Tell Me Why: a tangled web of secrets, corruption and betrayal in the small town of Hart's Ridge

Tell Me Why is the fourteenth book in the Hart’s Ridge series by Kay Bratt. Private investigator Taylor Gray is called to the scene of a charred vehicle, a vehicle registered to her family’s farm. Inside is a body too damaged to be identified; however, nothing prepares Taylor for the news that the victim might be someone who called family. She begins by digging deep into the victim’s ties to a shady local business, a business that seems to come out of nowhere. A business which leaves a trail of secret deliveries and someone pulling the strings. Fighting through grief and the swirling rumors, Taylor follows every lead of corruption, addiction and betrayal. She gets closer with each lead, there is someone who is desperate to keep her from discovering the truth. Her instincts tell her there is more to the case than just an unfortunate accident. However, she isn’t prepared to learn who is behind it all. 

The Hart’s Ridge series has been a wild ride of cases inspired by real life events and a family forming a new foundation. Tell Me Why opens as Taylor is racing to the scene of an accident which readers learned about in the previous book. When I learned who the victim was, I cried and I was just as determined as Taylor to find out the why and who. I did pick up on a clue about who the mastermind behind the shady business was and I hoped I was wrong. The story does end on a cliffhanger as someone who is finally ready to reveal all that they know. If you are a fan of the Hart’s Ridge series, I highly, highly recommend Tell Me Why. If you haven’t started the series, I recommend starting with book 1, Hart’s Ridge. You will be pulled into the small town, the residents and the danger that lurks in the shadows. 

Tell Me Why is in paperback and eBook

Herodias: an immoral woman who plotted a man's death

Her name means heroic but she did not act in any way heroic. Herodias was a proud woman who longed to be queen. She left one man to marry another. She used her daughter to manipulate her husband into doing her will. She acted arrogantly in complete disregard for the laws of the land. She was rebuked by John the Baptist for her sin and in response she plotted for his death. She may have relished in the face that she was able to get rid of John the Baptist and his message. What is her story? What is at the core of her story? What lesson can we draw?

Herodias was the granddaughter of Herod the Great, who ruled Judea for thirty-four years. His reign had brought prosperity to a troubled region of the Roman Empire. He built theaters, amphitheaters and race courses, palaces and a magnificent temple in Jerusalem and lowered taxes. However, his reign had its shadows. He had ordered the slaughter of Jewish boys in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18).Herod also ordered the deaths of his favorite wife (her grandmother) and three of his sons for real or imagined intrigues. Herodias had married two of Herod the Great’s sons who survived his bloodlust: Philip and Herod Antipas. When Antipas was appointed the tetrarch of Galilee and Persia, she divorced Philip to marry Herod Antipas and Antipas divorced his wife for Herodias. With his new powerful position, they probably left untouchable. However, their marriage angered the people as it was against Jewish law. It forbade a man from marrying his brother’s divorced wife. It was seen as incestuous and unclean (Leviticus 18:16, Leviticus 20:21). One man dared be vocal about their marriage. John the Baptist cared nothing for diplomacy and he spared no one as he preached a message of repentance. 

Her family had been corrupted for many years. They knew how to use and abuse power. Each step of her family made down the path to sin until what would have been unconscionable is now acceptable and even reasonable. Herodias may not have even considered her act sinful but a political move. Herodias wanted John dead.. According to Mark 6:21-22, on Herod’s birthday, a feast was held and Herodias’ young daughter, Salome, performed a lewd dance for him and his guests. The dance so pleased Antipas that he promised anything she wanted. Urged by her mother, Salome requested the head of John the Baptist (Mark 6:24-25). Antipas ordered the beheading of John the Baptist, despite his own misgivings (Mark 6:26-27). At the core of her story is a closure against the gospel and the truth. Instead of listening to John’s correction, she found a way to silence him. She possibly was also giving a warning to others who would dare follow in his example. Herodias was a bitter, immoral and manipulative woman. She acted as if killing John would remove her sin, her guilt. She valued the power her marriage gave her rather than being living right with God. 

