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A Bridge for Christmas–rescuing with love
A Bridge for Christmas
by William Schwenn
The first part of A Bridge for Christmas is fairly easy going, setting the stage for a novel about a widower who shuffles through life a day at a time, apparently without purpose or direction. Dave finds himself adopting two dogs, and that one action changes his life. The plot progresses to include a low water bridge destroyed by flood, almost isolating Dave and a small group of his neighbors. There is also an introduction to several people with various approaches to animal rescue work.
Background set, the author William Schwenn picks up the pace, and Dave finds himself in the midst of a mysterious, secretive transport network for rescue dogs. Is the traditional North Carolina mountain community of Calvert County attracting a criminal element focused on dangerous drugs and horrible animal abuse? Will the Bear Creek Bridge be finished in time for Christmas relieving the residents of a one hour dangerous ride to get supplies and conduct business? Can Dave open up his heart to love again?
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Brighton Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Literary Fiction
Notes: This book contains a number of instances of swearing.
Publication: August 6, 2018—Brighton Publishing
Memorable Lines:
Dave knew and loved the nature of dogs—they’d forget all about this in a day or two, and move on. Life for them was a fresh adventure every day. Win some, lose some, get confused by some, but no worries—tomorrow will be another day.
Tough mountain boys, Dave thought, and smiled gently. They’ll go through women and wives with the wind, reluctantly trade in trucks, but give up their dogs?
He always found it necessary to remind rookies in his department after their first encounter with particularly nasty elements of the human race, “Don’t think about it too much. Let the Almighty take care of His job, and let’s concentrate on doing ours. We’ll be busy enough with just that.”
In Cave Danger–pink froufrou in the great out of doors
In Cave Danger
by Kate Dyer-Seeley
I found In Cave Danger interesting, but I didn’t love it. A lot of the reason is just personal taste. To start, the main character, Meg Reed, is just too froufrou, too much of a girly pink lover to be believable in her job as an adventure writer. I admire her independent fashion sense and love of vintage clothing, but even a “twenty-something” should understand that for most jobs there is a specific type of dress appropriate for the position and task. On your own time, you dress to please yourself.
My next problem with the book structure is the emphasis on beer. The craft beer culture in Oregon is interesting, but I honestly don’t admire a main character whose social life on a daily basis centers around beer.
Another problem is the choices and actions of the main character. Meg persists in doing obviously dangerous things. Things others have warned her not to do. Things she states are not smart to do. She also volunteers to cover a story on caving when she is a self-professed claustrophobic.
Lastly, I am sure there are people who give thanks to the Universe for the good things that happen, literally hug trees, and carry stones around to protect themselves. Those people would probably enjoy In Cave Danger much more than I did.
The initial mystery focuses on the murder of a forest ranger and the battle of environmentalists versus a politician and a rancher who have other plans for land use. Later the author makes a rather sudden jump back to events in a previous book that involve Meg’s deceased father, a newspaper reporter who was obsessed with researching a piece on meth. This abrupt plot switch is smoothed out as the author fills in the back story. Amazingly the two plot lines intersect.
On the positive side, the plot is engaging and the setting is interesting. The author offers closure to what appears to have been an old mystery. The book concludes with sections on tips for exploring caves and information for a scenic tour of Oregon’s high desert country where In Cave Danger takes place.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #5 in the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series; works as a standalone
Publication: November 28, 2017—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
The tips of old oak leaves faded into golden yellows, and red twinges glinted in the sunlight. Soon organic farm stands would pop up on street corners, where artisans would sell homemade apple and pear butter and carved festive gourds. The breweries would release their fall lines featuring pumpkin ales and hoppy Oktoberfest brews.
My past blunders were all my own doing, usually because I had overestimated my skill level or downplayed the danger. This felt different. This felt out of my control. I couldn’t shake the ominous cloud hovering over me.
I’m so claustrophobic that I refuse to ride in elevators. I’d rather huff and puff up twenty flights of stairs than be stuck in a moving coffin.
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