First, let me share a mystery I loved. C. Hope Clark is one of my favorite mystery writers. I love her tough female characters and the low country Caroline setting. I’ve never been there but felt like I have after reading her books. This is the first book in a new series, Murder in Craven County. This is a gritty story, so if you like your mysteries a bit more tame, this is not it.

 Murder in Craven description:

Quinn Sterling’s father was murdered, and the Craven County sheriff—her uncle—botched the investigation. Now too many troubling questions remain for Quinn to walk away. Instead, she leaves her career at the FBI to take on her inheritance—a 3,000-acre pecan dynasty in the South Carolina Lowcountry. As the only heir she assumes the reins of the family business—while keeping an eye on her father’s cold case, and her toe in the old game as a private investigator.

With her two childhood friends, one now a caretaker of Sterling Banks, and the other a deputy sheriff, she managed to hold everything together until a blind client and a mentor from her early days pull her into a case that will jeopardize her friends, her farm, and her legacy, not to mention her life when her past meets her present.

 My review:

C. Hope Clark has done it again with the first book in her new series Craven County Mysteries. Murder in Craven introduced me to Quinn Sterling, a former FBI agent and the last remaining heir of Sterling Banks, a large, generational Pecan farm. Quinn still has one burning question after leaving the FBI six years earlier to run the farm and doing PI work on the side—who killed her father? And when her PI investigation seems to trip over her father’s murder, the chase is on.

Clark’s South Carolina backdrop is right in the middle of her other two series, Carolina Sloan Mysteries and the Edisto Island Mysteries. Edisto River runs only the edge of Sterling Banks. Can’t wait to see if the three ladies work together sometime.

The southern charm and culture of the generational rich are the thread that pull the plot together. Every time I read one of Clark’s mysteries, I find out more about southern life. And I walked alongside Quinn in the same way I did Sloan and Cassie as they pushed their way through hoops and uncovered lies to get to the truth and find the murderer with just the right amount of Southern finesse to get witnesses and suspects to give information away.

Quinn has two handsome, caring men in her life, close friends since they were children. Making the story more interesting and as complex as a lifelong friendship can be. And as for how fast the reader can solve who-done-it before Quinn—there are just enough twists to keep you guessing. Loved this story and will now move on to book two, Burned in Craven, which came out shortly after this one. So glad I don’t have to wait.

C. Hope Clark delivers her plot twists with grit, and a little fried okra on the side. Truly an exceptional mystery writer.

My next review in a different genre

As a writer of Historical Romance, I love to read it too and I just finished a fun Historical Romance novella collection.  I’ve read books by three of these authors, so Candice Sue Patterson is a new to me author. This collection is available for preorder.

Let me define a novella for those who aren’t familiar with the term. The story usually runs between 20,000 and 30,000 words. If there are over four stories in a collection, they are shorter. Usually, a collection follows a theme, setting, or related characters. In this case, it is lumberjacks in a variety logging camp location across the country in the 1800s with strong-willed women who need their help. Theses stories are inspirational and clean even in dangerous settings.

Here is the description:

Historical Romance Novella Collection

Lumberjacks & Ladies: Four Stories of Romance among the Pines.

Lumberjacks and Ladies Work Together to Build America
Struggling to remain independent in the 1800s, four women reluctantly open up to help from lumberjacks—and love.
 
All That Glitters by Candice Sue Patterson
1851—Maine
Winifred finds herself running the family lobstering business when her father and brothers join the California gold rush. Will she stubbornly reject help from a local lumberjack?
 
Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas
1865—Michigan
Elizabeth cooks for a logging crew, determined to escape that life for something better, until reoccurring gifts capture her attention. Will she follow her dreams—or her heart?
 
Not for Love by Naomi Musch
1881—Wisconsin
Widowed, Maggie seeks a husband—in name only—from the logging camps, but the man who answers her letter is a surprise. Can she open her heart to love again?
 
Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo
1890—Idaho
Carrie’s inherited timberland is losing money at an alarming rate. The new hire seems eager to help straighten things out—by why his sudden interest in her business? Is her forlorn heart ready to learn the truth?

My review

I enjoyed this collection. The settings were interesting and the plots intriguing.

  All that Glitters  by Jennifer Lamont Leo

This story contains an actual hoax that Winnie and Jess feel compelled to uncover while they fight their attraction to one another. Winnie’s father and brother have gone off to California to make their fortune in the gold fields, leaving the women in the family to fin for themselves. Jess’ logging company is struggling, as the timberland in the area is thinning. They both love Maine and the community and don’t want to see it come to ruin when two men open a factory to extract gold from salt water. Winnie can’t wait to give her father and brothers a piece of her mind for leaving the family for their folly if they ever return. Working with Jess to save the town is her way of striking out against the gold fever that robbed her family. This is a well-written story with a surprise ending based on actual historical events.

Winter Roses by Pegg Thomas

Eliza Beth leaves her teaching position to help her mother cook for the logging camp after her father dies. She hates logging and all the danger that takes lives. She wants nothing more than to go back to teaching and buy a home for her mother and her away from the logging camps she grew up in. Wes wants to leave his experience in the Union Army behind him and earn enough money to buy a farm and raise draft horses. A few years as a logger, his dream could be realized.

They are instantly attracted, but Eliza Beth has no intention of marrying a lumberjack. And Wes can’t understand her hot then cold attitude toward him. And another logger seems to have her affection. Wes is as determined to win her heart as she is to resist him.

Thomas weaves the story with beauty and a sense of time and place. I loved the creativity of the story and the sweet conclusion. This story put me right in the logging camp and gave me an understanding why Eliza Beth felt it was too dangerous. Wonderful story.

Not For Love  by Naomi Much

Widowed Maggie can’t lose the farm her lumberjack husband Bobby and her have built. She won’t sell but can’t afford to hire help. In a desperate bid to keep Bobby’s dream alive, she asked the minister to read a letter to any men at the lumber camps he visits on his preaching circuit that might be potential business partners and husband in name only. Maggie is newly widowed and determined to never love again. When Jack hears about the offer he wonders if his dream of leaving logging and owning a farm might come true. The idea of this story is unique and the muddily way the two come to love each other is priceless. Maggie is stubborn and Hack is kind and patient. So swoon-worthy. Loved this story.

Undercover Logger by Jennifer Lamont Leo

Carrie Coker has grieved the loss of her husband for a year. She returns to Idaho Territory, determined to find out why her husband’s logging business is losing money. While spoiled banker’s son, Michael Tate has been banished by his father to his uncle’s bank in Idaho territory he is determine dto get back to Chicago as soon as possible. His uncle asks him to go undercover to discover why Coker Lumber is failing after generations of prosperity. Michael’s uncle prefers to offer grace rather than call a loan. Michael helps Carrie understand the paperwork and finds himself falling in love. Solving the mystery of her failing business while Michael takes his inspiration from the life of George Mueller, he turns to faith in his Heavenly Father. I loved that unexpected addition of George Mueller’s Autobiography playing a part in Michael becoming a better man. The story’s mystery is tied up in an unexpected but believable bow and Carrie and Michael get their happily-ever-after in more than just falling in love. I found the mystery compelling and the character’s growth and change a delight to watch. Enjoyed this story.

I found myself reading this entire volume in two days. Once I finished one story, I had to read the next. An impressive collection from gifted authors. If you love romance but don’t have time to read a novel, this is the perfect choice.

I’ll post more reviews next month. What have you read this month?