The Stroke of Winter

 

The Stroke of Winter

Author: Wendy Webb

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: November 1, 2022

Once again, Wendy Webb does not disappoint. The reader is at once drawn into the story of Tess, a divorced middle-aged woman who has inherited the home of her grandparents, a large Queen Anne set on an island in Lake Superior. Tess plans to convert the house into a Bed and Breakfast. 

Almost ready for opening, Tess soon begins hearing mysterious noises at night. They seem to be coming from a section of the house that has been sealed off for as long as Tess can remember. She plans to convert this wing into a personal living space to use when guests are staying in the house.

Late one night, a white German Shepherd appears at her back door during a blizzard. Tess takes the mysterious dog into her home, where he immediately becomes her companion and protector. The dog growls at the noises that come from the sealed-off section of the house, frightening Tess even more.

What lurks behind the walled-up wing? Why are people seeing what appears to be a human figure in the unused wing, although there is no way to access the area? 

Tess calls in workers to open the wing and find out, once and for all, what is making the noises and what lies in the rooms that have been sealed off for decades. What they discover unveils a dark family secret kept hidden for years. What lies beyond that wall is so dark that it threatens to ruin all of Tess' dreams for the future.

Perfect reading for a long winter night, you will not be able to put this mystery down. A perfect combination of the supernatural and natural worlds, the novel is sure to please.

Block Party by: Jamie Day

 

Block Party

author: Jamie Day:

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

release date: July 18, 2023

 *I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way. 

    Residents of the exclusive Alton Road community of Meadowbrrok Mass. are gathering for their annual Memorial Day Block Party. Although their lives may appear perfect to the outside world, the people on Alton Road have secrets-- lots of secrets.

    A mysterious new couple has moved in with their son, who has recently been kicked out of college. They don't decorate the inside of their house. They are rarely even seen outside. So why does Alex (short for Alexandria) see her brother-in-law sneaking away from their house late at night?

    A mysterious stalker is tormenting another neighbor. (Why did her husband die so mysteriously?) Yet another neighbor is in a horrible marriage, held prisoner by a prenup she should never have signed.

    A gun is missing and, before the block party is over, more than one person will be dead. Alton Road's residents are about to learn that secrets can be deadly.

    Told in turns through the points of view of Alex (short for Alexandria) and her teen daughter, Lettie, the story takes the reader into the lives of this exclusive, wealthy neighborhood and its residents.

    This is a swiftly moving no-holds-barred story. Full of twists and turns, it leads the reader into the privileged and messy lives of its many characters. I admit I got a few characters mixed up a couple times. Ken and Evan confused me because they were both a little one-dimensional, serving more as a backdrop to their wives. I think both could be drawn out a little more, considering their roles in the story. For the most part, all the male characters are more one-dimensional. An exception would be Jay, who plays more of a starring role. The females are more fully developed and carry the story. This is why the ending is a shocker. There is zero foreshadowing.

    I enjoyed this story. It does move swiftly, without getting bogged down in detail. It moves back and forth in time, which was hard to follow in a couple places. However, it didn't detract from the overall story.

Read this story if...

... you love small town- community stories

... you love mysteries

    

    

Dark Secrets of the Old Oak Tree

 Dark Secrets Of the Old Oak Tree (Southern Tree Series)

by: Delores J. Wilson

Publisher: Medalion Press

Pages: 350

Publish date: 2010

From Amazon:

Following the end of her 15-year marriage to a high-powered attorney, Evie Carson returns to her small hometown in Georgia only to stumble upon a horrible secret. She is stunned into silence as she watches a mentally-challenged member of the community carry the nude, lifeless body of her childhood friend. The authorities are sure that once the man is arrested, the town's nightmare will be over. But when he turns up dead and Evie's home becomes the center of bizarre events, she and an investigating state trooper fear she may be the next victim. With his help, Evie wages a battle to save her life against the secrets of the oak tree. Soon, she begins to wonder if she is safe from anyone in her hometown, including the state trooper.

My thoughts:

(No spoilers!)

    This is one of the best murder mysteries I have read in a long, long time. I literally could not put it down. There are all sorts of twists and turns, and the murderer is completely unexpected. This is a real page-turner. I thought I knew the culprit several times and was wrong every single time.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It will not be the last! If you read this blog, you know I love Southern Fiction. This story takes place in a small southern town. The setting and characters are very believable. 

This is a great book to cozy up with on a dreary winter day (or rainy night). I highly recommend it. You won't be able to put it down.

Read this book if...

    *you love murder mysteries

    *you love southern fiction

    *you love small-town stories

    *you have plenty of time to read (because you will not want to put it down)

The Vanishing by: Wendy Webb

Title: The Vanishing Author: Wendy Webb Publisher: Hyperion Pages: 286 Copyright date: 2014

From Amazon:

Recently widowed and rendered penniless by her Ponzi-scheming husband, Julia Bishop is eager to start anew. So when a stranger appears on her doorstep with a job offer, she finds herself accepting the mysterious yet unique position: caretaker to his mother, Amaris Sinclair, the famous and rather eccentric horror novelist whom Julia has always admired . . . and who the world believes is dead.

When she arrives at the Sinclairs' enormous estate on Lake Superior, Julia begins to suspect that there may be sinister undercurrents to her "too-good-to-be-true" position. As Julia delves into the reasons of why Amaris chose to abandon her successful writing career and withdraw from the public eye, her search leads to unsettling connections to her own family tree, making her wonder why she really was invited to Havenwood in the first place, and what monstrous secrets are still held prisoner within its walls.

Oh, wow! This book was awesome! It kept me guessing from page one! I loved it! Were Adrian, Drew, and Amaris friends or enemies? Was Drew a real man or a centuries-old ghost? I love Wendy Webb's novels and I do believe this is my favorite. This is one of those books to take along on a vacation, or to dive into on a long snow day. You will not want to put it down. You need time to savor each and every page. One thing I love about Wendy Webb's writing is that she doesn't waste time on boring detail. Each page has a twist or turn that leaves you thinking the opposite of what you thought on the page before. She is an awesome writer. This book contains just the right mix of reality and the supernatural in an amazing setting. The book left me thinking, "huh?" but I won't ruin it for anyone. It is waaaay to good for that. THIS is the book to take along when you have some time to sink into a really awesome novel.