Tag: #elisesthoughts

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Gathering Table by Kathryn Springer

Book Description

From USA TODAY bestselling author Kathryn Springer comes a tale of starting over when life takes an unexpected turn.

Winsome Lake, Wisconsin, is postcard-pretty, but for chef Jessica Keaton it’s also a last resort. Fired from her dream job, Jess is starting over as a live-in cook and housekeeper. When she arrives, she finds her new employer is in rehab after having a stroke, and Jess expects she’ll be all alone in Elaine Haviland’s quaint house. A chef with no one to cook for.

But instead, she encounters a constant stream of colorful visitors who draw her back into the world. As Jess contends with local teenagers, a group of scrappy women and a charming football coach, Elaine faces some battles of her own that extend past her physical challenges. For both of them, all the ingredients for a fulfilling life are within reach, if they’re willing to take a leap. And maybe Jess will start to see that it’s not just what’s on the table that matters—it’s the people gathered round it.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Gathering Table by Kathryn Springer would be great for a Hallmark movie.  The characters and the plot are relatable to anyone who has struggled with betrayal. Despite the many bumps along the way, the characters end up having hope after reinventing themselves. Readers realize how new friendships can help with overcoming past secrets.

Meet Jessica Keaton, who was unjustly fired from her job and accused falsely of improprieties. She decided to start anew by accepting a job offer to be a live-in cook and housekeeper for Elaine Haviland.  Elaine had fallen, sent to rehab, and while there had a stroke.  With Elaine recovering, Jess has her house to herself. While settling in, Jess is bombarded with Elaine’s friends and neighbors.  Sienna Bloom is a girl who uses Elaine’s piano to practice for a recital where she can win a scholarship, but also uses the living room couch to sleep.  Besides Elaine, it seems that Jess has a lot in common with Sienna regarding secrets and a past life.  It is almost like they are The Three Musketeers.

There is also Nick Silva, a neighbor, and the high school coach, who takes an interest in Jess.  Although attracted to each other Jess has built walls, which must be torn down.  Another character helping Jess realize she no longer wants to be a loner is Christopher Benjamin Gardner, a young man who stutters, has a light case of Down Syndrome, and has become Jess’s sous chef.  Jess allows him to venture out and realize he can have a job.  His mother Nita, along with her friends, Peg and Marri, nicknamed the Scrappy Ladies, feel the need to protect Jess even though they are busy bodies. All these people, including Elaine who has returned home, help Jess to navigate the feeling of comradeship and family. Realizing she no longer needs to rely on herself she accepts the warmth and caring ways of those around her. 

Elaine has also found romance with Matthew Jeffries, a former military Chaplain, who visited Elaine in rehab where they both realize someone in their fifties can find a relationship.

This story leaves a sweet taste in readers’ mouths. The characters are strong people with good values and are very caring. Anyone who wants a feel-good story should read a Kathryn Springer book. These are the type of friends everyone needs.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why did you make Jess, the main character, a chef?

Kathryn Springer:  I have this secret dream of wanting to own a restaurant, something I will never do.  If I can’t realize my dream, then my characters can.  I was also inspired about what happens when people gather around the table together, to hear shared conversations and stories.

EC: What is the role of cooking?

KS:  Food is an icebreaker and brings people comfort.  It brings people together.  They have shared traditions and dinners have attachment to memories.  It helps people bond. It helped Jess escape just as the piano helped Sienna escape.

EC:  Community is important in this book?

KS:  It was like a second family.  Jess realizes that there are people out there for her and she is not alone. 

EC:  How would you describe Jess?

KS:  She came from the wrong side of the tracks who had to overcome those unkind to her.  She became isolated and a loner.  By moving to Winsome Lake, Wisconsin, she reinvents herself and becomes successful.  She wants to belong and be accepted for who she is as a person.  In the beginning she was distrustful, afraid of failure, but also feisty, strong, sensitive, and kind.

EC:  Jess had to overcome people’s cruelness?

KS:  There is a character, Libby Tucker, who had to fight off many tribulations in her life.  She wrote a diary about being betrayed, and felt her life and career were over. Jess relates to Libby, and is quoted in the book, “She left because it didn’t matter how hard she worked. It didn’t matter that all she wanted was to do the work that she loved. She knew no one would believe her. She knew good things didn’t happen to people like her… Libby’s mistake was thinking she could put the past behind her and start over again.”

