Blog Archives
Homicide In Bronze: A Kira Logan Mystery
Homicide in Bronze by J.C. Andrew is a murder mystery set in Colinas Verde, New Mexico. When artist Kira is commissioned to sculpt two important doctors who founded the town’s hospital, she is eager to start. The project is exciting, and honoring the doctors in the best way feels essential. However, not everybody is behind the project. Roselyn, a young woman in the town, is determined to bring it to a halt, convinced that her family was wronged many years ago by the doctors being honored. Suddenly, strange things start happening, meant to scare Kira into leaving the project unfinished. But Kira refuses to let anything deter her from completing what she’s been brought to Colinas Verde to do. What starts as seeming pranks soon turn into incidents of injury and even death. How far is Roselyn willing to go to ensure the statues never get put up? How much is Kira willing to endure before deciding the project isn’t worth the trouble it has caused?
Andrew has mastered the mystery genre and writes in a way that grabs the reader’s attention. Without a doubt, I can say that I never quite knew what was coming next. From Roselyn’s plotting revenge to the people she pulled into the schemes with her, each new incident was unexpected and added tension. I thoroughly enjoyed how each chapter was from a different character’s point of view. The main character is Kira, the artist, whose story is told in the first person. Everyone else was told in the third-person perspective. I feel that this writing style helps get inside the minds of secondary characters and learn a little more about them without dominating the story. One relationship I enjoyed seeing evolve was that between Kira and Dee. Things started off kind of tense and almost awkward between the two. However, when Dee realizes she needs help, Kira is the person that Dee turns. That is a turning point for them, turning that relationship into one of respect and maybe even friendship.
The pacing of the story was smooth and consistent. The chapter-length made for an easy read without getting tied down trying to finish a long chapter. Each chapter was just long enough to get across what was needed perfectly without unneeded filler.
Homicide in Bronze is an engaging mystery novel that will take readers on an adventure filled with suspense and action. The characters will come alive with murder, family drama, and friendship and hold readers’ interest from the first page until the last.
Pages: 312 | ISBN : 1950101037
Chad’tu
Chad’tu is a period piece set in the old west, a time when cattleman and Native Americans fought for land. Immersed in the period of gunslingers and cattle ranchers, this narrative follows the accounts of Chad’tu, a man who goes on a quest to save his abducted wife. Separated from his family at a young age, Chad’tu drifted from one person to another, mostly learning the ways of a warrior from his Native American father, Shatika, who had adopted him, and then trained by a master gunsmith named Brett Tishman. Although much of the novel unfolds in retrospect, through a series of flashbacks intermingled with the events that are taking place in Chad’s present life, the story has a surprisingly strong grip on the reader with its unique taste for suspense and thrill.
Set in a forgotten world, this novel encapsulates the nostalgia of the old world gun fighting days. The quintessential style that every gunslinger in town tried to emulate and was thereby worshipped within the scope of Western movies ranging from Clint Eastwood to Eli Wallach, has been skillfully rendered in this story too. Their tradition of measuring opponents from a distance, the typical broad hat, the nonchalant poker face which never gave away any emotions, the indifference with which they carried themselves, their fierce loyalty to their own principles and their heroic struggle to take back what was rightfully theirs, has all been religiously followed and reflected in this riveting novel.
In fact, one can visualize with clarity the scenes where characters in the story are involved in street fights or get bested by their superiors and are left abandoned to fate. It demonstrates the author’s command over the language, not only in the use of different dialects and accents but also in the depth of their knowledge regarding this specific genre. It is one thing to imbibe the structural formulae of a particular narrative style but it is another thing to reconstruct a distinct narrative that follows every genre convention while also adding their own nuances to it. What is surprising to note is that, in spite of being written during the 21st century, much of the character’s thought processes and beliefs are authentic to the time period.
Chad’tu by Kelsie R. Gates is a gripping tale of adventure that will mesmerize readers from all walks of life. Readers will be transported back in time to the old west and relive the excitement and adventures of those that lived by a different code.
Pages: 354 | ASIN: B08XSQC494
LITERARY TITAN 