Congratulations to Suzanne J. Bratcher for the best debut mystery novel I have ever read. When I got near the end I just had to keep reading to finally calm my heart! The characters and setting are so wonderfully drawn, and the story is so well thought out. I can’t think of a thing to make it better except a sequel to come out SOON!
Ms. Bratcher sets this book in the real former mining town of Jerome, Arizona, and you feel like you are living there with the characters whom you also feel like you know. And I love the verse at the beginning of the book which sets the tone for the story: “But this one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3: 13b-14) A good verse to guide the characters in this story and us–the readers!
Since this is a mystery I don’t want to post any spoilers, but will tell you a little about how it starts to whet your mystery appetite. Marty starts receiving cryptic text messages like “Beware the wolf in disguise.” Next, an older woman shows up at her antique shop who says she is Marty’s grandmother. When the woman touches her, Marty feels a connection to the woman and the past, but doesn’t want to go there. Her grandmother leaves her with her address.
When Marty surprises herself and flies to the town, she arrives and stares at the sign: Jerome, Arizona, Largest Ghost Town in America.
Now, are you ready to take this trip with me?
As I said above, I hope the author will write a sequel soon, and since she is doing a guest post on my blog next Friday, August 18th, I will email her and ask her to answer that question then. So, order yourself a copy (available in Kindle and print on Amazon) and start reading, then come back next week when we both find out the answer to my question!
