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Wow, what a start to the book! We are straight into the action on the very first page of The Dead of Summer as a fairground ride malfunctions leading to multiple deaths. Then a comic book store owner is found murdered, horrifically tortured before death.

Piper and her team begin their investigations and soon negligence and witness protection are thrown into the mix…

This is soooo different from the last two books (The Dead of Winter and The Dead of Night) but just as enthralling. The plot and cases are totally unique and an absolute credit to the author ‘s amazing imagination and literary talent. The funfair deaths are tragic and emotive so really pulled at my heartstrings as I imagined my own children enjoying a day out only for horror to unfold.

There are mentions of events in the previous books but no spoilers so The Dead of Summer could be read on its own but I guarantee you will want to read the others in the series!

The drama unfolds at a rapid pace and I felt completely drawn in to both cases. The professional relationships between Piper and her team and now more trusting and respectful, although tensions do exist due to Piper’s lack of experience and her own self-doubt. Piper’s romance with Nang continues to develop which adds a gentle subplot to counter the graphic and tense investigations.

There is a realism about the plot, characters and style of writing that make it so believable and easy to engage with. The unpleasant forensic detail of the murder and aftermath of the funfair accident are delivered factually and sensitively yet conveys the impact on Piper and her team to make it emotive.

The Dead of… series is simply superb and I can’t wait for the next one!

The Dead of Summer book blurb:

Shouts of delight turn to screams of terror when a carnival ride goes berserk at the Spencer County Fair. Sheriff Piper Blackwell must contain the chaos and investigate the possible sabotage, even as she tries to solve a local businessman’s horrific murder.

But managing two investigations with at least one killer on the loose pushes the young officer and her tiny staff to their limits. Can Piper catch the murderer, or will the summer’s body count continue to rise?

Find it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Summer-Piper-Blackwell-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07TZQL5WZ/

Want to check out the rest of the series on Amazon? https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Summer-Piper-Blackwell-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07TZQL5WZ/

About the Author:
Author of over forty science fiction/fantasy novels, innumerable short stories, and a career that’s allowed her to experience most every aspect of the publishing industry, Rabe continues to add to her prolific career with her current love of mysteries–thrillers, suspense, and un-cozy cozies.
In good weather, she can be found writing on her back porch with her dogs wrapped around her feet.
I have a newsletter filled with tidbits about weird news items, pics of my dogs, discussions of upcoming books, reviews of things I’m reading, and writing advice. You can subscribe here: http://jeanrabe.us14.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=89364515308e8b5e7ffdf6892&id=9404531a4b
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Rabe/e/B00J1QR5U2/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3406.Jean_Rabe
Website: https://jeanrabe.com/

The discovery of a shipwreck off the coast of Whitehaven brings a marine archaeologist to the town to uncover its secrets. Rachel has personal and relationship issues following the death of her father when she was only 12 and this has had a serious impact on her own marriage and her relationship with her mother. During her visit it becomes clear that her mother’s health is deteriorating due to dementia.

Meanwhile, in a second timeline set in Whitehaven in the 1760s, Abigail marries a man who gets involved in the slave trade to combat his mounting debts but she begins to question the morality of slavery. He brings her a young slave to train as a maid but she soon develops a strong affection for the girl which contravenes the standards and rules of the era.

The Widow’s Secret is a hugely emotional book to read. Both timelines are completely captivating and are written convincingly. The title could be referring to secrets held by Rachel’s mother or Abigail so is clever for having multiple interpretations.

I felt a great deal of sympathy with Rachel whose relationships are so fraught. She is desperate to give and receive love but is afraid of rejection. Abigail is thrilled to have found happiness after her reputation was destroyed by the inappropriate behaviour of a man, so she really battles with her conscience when her new husband becomes involved in the slave trade.

Swartz doesn’t shy away from the ethical angle and the horrendous attitudes of the time that resulted in the appalling treatment of other humans. This was unconfortable at times which is quite right when considering the atrocities which were perpetrated according to race. We are also introduced to John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists, which is a good plot device to allow Abigail to do some soul-searching. I think some comment on women’s roles could also be extrapolated from the events in the book, such as the sacrosanct honour of unwed women and the requirement for emotional management within a family context for both Abigail and Rachel.

