Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

This award-winning thriller that came out in November of 2014 was subsequently named Best eBook Original Novel. This is the first book in the Huntress/FBI Series.

In this premier installment Sokoloff has us following FBI Agent Matthew Roarke as he tracks a most unique suspect: a female serial killer. In fact, one of the victims, a fellow agent working undercover was on his way to meet Roarke and was killed almost right in front of him. As a former profiler,  Agent Roarke digs into the lives of the previous victims and develops a theory that he is reluctant to offer full disclosure to.

My Thoughts:

I found the premise of the story interesting and was curious to see where it would go. In my experience, I haven't read many thrillers with a female serial killer so I thought that was a bold move on behalf of Alexandra Sokoloff. That being said, there were a few times I felt she was reaching a bit but I was interested enough to keep going. Sokoloff was able to keep my attention throughout the book and I was anxious to return to it when I did have to stop reading from time to time. The book hints at the paranormal as well which gives it a mysterious element that I hope will become more prevalent in the future. The back story of the killer was a good twist and she even manages a link between the killer and the agent, albeit a distant one. That is one reason I feel like this series has a lot of potential. The growth of the characters and future encounters leaves the door open for another intriguing installment. BLOOD MOON is the second book and I already have it on my Kindle and will hopefully get to it before the end of year. .

If you're like me and enjoy audiobooks, you may be interested to know that the narrator of HUNTRESS MOON is non other than R.C. Bray, the voice of the astronaut in THE MARTIAN and, more recently, the narrator of DECENT by Tim Johnston, both of which I really enjoyed. So if you prefer audios, that is a good reason to pick this one up.

The Bottom Line:

For me, this book is a win. I give it 3.5 stars, because I had a few believability issues with the story, however, it has a paranormal aire about it so I took that into consideration. I think the stories will improve and I will be reading more from this series. It's the perfect type of book to be reading this time of year with Halloween approaching. It's a quick read, too, and that is a plus as well.

There are currently three books in the series with a fourth coming in 2016. For more information on Alexandra Sokoloff and her books, visit her website.

HUNTRESS MOON (Kindle Version)
Series: Huntress/FBI Book 1
Author: Alexandra Sokoloff
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: November 2014
Length: 373 pp

Review: The Prudent Mariner

The prudent mariner will not rely solely on any single aid to navigation, particularly on floating aids. That was one instruction she clearly understood. ~ page 130

THE PRUDENT MARINER is the story of 10 year old Riddley Cross, her grandmother Adele, who is losing a battle with Alzheimer’s, her eccentric neighbor, Carver and various other members of Riddley’s family.

The Cross family lives on the Georgia coast of the Inter Coastal Waterway in 1970. It’s a time of change but you can still see and feel the old ways of the South without even looking very hard or very far.

One day, in her recently deceased grandfather’s den, Riddley finds some disturbing postcards from the past. Since Pauline, Riddley’s mother, told her she could have the postcard collection as a remembrance of her grandfather, Riddley didn’t see anything wrong with keeping them to herself. She’s used to keeping secrets. She was sure that if she showed those postcards to her mother, not only would she never see them again, they were sure to upset Pauline a great deal.

Soon it becomes evident that Adele can no longer live alone, so she is moved into the garage apartment so Pauline and the rest of the family can look after her. In no time at all, it’s clear that Riddley has a way with her grandmother, unlike Pauline, her husband Sam or the twins, Emmaline and Charlotte, who are a few years older than Riddley. Adele, who never was a big talker, has become even more silent, and like Riddley, has a fondness for wandering and also for the river that runs so close to their home.

Adele and Riddley soon make friends with Carver, the woman who lives next door and begin to spend time with her, which is another secret the two share. Though Riddley has put the postcards she found in a safe place where they won’t be seen, they are never far from Riddley’s mind and even her dreams. There is something oddly familiar about them that she can’t quite figure out and when she shows one of them to Adele, she gets a response that raises even more questions.

Leslie Walker Williams’ THE PRUDENT MARINER is a very well written novel with beautifully developed characters who tell a story that methodically unfolds as we are getting to know them. She has skillfully created a multi-layered plot loaded with family history and even an air of mystery.

Being a lover of Southern Fiction, I was very much looking forward to reading this debut novel. I loved the characters, especially Riddley and Carver. Ms. Williams allows us to get to know and understand all of the main character’s personalities and even their inner-most thoughts. This depth of charachter is a very important part of the telling of this story. There’s so much more than a little girl trying to figure out why certain terrible postcards are in her family’s possession. There’s also more to Adele’s story than just an old woman fighting a mentally debilitating disease. And finally, more to Carver’s complex personality than the eccentricities that the locals speculate about. All of these factors combined add up to a very enlightening, powerful story.

For me, it got better with every turn of the page. At times, I found myself holding my breath. The images that I formed in my mind from the writing were so vivid, I could almost see it playing out like a movie. In fact, I think this would make a great movie. It has a simplicity about it, but at the same time, so many stories are being told. I loved the final pages of this book. The water plays such an important role in this story - seemingly at times, in slow motion.

This is a great debut novel and I will not hesitate to read future works by Leslie Walker Williams. I am so pleased that my local library purchased their copy solely upon my request. Ms. Williams is also a writer of short stories that have appeared in many publications. THE PRUDENT MARINER was awarded the Peter Taylor Prize and the Morris Hackney Literary Award.

THE PRUDENT MARINER

Author: Leslie Walker Williams

Website: www.lesliewalkerwilliams.com

Publisher: University of Tennessee Press

Published: October 2008

Pages: 298

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars