Now and Then: an innocent man behind bars? Graystone Investigations is on the case

Now and Then is the thirteenth book in the Hart’s Ridge series by Kay Bratt. Taylor traded her badge, and alongside her husband Sam, launched Graystone Investigations. A private detective agency fueled by grit, intuition and the pursuit of justice. Their latest case is a chance to overturn a decade old conviction when new evidence puts further doubt on the case. A man spent ten years in prison for a brutal crime, a crime he insists he did not commit. The only person who stands by his side, his wife. Taylor and Sam begin to dig into the case and discover missing evidence, unfollowed leads and truths buried. At the same time, Anna has finally found purpose in her nursing career. When a chance encounter with a new patient puts her face to face with her ex-husband, Anna finds herself falsely accused of a crime and begins the uphill battle to clear her name. 

The Hart’s Ridge series has grown to a wonderful story of family and resilience with suspense and the journey to justice. Now and Then is a story that starts slowly like a fire you didn’t know was there until it burns into a raging inferno. A man convicted by a shortsighted investigation, a wife who never gave up hope and Taylor and Sam fueled by a drive to find the truth seemingly lost in time. Anna’s story was equally engaging as I wanted to wring her ex-husband’s neck. The story does end with a cliffhanger, a heart stopping cliffhanger that I am eager to see resolved in the next book, coming soon. I loved this story as I could not put it down. If you have not read the Hart’s Ridge series, I highly, highly recommend it. If you are a fan of the Hart’s Ridge series, you will love Now and Then. 

Now and Then is available in paperback and eBook

The Long Way Home: sometimes you need to leave to find home

The Long Way Home by Karen McQuestion is the story of four women on an unexpected road trip. Each woman is at a crossroad in their lives and this trip could be the catalyst that propels them to make a choice forward or not. Marnie is a 35-year-old kindergarten who is grieving the loss of her longtime boyfriend as well as the loss of her “stepson” Troy, as the Troy’s mother whisks him away, cutting off all contact. Rita is dealing with the aftermath of her daughter’s murder was the man she believes is responsible can go free. Laverne is Marine’s reclusive elderly neighbor. And Jazzy, the young, vibrant woman who has a special ability that brings them all together on a road trip to Las Vegas. Four strangers on a trip across a two-thousand-mile journey, what could go wrong? How will the trip change the lives of these women? Or will it?

The Long Way Home is a great book about self-discovery, overcoming fears, and reaching for your heart’s desire. I enjoyed every character. Marnie for her caution and determination. Rita for her strive for justice. Laverne for throwing caution to the wind to take the trip with three strangers. And Jazzy, the driving force bringing them together and pushing them along. While some of the events were a bit far-fetched, but great adventures always are, the overall message is the same: sometimes leaving helps you find home, even if its back where you started. I recommend The Long Way Home, it had me hooked from page one and I read into the night to finish it.

The Long Way Home

is available in paperback and eBook

Sunset Beach: a quick summer read

Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews is the story of Drue Campbell, a 36-year-old woman who is forced to take a job with her estranged father’s law firm. While she is battling her father and stepmother every step, she comes across a case she feels the firm dropped the ball on. She takes it upon herself to investigate and find justice for a young woman, Jazmin Hayes, that everyone has seemed to have forgotten. Has she gets closer to the truth, a series of events occur which seem to be a warning to stay away. However, Drue is determined to see it through regardless of the danger. At the same time, she is dealing with her mother’s death, moving into her grandparents’ beach cottage where she finds information to a 40-year-old case involving missing woman, Colleen Broadman Hicks. Will she find the truth? Will she convince the authorities of her findings? What is the link between the missing person and her family?

I wanted to really enjoy Sunset Beach and when I finished, I had mixed feelings. At first, I didn’t care for any of the characters, especially Drue. I only continued to find out what really happened to Jazmin and Colleen and how the cases connected to Drue and her family. The first half was very slow with the second half being very fast paced. I liked the resolution with the Jazmin Hayes case; however, the Colleen Broadman Hicks case was a little flat. Overall, it was an ok book. Nothing too great but it wasn’t horrible either. If you are a fan of Mary Kay Andrews, then you may enjoy Sunset Beach.

Sunset Beach

will be available May 7, 2019

in hardcover, eBook, and Audiobook

Justice: easier to define, harder to implement

The protests in Ferguson, Missouri over the grand jury decision not to indict the police officer and the cries that justice had not been done got me thinking what is justice? The legal definition of justice is the constant and perpetual disposition to render every man his due. In other words, justice is about fairness and moral rightness. In our legal system, it is the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals. How do we know when justice has been done? How do we know that the right person was punished?

The image of Lady Justice is a combination of the Roman goddess Justitia and the Greek goddess Themis. She is depicted with a set of scales in her right hand which she measures the strengths of a case’s support and opposition. In her left hand, she holds a double-edged sword which symbolizes the power of Reason and Justice that may be wielded either for or against any party. The Roman and Greek goddesses aren’t blindfolded as Lady Justice is today. The blindfold first appears in the 15th century to represent objectivity. Justice is to be handed out without fear or favor, regardless of identity, wealth, power or weakness.

But is justice really handed out regardless of identity, wealth, power or weakness? No, it isn’t. There are countless of examples where the rich and powerful were able to use the system in order to get what they want. For example, all the rights regarding trials given to us in the Bill of Rights aren’t really given to all citizens. Depending on the crime and the wealth of the defendant, many cases are pushed through the system. One reason being that the court’s dockets are so full that there isn’t enough time to give every case the full extent of the legal rights. Another reason is most defendants don’t have the money to hire an attorney who can effectively argue their case. There are also examples of being rich and powerful is a strike against regardless if any wrongdoing was actually done. For example, the civil lawsuits against big corporations with depictions of the fat cat executives who don’t care that their products are harmful. Is this image true? Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not.

Is justice served because one side got the outcome they wanted? Or is justice served because the wrongdoer got the punishment he or she deserved? According to one article, the goal of justice is make the victim feel equal or whole again (Edmonds July 6, 2010). How does one make the victim feel whole again through the legal system? I can’t imagine the anguish of a family who has lost someone through the actions of someone else. But how does the legal system make them whole again? This is why I believe in this statement: “Justice remains a hard topic to pin down because people often disagree over what they deserve and whether they’ve received it” (Edmonds July 6, 2010). Is justice subjective instead of objective?

In conclusion, our criminal justice system is fallible. It’s fallible because it was designed and is carried out by humans. A human is on the bench as judge, humans serve as attorneys, witnesses and jurors. Humans are fallible. Humans will lie, cheat and forget. I hear the outcry over the Ferguson case and I see the destruction that was caused over the decision. How does violence get the justice you think you deserve? As Pope John Paul II said, “Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create.” Can justice truly be attained? Alfred Nobel didn’t think so, he said “justice is found only in the imagination.” Is justice one of those ideas which will only exist in a perfect society?

Edmonds, Molly. “What is justice?” 06 July 2010 www.howstuffworks.con date retrieved 25 November 2014