Here a few more book reviews from before I began tracking them by year on Goodreads.
Beneath Blair Mountain by Shannon Barnsley
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Ghosts
This was a compelling and spooky story, incorporating historical events and horror of a good ghost story. It was cleverly structured back and forth in time, which made you want to turn the page and find out what happened next, and how Lara got to be where she was. Barnsley does a good job making us afraid and sorrowful not only for her tragic heroine but for the millions of people who tragically suffered as well in her time. The ending was very provocative, giving new meaning to the notion of ghosts being trapped in the world of the living. I gave it four stars because I wanted a little more, but that’s just me. I do think this novella was very well written.
Goodreads | Amazon (Limited Supply)
Of Better Blood by Susan Moger
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Young Adult
This is a compelling and heart-wrenching story which takes you into the heart of the Eugenics movement in the early 20th century. It’s hard to believe in our time that eugenics had the power it did in America, but it did, and Susan Moger succeeds in her goal to show what it is like to be persecuted and treated as if you were not worthy of life. Rowan loses everything, but in the end she not only finds true friendship, she finds herself. She realizes human beings are all human beings, and she finds a new purpose in life. This is a wonderful read.
Fast Track by John DeDakis
Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery
This was a story I got into right away and stayed with to the end. The main character, Lark, I immediately empathized with her, finding her believable and relatable. The story introduced not only Lark but the reader to the methods of journalistic investigation, of which I learned quite a bit. But it was more than that – it was a story of a young woman discovering herself and earning a second chance at life and love. And she did certainly earn it. So it was a story of redemption and growth as well as justice. A good start to the series. In fact, I think Fast Track could be made into a good movie.
Goodreads | Goodreads | Amazon
Bluff by John DeDakis
Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery
John further explores the characters from Fast Track and touches even more emotions and sensations felt by many, including family quarrels, regrets, and the family bonds of love that cannot be extinguished. Lark continues to grow and learn, and once again at the very end as with Fast Track, poetic justice is done for those characters who unjustly lost their lives.
Goodreads | Goodreads | Amazon
Troubled Water by John DeDakis
Genre(s): Thriller, Mystery
John DeDakis continues to dazzle and amaze with Troubled Water. Heroine Lark Chadwick is swept up in a murder mystery and proves how much she’s grown as a journalist and a person. This was an amazing mystery story that touches on many deep, emotional levels, and is filled with a wide variety of characters and many plot twists.
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Andrew McDowell 
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