Murder on the Commons (Davies and West #4) by Will North: Reading Room Review

 

It’s been too long since we’ve had a Morgan and West book to read from Will North, but it’s always hard to wait on the next book in a favorite series. The fourth book in the series, Murder on the Commons, is out tomorrow, and it’s well worth the wait. The setting is still the fascinating Cornwall, England countryside, a place of rich history and long-lived traditions. Although we are still in the same place geographically in book #4, we are hardly standing still. North doesn’t let his characters drag in place; this new book is full of new life and moving forward. And, he moves those characters forward with the smoothest of transitions, where minor characters are becoming more important to the story, but the major characters are still strong in their purpose. 

When the call comes in from Poldue Manor about a human head discovered sticking up out of the mire on Rough Tor Mire on the Bodmin Moors, it first goes to the police headquarters in Exeter, but the Bodmin Serious Crimes Unit immediately becomes involved because Bodmin DCI Arthur Penwarren has a personal connection to the landowners where the victim was found. Penwarren’s ex-wife is the sister of the Lady of Poldue Manor, and his niece-by-marriage, Jan Cuthbertson, discovered the body/head. With the land-owning aristocracy requiring a delicate handling, Penwarren is the perfect person in this situation to do the handling, and, of course Detective Chief Superintendent Crawley is only too happy to stay in Exter and let Penwarren do the work and suffer any fallout from unhappy lords of the land. These lords on the Bodmin Moors go back centuries, and the presence of the Cuthbertsons of Poldue Manor dates back to the mid-sixteenth century. Longevity of generational ownership is valued, and outsiders are not welcome.

Penwarren’s top police officers in Bodmin, Detective Inspector (DI) Morgan Daviess and Scene of Crimes Manager (SOCO) Detective Sergeant Calum West are on medical leave. West has had an operation on his heart and Daviess is caring for him and helping with his two young daughters. Penwarren isn’t too worried though, because Daviess’ second in command Detective Sergeant Terry Bates and her partner Detective Constable Adam Novak seemed ready to step in and make their mentors proud. Of course, an interesting, complicated case such as this one proves to be way too interesting for Davies and West to sit out. The mystery of the body’s location, with just the head sticking out of the mire, and the many unknowns lure both West and Daviess back, with a doctor’s consent for West, almost immediately. 

Identification of the body is the first puzzle that must be solved in the case, and it’s through tattoos a break finally comes. The next question is “What the hell is a Liverpool cage wrestler doing dead in a mire in Cornwall?” It falls to DS Terry Bates to travel to Liverpool and liaise with a senior Merseyside detective to search for answers as to why Harold Lugg ended up dead on the Bodomin Moors, far away from his home. Meanwhile, Callum West, as Scene of the Crime expert, is struggling with there being no scene of the crime, and Morgan Davies is finding the daughter of the manor, Jan Cuthbertson, an unreliable source of information. Jan is hiding something, and if anyone can uncover it, the unrelenting Davies will. DC Novak shows his value to the team by his Cornwall family connections, which aid in uncovering vital information. Arthur Penwarren is also knee-deep in this quagmire of connections, as he discovers his former sister-in-law’s life at Poldue Manor is a nightmare of unpredictability, and she is depending on Penwarren to help her. The investigation stretches the team and its resources to the max as simultaneous efforts must be coordinated from Bodmin to Liverpool to Dublin, Ireland. The Bodmin Serious Crimes Unit soon recognizes that the odd head above ground in the mire was just the tip of the iceberg in a ring of crime and corruption with a political bent. 

I enjoyed how Will North pushed in this fourth book to include more involvement from what had been minor characters. While Daviess and West have not by any means been replaced by Bates and Novak, North shows that the Serious Crimes Unit can expand its resources without losing any original favorites. There are hints at Penwarren’s retirement, but there’s not really any reason to think he’s going anywhere anytime soon. Of course, I trust the author’s plans for his characters, as North never disappoints me in their development. I think it was a act of brilliance how he managed to freshen up the series without taking away any of its original appeal and charm. As I’ve mentioned in reviews of earlier books in this series, Will North is especially adept at making the setting authentic. He has spent lots of time in Cornwall and brings a love of the area to his books. However, the descriptions for this series are never heavy-handed, just woven into the story enough to ensure the charm and beauty of Cornwall shines through. And, I would be remiss if I didn’t add that at the core of Will North’s thrilling books is that he has the heart and soul of a storyteller. Combining North’s great characters and authentic setting with great story assures readers that every book you read by this author will be one to remember.  

