Musings of a Bookworm: Reviews By Tim : Rushing through fall part 1

Here we are, rushing through fall, National elections of great importance, not just to Americans, but to the world and certainly we must not make little of the holidays quickly approaching. And what about that crazy Frankenstorm on the east coast of the US? I guess next it’ll be Snowmagedon!

When a long-time friendship dies, whose fault is it?
Decades past junior high, Caroline Batzer finds herself snubbed by her best friend. At first confused, she is later stunned to learn that Sarah Leigh has betrayed her in a way she would never have suspected. In an all-too-public setting, Caroline airs her anger at the woman everyone else in town considers saintly. When Sarah disappears soon afterward, it looks like Caroline murdered her. Desperately she tries to figure out who else could have done it—Sarah’s philandering husband? Her useless son?
Caroline’s nightmare is just beginning, because the people responsible for what happened to Sarah are now after Caroline, and they don’t care how rough things get.

My Review

About half this story is told after the fact, but it is very skilfully done without letting anything out of the bag. The suspense doesn't stop until the story is over and the outcome is not what you'll expect and yet exactly what you would want if you happen to have known the story ahead of time. Confused yet?
Just wait until you try to "whodunit" with this great tale! I truly enjoy good writing and this book has it. The characters are folks you could have in your neighbourhood and never even know. The conflict, while unusual is not outside the realm of believable.

My Rating:

I really liked this!

Sarah Hausman is offered one last opportunity to build and strengthen her character before the "Age of Grace" comes to a close. She accepts the challenges set before her when she is reborn into her new life on earth as Judith Ann. She is being sent back to earth on a mission; to rescue the soul of her former husband, Marcus Agrippa, whom she deeply loved while in her early life in Rome. The rewards Sarah gains or loses in her next life on earth will be what she takes with her into eternity. Go Sarah!

My Review

While the title has some possibilities, this story goes downhill from there. The tale is little more than a meandering list of the things that happen to the title character over her sixty plus years of life in the early 20th century. There is no suspense, no intrigue, no real romance or real conflict, but rather a sequential reporting of a rather routine life. If you’re into reality television and like boring single dimensional characters, then this is a book for you. Otherwise you might as well not bother.