I have a confession to make. A couple of them actually. My first one is this - I like Stacy Green, and I liked her before I ever picked up one of her books. Unfortunately, I can't remember how I came to 'know' her. I do know that in conversing with her online I just knew that if/when we ever met she & I would get along. Then I read her book,
Into the Dark and went from deep like straight to 'fangirl crush'. It was amazing on so many levels.
I've been drifting further & further away from mystery/thriller books the last few years; leaning more toward contemporary romance.
Into the Dark was a great break and a good reminder that I love all kinds of books. It was such a fun read for me because I had just returned from my first trip to Las Vegas and could picture the landscape from a fresh perspective. It goes without saying that this book sealed our relationship and put Stacy on my list of authors whose books you buy based on name alone.
My second confession is this: I reached out to Stacy last week and offered to help her promote her second novel in her Delta Crossroads Series. She graciously advanced me a copy of
Skeleton's Key and in reading the synopsis I was a little confused. Book 2? What was book 1? In searching I discovered that the book
Tin God, which I have looked at probably 50 times, had gone unread by me. Ooops! I would have sworn to you that I had read this book, but I was on a self-imposed book buying hiatus for months and only thought I read it.
What's a girl to do? Any good reader knows that to read book 2 before book 1, knowingly, is a travesty. So the book buying hiatus was lifted and I purchased and dove into
Tin God. Oh-em-gee! I loved it! I am a proud Yankee transplant to the South and enjoyed reading about my new home. Once again Stacy reminds me of why I love branching out of my current comfort zone and enjoy something different.
Tin God is the story of Jaymee Ballard who had gotten pregnant as a teen and was forced to give up her daughter for adoption. She has set out on a path to find and get her daughter back, but is hindered by her economic standing. After reaching out to Lana, a childhood friend for help, almost all hope is dashed when Lana is murdered. Four years later and Jaymee finds herself reaching out to her new employer/friend for help only to find that friend murdered in her bed. "I just murdered your wife....again" is the note that Nick, Lana's husband, receives leading him to Lana's childhood hometown of Roselea. Teaming up with Jaymee, and Deputy Sheriff Cage Foster, he sets out to discover what or who led to his wife's death, the death of two other women, and what part the birth of Jaymee's daughter played 7 years ago.
It was such a relief to be able to finish
Tin God and be able to jump immediately into
Skeleton's Key. The continuation of the series finds Cage Foster as the caretaker of Ironwood Plantation; a run down Antebellum in desperate need of repair. Unfortunately the rescue of the stately mansion comes in the form of Dani Evans a historical preservationist. Dani shows up, not as a man, but an opinionated woman who has strong pre-conceived notions about what men from the South are like. Just as opinionated, Cage curses Dani as the 'Damn Yankee' who has no business moving to the South. Sparks fly from the very beginning when Cage finds skeletal remains in the basement of Ironwood and Dani arrives to keep her new purchase from falling into further disarray during the investigation. As the investigation continues Cage becomes a prime suspect and Dani is set on proving that he isn't the killer. Many suspects are on the radar, but the real killer will come out of nowhere and I promise you won't have it figured out.
Oh! Maybe I have 3 confessions. Um........yeah.......I have a 'bad' habit when I read books. I jump to the end to see who did it. I KNOW! I'm horrible! I'm just wired that way. I like to know what is going to happen so that I can be prepared. No surprises in the delivery room for me. Both times I knew what we were having and had everything planned down to the last diaper. I'm a little Type A that way. So, while I should probably steer you away from doing that, if you are like me you may not be able to stop yourself. I don't think it takes away from the story so I'm not likely to stop doing it anytime soon. Especially since I've been doing it for at least 30 years! (commence flogging)
Now, I am back to the part of reading that I hate! Waiting for the next book. Until Stacy reveals the name I will keep it to myself. It sounds as if our favorite characters will be back including the largest; the South. My new home and for a mid-western girl who has transplanted there is no better place to be!
Thanks for reading y'all :D
