BREAK MY FALL (Gossamer Falls Book #2) by Lynn H. Blackburn is the second Christian romantic suspense in the Gossamer Falls series. These books center around a large, multi-generational family in Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. Each book features a Christian romance intertwined with a suspense plot involving illegal activities and corruption in the area. While this story is a complete romantic suspense plot, I feel it is best read after the first book, Never Fall Again, due to continuing characters and criminal plot lines between books one and two.
Dr. Meredith Quinn always planned on returning home to the small town of Gossamer Falls to open her dentistry practice and help the underserved population in the neighboring area with a mobile dental clinic. What she did not expect was the amount of despair and corruption in the neighboring county and the small talk that will ultimately put her life in peril. After a series of incidents, the Gossamer Falls police chief fears for Meredith’s safety, but Meredith does not want him hovering as she fights her personal attraction to him.
Police Chief Grayson Ward has heard rumors about the neighboring county and is helping a covert FBI joint task force with information. When he learns that Meredith has been targeted, he will do anything to protect her, except open his heart to her. He has experienced several losses in his life and is not willing to risk his heart, but Meredith seems able to break down his walls. Can Grayson protect Meredith from those who want to hurt her, or will he end up being shattered again?
This is a solid Christian romantic suspense that has a good balance of two characters fighting their attraction while being thrown together in danger and having their friends and relations help and support them both. I preferred the first book more because this romance has a fairly large portion of the H/h not communicating which is annoying in a couple of their age. This is a Christian romance so there are no sex scenes or premarital sex. The religious aspects were never obtrusive or story stopping but fit in seamlessly throughout the story focusing on family love and forgiveness. The suspense plot was realistic with plenty of tension and apprehension for the main characters.
I recommend this enjoyable second book in the Gossamer Falls Christian romantic suspense series and am looking forward to reading book three.
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About the Author
Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!
She’s currently writing the Gossamer Falls series set in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The series will include three novels and one novella and kicks off with Never Fall Again.
Unknown Threat, the first book in her Defend and Protect series, was a 2021 Christy Award finalist, and her previous titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award.
When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer.
Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters much digging to uncover motives each one of the March girls had for doing the unthinkable.
Jo, an aspiring author with a huge following on social media, would do anything to hook readers. Would she kill her sister for the story? Amy dreams of studying art in Europe, but she’ll need money from her aunt—money that’s always been earmarked for Beth. And Meg wouldn’t dream of hurting her sister…but her boyfriend might have, and she’ll protect him at all costs.
Despite the growing suspicion within the family, it’s hard to know for sure if the crime was committed by someone close to home. After all, the March sisters were dragged into the spotlight months ago when their father published a controversial bestseller about his own daughters. Beth could have been killed by anyone.
Beth’s perspective told in flashback unfolds next to Meg, Jo, and Amy’s increasingly fraught investigation as the tragedy threatens to rip the Marches apart.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet takes the Little Women story by Louisa May Alcott and turns it on its head. Readers who loved this timely classic will be intrigued how Bernet takes Beth’s death and turns it into a murder mystery, puts the characters in the modern day, and has many twists with many people of interest. Although it is listed as a YA book, adult readers will also find it enjoyable, gripping, and riveting.
Beloved character Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day. As the suspects pile up people are wondering if the March sisters’ father could have killed Beth. After all, he dragged the March sisters into the spotlight with his controversial bestseller about his own daughters’ lives.
The sisters’ lives have been turned upside down with all the publicity causing them to doubt and question themselves. With Beth it goes even farther because she feels the need to prove self-worth. In the dad’s book he has Beth die in a car accident and noted that she had to be the sister to die because Beth seems to be the one who made an imprint on the readers and the characters in the story.
This is a who done it with the sisters trying to find the killer along with the detectives who seem to have tunnel vision. The story is narrated by the four sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy, and in flashbacks by Beth. Grief and loss have the characters re-evaluating their life, their relationships with each other, and their relationship with Beth.
For those who loved Little Women people will still be able to see the framework of the original characters, yet Bernet adds dimension to those supporting characters who did not have much page time in the original. Anyone who loved the sisters in Little Women will be riveted to their seat as they turn the pages to find out who killed Beth and why.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Katie Bernet: I wrote a love-hate list. On one side I wrote all the things I love and the other side on everything I hate. I pulled out a bunch of different combinations with Little Women and mystery thrillers one of those combinations. Then I remembered when I was in first grade at a sleep over my best friend’s older sister was watching a movie, Little Women. She was crying and told me, ‘Beth just died.’ This was my first impression of Little Women.
