Poison Pen by Sheila Lowe

Sheila Lowe, forensic handwriting expert in her real life, wrote Poison Pen about Claudia Rose, a handwriting expert. I had the privilege of meeting and spending quite a bit of time with Sheila at the Public Safety Writer Association's conference this past June. Because she was so interesting, I bought the book and I'm glad I did.

Lindsey, a friend of Claudia's is found dead in a hot tub in what is presumed to be a suicide. Claudia starts poking around when evidence points to too many people who wanted Lindsey dead.

Claudia teams up with a police detective to find out the truth--and yes, of course romance follows--but not without a lot of danger as they discover the unsavory secrets of some important people.

I definitely enjoyed Sheila's debut mystery and look forward to the next one in the series, Dead Write, which is due out next week.

Marilyn

STILL LIFE by Joy Fielding

Called simply a novel, I had no idea what to expect when I began reading. When I finished, I came to the conclusion Still Life should be called a Novel of Suspense. It’s been a long while since I read a novel where I could hardly wait to read the next page.

Ms. Fielding has done a magnificent job of describing what it must be like to be in a coma. The main character, Casey, finds herself in a coma and for most of the book she is fighting her way out of it. Like we’ve often heard, Casey can hear what’s being said to her. Most of her visitors don’t think that’s possible and reveal some dreadful secrets.

Frankly, I was spell-bound by this book. Ms Fielding wove a web of intrigue filled with surprises and characters who weren’t what they appeared to be. Loved it!

Marilyn Meredith
http://fictionforyou.com

Anteater of Death by Betty Webb

Just finished the Anteater of Death by Betty Webb.

This is a big departure from Betty’s more intense Lena Jones mysteries, as her heroine, Teddy Bentley, a zoo keeper, scampers about talking to the animals in the zoo while trying to solve one murder, then two.

Teddy is a fascinating character who is far more comfortable with the animals she tends then the people she has to deal with on a daily basis, including her mother. Living on a decrepit house boat, she is still recovering from her divorce–though there is bit of romance in the air as the local sheriff tries to rekindle their high school love.

The pregnant anteater plays a big part in the story as do many of the other animals in the zoo.

Though much different from Betty’s usual tales, her writing expertise is very much evident as the plot deepens and twists this way and that.

The Anteater of Death is extremely enjoyable. Do try it.

Marilyn