It is a natural defense to reject criticism. No one wants to be wrong. Being receptive to criticism simply means we are open to our sins, our flaws and our need for God’s forgiveness and help to change. When we are confronted lovingly about sin in our lives, it is an opportunity to repent and turn back to God. A habit of repentance makes one’s heart fertile soil for God’s grace. Proverbs 12:1 says “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid” (The King James Version uses the word “brutish”). Hating correction is a problem with pride. This is a pride that is arrogant and a sense of superiority. Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Developing a spirit of humility toward correction takes grace, a grace that only comes from God. It has been said that only the wise are teachable (Proverbs 21:11-12) as they are willing to listen and learn from their mistakes as well as the mistakes of others. When you are confronted with a sin, thank the individual for the bravery to confront you and take it to God. 

In conclusion, Herodias was an immoral woman who nursed a grudge. She was confronted with a harsh truth. And instead of heeding that correction, she orchestrated the death of the man who dared put out that truth. Her physical removal of John did not eliminate her guilt. Her story is a lesson against the anger defensiveness that can often bubble up when we are confronted. It takes humility and grace to acknowledge the truth and seek God’s forgiveness and guidance. Sin will devour and consume us if unchecked. God promises us that if we come to him in repentance, He will forgive us (Psalm 32:5, Psalm 103:10-12). Will you go to Him? 

Pierced by the Sun: a murder mystery

Pierced by the Sun by Laura Esquivel is a mystery which centers on a woman who must solve the mystery while battling her own demons. Lupita is a police officer who was in charge of the protection of Licenciado Arturo Larreaga, a local politician. The night ends with his murder and Lupita lost about how it could have happened. Lupita returns home in a daze and unsure of how to proceed. She spends the next few days reliving her past, fighting her demons. Since she witnessed the murder of Larreaga, she becomes a target of the corrupt Mexican government. They want to make sure she stays silent about what she knows. Can Lupita escape the danger? Will she be able to put the past behind her?

Pierced by the Sun was a very hard book to read. It was a lot introspection and not a lot of interaction between characters. The book promised action, mystery, an interesting story. Unfortunately, it failed. I really didn’t care about Lupita, her issues or her struggles of her fight to escape. I’ve read many books with characters like her: deeply failed and struggles with demons but they still seemed to care about the world around them on some level. And I didn’t feel that with Lupita. If you are a fun of Esquivel’s books, you may like Pierced by the Sun. However, I cannot recommend it. 

Today in History: The Reign of Terror begins

The Reign of Terror of the French Revolution ran September 5, 1793 to July 28, 1794. It was a period of violence and was incited between two rival political factions. The Girondins, a group who campaigned to end the monarchy but resisted the spiraling momentum of the revolution, and the Jacobins, who were popular with the working class, grew to be a very powerful group within government. The mass executions of “enemies of the revolution” would be done by the guillotine throughout France. The most famous victims was Queen Marie Antoinette (October 16, 1793). Her husband, King Louis XVI was executed earlier in the year on January 21, 1793.

There is some debate about the origins and cause of the radical turn during Reign of Terror. One theory is that the public was growing increasingly frustrated that the social equality and anti-poverty measures that were promised by the revolution had not yet materialized. Four years into the revolution and goals were largely unattained. A second theory is the two groups, Girondins and Jacobins, were growing apart in ideology and the idea arose to execute inciters against the revolution and provide examples for those who were considering rebellion. The idea was that terror was a response to the circumstances and was a necessary evil and natural defense. Lastly, the change in ideology played a large role. The idea was to instill free will and an enlighten government. But as ideology became more and more pervasive, violence became a significant method to deal with counter-revolutionists and any other opposition.

The mastermind behind the Reign of Terror would be Maximillien Robespierre. He would be called “The Incorruptible” because he’s ascetic dedication to his ideals. Robespierre made his entrance on the Committee of Public Safety, the de facto executive government created by the National Convention, on July 27, 1793. He would quickly become the most influential member of the Committee as it moved to more and more radical measures. Robespierre would claim in order to defend the revolution from those who destroy it, the shedding of blood was justified; therefore the ends justified the means. He would fall as quickly as he rose as public support for the executions began to turn after the execution of the Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne on July 17, 1794 when the nuns refused to give up their monastic vows. Robespierre begin to speak against the Reign that he started. He would be the Reign’s last victim as he was executed on July 28, 1794.

