expression softened. “Elle loved to dance. It was the last happy day I can remember.” She lifted her eyes to his, took a breath. “Paris was another lifetime, Père.”
“You cannot lose hope,” he told her. “The glass pieces are in a safe place. Beauty and goodness cannot be destroyed. You will see the stained-glass windows back in Sainte-Chapelle when the war is over. I know it.”
She shook her head. “I wish I had your faith.”
“God has his plans. There is a reason we’ve met by chance on the night train to Paris.” Concern flashed in his eyes. “But you’ve been in Brittany? Dangerous times for a young woman to be traveling alone, Clair.”
She looked out at the black trees rushing past the doorway, and felt the blackness deep in her heart. “I am alone now, Père.”
“Mon Dieu. What happened?”
“My father knew that war was inevitable. Not long after we saved the glass my parents moved us from Paris to the coast near Saint-Malo to be safe. Such irony. They had no idea how dangerous Brittany would become. And then…”
She could not stop the sudden rush of tears that filled her eyes. “The Gestapo shot my father last year, in a retaliation roundup for an act of sabotage by the Resistance. He was with the Liberty Network, they had bombed a train track. He stepped forward, admitted it, hoping to save the others. But still they took thirty innocent people from our village, murdered them in the square.”
“Oh no, Clair.” The priest made a quick sign of the cross. “I am so sorry. And your mother, your sister?”
“I don’t know, Père. I was studying in Paris, I begged them to come stay with me. But Maman refused. When I returned last month to see them, the house was empty. They were just… gone. The neighbors said the Germans took them, in the night. The mayor was told they were being relocated to Poland.”
The priest paled. “Désolé. I will pray for their souls.”
Anger erupted, spilled out. “Prayers did not help my family! I have no time for prayer now. Or sorrow. Even avenging my father will have to wait. I need all my energy now to find my mother and my sister.”
He bent toward her. “I am afraid you are still too fearless for your own good. Tell me what you’re doing, little one.”
She turned once more to scan the dark hallway, then leaned closer. “I excelled in languages in my lycée studies these last years,” she whispered. “I am fluent in several languages, including German and English. I hope to find a new job, in the Hotel Majestic in Paris, where the German High Command is quartered. Then I will join the Resistance, find a way to get news of Maman and Elle. I must find them!”
He gazed down at her for a long moment, then put a hand on her shoulder.
“Perhaps I know of another way,” he murmured.
The sound of a door opening. Wavering shadows spilled into the train’s corridor. Then the red glow of a cigarette, a spiral of smoke. She froze as the German officer turned toward them.
“Find me at Èglise Saint-Gervais, in the Marais,” the priest whispered quickly. “I am with the Resistance there. You could work with me, we need someone like you to –”
A sudden terrifying screech of metal wheels. Clair felt herself thrown to the floor as the train braked, slammed to a shuddering stop. Stunned, Clair reached out, felt the still body of the priest beside her. “Mon Père…”
Shouts in German in the darkness, the clatter of heavy boots. When she raised her head she saw flashing blue lights against the night sky.
Light and dark. Light and dark.
Copyright June 2020
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Author Bio
Best-selling author Helaine Mario grew up in NYC and is a graduate of Boston University. Now living in Arlington, VA, this mother of two, grandmother of five, and passionate advocate for women’s and children’s issues came to writing later in life. Her first novel, The Lost Concerto, won the Benjamin Franklin Award Silver Medal. Echoes on the Wind is her fifth novel and the fourth in her Maggie O’Shea Classical Music Suspense Series. Royalties from her books go to children’s music and reading programs. Helaine recently lost her husband, Ron, after 57 years together. Her new book echoes with loss, grief, and, ultimately, the healing power of love.
In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed telephone operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls, speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire, and be utterly discreet, since the calls often conveyed classified information.
At the time, nearly all well-trained American telephone operators were women—but women were not permitted to enlist, or even to vote in most states. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Signal Corps promptly began recruiting them.
More than 7,600 women responded, including Grace Banker of New Jersey, a switchboard instructor with AT&T and an alumna of Barnard College; Marie Miossec, a Frenchwoman and aspiring opera singer; and Valerie DeSmedt, a twenty-year-old Pacific Telephone operator from Los Angeles, determined to strike a blow for her native Belgium.