EC:  One of those characters was Gwyneth Donovan, Jesses former boss who fired her.  She seemed to be demanding, difficult to please, and somewhat of a snob?

KS:  Jess saw those qualities but also looked on her as a role model.  She was the picture of success to Jess. Gwyneth was wealthy, independent, respected, well presented, and had friends in high places.

EC: How would you describe Elaine, Jess, and Sienna?

KS:  All wanted to belong, and all have secrets. They did not want to be judged by their past. 

EC:  How would you describe Elaine?

KS:  She is afraid if she is honest, she might lose her friends.  She has strength, independence, and is caring. 

EC:  Why give Elaine a stroke?

KS:  It happened to some people I know that were in their mid-fifties. They were in good health and then had a stroke. Some were able to recover. 

EC:  Nick is the male lead?

KS:  He was the small-town high school quarterback who came back home.  He has a strong sense of community and family.  Overall, a good guy. Because he is now a coach, he has become sensitive to different types of personality.  He is also funny and charming.

EC:  How about Sienna?

KS:  She is broken but wants something more from her life.  As the story unfolds, she gains confidence.  Jess helped her to trust again. Jess understood her because she was like Sienna at that age.

EC:  Christopher was such a great character?

KS:  He is tender hearted.  I think he added a lot to the story.  Jess allowed him to enter her kitchen and life.  He is sweet, optimistic, and joyful.

EC:  How about Elaine’s love interest, Matthew?

KS:  He was not a character who appeared in the synopsis or in my head.  He came about as I was writing the scene with Elaine in rehab.  I typed the words “knock-knock” and thought who would be there. Matthew walked into the room. Their relationship was unexpected, but why should young characters always get all the romance?

EC:  What about your next books?

KS:  I am thinking of writing a sequel to this book. There is no contract and of course no release date.  I am always thinking how I cannot say good-bye to these characters.  They have become my friends over the course of the book. I would love to hear from readers about a second book. They can contact me at https://kathrynspringer.com/contact/ .

I am also going to self-publish and reissue a women’s fiction that will be out in January as a series of three books.  It is the “Staple Hill Café” series make over.

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Gone for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen

Book Description

Gone For Good is the first in a new mystery series from award-winning author Joanna Schaffhausen, featuring Detective Annalisa Vega, in which a cold case heats up.

The Lovelorn Killer murdered seven women, ritually binding them and leaving them for dead before penning them gruesome love letters in the local papers. Then he disappeared, and after twenty years with no trace of him, many believe that he’s gone for good.

Not Grace Harper. A grocery store manager by day, at night Grace uses her snooping skills as part of an amateur sleuth group. She believes the Lovelorn Killer is still living in the same neighborhoods that he hunted in, and if she can figure out how he selected his victims, she will have the key to his identity.

Detective Annalisa Vega lost someone she loved to the killer. Now she’s at a murder scene with the worst kind of déjà vu: Grace Harper lies bound and dead on the floor, surrounded by clues to the biggest murder case that Chicago homicide never solved. Annalisa has the chance to make it right and to heal her family, but first, she has to figure out what Grace knew―how to see a killer who may be standing right in front of you. This means tracing his steps back to her childhood, peering into dark corners she hadn’t acknowledged before, and learning that despite everything the killer took, she has still so much more to lose.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Gone For Good by Joanna Schaffhausen is the first in a new mystery series featuring Detective Annalisa Vega.  She writes very intriguing serial killer mysteries and this one was no different.

Readers are introduced to Chicago PD detective Annalisa Vega who has some personal experience with the new case assigned to her. Twenty years ago, in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, the Lovelorn Killer viciously murdered seven women. After hog-tying them with ropes, he watched as they suffocated to death. He also mailed hand-written love letters to the “Sun-Times.”

This serial killer has resurfaced, bringing back horrible memories for Annalisa. The Lovelorn Killer had murdered seven women including Annalisa’s neighbor, Katherine Duffy, who was also her high school boyfriends’ mother, and confidant, someone she felt close to. Her dad’s Parkinson’s disease, her brother’s alcoholism, and her boyfriend’s fear of commitment were all triggered by stress, fear, and sorrow wrought by the serial killer. The villain is diabolical, perverted, deceitful, and intelligent.