EC: What do you think Alcott’s style was and how did that play in your book?
KB: I modernized the story because I did not want it to have that old English feel to it. I wanted to explore how would these characters be in modern day. I think Jo would thrive today. In Little Women Louissa May Alcott had social issues of women’s rights with emphasis on moral lessons and personal growth. The story had spirituality and religion which I did not really keep. She liked to highlight women’s strengths, resilience, ambition, growing up, and familial bonds, which I hoped I did in this book because that is what I loved about Little Women with each sister having different forms of strength. Both books are about sisterhood and family.
EC: Why did you kill Beth?
KB: I am a huge fan of Little Women because I am one of three sisters and a huge fan of mystery thrillers. I had fun thinking about how these sisters would act in this situation having Beth killed instead of dying from illness. I thought how impactful it is to lose a sister and, in my book, I had Beth die in chapter one.
EC: Describe Meg the older sister?
KB: In both books Meg has a desire for luxury, longing for security and stability. She wants a safe and loving home. She is torn between wanting simple values and a comfortable life. She is mother-like, protective, conscientious, and smart. The only difference between the books is that in my story she pursues wealth, not through marriage, but through schooling. I have her going to Harvard and wanting to become a doctor.
EC: How would you describe Jo?
KB: In both books she is resistant to romantic relationships, does not want to lose her independence, wants a close bond with her family, and is driven by wanting to be a successful writer. Jo is adventurous, daring, blunt, has a temper, impulsive, and brave. She is a tomboy and most like her dad.
EC: How would you describe the youngest sister, Amy?
KB: She is a very unlikable sister. She pursues artistic excellence. Amy wants to be a part of high society. In both books she is spoiled and selfish, a rebel, and reckless.
EC: What about Beth?
KB: Kind, always wants to please, wants to become a pianist, and wants to stay close to her family. In both books she is mostly bashful, shy, quiet, cautious, timid, optimistic, selfless, and sweet. Beth is a good observer, listener, and is reserved. She sees mostly good in everyone except for a few characters in my book who become people of interest in her killing.
EC: What about Laurie, Jo’s best friend?
KB: In both books he is bashful, easy temper, brother-like to most of the girls, although not Amy, generous, witty, and can be sly.
EC: What about the dad?
KB: He shuts people out. He is ignorant, abandoned the family, seems uncaring, negative, irresponsible, and self-centered. This description fits my story but not the original Little Women. He is a character who I changed the most. In the original he left his family for altruistic reasons but something about that seemed a little selfish to me. I took that and ran with it.
EC: Did the mother play a role?
KB: Yes. She is honorable, caring, and knows her daughters. In my version she is drained out by Beth’s death. In the original version she is so strong. But I questioned that and wanted to show her vulnerability and weakness.
EC: What about Henry?
KB: He was Beth’s first boyfriend who is humble, tough, and a computer expert. This is accurate for my story because in the original he was not much of a character.
EC: What was the role of the dad’s book?
KB: He gets criticism for exploiting his daughters. He made Beth question herself, made her perfect, sensitive, and not ambitious. He writes Amy as a party-girl, someone who is jealous of the other sisters, sick of being in their shadows, melodramatic, selfish, and vain. Meg in his story is clever, caring, materialistic, and status-seeking. Jo was made to be quick-tempered, lonely, and the brave hero. He makes each of them the stereotypes they are in the original.
EC: How does the relationship and dynamics between the sisters play into the mystery?
KB: It makes it easy for them to suspect each other. Their differences make them suspicious of one another. They can suspect and blame each other but then turn a 180 and still support and love each other. In the original version Beth dies from complications of scarlet fever, so they had time to accept the fact she was going to die, while in this story it comes as a shock. This is why the sisters have so much anger and blame in my story.
EC: Do you think the detectives had tunnel vision?
KB: They did take the motives without having much evidence. I wanted the main detective to not really understand Jo and has a bias against her.
EC: Is Beth in the middle of everyone’s secrets?
KB: Beth is at the center of everyone’s secrets. I think her character in the original story has her more of an observer and quiet. In the original there is a quote that I am paraphrasing, “Many Beths sitting in corners waiting until people need them.” She goes unnoticed and can pick up on things others cannot.
EC: What is the point of the male boyfriends?
