Assailants, Asphalt, and Alibis: a tall tale, a treasure hunt and murder

Assailants, Asphalt, and Alibis is the eighth book in the Campers and Criminals series by Tonya Kappes. During a night of telling stories around the campfire, one storyteller tells the tall tales of John Swift and his hidden treasure. Every year groups of people follow maps in the hopes of finding the long lost treasures. Mae and some of the ladies from the Laundry Club join the annual John Swift Excursion. Hank thinks the legend is gibberish and mentions the treasure hunts are cursed. Not deterred, the ladies set out and are enjoying themselves until not one but two bodies are discovered! Is there a murderer among them or has the curse struck again? 

I love tall tales, local legends and the people who get behind them whether they believe it or just like the fun of it. That’s the two groups in this story. One group wholeheartedly believes in the legend and search every year and others enjoy the hoopla around it. This year, one who wholeheartedly believes in the legend is found dead and there is no shortage of suspects. When another body is found, fear follows as Mae wonders is it a murderer or the curse? The twist revealed at the end was a complete surprise, one I thoroughly enjoyed! This series is a fun read, easy for an afternoon or two of reading. I highly recommend Assailants, Asphalts and Alibis. 

Assailants, Asphalt and Alibis is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

In the Land of Dreams: a ghost story or a delusion?

In the Land of Dreams by Lawrence Swaim opens with a man being checked into a transitional house of Bellevue Hospital after revealing suicidal thoughts in the emergency room the night before. He believes he is being stalked by his ancestor who lived in the area in the 1680s when New York was New Amsterdam. The story then shifts to the point of view of the ancestor, Barnt, who is running his business, raising his family and living his life. When his action leads to a curse because he has knowledge of a vast treasure that he never told anyone about and now he must tell his descendant to lift the curse on the family. Is Barnt a figment of the man’s imagination, a ghost or are they one and the same?

In the Land of Dreams was very hard to read. The open chapter failed to capture my interest but I read on hoping it would…and it didn’t. The end of the book tells the reader that the story was a morality tale about how America, once the Land of Dreams, has become the Land of Desire for unlimited money and power. That would be okay if the narrator then doesn’t insult the reader buy saying “Was not the idea of a treasure quest a big part of what kept you reading?...Grow up, why don’t you?” The book is way too long and overly detailed and jumps back and forth which made it hard to stay focused. I do not recommend In the Land of Dreams.

In the Land of Dreams

is available in paperback and eBook

Refuge on Crescent Hill: where the truth will set you free

Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson is a story of family secrets and one woman’s journey home. Camden Bristow was a photographer who traveled the world taking photos of amazing sights and documenting tragic events. Until one day when the calls for her work stopped. Left destitute, her only option is return to her grandmother’s home on Crescent Hill. As she heads there, she has no idea what awaits her or what secrets will be revealed once she gets there. Alex Yates is the charge of the economic development for the same town of Etherton but every one of his ideas has been shot down by the city council and he is desperate for the next idea. Alex is running from his own past and a secret he’s desperate to keep hidden. Stephanie Ellison-Carter is a student writing a research paper about the Ellison family. She learns that her family had some jewels stolen and the theft could be linked to the disappearance of one of the Ellison’s slaves. As their journeys began to merge, their own personal secrets will be revealed. Will Camden finally find a home? Is there someone who is trying to sabotage Alex’s attempts to boost the town? How are Camden, Alex and Stephanie linked to the Crescent Hill?

I thoroughly enjoyed Refuge on Crescent Hill. Having read Ms. Dobson’s books before, I was eager to dive into this one and it did not disappoint. From the opening page to the closing epilogue, the story is driven family secrets, evil plots and twists and turns of a great mystery. I enjoyed all the characters, even the villains fit well especially the ones you wouldn’t suspect. When the connection between the three characters are revealed, it is an emotional moment for the characters as well for the reader. It reminds you that we might be strangers but our family pasts may be connection through an amazing story of strength, courage and bravery.  Even though I wanted to strangle Camden at times for being an idiot, I cheered for her by the end. I highly recommend Refuge on Crescent Hill. 

Refuge on Crescent Hill

is available in paperback and eBook