The current case finds Vega investigating the killing of grocery story manager Grace Harper.  Grace is an amateur sleuth, part of the Grave Diggers group, and is found murdered in the same fashion. To make matters worse, Vega is asked to partner with her ex-husband, Nick Carelli, who was disloyal and a womanizer. In Grace’s apartment they find photos of women in similar poses, all victims of the Lovelorn Killer plus extracts from Grace’s journal that offer some great insights into a murderer’s mind. What makes the story even more interesting are chapters from Grace’s point of view, giving information about the cases that Grace and her team were uncovering as well as clues she discovered that would identify the killer. After the detectives appear to be zeroing in on the serial killer, he decides to target Annalisa by calling her cell, stalking, and threatening her. He is like a spider trying to entangle Annalisa in the web.

This story has many red herrings and twists.  Just when the reader thinks they know who the killer is, it becomes obvious that there is another person of interest. Vega has a vicious cat-and-mouse game with an elusive killer. At the end of the book people start to sympathize with the detective as she must struggle with a painful ethical dilemma.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper:  How did you get the idea for the story?

Joanna Schaffhausen:  It was a combination of things:  Online sleuths, the cases they take on, how they go about their business, as well as my interest in serial killers.  This story came about when I thought what would happen if an amateur sleuth tries to find a Cold Case serial killer.

EC: Is the amateur sleuth group Grave Diggers realistic?

JS: Yes, there are some groups more organized and tend to have members with established credentials. They tend to take cases that track down missing persons and are willing to put in the hours.  Localized law enforcement can only put in so much time so amateur groups can take the information and run with it.  This is an area where they have pretty good success.  Most of the cases taken on are not active investigations.

EC:  So amateur sleuths can be helpful?

JS:  Not all.  Some do not produce results.  Some are prone to conspiracy theories.  The fantastical tend toward that.  They create narratives but don’t solve any crimes unlike the Grave Diggers.

EC:  How would you describe Annalisa?

JS: She is a second-generation dedicated police officer who is daring, determined, and fearless.  She is caring and seeks justice.  Because she comes from a broken family, she joined the police force to have a 2nd family.

EC:  How would you describe Nick?

JS:  Charming.  He makes each date feel like they are number one.  But when married to Annalisa he was unfaithful.

EC:  How would describe their relationship?

JS:  He hurt Annalisa with his infidelities. Now he says he has reformed and appears more mature.  It remains to be seen if she will give him a second chance. There is a love triangle where her old boyfriend Collin is back in the picture.  Collin and Nick are competing for Annalisa’s affections.

EC:  How would you describe Grace, the amateur sleuth?

JS:  Smart, impatient, abrasive, usually right, and funny.  She found the serial killer because of a clue she found.  In searching for him she became fearless.

EC:  How would you describe the killer?

JS:  Someone who missed the “old glory days.” He was born with the devil inside, lacks human empathy, and just looks for an excuse to kill.  He likes to humiliate his victims and is an egotist.  He enjoys the hunt, the power, the control, and creating fear in his victims.

EC:  Why Chicago?

JS:  I first set it in Boston.  To differentiate from the first series my publisher and I decided to set it in Chicago.  I needed some place reasonably familiar to me that had neighborhoods with family generations staying there.

EC:  What about your next books?

JS:  In January will be the fifth book in the Boston Police Detective Ellery Hathaway series, titled Last Seen Alive. She and the FBI Agent Reed Markham must confront their old nemesis, serial killer Francis Coben.  He claims he wants to make amends and will tell where the remaining bodies are buried but only to Ellery. Then a new body turns up with Coben’s signature.

In this series, the second book titled Long Gone will be out in August 2022.  Annalisa is asked to investigate how a fellow police officer is shot in his own home with his much younger wife standing over the body unharmed.  Her best friend is dating the number one suspect who has been accused of killing his girlfriend years ago.  Now the family and some in the police force are estranged from Vega because of what she had to do in the current book.