I received an advance copy of Murder on the Commons from the author, and I can assure readers of this review that my praise for this book is based solely on its contents.

Death by Equine by Annette Dashofy: Reading Room Review

 

Having a stand-alone novel written by the author of one of my favorite series (which also makes her one of my favorite authors) is a reading bonus I’m delighted to welcome. Annette Dashofy’s Death by Equine takes readers into the world of horses and horse racing, and having grown up in and lived all my life in the state of Kentucky, that’s a world surrounding me. My drive home from college in Lexington, Kentucky took me past horse farm after horse farm, a beautiful sight. Although I live in the state that claims perhaps the most famous horse race of them all, The Kentucky Derby, I have to admit I was rather ignorant of all the daily care that goes into assuring the health of these amazing animals. From reading Death by Equine, I soon learned why a veterinarian at a racetrack is a full-time position. Being a vet to these large, powerful, and often temperamental animals can be a dangerous job, and readers will quickly grasp that fact in the opening pages of this book. Annette Dashofy takes us right smack to the backside of the track, where the business of keeping expensive horses ready to run truly does take a village. 

Pennsylvania veterinarian Jessie Cameron has signed on to take over the duties of her mentor and father figure Doc Lewis at the local racetrack for two weeks. Jessie has her own veterinary practice she shares with a friend, but she is happy to fill in for Doc, who is taking his wife on a long over-due vacation. However, just hours before Doc can leave town he is trampled and killed by a horse at the track while attending to the horse in its stall. The death is ruled an accident, but Jessie doesn’t feel comfortable with that call. 

Toxicology reports show a tranquilizing substance in the horse’s blood test, and Jessie knows that Doc was aware not to give it to the horse due to the horse’s violent, aggressive reaction to it. Jessie’s soon-to-be ex-husband and state trooper Greg tells her she needs to let it go and accept the coroner’s ruling. But, Jessie feels too strongly that her long-time friend Doc was set up to die on a bogus emergency call for the horse. She feels a debt to the person who gave her so much and was responsible for her becoming a vet herself. 

With the police clearly not interested in investigating a death ruled as accidental, Jessie forges ahead on her own. She wants to find out if anyone deliberately placed Doc in harm’s way, but the layers are deep and dark, and Jessie will uncover more than she bargains for. She isn’t sure who she can trust as she struggles with disturbing revelations about Doc and the Riverview Track backside community. The secrets people protect are motive for deceit and even murder. Jessie’s inquiries and research of Doc’s records put her on a collision course with a killer. The reader feels her frustration and finally her terror. The twists and red herrings keep Jessie and the reader suspecting first one person at Riverview Track and then another.

Annette Dashofy creates unforgettable characters. Having fallen in love with Zoe Chambers and Pete from the Zoe series, I know just how hard I can fall for them. She’s captured my heart again with Jessie and her supporting cast. As well as the characters the reader roots for, there are those characters that the author is so good at making you dislike, too. Annette Dashofy knows how to evoke emotional responses to characters and their actions, be it someone rescuing a sweet kitten or someone deliberately dosing a horse to kill.

Readers are once again fortunate to be in the bucolic beauty of the Pennsylvania countryside in Death by Equine. There’s something special about horse country, no matter which state it’s in, but Annette Dashofy is especially adept at bringing out the unique charm of the land she and her family have lived on for generations. Her descriptions of the track, too, both backside and racetrack bring it all alive in a vivid sensory experience. 

There’s much to love about Annette Dashofy’s first stand-alone book. Readers will enjoy a thrilling story where horses and people coexist in a carefully balanced ecosystem, until someone willfully and destructively interferes. I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of Death by Equine, and my review reflects my honest appraisal of it.