They were among the first women sworn into the U.S. Army under the Articles of War. The male soldiers they had replaced had needed one minute to connect each call. The switchboard soldiers could do it in ten seconds.
Deployed throughout France, including near the front lines, the operators endured hardships and risked death or injury from gunfire, bombardments, and the Spanish Flu. Not all of them would survive.
The women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps served with honor and played an essential role in achieving the Allied victory. Their story has never been the focus of a novel…until now.
SWITCHBOARD SOLDIERS by Jennifer Chiaverini is an engaging and informative historical fiction novel featuring the first young women ever to be able to enlist in the US Army’s Signal Corps and serve overseas as switchboard operators during WWI. The story follows three main protagonists from different parts of the country with varying immigrant family stories as they serve in the great war overseas.
As General John Pershing arrives in France to oversee American forces to fight alongside the French and British forces in the “war to end all wars” against the Axis forces, he realizes he needs professional female operators fluent in both French and English to be able to communicate all over the fields of operation. AT&T operators answered the call to serve from all over the country.
Grace Banker is an AT&T switchboard instructor in New Jersey and an alumnus of Barnard College, Marie Miossec is in Cincinnati with her French parents who are professional musicians working in the states, and Valerie DeSmedt an operator in Los Angeles whose family has immigrated from Belgium, are all accepted after an arduous vetting. Deployed to France, they cross the dangerous waters of the Atlantic facing dangerous German U-boats, the bombardments of the enemy forces throughout France as they are assigned to work closely to the frontlines, the danger of mustard gas and the Spanish flu.
These women served throughout France with honor and valor and were essential to the success of the Allied forces.
I had no idea that these American women switchboard operators were involved in the war effort during WWI. You hear about nurses and the YWCA volunteers, but not this group. I was so impressed by the magnitude of research throughout this novel. The author’s descriptions brought me right into the action. This story does jump around a bit as you follow the different paths and experiences the three main characters follow so occasionally, I felt it was a little disjointed, but in a way, it needed to be, so it fit in with the different journey of each. Just like so many other historical women’s stories in history, these brave young women were not recognized as true soldiers of the Army and received no VA benefits or legal recognition until 1977.
I highly recommend this story of amazing women answering the call to service.
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About the Author
Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of FATES AND TRAITORS, MRS. LINCOLN’S DRESSMAKER, MRS. LINCOLN’S RIVAL, THE SPYMISTRESS, MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE, and other acclaimed historical novels. She also wrote the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series, as well as six collections of quilt patterns inspired by her books. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, she lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin. About her historical fiction, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, “In addition to simply being fascinating stories, these novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years.”
Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Yutzy, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?
The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Yutzy’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have been involved in that led to such violent ends?
With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters—individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.
To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?
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Elise’s Thoughts
Rage by Linda Castillo has a riveting plot. Like a fine wine, she only gets better with each story. Kate Burkholder is a unique character that readers will always root for.
The action starts from page one where an Amish man is brutally murdered. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Yutzy, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Yutzy’s best friend. Then, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market that includes sex trafficking.
Kate is beaten up and warned to stop the investigation, but she is not someone who will give up when justice has not been served. As Kate gets closer to the truth of who is behind the murders, she herself becomes the target of the killers, putting her life in danger.
Each book tops the other one in suspense, mystery, and action. Castillo is a master at building suspense with intense and dark secret undertones.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: We were unable to speak about last year’s published book, The Burning. Is there anything you want to say about it?
Linda Castillo: This is one of my favorites. I think I looked at some of the reviews and saw had readers responded to the story. It was a satisfied book to write because it was a good mystery with the secret underground society of the Anabaptist culture that took out bad Amish. I liked the whole aspect of that story.
EC: How do you feel about this current book, Rage?
LC: Occasionally I listen to my books on audio. This makes me fall in love with it extra hard. Kathleen McInerney is such a great narrator. During my next road trip, I plan on listening to this book.
EC: How did you get the idea for this story?