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin

Book Description

When they face the most baffling missing person’s case of their careers, a fiercely ambitious lawyer and a homicide detective have no one to turn to for help except each other, from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

Up-and-coming attorney Leigh Larson fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse. She is not afraid to go after the sleaziest targets to get payback for her clients. Leigh is laser-focused on her career–to the exclusion of everything else–until a seemingly routine case and a determined cop turn her world upside down.

Austin homicide detective Brandon Reynolds is no stranger to midnight callouts. But when he gets summoned to an abandoned car on a desolate road, he quickly realizes he’s dealing with an unusual crime scene. A pool of blood in the nearby woods suggests a brutal homicide. But where is the victim? The vehicle is registered to twenty-six-year-old Vanessa Adams. Searching the car, all Brandon finds is a smear of blood and a business card for Leigh Larson, attorney-at-law.

Vanessa had hired Leigh just before her disappearance, but Leigh has no leads on who could have wanted her dead. Faced with bewildering evidence and shocking twists, Leigh and Brandon must work against the clock to chase down a ruthless criminal who is out for vengeance.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin brings to life a subject that needs more publicity. Because of cell phones, people, especially women, are vulnerable to revenge porn, which is a form of on-line abuse.  This subject matter is explored within a riveting storyline.

Leigh Larson is a fiercely ambitious lawyer who fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and on-line abuse. She is the victim’s advocate, fighting to get payback for her clients.

The story opens with Vanessa Adams buying a gun.  But she realizes someone is following her and runs into the woods.  Her car is found abandoned along with her purse and phone.  After being called in, Detective Brandon Reynolds of the Austin P.D. finds a smear of blood on the passenger seat car door that was left open. Brandon finds a lead when he discovers lawyer Leigh Larson’s business card among Vanessa’s things. It seems Vanessa had hired Leigh just before her disappearance. Faced with bewildering evidence and shocking twists, Leigh and Brandon must work against the clock to chase down a ruthless criminal who is out for vengeance. Leigh suspects that Vanessa may be harassed.  She and Brandon team together to find out what happened to Vanessa.  While doing this they realize they have off the chart chemistry. They grow closer after Brandon’s protective streak comes out when Leigh was attacked.  They are racing against the clock to find Vanessa and to solve the case.

The gripping and riveting story puts on-line abuse front and center. The characters are very well developed and readers root for justice to be served.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper:  How did you get the idea for the story?

Laura Griffin:  I used to be a newspaper reporter.  I saw some articles about a girl targeted for revenge porn that turned her life upside down.  I did some research on these types of cases of online harassment.

EC:  How would you describe Leigh?

LG:  It is pronounced “Lee” not Leigh like Vivian Leigh.  I got the name from a good friend in college.  Leigh is tenacious, outspoken, smart, and knows how to operate in a man’s world.  She is confident, pushy, headstrong, and intuitive. I made her a lawyer because I did not want the hero and heroine to both be law enforcement.

EC: How would you describe Brandon?

LG:  Analytical, observant, cool headed, protective, and at times bossy. 

EC:  Can you discuss online harassment?

LG:  It uses technology for revenge.  The two types of harassment, online and in person, blend together.  A man can stalk a woman but can also interface with her at home with technology.  There is a blurring of the lines.

EC:  What method do online harassers use?

LG:  They like to torment, terrorize, control, and manipulate their victims.  They can be sadistic, intimidating, and threatening.  In this story the victimized woman had to move.  Even if it is online the threats are not less scary and less dangerous.

EC:  How would you describe Vanessa?

LG:  Exasperating, at times sympathetic, impulsive, and has many faults.  She did not make very good decisions and is not an angel yet does not deserve to be targeted. She is also a cutter.

EC:  Why did you make her a cutter?

LG: I wanted to show how these cases have a devastating effect on young people.  They have their images posted around for all the world to see.  There have been cases of suicide, depression, and psychological impact.  Vanessa became stressed and withdrawn after she was targeted.  Once the images are out there it is hard for the victim to gain control. 

EC:  How would you describe the relationship?

LG:  Both Brandon and Leigh have been burned and betrayed in the past.  She has built walls.  But after a while they find common ground.  She does like to push his buttons and he likes to be sarcastic with her.  They have a dynamic with a healthy back and forth.