KB: Amy has Laurie as her first love. Jo has turned down Laurie’s desire to be more than friends. Romance is a bother for her because she wants to concentrate on her writing career. His absence makes her see that she cares about other things more. The point of John’s character is to show how Meg struggles to want to make something of herself, but at the same time is falling in love with John. He is a piano instructor who is not pursuing a big fancy career. Henry helps Beth reflect on what type of character she was in her dad’s book. He is part of Beth’s rebellion.
EC: Next book?
KB: I am working on another retelling of a literary classic as a mystery thriller.
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.
Kate Holland has a new mission. As a special investigator for the governor’s office, she takes on Arkansas’ toughest cases—especially those involving veterans. At her side is Ruger, now her fully trained K-9 partner.
Their first case begins with a mutilated body and a stolen identity. The victim wasn’t who he claimed to be—and he was still actively serving his country when he died. As Kate digs deeper, other bodies surface…and the truth emerges: a warrior is missing.
Working the case puts Kate and Arash on dangerous ground—professionally and personally. The closer they get to the truth, the tighter the noose around them. Kate will risk everything to bring the missing soldier home. The only question is, who will make it out alive?
LAST DOG OUT (A Kate Holland/Hidden Valor K-9 Mystery Thriller Book #4) by Candace Irving is another gritty and intense police procedural/crime thriller addition to this outstanding action-packed series with a female veteran protagonist and her dog that you cannot forget even after the conclusion of each book. This is a series that I feel is best read in order due to the protagonist’s personal journey through PTSD, emotional trauma, and healing. Please note: this book does discuss PTSD, suicide, and depicts a dog fight.
Kate Holland and her newly promoted K-9 partner, Ruger are barely situated in their new jobs as Special Investigators for the Arkansas governor’s office, when she receives a call to investigate a mutilated body found in a ditch that is presumed to be a Marine veteran. As Kate begins to search for answers, the identity of the man from his wallet begins to fall apart.
Kate and her law enforcement friends must deal with politics, military secrets, and a secretive circle of powerful men and corrupt law enforcement involved in dog fighting, illegal arms, and prostitution. She discovers beside unraveling this web of death, money, and power, she is also looking for a stolen retired CAD (Canine Assault Dog). Can she find the killer, bring justice to the dead soldier, and find the CAD still alive?
It is no secret that I love this series and this book did not disappoint! Kate’s journey with PTSD has come a long way since book one and it continues here. The bond between Kate and Ruger is strong and beautiful. I love reading about his instinctive protective reactions towards Kate. Ruger’s climatic scene in this book had me holding my breath on the edge-of-my-seat. Kate’s relationship with Arash is believably written and I am looking forward to following it into future books. All the recurring secondary characters are realistically written and well developed. The police procedural/crime thriller plot was well written and fast paced with many twists and surprises throughout. This plot does go into dark criminal activity and animal abuse, but I never felt it was gratuitous.
I highly recommend this addition to the Kate Holland/Hidden Valor K-9 Mystery Thriller series!
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About the Author
A former US Navy Lt., Candace Irving is the daughter of a librarian and a retired boatswain’s mate chief. Candace grew up in the Philippines, Germany, and all over the United States. Her senior year of high school, she enlisted in the US Army. Following basic training, she transferred to the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Texas-Austin. While at UT, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, as a Congressional Intern. She also worked security for the UT Police. BA in Political Science in hand, Candace was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships. From there, she followed her father to sea.
Candace Irving writes gritty military thrillers. She is the author of the Deception Point Military Detective Thriller Series and the Hidden Valor Military Veterans/K9 Psychological Suspense Series. She also writes military romance and romantic suspense as Candace Irvin (without the “g”).
At The Wild Haggis Bookshop, the murder mysteries aren’t just on the shelves!
Beth Cunningham thought she’d closed the book on her troubled past when she opened The Wild Haggis Bookshop in the charming Scottish town of Oban. But when her inaugural book club evening ends in real murder – the body dramatically posed amongst the party decorations – her fresh start ends in a twist she definitely didn’t see coming.
With local police detective Logan Hunter eyeing her as his prime suspect, Beth must fight to clear her name. Still, she can’t help but notice his warm brown eyes and dedication to justice… even as he builds a case against her.
Determined to find the truth, Beth is shocked to discover a web of lies among her book club attendees, each one hiding secrets worthy of a bestseller. With time running out before she lands in jail, can Beth uncover the secret worth killing for?