Everyone is familiar was the guillotine, the symbol of the Reign of Terror. Although beheading machines, like the guillotine, had been in use for centuries, the guillotine was designed by Antoine Louis and German engineer Tobias Schmidt after an October 10, 1789 proposal from French physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin to reform capital punishment. The apparatus was a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade which was raised to the top and suspended until the moment of release. The machine would be influenced by the Italian Mannaia (or Mannaja), the Scottish Maiden and the Halifax Gibbet. The guillotine would be called the National Razor and become the symbol of the cause. Approximately 16,594 people would be executed (2,629 in Paris).

The Reign of Terror quickly got out of hand as it executed anyone was suspected of an enemy to the revolution. People who were condemned by tribunals: 8% were aristocrats, 6% were clergy, 14% were working class and 72% were workers or peasants accused of hoarding, evading the draft, desertion or rebellion against the revolution. After Robespierre’s execution, the terror was officially ended as a new Committee of Public Safety was elected and its powers were reduced piece by piece.

The Reign of Terror is an example of extreme measures to handle those who may be in opposition or even rebel. It is ironic that the revolutionaries fought against the status quo would turn and terrorize those who fought against the new status quo. As historian Lord Acton said, "Power tends to corrupt and absolutely power corrupts absolutely." The power that the Committee of Safety had corrupted their ability to govern as they were elected to do. The Reign of Terror is a lesson in power of government. 

Luxor: Book of Past Lives: a story of brothers in times of greed and corruption

Luxor: Book of Past Lives by Julie Bettendorf is story set in both Ancient Egypt and 19^th century Egypt as the lives of two sets of brothers become intertwined. It is a story about brothers, about greed and about corruption.

1324 BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, Nebamun is the high priest whose job is to become Anubis during the embalming process. He must prepare the body’s soul for the journey to the afterlife by reading incantations from the Book of Coming Forth by Day. His older brother, Iraman, is also a priest but was passed over the high priest position and is now a lowly job to eviscerate the dead. The tension between the brothers leads one brother to do the unthinkable and Nebamun is given a special task by the Pharaoh. 1874 AD, brothers Karim and Abdul are following the family tradition of grave robbing. They sell their small wares to a local dealer when the brothers stubble onto a great find. It will soon bring the attention of the authorities as the protection of antiquities is in full swing. How can the lives of two ancient men influence the lives of men centuries later?

I found this story to be entertaining and an interesting description of life and beliefs in Ancient Egypt. I enjoyed reading about the different gods and how the Ancient Egyptians lived their daily lives. I also enjoyed seeing how the ancient brothers played into the lives of the modern brothers. There were moments when I gasped in shock as the events unfolded. I also enjoyed seeing how the lives of the two brothers were connected even centuries apart. If you are interested in reading about a world that no longer exists and read an intriguing tale of family, greed and corruption, I recommend Luxor: Book of Past Lives. 

Luxor: Book of Past Lives

is available online at 

Amazon and Barnes & Nobles  

for $15.95

The Prisoner of Heaven: the horrors of Montjuic Castle

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon converges the characters from The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game. We met up with Daniel Sempere, enjoying life after the events of The Shadow of the Wind. He soon hears the story of his friend’s Fermin’s past as a stranger comes to tear his life apart.

The story opens at Christmas time 1957, when a stranger comes in to the bookstore and buys an expensive copy of Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. He leaves a message for Fermin which leaves him frightened and looking over his shoulder. Fermin reluctantly tells Daniel his story. The story is transported back to Barcelona, 1939 where Fermin has begun his time at the infamous Montjuic Castle. He soon befriends a fellow prisoner named David Martin, known as the Prisoner of Heaven. The evil Governor Mauricio Valls persuades Fermin to find out where another prisoner has hidden a treasure. Fermin recognizes that he must find a way to leave the castle. Together with Martin, they hatch an escape plan a la Dumas. Daniel hears this story and he realizes who is really responsible for his mother’s death and seeks revenge. Who is the stranger? What does he want with Fermin? Will Daniel be able to avenge his mother’s death?

I enjoyed this book so much as it was a great culmination of the other two books and leads to the fourth and final book in this series. The fourth book, unfortunately, has not been published and there’s no word yet when it will be. The Prisoner of Heaven was an easier read than the other two books but I enjoyed finally seeing more in depth of the infamous castle which was mentioned in the other books. I highly recommend these Carlos Ruiz Zafon books. There are a great Gothic adventure told in the beautiful but tragic backdrop of Barcelona in the early 20^th century.