EC:  What about your next book?

LG:  It will be out in May 2022.  It is part of the “Texas Murder Files series” and is titled, Midnight Dunes.  The setting is still the coast, and it will feature Owen’s story.

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh

Book Description

The discovery of human remains unearths another nightmare from Sheriff Bree Taggert’s past in a bone-chilling thriller by #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh.

Twenty-seven years ago, Sheriff Bree Taggert’s father killed her mother, then himself. Now Bree and her younger brother, Adam, find human bones on the grounds of their abandoned family farm. The remains are those of a man and a woman, both murdered in the same horrible way.

When the investigation determines the murders occurred thirty years ago, Bree’s dead father becomes a suspect, forcing Bree to revisit the brutal night she’s spent most of her life trying to forget. The only other suspect is an unlikely squatter on the Taggert farm who claims to know secrets about Bree’s past. When he mysteriously disappears and Bree’s niece is kidnapped, the cold case heats up.

Bree has stoked the rage of a murderer who’ll do anything to keep his identity—and motives—a secret. To protect everyone she loves, Bree must confront a killer.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh is a gripping read, just like her other books.  Readers get sympathetic heroes and monstrous villains along with a plot that will keep them turning the pages.

Sherriff Bree Taggert agrees to travel to her childhood home with her brother Adam. She must confront the memories of her childhood that includes the cruelness of her father, being attacked by his dogs, the night her father murdered her mother, and then committed suicide.

What she did not expect to find are human bones on the grounds of the abandoned family farm.  They appear to be cruelly murdered thirty years ago. She is wondering if her father, who killed himself and her mother while she hid herself, her brother, and sister, is the culprit. Suspects begin to pile up, including someone who kidnaps her niece to warn her from further investigation. Assisting is Matt Flynn, the police investigator, who is also helping Bree realize she wants a relationship with him. She begins to feel the need for family and starts to tear down the wall she has built to protect herself.

This story will keep readers captivated with plenty of emotion and suspense including wondering who committed the crime.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper:  In this story there is more of Bree’s backstory?

Melinda Leigh:  I think there will be at least eight books in the series.  This is book 4.  After each book my goal is to leave each character in a happy place because they need a break.  This continuing character series will develop the characters and their relationships over a long term.  I will continue writing the series as long as the character personal development moves forward and is never stale. For me, the highest flattery a writer can receive is being told people enjoy their books.

EC:  You try to make some of the bad guys redeemable?

ML:  In reality, people have shades of grey.  There are various shades of grey, some darker than others, some being greyer.  Every character has their own viewpoint, their own perspective.  Bree in this book found out more about her family and the memories she avoided as a traumatized child.

EC:  How would you describe the relationship between Matt and Bree?

ML:  At first it was just a friendship, but they had a connection.  Her backstory affects her feelings until she allowed herself to lean on Matt a bit.  She is learning she does not have to exist all by herself.  Although she is there for others, to support them, there is a back and forth in relationships and she is seeing this.  Bree is finally learning not to be a loner and allows Matt to support her.

EC:  There is some therapy in this book?

ML:  Bree is realizing that dogs are a great companion and know when they are needed.  Brody, the German Shepherd retired police dog is a hero in this story.  The saying feelings run down leash applies to all the dogs in the story. 

EC:  There is also paint therapy?

ML: Bree’s brother Adam obtained solace from painting.  He had been born into a family filled with grief, anger, and abuse.  Like Bree, he carried that burden into adulthood.  Darkness always filled his work.  The book quote, “Dark reds, bold blues, and stormy grays dominated the canvas.  Bree saw sadness and anger and lack of control in the turbulent brushstrokes.  But in one corner, a shaft of light blue with just the slightest hint of pale-yellow shadow pierced the darkness… Despite being a minute portion of the overall work, the smaller sliver of brightness drew and held the eye. It was a spark of hope at the edge of overwhelming despair…that tiny ribbon of light pulled her in.”

EC:  A heads up about your next book?

ML:  It is titled Dead Against Her and should be out in May 2022.  It is about a double homicide in which Bree is a prime suspect.  Morgan Dane from my other series will make an appearance and will be in this book quite a bit.

