EverReady Book Reviews

It definitely was a bonus day for me when I received the newest issue of ROUNDUP MAGAZINE. I knew two of my book reviews would be posted in this issue but a third one was quite unexpected. I thought it might be included in another issue. 

Thank you ROUNDUP!

Blind Eye by Martha Burns

Martha Burns's latest novel “Blind Eye” is a well-executed story that prompts reflection on how a close-knit ranching community could turn a blind eye to years of mental and verbal abuse of a child at the hands of his father. This story is engaging and based on a real event that occurred in New Mexico. The Pruitt story is told with a compassionate voice. As the story unfolds, you begin to care deeply about the safety and well-being of characters whose lives are endangered. Burns's crisp and well-crafted sentences are visual gems with landscape and ranch life details bringing the story to life. Many thought-provoking issues are raised. It's a chilling novel whose voices will haunt you long after the last page.

The Case of Duffy's Revenge by Ethan J. Wolfe

Readers are in for one wild ride with "The Case of Duffy's Revenge,” the third book in Ethan J. Wolfe's "Illinois Detective Agency," series. It begins with the murder of James Duffy's future wife Sylvia Trent. Detectives Duffy, Cavill, and Goodluck are on a mission to track down the murder suspect to see that justice is served. Along the way, they become embroiled in a land dispute with suspicious mining practices. There's no shortage of work for the other detectives at James Porter's agency due to the abduction of Chicago children. Wolfe keeps the storyline moving briskly along with plenty of action. Character interaction is realistic and engaging. Several cleverly constructed plot lines converge with a dramatic unexpected conclusion leaving the door open for another story.

The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O' Dwyer by Robert Temple

An east-to-west journey finds Kathleen O' Dwyer, a schoolteacher, in search of a new life. She joins an expedition going to Santa Fe, New Mexico where a new job awaits. Her escorts include Captain Freepole and a group of mountain men, With her Irish Eastern upbringing, she is ill-prepared for a Comanche attack, dust storms, unforgiving landscape, and dodging a buffalo stampede. Her feelings develop for mountain man James Colter, who later becomes an ally and love interest. Kathleen quickly realizes the need to be resourceful, learn to ride a horse, and shoot a gun to survive. Readers will enjoy rich descriptive details of the New Mexico landscape and mid-19th century life, while learning about political unrest between Mexicans and Spaniards and skirmishes between various Native American tribes.