Lynn Lawler's Creative Artists' Blog

Good afternoon friends and welcome. Thank you for stopping by last week for my hiking blog. It was great to see you. Today I’m presenting my review for Pascal Scott‘s ‘Hard Fall‘. If you love romance and mystery you are going to love this one.

This story describes a mystery about the sudden death of the former lover of Kathleen McStone aka Stone. Stone is a university counselor who had met her ex-lover, Emily, a student, at a counseling session.

Stone is likable and is very charming. She says the right things at the right time and is a bit of a romantic. She is a workaholic and won’t let other women touch her. However, she is on a mission and will stop at nothing. Her heart is aching and she uses alcohol to cover up her pain. I like how Stone grows during the story into a strong woman. I feel it adds depth to her character.

Zoe Martinelli is a private detective and the other protagonist in the story. She is hired by Stone to do some digging work for her. She is also a psychic. This caught my interest since I’m fascinated with psychometry and how it is used in the story. Zoe is smart and very intuitive and uses her gifts in a positive way. One word of advice. Don’t be a passenger in her car.  Her character is interesting but I feel she could have been more developed.

Some more things to note. I love how the two main players play off each other. Their conversations are really fun at times. I like the places the author takes us in the book. The descriptions are clear and I can imagine myself being there.

There is a bit of violence intertwined and a few choice words are used just to be aware.

The pace of the story is moderate and there are some page-turning episodes peppered throughout. I was savoring the story in between reading. There is a twist in the story that will make your head spin so be prepared. It is really exciting and the two women are amazing. The story ends a bit on the sudden side. Stay tuned for the sequel. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do.

Here is an excerpt:

     Indiana wasn’t in the budget, but Santa Cruz was. It was only seventy-five miles south of San Francisco. Stone offered to drive her old Dodge truck, a half-ton commercial vehicle painted bright orange that her mother had dubbed the rolling pumpkin. Stone had bought the truck for next to nothing in a government surplus sale in the city. Everyone made fun of it, but she didn’t care. It was dependable and practical, and its size made merging easy. Other drivers got out of the way when they saw the rolling pumpkin pulling onto the highway.
     Zoe insisted on driving her MG Roadster. If Stone drove, the trip would take forever, she said. In her MG, they’d be there in less than an hour. It was a clear, late June Saturday when they headed south on Highway 1, the scenic route along the Pacific coast. Zoe had rolled down the top of the convertible, donned Ray Bans, and wrapped a sea green scarf around her long black hair. She looked like a fifties movie star, Stone thought. Like Sophia Loren or Natalie Wood. Stone lifted her face to the sun overhead. It felt good. She inhaled deeply and smelled the ocean. She could almost lick the salt from her lips. She breathed in the cool air. Ahh…
     “Shit! Zoe!”
     Zoe pulled the Roadster back from the edge of a cliff on their right. She had hit gravel when the wheels left the blacktop, tossing up pebbles and leaving dust in the rearview.
     “Damn it, girlfriend! The way you drive!”
     “I’ve got it, I’ve got it,” Zoe said confidently, steering back onto the highway.
     The little jade green sports car had the advantage of maneuverability, Zoe explained, as she swept in and out of traffic, changing lanes without signaling.
     “Hey, Stone,” she said a moment later. “What do you do for fun?”
     Stone had to ponder the question. It had been a long time since she had thought about having fun. “Nothing” was the first thing that came into her mind.
     “I work out,” she said instead. “I swim. I’m in Masters Swimming.”
     That was true and not true. She had let her membership lapse when it had expired in December. And she hadn’t been to the gym in months. Come to think of it, she had lost muscle tone. Her jeans and Dockers didn’t fit as well as they used to, and her waist wasn’t as narrow. And oddly, sometimes she felt a tightness in her chest, like she couldn’t catch her breath. She would have to do something about that.
     “What do you do?” Stone asked in return. “For fun.”
     “Me? I drive fast cars. I drink expensive wine. I date handsome women.” Zoe glanced at Stone. “And I shoot. I’m a rare breed in California. I like guns.”
     “Nothing wrong with that,” Stone said.
     “Oh? Not according to a lot of lesbians I know. I like to say that I’m just another gun-toting liberal. But you’d be surprised by the grief I get from the PC crowd.”

*

Five stars

Purchase ‘Hard Fall’

Doesn’t this sound like a good book or what? I want to thank you for stopping by today. Be sure to visit next week when I’ll be turning the reins over to author Bonnie James.

Until Next time,

Namaste,

Lynn

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