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson

Book Description

Defending Britta Stein is a story of bravery, betrayal, and redemption—from Ronald H. Balson, the winner of the National Jewish Book Award

Chicago, 2018: Ole Henryks, a popular restauranteur, is set to be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II—most consider him a hero.

Britta Stein, however, does not. The ninety-year-old Chicago woman levels public accusations against Henryks by spray-painting “Coward,” “Traitor,” “Collaborator,” and “War Criminal” on the walls of his restaurant. Mrs. Stein is ultimately taken into custody and charged with criminal defacement of property. She also becomes the target of a bitter lawsuit filed by Henryks and his son, accusing her of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Attorney Catherine Lockhart, though hesitant at first, agrees to take up Mrs. Stein’s defense. With the help of her investigator husband, Liam Taggart, Lockhart must reach back into wartime Denmark and locate evidence that proves Mrs. Stein’s innocence. Defending Britta Stein is critically-acclaimed author Ronald H. Balson’s thrilling take on a modern day courtroom drama, and a masterful rendition of Denmark’s wartime heroics.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson is a wonderful read. Although the book has some courtroom drama including legal strategy and loopholes, most of the story is Britta Stein’s recounting of the events leading up to and during World War II in Denmark. This is historical fiction at its best with bravery, betrayal, and redemption.

Britta Stein is a 92-year-old Jewish Danish woman who emigrated to America. She is being sued for defamation after being seen and then admitting to spray painting “Coward,” “Traitor,” “Collaborator,” and “War Criminal” on the walls of a restaurant. The owner, 95-year-old Ole Henryks, will be honored by the Danish/American Association for his many civic and charitable contributions. Frequently appearing on local TV, he is well known for his actions of saving Jews in Nazi-occupied Denmark during World War II and is considered a hero.  But not to Britta who claims he was anything but and sent Jews to their deaths including her sister and brother-in-law.

Attorney Catherine Lockhart and Investigator Liam Taggart, husband, and wife, have agreed to defend Britta and have as an assistant counsel her granddaughter Emma. The plot alternates between present day Chicago (2018) and Britta’s oral account of her memories of her homeland of Denmark prior to the presence of the Nazis and during World War II. They are up against “Six o’clock” Sterling Sparks, Henryk’s’ shady attorney, who pushes for a speedy trial and is willing to waive witness lists and pretrial exhibits. Readers anxiously turn the pages hoping Britta will be vindicated since they take a journey with her during the horrific events.

What is very interesting is the way Balson contrasts defamation versus freedom of speech, the consequences of staying versus leaving, and Denmark’s role in protecting its Jewish citizens.

This book will stay with readers well after they finish the book. The author has an incredible way of telling a story with sympathetic heroes and monstrous villains before and during World War II. The story has mystery, intrigue, suspense, and history all intertwined into a riveting novel.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper:  Why Denmark?

Ronald H. Balson:  I wanted to tell the story of what this country did since it was so unique and extraordinary.  They unified and came together as a country, they came together to hide, protect, and ultimately rescue 7,600 of their Jewish brethren from certain death. Other countries did not do it: not Belgium, not France, not Norway, not any other country.

EC:  It was interesting that Hitler made a non-aggression pact with Denmark, The Cooperation Agreement?

RHB:  Denmark got a pass from Hitler who considered the country small and not a military force.  But he needed this country to get into the North Sea.  For whatever reason he decided not to totally occupy Denmark and to peacefully co-exist.  Denmark ran its own internal affairs and was allowed to govern their Jewish population until 1943. 

EC:  The Danish people were incredible?

RHB:  I hoped to get across through the civil jury trial here in America what it was like to be a Dane and Jewish.  As I recounted in the book, there were plenty of non-Jews who put themselves at risk to help save the 7600 Jewish citizens in Denmark.  They were hidden in hospitals, churches, stores, and homes.  Many also helped the Jews get to Sweden. I wanted to show how the Danes had emotional pride and belief in their own country.

EC: You discuss the debate about staying versus leaving?

