Saturday, March 11, 2023

DOUBLE THE LIES (An Annalee Spain Mystery #2) by Patricia Raybon, Reviewed by Rebecca Maney


"In their crazy town, what kind of messy, stupid anger had left a young, barnstorming pilot dead on his kitchen floor?"

And dead he was. Jeffrey Mann had made the wrong person mad, and it wasn't his wife; private detective Annalee Spain (an aspiring amateur, but she was learning) had witnessed a terse conversation between the two at the Warren Branch of the Denver Public Library, seen the husband hurry off, and then proceeded to befriend his distraught wife by offering a handkerchief and a listening ear as she accompanied Rebecca Mann home. Having inadvertently left evidence at the crime scene (that handkerchief!) (oh Jack, she was so sorry!) Annalee was involved whether she wanted to be or not, especially when the threatening note she received the next morning proved that someone (in addition to local authorities) knew she had been at the Mann residence.

Annalee Spain had just been handed her next case. Primarily, it was a matter of self preservation. (the police wanted to pin this on her, not going to happen! . . . please, God?) And protecting those she loved the most. (that nasty note!)
A movie with buttered popcorn couldn't be any more entertaining than this round-about series of convoluted events. Every twist and turn is a display cabinet full of lies upon lies until the truth finally dares to stare Annalee in the face, and just as she imagined, it wasn't pretty.

A handsome young preacher (named Jack) once said, "It's so easy, lying. Maybe that's why God hates it". (and you will never believe where he was and what he was doing when he said it; hint, hint, he wasn't preaching)

One of the best mysteries I have read in a long time! 
*I purchased this book and was under no obligation to provide a positive review. 
 
BackCover Blurb:
In the second installment of Patricia Raybon’s critically acclaimed mystery series, amateur detective Annalee Spain races the clock to solve the murder of a handsome young pilot before she is framed for the crime—and before his dashing twin falls head over heels for her, tempting her promised heart.

On a cold spring night in 1924, Annalee Spain offers her new fancy lace handkerchief—a gift from her pastor boyfriend Jack Blake—to a young woman crying in a Denver public library. But later that night, when police find the handkerchief next to the body of the young woman’s murdered husband, Annalee becomes the number one suspect, and her panic doubles when she learns that Jack has gone missing.

With just days to solve the murder before the city’s Klan-run police frame her for the crime, Annalee finds herself hunting for clues in the Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. She questions the victim’s wife and her uncle, a wealthy Denver banker, at their mountain lodge, desperate for leads. Instead, she finds a household full of suspects and even more burning questions. Who keeps threatening her, why can’t she find Jack, and will a dangerous flirtation be her undoing? Her answers plumb the depths of the human heart, including her own, exploring long-buried secrets, family lies, even city politics—all of which could cost the young detective her fledgling love . . . and perhaps even her life. 
 
Tyndale House Publishing, February, 2023
Available in digital ebook, hardcover, paperback, and audiobook:

3 comments:

  1. Sounds interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am looking for a link to buy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for asking. Here are the buy links for Double the Lies -- https://www.patriciaraybon.com/ Warmest thanks, Patricia

      Delete

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