The Book Nook

Options for Mystery and Suspense Fans   If you’re interested in starting a new series, here are two offerings.  One is a cozy mystery from a new Wisconsin writer and the other is a paranormal thriller from an author who’s written dozens of books. First up is Joy Ann Ribar’s debut book “Deep Dark Secrets”, published in 2019.  The story takes place in a small Wisconsin town called Deep Lakes. Our protagonist is a very busy woman named Frankie.  She and her business partner run the Bubble and Bake, a bakery in the morning and a wine-tasting & appetizer bar in the afternoon and evening.  Frankie and Carmen bake a changing variety of mouth-watering delight and make wine from grapes and other fruits supplied by Frankie’s orchard and vineyard.  In addition to this, Frankie also dreams of putting her journalism degree to work. She had contributed to the local paper before it was sold to Abe Arnold, daily, but he refused to consider keeping her on for any extra reporting.  It hasn’t escaped her notice that the new reporters are limited to taking notes at local meetings while Abe keeps the plum assignments for himself. Being rejected bothers Frankie, but she was thrilled to be accepted as a “stringer” at a larger daily newspaper in a nearby city.  Although she only gets paid if her story is published, which doesn’t happen often, she’s decided it’s better than nothing and hopes for more. One day she learns the pastor of a local church has just been found dead and the police don’t know what happened.  This is big news for the little town and Frankie wonders if there’s a story here.  After a little digging she realizes murder is a possibility.  If she can scoop the local reporters by getting her story printed first, it could advance her career and be embarrassing to Abe.  Win-win. Time is running out and she has next to no information.  The police are more dismissive than helpful, but Frankie is persistent and willing to bend the rules to get the info she needs.  She starts a frenzied independent search, discovering some of the town’s secrets along the way. In spite of the murder, this is a entertaining and light-hearted read.  At times I disliked the flow, which I attributed more to the editing than the writing.  This annoyance was offset by Ribar’s characters, her ability to capture small town life and her descriptions of Wisconsin, especially its winters.  If the next installment of the Deep Lakes cozy mystery series receives better proofreading and editing guidance, this could turn into a promising series. From a new writer we turn to someone with dozens of books to her credit – Jayne Ann Krentz.  “The Vanishing “ is also set in a small town, this one called Fogg Lake.  In this romantic suspense novel, two friends face a life-threatening situation. Years ago, the mysterious release of an unknown gas caused Fogg Lake residents to experience hallucinations.  Explaining it away as “food poisoning” helped them cope with the disturbing and inexplicable occurrences.  But years later, how can they explain that most of their descendants have paranormal talents?  Two of those people are Catalina Lark (aka Cat) and Olivia LeClair. As adults, Olivia and Catalina start a private investigation business in Seattle, using their paranormal talents to solve cases.  One day Olivia disappears without a trace and while Cataline suspects foul play, no one believes her.  Well, almost no one.  A man named Slater Arganbright calls to hire Cataline and says his case is closely linked to Olivia’s disappearance, she’s intrigued. He offers to join Cat’s search for Olivia, but she’s instantly suspicious.  While he’s the only one who believes her and has the resources to help, he happens to work for a shadowy company called the Foundation, run by a man that she loathes. There’s little mutual trust between them, but she has no choice but to accept Slater’s support.  He does have incredibly helpful information that helps focus their search.  He also has paranormal gifts that differ from Cat’s, but which amaze her. There is an immediate and strong attraction to each other that they can’t explain.  These feelings, however strong, must be forced aside to concentrate on the search, which is filled with life-threatening danger as they race to find Olivia before it’s too late. This book starts with a chilling supernatural plot that draws readers in and plunges along at an almost dizzying pace and there’s a simmering undercurrent of romance throughout.  There’s also plot creativity and plenty of dry wit. If you like Amanda Quick’s historical novels or Jayne Castle’s futuristic love stories, you may know those are the two most well-known of Krentz’s pseudonyms.  Fans of her Arcane Society books who’ve read “The Vanishing” suspect there will be links between that series and future installments in the Fogg Lake series. Whatever name she’s using, Krentz has over 50 bestsellers to her credit and, at 72, shows no signs of slowing down.  That’s good news for those looking forward to the next installment.