The Mystery Starts Here

I did something yesterday that I haven’t done in years. I sat and read a book – all day long – until I finished it. I only stopped to eat and have a bathroom break. It was Christmas, we are alone here – no family, no obligations other than to walk the dogs so, I read and …I didn’t feel a bit guilty. I literally couldn’t put the book down!

When Alexandra Clarkson starts having terrifying visions filled with blood and ceremonial images, she thinks they are the result of her Ph.D. studies on religious ceremonies and sects. But when Alex’s mother, Patsy commits suicide without leaving behind any information, Alex is left wondering if be haunted by something from the childhood she doesn’t remember.

The body of a baby is found buried in a wind case in a vineyard in Napa Valley. Could it be that of Dylan Sommer who was kidnapped over 25 years ago and disappeared without a trace? What is Alex’s connection to the dead child and did it have something to do with her mother’s suicide? Alex has no choice but to travel to Napa Valley and start digging. Once there, she finds an family she has no memory of. Why did her mother take her away from her relatives and do everything in her power to erase Alex’s memory of her kin? Believe me, you’ll be hard pressed to put this book down.

Blood Vines is a tightly plotted, fast-paced, page turner and one of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time. Spindler obviously did a lot of research on wine making, harvesting and drinking, but she weaves the information into the books so seamlessly that you hardly notice, while learning a lot. She certainly made me yearn for a nice glass of Merlot. The only picky I have is that the love interest, Daniel Reed, the local Napa Valley cop, is sometimes referred to as Reed and sometimes as Dan or Daniel. To me, that’s a big no-no. Pick one name and stick to it. Sometimes I had to stop and think….now who is this? Other than that, Blood Vines is a terrific read.

If you like mysteries with an edge, pick up a copy of my dark mystery, The Worst Evil available at www.whiskeycreekpress and on www.amazon.com

Crais novel starts the way a good mystery should - with a dead body. Police are going door to door in the hills around Los Angeles to make sure residents evacuate because of raging fires. Two cops find a dead body, an apparent suicide. He’s holding a book of photos thatlead them to believe the dead guy is a seriel killer who had murdered one woman a year for seven years. The photos show the women at the point of death so he’s got to be the killer, right?

PI Elvis Cole becomes involved because he helped get the dead guy aquited three years earlier for one of the murders. His alibi was air tight. New evidence seems to prove the dead guy was guilty. Elvis feels bad because the man went on to kill more women, but he’s sure the evidence he developed is sound. He starts investigating and runs up to a wall erected by the police. Why are they conducting a secret investigation? Are they protecting one of their own?

There are plenty of twists and turns in this book that keep you guessing right up the the surprising end. “Chasing Darkness” is a quick exciting read that won’t let you down. I’ve read Crais’ books before and enjoyed them….until he started a long thread about Cole and his girl friend, Lucy. I found that thread boring and distracting. Now Crais seems to be back on track – writing an exciting mystery. I’ll look forward to reading his next book.