LC: I am a news hound. I read a lot of crime stuff. There has been so much human trafficking in the news. I did research and realized that Amish women could be victimized. They have
an innocence, naivete, vulnerability, becoming prey to predators. They know they are misbehaving to have fun, but once it reaches a certain level they cannot escape. When exposed to sudden freedom during Rumspringa, they cannot handle it and go overboard, get crazy, and get themselves into trouble.
EC: As in most of your stories you always teach the reader something about the subject matter. Is it true what you put in about sex trafficking?
LC: Emojis are true, and I had no idea about it. Law enforcement can search websites and chat rooms for certain terms. These traffickers tried to find a way around that by using emojis. They use underground language.
EC: How would you describe one of the victims, Samuel?
LC: He got in over his head. He did many things he was very ashamed of and was hoping to make things right. I think he was a decent guy who started down the wrong way and went in the wrong direction. I think once he fell in love everything changed, and he got back on track.
EC: Did Kate see a connection between her past and the other Amish women?
LC: They were all survivors, damaged, and had to take a journey. There is enough information in this book about Kate’s past, so that readers will be able to see the parallels between Kate and these women. The women were young and inexperienced as Kate was, very young, naïve, and vulnerable. They seemed to be lost and unable to re-fit in the Amish community. Kate ran away from her past and her identity. As she recovered and matured as a woman she knew when it was time to go back, with the opening of the Police Chief job. But the Amish women in Rage are not at that point yet. But the last scene in the book shows how one young woman was in the middle of the same journey Kate took.
EC: Interestingly, some of what you wrote made me think about the safety of animals.
LC: If someone has an animal and they end up dying what happens to their animals? I did that in the scene with the horse. I have horses and it upset me to write the scene where the horse was there alone without water and feed, plus it was hot. But I wanted to make sure readers knew that the animal was taken care of. My husband and I have two Blue Heeler dogs, that we are obsessed with and love. We want to make sure they and the horses are taken care of if something happens to us.
EC: In your books, you inform the readers about certain police procedures during their investigations. Your notes about dismemberment were very interesting.
LC: I put in this book quote, “The general rule of thumb for a homicide that involves the dismemberment of a human body is that there are probably two crime scenes. The death
scene, where the victim was murdered and/or dismembered, and the location where the body parts were disposed of and found.” It was a very astute and smart observation. I did not speak to a live law enforcement person about this but read about a dismemberment homicide. I thought about how I wanted to use this fact to make the investigation more difficult for Kate. It worked for the book. Unfortunately, it is a learning experience for me where I learn new things about murder. I must go through every investigational step either by research, talking with somebody, or figuring out the next logical step.
EC: In this book even though Kate is put through the ringer, do you agree she appears to be more cautious?
LC: I did it on purpose, that she now calls for backup. In real-life, small-town police probably do not have much backup. I read a book whose title was When You Are the Only Cop in Town. But I do not want Kate too stupid to live. She must do her due diligence. I still wanted that level of danger, but Kate did not do something foolish. Hopefully the reader is holding their breath, but is waiting for back up to rescue her, upping the suspense.
EC: In this book John Tomasetti is front and center. Do you have a blueprint as to when he will be featured and when he will not?
LC: It will depend on the case Kate is working on. The murders in this book where unusual for the area and are brutal. They had a big city feel, which is what brought Tomasetti in. He will always be there, but I want to vary his level with the crimes.
EC: What about having your books made into a movie or TV series?
LC: Last time we spoke we had a little nibble. I had a Zoom meeting with a script writer and some producers that included Poppy Montgomery who starred in the series “Unforgettable” and “Without A Trace.” She was one of the producers of the first movie, “An Amish Murder,” back in 2013. She loves the character, Kate Burkholder. Her and two other producers on the Zoom are very enthusiastic. I recommended some books in the series, Born to Silence, Down A Dark Road, Among the Wicked, and The Hidden One to read. I thought these books are very representative of the series.
EC: Next books?
LC: The next Kate plot has two Amish women walking down a country road when a car hits and kills one of the women. Was it an accident or more than that? I want to keep my stories fresh by changing the type of crime and the motivation. This book will be published in 2027. But in 2026 there will be another collection of Kate short stories in a brand-new hardcover never released with a new short story never published. It is titled A Dark Path. It will come out in spring or summer 2026.
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.
