Tag: Raybon Patricia

Denver’s newest detective. A garden’s deadly secrets.

On a lovely June night in 1924, amateur detective Annalee Spain is mingling bravely at a high-class political fundraiser in the lush backyard garden of famed political fixer Cooper Coates, one of the wealthiest men in Denver’s Black neighborhood of Five Points. When Coates’s young daughter discovers a pretty stranger dead in her father’s garden shed, Annalee is thrust onto the baffling new case just as she’s reeling from another recent discovery―a handwritten letter, found buried in her own garden, that reveals the identity of her mother.

Not ready to face the truth about her hidden past, Annalee throws herself into solving the mystery of the young woman’s demise. With the help of her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake, her orphaned buddy Eddie, and her trustworthy church friends, Annalee follows the clues to three seemingly disconnected settings―a traveling carnival set up downtown, a Black civic club, and a prestigious white seminary on the outskirts of Denver. Intriguing advice also comes from a famous, real-life Denver visitor. But is Annalee on the right track or just running in circles, fleeing from conflicts racing in her heart?

In a taut, heart-gripping narrative driven by secrets, romance, and lies, Annalee must unravel a case with higher stakes than she imagined―one where answers about a lovely woman’s death point to truths and tensions still throbbing today.

My Review:

This series just keeps getting better and better! I love the way we’ve seen so much growth in Annalee over these three books. She is more sure of herself, clearer in her purpose, more resolute in her faith. And she needs to be all that and more as she faces some of the toughest situations she’s experienced since arriving in Denver.

The author incorporates historical facts with unflinching honesty. No sugar coating here as Annalee seeks justice for an unknown murder victim. Racism, violence and corruption brings danger at every turn…and from unexpected places. It’s brutal and confounding – especially as Annalee is confronted by the social bigotry within her own Black community.

This is the kind of story you feel your way through. It’s impossible to be a detached observer. I lived every heartbreaking, infuriating and gut-wrenching moment right along with Annalee and Eddie and Pastor Jack and Mrs. Mason and all the people I hold so dear. And, oh my goodness, the cameo appearance of a revered historical figure who counsels Annalee and brings such hope….I got goosebumps!!!

The mystery is complex but Annalee is relentless and has the backing of loyal friends and unexpected strangers. It’s layered in tragedy and deceit, perpetuated by legions of ‘good people’ who chose to do nothing while atrocities were committed. A mystery with history and heart — the kind of novel that changes a reader for the better by the time she reaches the end.

I listened to the excellent audible edition narrated by Zakiya Young. She brought such energy and enthusiasm to the story and enhanced my ‘reading’ pleasure that much more. She has narrated the entire series so far and these books will definitely be ones I listen to again. Keeper shelf material for sure.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice

International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one of the Truth Be Told, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 13 2024.

In the second instalment of Patricia Raybon’s critically acclaimed mystery series, amateur detective Annalee Spain races the clock to solve the murder of a handsome young pilot before she is framed for the crime — and before his dashing twin falls head over heels for her, tempting her promised heart.

On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief — a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake — to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee become the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing.

With just days to solve the murder before the city’s Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim’s wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker, at their mountain lodge, desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, wh can’t she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, even city politics — all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love…and perhaps even her life.

My Review:

Annalee! Annaleee!! Annalee!!! You made my heart hurt and my blood pressure rise and I loved every minute of it! I’m a glutton for punishment when it comes to angsty reads, I guess. And, while I loved All That Is Secret, I loved Double the Lies that much more.

Annalee Spain, an up and coming private investigator, has her work cut out for her. Especially since she’s a Black woman in 1920s Denver — a town run by the Klan. So, Annalee doesn’t just have a twisty-turny mystery to solve, but the added complication of trying to do it while dodging police and the blatant prejudice that prevents her from going about her investigation in a direct manor. Gah, but my blood boiled over some the situations she faced.

Annalee is brash and headstrong and impulsive — traits that both help and hinder her work. And the way she throws herself into some alarming situations kept me in a panic stricken state for most of the read. She’d no sooner get out of one dire predicament than she’d rush headlong into another one. Mercy, but that girl has guts and grit!

Loved the depth in characterization — Annalee is an ever-evolving heroine and I appreciate the growth she makes not only through the series, but within this book in particular. And a lot of that comes about through the aid of some incredible secondary characters. I am attached to so many of them now! Plain speaking Mrs. Mason is an all time favourite . She kind of reminds me of a Marilla and a Rachel Lynde mash up (aka Anne of Green Gables.)

Double the Lies is the second book in the Annalee Spain Mystery series and, while it could be read out of order, there are some spoilers from the first book — from both the mystery and Annalee’s personal life, so I think it’s best if you read the books in order. Your read(s) will be all the richer for it.

History, mystery and faith make for a winning combination.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

*IMPORTANT NOTE:* Because I think The Annalee Mystery series should be read in order, this giveaway is for either book one, All That Is Secret (Christy Award Winner) or book two, Double the Lies — Winner’s choice, in either paperback or ebook, again, winner’s choice.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of All that is Secret OR Double the Lies, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday March 11, 2023. Offer open to International Readers.