RHB:  I have this scene in the book between Catherine her lawyer, and Britta.  Catherine says, “I know it’s easy for me to say in hindsight, and it’s not fair, I shouldn’t judge, but the consequences of staying were dire, yet they found some reason to ignore the writing on the wall, which to me defies logic and good sense.”  Britta responds, that if they could see into the future a wiser decision could have been made; yet, they “would have packed up and left everything and everyone… your job, your home, your profession, and headed off blindly in some unknown direction… At that time, in 1943 Hitler owned Europe.”

EC:  You seem to explore this in many of your books?

RHB:  It is a constant theme in a lot of my books.  They all had the same opportunity to leave.  But how does someone leave everything including family and community.  Where would they go? How many countries would have taken in millions of Jews? What the Nazis did continued to escalate, and no one could imagine the concentration camps.  Many thought they could last out the war. 

EC:  How would you describe Britta-I thought of her like Golda Meir?

RHB:  Really interesting.  She was a spunky young woman and now in her 90s she is a spunky older woman.  She is a fighter, passionate, principled, independent, determined, and headstrong.

EC: She was accused of having a Nazi symbol but denied it?

RHB: She said she would never use these symbols because then it becomes a part of her language.

EC:  In the story there is an explanation between freedom of speech and defamation?

RHB: I have a scene in the book where Catherine explains to Britta that freedom of speech is not absolute.  No one can use words to legally defame someone. If someone is accused of criminal conduct, crimes of moral turpitude, and coalescence with the Nazi Party there can be serious consequences. Traitor, Nazi agent, and Nazi collaborator are defamatory on their face.  But couldn’t liar, informer, and betrayer be opinions?

EC:  How would you describe the granddaughter, Emma?

RHB: She is learning a lot about her grandmother who she admires.  She is a brilliant young lawyer who is articulate and dignified.

EC:  What about the lawyer Sterling Sparks?

RHB:  He is called “Six O’clock Sparks” for a reason. I have been practicing law for over 49 years and have met plenty of Sterlings. He knows how to work the media.  Very flashy but not that sharp as a lawyer. Very brash, narcissistic, over-confident, and conceited.

EC:  What do you want readers to get out of your books?

RHB:  I think of historical fiction like cheating.  The backdrop has already been written by history.  My job as a writer is to create characters, a plot, and a setting to weave into the history, making sure a certain point is brought out.  I want my readers to be invested in the fictional characters created.  My goal is for people to learn something.

EC:  What about your next book?

RHB:  It will not have Catherine and Liam although I think I will write another one with them. This next book takes place in 1945 with some espionage.  It will possibly come out in September next year. 

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope

Book Description

Sometimes, the most perfect families are hiding the most terrible secrets. How well do you know the people next door…?

Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses. The new family, The Wests, are a perfect fit. Katherine and Josh seem so in love and their gorgeous five-year-old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn.

But soon people start to notice: why don’t they join backyard barbecues? Why do they brush away offers to babysit? Why, when you knock at the door, do they shut you out, rather than inviting you in?

Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out. As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wail of sirens. And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realize: Hogarth Street will never be the same again.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Family Across The Street is Nicole Trope’s latest novel. Her American debut was in June of this year with the outstanding book, The Boy In The Photo.  With all her books, readers get a vivid plot that grips them and grabs their full attention. The stories usually delve into everything from emotional abuse, child abuse (both psychological and sexual), and domestic violence.

The Boy In the Photo was first published by Grand Central Publishing this June.  It takes readers on an emotional roller coaster involving love, hurt, heartbreak, and joy. The story is told in two parts: six years ago, and six years later.  Megan Kade divorced her abusive husband, Greg Stanthorpe.  Intending to get Megan back or to hurt her he kidnaps their son and goes off the grid. Six years later the boy, Daniel, appears at a New South Wales police station, reporting that his dad died in a fire.  Daniel is distant, volatile, and in some ways resistant to Megan.  He believes all the horror stories told to him by his father.  The flashbacks of how both Megan and Daniel feel in the six-year gap emphasizes their grief and apprehension.