MURDER AT THE WILD HAGGIS BOOKSHOP (The Highland Bookshop Murders Book #1) by Jackie Baldwin is an engaging and entertaining first book in a new cozy murder mystery series set in Oban, Scotland. It features the new owner of The Wild Haggis Bookshop and her three employees as they all work together to solve a murder.
Beth Cunningham is excited to be starting a new chapter of her life. She is the new owner of The Wild Haggis Bookshop in Oban. Her inaugural crime/mystery book club evening has five participants, with one being a local journalist who is excited to tell the group that she has uncovered a secret that will get her back into the national news service. When the group breaks up for the night, Beth is in the back cleaning up and when she walks back out to the main room she discovers the journalist dead in the crime scene tape decorations.
Beth has a secret in her own past which places her in the crosshairs of the local detective, but with the help of her staff, they work to discover the secrets of the other book club attendees. Can they discover who is willing to kill to keep their secret before Beth is arrested and framed for the murder?
This is an enjoyable start to a new cozy mystery series that I am looking forward to following into the future. Beth is a complex character with a tragic back story, but as she becomes more intertwined with her employees and the town, she shows her strength in starting anew. The bookshop employees are unique and interesting, and I look forward to seeing their further personal development and interactions with Beth. The mystery plot itself was full of twists and red herrings that kept me guessing between all the suspects. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed, but it did tie every mystery plot thread up. The ending also left Beth’s personal life with many new possibilities for the future.
I recommend this engaging Scottish cozy mystery and look forward to more books in this series in the future.
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About the Author
Jackie Baldwin was born in Dumfries. She studied law at Edinburgh University returning to Dumfries to practice criminal and family law for a number of years. She later retrained as a hypnotherapist. Married, with two grown up children she now lives in the countryside just thirty minutes away from Portobello Beach where her latest series is set. When she’s not writing she loves spending time with her young grandson and walking along the beach with her dog Lucy.
It’s Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine, and the Historical Society has launched a widespread campaign to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary. Descendants of the founding family, the Snows, have returned for the first time, and Holly is determined to make the family’s visit magical. In an attempt to put Mistletoe on the map, Holly’s mother, a respected local baker, attempts to break a record by baking the world’s largest gingerbread man, but her plans are whisked away when Mr. Snow’s body ends up in the batter.
When Mr. Moore, the local mistletoe farmer, is accused of the crime, Holly reprises her role as amateur sleuth to protect the sweet older man. Between hosting the inconsolable Mrs. Snow and other guests at the inn, receiving threatening messages telling her to stop her investigation, and preparing for her first wedding anniversary with Sheriff Evan Gray, she might need a Christmas miracle to survive.
When someone breaks into Holly’s office and scratches a warning into her desk, she knows she has little time left. Can Holly uncover the killer before someone else gets burned, or is her involvement a recipe for trouble?
I’LL BE HOME FOR MISCHIEF (Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries Book #5) by Jacqueline Frost takes us once again to quirky Mistletoe, Maine for the Christmas holiday season and as much as our main characters hope against it, another holiday murder. Each of the Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries books can be read as a standalone with a completed crime plot, but the main characters continue to develop, and I feel the stories can be enjoyed more by reading them in order of publication.
Reindeer games and the Hearth are going to be extra busy this year with Holly Gray’s mother attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest baked gingerbread man. Holly and Sheriff Evan Gray are also excited for their one-year wedding anniversary Christmas Eve, and the town is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a Victorian Christmas theme. Everyone is very busy hoping for no murders this year.
As Holly’s mother gets ready to have the giant gingerbread man moved to the outdoor cooking area, they take off the cover and discover a man dead in the batter. Holly cannot help herself and once again asks too many questions which leads to threats and danger. Can Holly discover the killer and survive to celebrate her anniversary?
This is another entertaining, fun, and well plotted murder mystery featuring my favorite holiday cast of characters. Holly really does want to mind her own business this year, but with the murder at Reindeer Games and a kind old man accused of the murder, she just cannot let it be. Ms. Frost had me guessing who-dun-it to the end and I was surprised. This book also has a great cast of secondary characters with Christ0pher’s wife and best friend, Jackie, staying at the inn along with two true crime murder podcasters in town. Their podcast is called Dead and Berried as they serve up murder clues with complimentary recipes. All the regulars are back and I love them all.
I highly recommend this book in the holiday mystery series and always look forward to the next.
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About the Author
Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).
