Two unsolved
murders will tear apart an Alaska fishing town unless a writer and a government
agent reveal their secret obsessions.
Treasury agent
Parker Browne is working undercover in Petersburg, Alaska to investigate a
money scam and a murder. His prime suspect, Liv Hanson, is a freelance writer
struggling to save her family’s business. Free spirited, full of life, and with
a talent for catching liars, she fascinates Parker.
Trying to prove
she’s a legitimate writer who cares about Petersburg’s issues, Liv pens a
series of newspaper articles about an old, unsolved murder. When her cold case
ties in with Parker’s investigation, bullets start to fly.
Parker understands
money trails, and Liv knows the town residents. But he gave up on love two
years ago, and she trusts no one, especially with her carefully guarded secret.
If they mesh their skills to find the killers, will they survive the fallout?
Review by Melissa Snark:
Review by Melissa Snark:
LIE CATCHERS is a romantic murder mystery set in a contemporary
Alaskan fishing town. Rolynn Anderson has a style that bears strong
similarity to authors in the mainstream suspense thriller genre. Her
storytelling skills are strong and her dialogue sounds realistic to the
reader's ear. Description is concise, leaving much to the imagination.
Secondary characters are complex and memorable. In particular, I liked the
heroine's tough guy brother, Ivor. The writing is tight and stays on point,
always following the plot through to the nail biting climax.
Liv Hanson, is a frustrated newspaper columnist who helps out
with her family's store and has unfulfilled writing ambitions. She is also a
human lie detector with an extraordinary memory. She's a bit frenzied and a
little strange, but her quirks are entirely likeable. Early on, she
decides to investigate on old unsolved murder in conjunction with the hero's
real life investigation. She fictionalizes the historical murder.
Unfortunately, I found the story segments written by Liv to be somewhat
disruptive to story flow. The author is definitely a more talented writer than
her heroine.
Parker Browne is an undercover treasure agent working to solve
the drowning death of a local fisherman. The hero is a hard man to get a
feel for so I had trouble connecting with him. Throughout the beginning of the
story I was left feeling like I didn't really know him. Characterization does
become more discernable as the story progresses. Parker is appropriate
courageous, protective and considerate and comes through in the end. I enjoyed
his chemistry with Liv, although, I would have liked more explicit romantic
encounters.
My favorite thing was how the author managed to create such an
amazing setting as the backdrop to her story. I loved the cultural information
provided about Alaskan fishing culture and how it affects not only fishermen
but the economy of an entire settlement. (The whole Zipper Up/Zipper Down thing
is weird until it's finally explained. Then it makes sense.) The heroine's
heritage of Norwegian and Tlingit was interesting and descriptions of her
jewelry sent me to Google to search for "Trade Beads".
LIE CATCHERS is a recommended read for fans of suspense thrillers
involving a romance central to the plot. I received an advanced review copy in
exchange for an honest review.
Available for purchase at Amazon.
Author Bio:
Scandinavian, Army
Brat, English Teacher, High School Principal, Golfer, Boater, World Traveler,
Author. With her experiences, Rolynn Anderson is fairly bursting with
stories about extraordinary people and amazing settings, real and contrived.
Now add her competitive nature and her love of ‘the makeover.’ As a principal, she and the staff she hired,
opened a cutting-edge high school; as co-captain with her husband on INTREPID,
she cruises from Washington State to Alaska and back. As a writer, she delights in creating
imperfect characters faced with extraordinary, transforming challenges. Her hope: You'll devour her ‘makeover’
suspense novels in the wee hours of the morning, because her stories, settings
and characters, capture your imagination and your heart.
Connect with Rolynn:
As always, I am in awe of Melissa Snark, a multi-talented woman who seems to stretch the hours of the day. She's prolific as a writer, blogger and reviewer of novels. She's managed to make Internet manipulation and marketing look easy. Eagle-eyed, bright and witty, Melissa's prose always delights, no matter what form. I appreciate the detailed reviews she's written of two of my books, SWOON and LIE CATCHERS, and I listen carefully to her advice. She may know more about my writing than I do...she's that wise. Thank you, Melissa, for all you do for us!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rolynn. You're too sweet. I don't even know what to say. >>insert some blushing and stammering here.
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