The narrative is told through the third person with an emphasis on the viewpoint of the two main female characters. Although we discover the truth about the shipwreck and Rachel finds out about Abigail so we get a conclusion to their story, I would have liked further exploration of the wreckage or more of Adedayo’s story to have been included.

The Widow’s Secret was a hugely enjoyable book to read, despite the serious subject matter and uncomfortable history it conveys.

I have reviewed Into The Darkest Day, No Time To Say Goodbye, Not My Daughter, and The Secrets We Keep by Katharine Swartz writing as Kate Hewitt.

The Widow’s Secret book blurb

Marine archaeologist Rachel Gardener is thrilled to be summoned to the coast of Cumbria to investigate a newly discovered shipwreck. She is also relieved to escape the tensions of her troubled marriage, and to be closer to her ailing mother. Yet the past rises up and confronts Rachel, as seeing her mother surfaces hidden childhood hurts.

When the mysteriously sunken ship is discovered to be a slaving ship from the 1700s, Rachel is determined to explore the town of Whitehaven’s link to the slave trade. Soon she learns of Abigail Fenton, the young wife of a slave trader, who has a surprising secret of her own, lost to the ages. The more Rachel learns about Abigail, the more she wonders if the past can inform the present… Perhaps Rachel can learn from Abigail and break free from her troubled history, and embrace the future she longs to claim for her own?

About the author

After spending three years as a diehard New Yorker, Katharine Swartz now lives in the Lake District with her husband, an Anglican minister, their five children, and a Golden Retriever. She enjoys such novel things as long country walks and chatting with people in the street, and her children love the freedom of village life—although she often has to ring four or five people to figure out where they’ve gone off to!

She writes women’s fiction as well as contemporary romance for Mills & Boon Modern under the name Kate Hewitt, and whatever the genre she enjoys delivering a compelling and intensely emotional story. Find out more about her books at www.katharineswartz.com  or https://www.kate-hewitt.com/

Now in her sheriff role for 4 months, Piper is called out in The Dead of NIght to meet Mark ‘the Shark’ Thresher, a nonagenarian who is convinced his money is being stolen online. Piper agrees to investigate but on the way back to her car, she trips in the dark over some bones. A nine year old skeleton, buried for over half a century.

Meanwhile, Piper’s department is being shaken up with the departure of one of the team and a set of interviews is required. But her father, the former sheriff, is now cancer free and wants to return to police work. Plus Piper’s relationship with Nang is developing so both her personal and professional life are rapidly changing.

The plot differs greatly against the gore of the first book The Dead of Winter. The use of online hacking is very up to date and contrasts wonderfully with the cold case and traditional investigating required to find the identity of the boy and his murderer. The two main cases are bolstered by DUIs and a mailbox destroyer which adds plenty of drama and action to the novel.

The gentler plotline allows greater development of the characters and their relationships. Oren, her chief deputy is more respectful of his young boss now, and Piper is working hard to include him and welcome his opinions. Mark the Shark is a great character but I won’t include any spoilers about his character arc. There is an undercurrent of emotion in this book that was unexpected but very enjoyable, which I think is a credit to the author’s skill at making us care about the characters and their lives.

I liked this book just as much as the first as the characters are so engaging and human. The Dead of NIght secures Piper as a credible and likable leader and detective, strong yet vulnerable. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Dead of Night book blurb

As Sheriff Piper Blackwell rushes to a clandestine meeting with an aging, paranoid veteran who believes spies are trailing his every move, she is caught in a fierce thunderstorm. Pounding rain drums against the bluff, washing away the earth and revealing a grisly secret someone tried to bury a long time ago.

Putting a name to the skeleton on the bluff, and searching for the thief who robbed the old veteran of his life’s earnings, sends Piper delving into the sleepy towns that dot her rural county. Now she’s digging into pasts perhaps best left alone.

Accompanied by Chief Deputy Oren Rosenberg, Piper seeks to expose a truth someone wants to remain forever hidden. The investigation may have started with a thunderstorm, but Piper aims to finish it and find justice. Uncovering fragments of Spencer County’s history could prove more dangerous—and deadlier—than she ever expected.