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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

The Deadly Proof Is in the Reading Pudding–It’s a Winner

by Chautona Havig · 2 Comments

“I don’t have time to read another book! I have deadlines!”

Look, I’m not proud of my wailing and whining at my husband last night. I’m not. There it was, eight o’clock, I hadn’t eaten all day, and since I’d only had three hours of sleep, a long nap after company went home meant I slept through dinner.

So, I took off for Denny’s, determined to eat and skim through enough of the book to write a plausible review.

Yeah. Not proud of that fact. My only defense was going to be in admitting that I’d skimmed. I mean, it seemed only right to be honest about my lack of follow through.

And in Cassie-like fashion, I sit at my laptop, confessing something that didn’t even happen.

That’s right. I read every stinkin’ word of the book.

I guess that kind of gives away what I thought about it.

Still, I’m WAY behind on deadlines, so this is going to be a short and sweet review.

Deadly Proof Review

The Deadly Proof Is in the Reading Pudding— It’s a Winner

Legal thrillers can be either too over-dramatized to be believable or too full of legal mumbo jumble to be enjoyable. Rachel Dylan, however, is more than just a former lawyer, she’s a top-notch author. With just enough action and intrigue to keep the pace ever-increasing and the right balance of characterization and expert research, this book grips you from the first page and leaves you collapsed in a book-drunk stupor at the end.

I cannot believe I’m saying this, as a self-professed non-romantic, but I have to say that once the romance plot got going, it fell flat for me. Just a bit too cliched, if you will.

Still, since it isn’t the primary focus of the book, and since I loved all the characters, it really didn’t detract from the story. However, true romantics might be disappointed—a little.

My other top complaint would be that sometimes the more spiritual elements appeared more preachy than natural. Still, I almost forgot about that by the end of the book, so it obviously wasn’t too bad or I would have been harping all the way.

For those who want to know if it’s easy to “figure out” what’s going on in the book, I’ll say that I figured it all out rather early, BUT… she had one red herring near the end that made me doubt for a bit. This shouldn’t be considered a negative thing for her. I usually do figure these things out. Making me doubt shows that Dylan is a good writer!

Recommended for those who LOVE a can’t-put-down read and suspense that doesn’t lead to a ton of gore. As for me, I’ve found a new must-read author.

Oh, and for the curious:

As I put down the finished book and opened my laptop, I prayed that it wouldn’t be far after midnight. It was 11:59 p.m. God is good—even about little things like reviews and such.

 

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Comments

  1. Andrea Stoeckel says

    October 3, 2017 at 5:18 am

    A book like this can always spark curiosity. Glad you enjoyed it and were so honest about the process. As you know, I understand about deadlines….

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      October 3, 2017 at 7:29 pm

      It’s life, you know? It is what it is!

      Reply

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Episode 572: A Chat with Kari Trumbo
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Mystery is my absolute favorite genre, so when I heard that Kari Trumbo had taken her Wayside Ranch and spun it off into a mystery series, you know I was excited. Kari? Plus mystery? Listen in and hear why Beneath Still Waters is next on my “must read” list!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Okay… mystery that isn’t focused on romance? That’s like this book was tailor-made for me! EEEP!

I love what Kari is doing with this series and now this spin-off. This is gonna be great!

Beneath Still Waters by Kari Trumbo

Fresh out of training and still haunted by a near-fatal shootout, Ferd Kincade retreats to Wayside Ranch to heal.

She expects quiet. Instead, she finds a body. When she discovers a mysterious boat washed ashore on a nearby lake, nothing about the scene makes sense and Ferd can’t walk away. Pulling Piper’s Ridge detective Duke Campose into the investigation, she soon uncovers signs of something far more dangerous than a simple murder.

Someone is hiding a deadly secret.

And they’re willing to kill again to keep it buried.

As the truth points to a ruthless drug operation, Ferd becomes the next target. Now, she’ll need every ounce of her training, and a lot of faith, to survive long enough to bring a killer to justice.

Don’t miss the giveaway that ends September 7th. Books will be shipped to US addresses, but feel free to enter from anywhere and have the book sent to a friend! No purchase necessary! Just click HERE to enter.

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