Time of Death

Ellis Vidler's Time of Death had me hooked from the beginning because of an experience I shared with Alex Jenrette, the protagonist.
Not withstanding having a tree fall on your home and the displacement of its aftermath this second title that uses the psychic abilities of the McGuire women is excellent.
The terrorist tension Ms. Vidler creates with the murders, conflict of interest, budding romance and the well-crafted narrative makes a compelling read.
Alex, an artist, who has inherited psychic tendencies when violence is near her comes to the island home of her aunt, Isobel Devore.
Wanting to occupy her time recording the natural beauty of the protected landscape she takes her camera and sketchbook to the beach.
She climbs a tree to use an overhead perspective for her studies and becomes a hidden witness to a murder even she does not know has occurred, but her hands recognize violent death.
Alex's "gift" has brought her pain and trouble, but when a killer seeks to eliminate all witnesses her life and that of her beloved aunt are endangered. Her car is forced off the road and they are nearly killed. She garners her resources to fight back.
A failed marriage in her recent past protects her from the charm of a man she meets by chance. This is the one man she cannot have.
Connor Moran is a federal attorney who has been working for over a year to bring a man to justice. He will not jeopardize his case to listen to a woman, no matter how personally fascinating, who sees things.
Time of Death is a read that will keep you up at night turning the pages. It did me.
You can visit with Ellis Vidler at http://ellisvidler.com  or @EllisVidler on Twitter . Her good reads are available from Amazon.
Nash Black, author of Sandprints of Death.

Dumpster Dying

Lesley A. Diehl's Dumpster Dying is a cozy/traditional mystery set in Florida's interior where cattle and cowboys are the treat of the day. No beach bikini bimbos or sand fleas, instead a fun mystery where the older generation must face their past to stop a killer and stay out of jail.
Emily Rhodes was all set to live out her golden years with Fred Costa, her long time companion when Fred went for a run from which he didn't return. Fred "the rat" never managed to write a new will and his ex-wife inherits their assets including a portion of Emily's down payment on their home.
To keep a roof over her head and pay the bills Emily acquires the skill of mixing drinks and takes a job at the local country club. She is taking out the trash when she discovers the body of Marcus Davey in the dumpster.
Snow bunnies are not welcome in rural Florida, their only value to the natives is what money they can be induced to part with before leaving.
Characters may be slightly stereotyped but they read like real people you'd meet in the grocery store or at the local watering hole.
Did I mention no psychics, no recovering drunks , no vampires, etc? Plain fun for a great read without of the quirks, but a well paced whodunit with a surprising twist. Maybe just a touch of romance, no bed of roses, but then no matter how sweet they smell roses have thorns.
Delight with Emily and her friends as they hunt for a killer before he finds them.
Nash Black, Sandprints of Death

Sandprints of Death

Nash Black's Sandprints of Death opened to a five star review from Alina Holgate, a resident of Australia. I normally talk about other writer's work on Bird's Eye View, but this time I want to toot our own horn and share with you Alina's review.

"Set a While"

"The best thing about this book for this Australian was that reading it was like going on holiday. I was transported to an island off South Carolina, rich in unique history where various members and neighbors of the Young clan have congregated to lick their various wounds. A series of murders occurs on the island thus trapping them together. They are further trapped by the weather. In the course of dealing with these challenges the Youngs become integrated into the local community and the history of the Young clan and the island is revealed.
"The murder mystery, which is the occasion for all these different characters being thrown together in a particular locale, could have been more carefully plotted and its resolution seemed rushed. However the strength of the book is not a great murder mystery. The strength of the book is the beautifully drawn characters and their intricately portrayed clan stories that make you feel connected to them like family. The strength of the book is in the incredibly atmospherically drawn portrait of this island, its history, its inhabitants, and the constantly shifting mood ot the weather and the sea that seeps into our characters bones. The strength of this book is that it makes you want to set a while and just listen to the cadences of the stories and the voices in which they are expressed and watch as island life passes you by.
"I think if you like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: a Novel you would like this. It has a similar feel in terms of becoming drawn in to an isolated, self-reliant community of loveable people who have a tough life but who welcome the right kind of strangers into the fold.
My best recommendation is that I immediately rushed off to buy more of Nash Black's books. And there is a recipe at the end of this book that's worth the price of admission alone."

Thank you, thank you Alina.

Nash Black (Irene & Ford)