The Family Across The Street, her latest book, can be purchased as either an e-book or a paperback.  The plot begins with Kathleen and her five-year-old twins, George and Sophie, being terrorized by someone in their house. Logan, a delivery driver, gets a strange feeling that something is wrong after he tries to deliver a package that requires a signature, and the homeowner tells him she can’t open the door. He is not alone; Gladys, the caring across the street neighbor, also suspects something is wrong. Both grapple with deciding if they should intervene. Would they be interfering and falsely calling the police or should they be disinterested and mind their own business. This is a subject explored throughout the plot along with how Kathleen plans to protect her children.

All her books are riveting reads with another two books that readers might want to read first, The Nowhere Girl and The Life She Left Behind.

The Nowhere Girl has Alice married to a wonderful man, Jack, and raising three wonderful children. But as with many of Trope’s books this character has a secret.  She has told Jack that she ran away from home when she was younger, but she didn’t tell him the whole story. Her husband doesn’t know about the guilt she bears about her little sister she failed to save. Trying to come to grips with her emotions, she starts a blog for those abused. One of the women she is in contact with wants to meet her.  But she wants her past to stay in her past, until she realizes that her abusive father is watching her and waiting to attack.  The story goes back and forth explaining Alice’s childhood and how she plans on protecting her family.

The Life She Left Behind also has a wife not able to confide in her husband about her past. Twenty-eight years later the secret does not stay buried.  Rachel and her husband Ben, along with their young daughter Beth, have just moved into their very first house in a new housing complex. But what should be a happy and joyous moment is shattered when someone breaks into their new home leaving Rachel with memories of a childhood she wishes to forget. Someone is leaving her childhood Troll dolls in places for her child to find. It seems her mother and she escaped the domestic violence inflicted by the husband/father.  But has he returned? 

As with all her books, Trope skillfully keeps readers guessing, always having a twist at the end of the story.  She has the reader take a journey with the characters as they try to protect themselves and their family.  She also has the reader ponder a question about what would they do:  would they call the police, would they leave and start a new life, or would they stay? Because of the abuse scenes, readers will be on the edge of their seats hoping that the heroine can overcome the evil in her life.

***

Elise’s Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How would you describe your books?

Nicole Trope: There is a family where, in a certain moment, something changes in their life, and how they react.  Usually there are troubling characters, where I hope to redeem them in some way.  I want readers to understand why they behaved the way they did.  Many of the books deal with abuse and families in crisis. 

EC:  How did you get the idea for your last book, The Family Across The Street?”

NT:  Looking at Facebook, I saw a post by an American photographer who took pictures of gang members’ and their tattoos.  One guy had a very emotional reaction after seeing his picture where the tattoos were photoshopped out. He felt without them he looked like an average person. I thought about someone who might not have had a good start and wanted to change their life.  Yet, they are marked forever.  In this book, Logan, the delivery driver was like that and after he entered my head along came the story.

EC:  In most of your books the abusers have a certain persona?

NT:  They are dominant, distrustful, angry, violent, and like to inflict fear.  Many times, they like to be in control because they cannot control their own rage, anger, and fear.  There is an underlying reason for their emotions.

EC:  There are also mothers who want to stay close to their children?

NT:  In this book, The Family Across The Street, the heroine Katherine West has a wonderful new start.  Yet, she does not want to be cut out of her older child’s life.  She is very much a mother who is trying to do her best.

EC:  Gladys, is the neighbor across the street?

NT:  She is an elderly woman who is from a different generation when all the neighbors knew each other.  She is struggling because her best friend, her husband, is dying. She must contemplate a future without him in her life.  She never had children, so she is lonely.

EC:  This book shows how many people feel about getting involved?

NT:  This is something that fascinates me.  When to call the police?  Does someone call if they hear a child crying or do they go over to their neighbor’s house to make sure everything is OK? I understand the reader wants someone to call the police because they know more than the neighbors.  I made sure the event takes place only over one day because I want the neighbors and Logan to consider what to do.  People are afraid to put forward the wrong foot yet, the consequences could be devastating if wrong.  The Family Across The Street had people afraid of overreacting, but worried their neighbors are being harmed. It is very difficult to know what to do.

EC:  Did the five-year-old George steal the show in your latest book?

NT:  He is very protective, caring, and will grow up into a lovely man.  I loved him.  He is a brave little soldier.

EC:  What about your next book?

NT: It comes out October of this year, titled, The Mother’s Fault. It is in the same vein as the last book. 

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.