1961, England. The Queen is spending a night on board the royal train with her entourage and her sister, Princess Margaret. But before they reach their destination, an unreliable witness claims to have seen a brutal murder from one of the carriages.
The Queen and her assistant private secretary, Joan McGraw, get to work on their second joint investigation. No one else saw the crime. If there is a victim, could he be the missing photographer friend of Margaret’s new husband, Tony Armstrong Jones?
This time, the Cold War threatens to undermine the Queen’s upcoming visit to Italy. She and Joan must tackle dark forces that follow them all the way, in a tale of spies, lies, and treachery.
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Elise’s Thoughts
The Queen Who Came in From the Cold by S. J. Bennett features Queen Elizabeth II as the protagonist and her private secretary Joan McGraw. Fans of Peter James, who’s latest The Hawk Is Dead, involves the current Queen Camilla and King Charles might also like to read this story.
This plot has Queen Elizabeth II and her personal secretary Joan involved with spies, lies, and treachery involving the KGB. The Queen, Prince Philip, and Princess Margaret are planning on taking the royal yacht to Italy. But the temporary lady-in-waiting claims she saw through the train window a dead man being tossed into a lake. The Queen and Joan decide to investigate. They discover a plot to smuggle a Russian defector aboard the Britannia while the Queen and Prince Philip are visiting Italy.
This is a cozy mystery that has intrigue and humor along with historical figures that readers get to know better.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the series?
S. J. Bennett: I was shifting from writing children’s books to crime. My father was in the army and spent a lot of time with the Queen. I ended up thinking she would make a great detective because of her curiosity about people. She had access to any expert. I decided to write a series where Queen Elizabeth II is the detective behind the scenes and lets someone else take the credit, a man who is her nemesis.
EC: Idea for this book?
SJB: This is the fifth one in the series, all written to be read as a stand-alone. I went back in time to 1961, the height of the Cold War and the Space Race. It was all very dangerous and a great time to set a mystery novel. This book starts on the royal train. An unreliable witness thinks she saw something from the train window. Later, I move to the royal yacht, the Britannia. This one is a story of spies with the Queen caught up in international intrigue and takes on the KGB.
EC: Did the title come from the James Bond movie?
SJB: John le Carre wrote The Spy Who Came in From the Cold that came out in 1963. His first book came out in 1961 and in the final pages of this book I have Prince Philip reading the book by a new author. He cannot remember the name but indeed it was John le Carre. I also have some characters reading James Bond books. President Kennedy enjoyed reading Ian Fleming so I had Prince Philip keen to read Fleming so he can chat with him when he comes over.
EC: How would you describe Queen Elizabeth II?
SJB: She was intelligent, funny, witty, curious, very warm and self-contained. She was an empathetic person.
EC: How did you get the dialogue for the Queen?
SJB: She did not talk that much conversationally in public and did not give interviews. My parents did meet her but overall, I had to imagine it. There was a time period to get her voice right. What I did do is watch old videos of the family and saw the little asides, like when she made a joke to someone. In the early books of the series I imagined her and Philip as an older couple.
EC: How would you describe Joan, the Queen’s Assistant Private Secretary?
SJB: She is an outsider who is not part of the Royal machine and has not grown up within the Royal family. She is a working-class person. She grew up in the 1930s and enjoyed working crossword puzzles with her father. She was recruited to Bletchley Park to be a code breaker. She gave a lot and was hugely instrumental in helping us win WWII. When it was over the code breaking effort was ignored and her contribution to it was also ignored. She found herself in the typing pool at Buckingham Palace. The Queen found her there. Joan has a great memory, is a linguist, and keeps a secret. She is curious, no nonsense, analytical, and courageous.
EC: Was she based on anyone?
SJB: My grandmother. She was clever, hardworking, and multitalented. She was largely underestimated growing up in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
EC: Since the story is based on historical figures what do you want readers to get out of the story?
SJB: Of course, entertainment. But also, a sense of reassurance. The world we live in is stressful. My books allow readers to retreat for a bit. I write in the Golden Age tradition where the Queen sets the tone of being moral, serious, with a sense of justice. I like to live in a world where the people in charge are like that.
EC: The next book?
SJB: The next book is set in 1966. It is titled Deck on The Royal Yacht and will be published in October 2026. It was a big year for Britian. We had the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and was popular. The Queen has set off on a five-week tour of the Caribbean. The plot has somebody who has helped Joan out in the private office found dead of a drug overdose. Joan is a suspect because she does not like this woman very much.
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.