Reading Room Interview with Author Annette Dashofy

 

 

The last twelve months have been tough on everyone and tragic for some.  It wasn't just the isolation, but the uncertainty of what the future looked like.  Stress was at an all time high, and relaxing was almost impossible.  The things we usually took comfort in weren't working.  Even my reading was way down, couldn’t focus, and that wasn’t a problem specific to just me.  So many reading friends have struggled during this pandemic with doing the very thing that they love most.  However, there were still some wonderful reading experiences.  One of those and one that kept me sane for months was the Zoe Chambers mystery series by Annette Dashofy. I couldn’t have picked a better time to read this entire series, finishing #10 in December.  It was my go-to read when I needed a calming escape.  The setting of the Pennsylvania countryside was truly a balm to my soul.  I owe much to Annette Dashofy, the author of this series.

I am happy today that the future is looking brighter and that so many of us have had both of our jabs of vaccine.  We are slowly getting back to some activity outside of our homes, although I'm no ready to get on a plane yet.  And, with so many of my fellow readers regaining their reading mojo, I think it's a great time to have Annette Dashofy here on The Reading Room for an interview on her writing, both of the series that saved my sanity and what's up next for her.  I hope blog readers will enjoy learning more about the Zoe Chambers series and put it on their TBR list.   

 

  

 

Questions and Answers:

Annette, you have created characters with whom readers become wholly invested.  These are people we genuinely care about and with whom we feel a connection.  So, I’d like to start with talking a bit about some of those characters.

 

Reading Room:  How closely have you drawn on your own past experiences as an EMT for Zoe’s experiences?  And, where did her work in the coroner’s office come from?

Annette:  I’ve drawn quite a lot from my time with the ambulance service but not from actual cases out of respect for patient privacy. The sights and sounds (and smells) all come from my memories. The interactions of the crew and the layout of the ambulance garage are all true to my experiences. And of course, the emotions of encountering people Zoe knows when responding to a call are ripped straight from my heart. I had her start working with the coroner’s office in order to give her greater reason to get involved in the investigations. Back when I worked in EMS, we had a couple of paramedics who were given the job of deputy coroner at the same time, so it seemed like a good role for Zoe.

 

Reading Room:  Horses are such an integral part of Zoe’s life.  What of you is in that part of her character?

Annette:  Quite a bit! I had horses for 25 years and miss them. Zoe’s horse, Windstar, was really one of mine. Sort of. The horse in the book is the horse I wished my Windstar had been. The real one bucked me off more times than I could count. Other horses in Zoe’s barn are based on horses I had in real life as well.

 

Reading Room:  Two or three sentences to describe Zoe?

Annette:  Zoe is a caregiver at her core. If she can’t save a life, she wants to provide justice for the victim.

 

Reading Room:  It’s only natural that I now ask you if Pete has someone he is modeled after or from whom you took defining characteristics.

Annette:  Pete is a composite of many people. His first name comes from the man who was chief of police when I was a kid and who was a good friend of my dad’s. When I picture him, I see a younger Mark Harmon. His gun building hobby comes from my husband. And much of the cop stuff comes from several law enforcement friends.

 

Reading Room:  How did you go about finding police sources to ensure the authenticity of Pete’s work?

Annette:  I’ve attended Citizen’s Police Academies with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the FBI. I’ve attended several Writer’s Police Academies. My best friend’s son is a deputy sheriff in the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico and has been a huge help, answering my questions and offering solutions about what Pete might do in such-and-such a situation. And I have other friends who are cops or are retired cops and are happy to let me pick their brains.

 

Reading Room:  And, I must mention Pete’s father, Harry, who I daresay has been embraced by readers as one of their own.  How did Harry form in your mind?  Was the Alzheimer’s a factor from the start?  Was he always intended to be a continuing character in the series, or did that happen due to readers’ loving him so?

Annette:  Harry has a very special place in my heart. My dad had Alzheimer’s and while Harry is definitely NOT my dad, there are some aspects of Harry (his love of chocolate milkshakes and the way he calls everyone “Sunshine”) that come directly from my dad. I wanted to create a character to honor my dad and show the disease in a respectful, accurate way, which was hard because I also wanted Harry to be someone my readers would want to spend time with. We all know Alzheimer’s is an ugly disease, so it was a tricky balancing act. Honestly, Harry was not supposed to survive beyond the first book he was in (Lost Legacy). I intended to have him die a hero. But as my critique group worked its way through the pages, I could see them falling in love with him and knew they would kill ME if I killed off Harry. And considering my readers’ reactions to him, I think keeping him around was the wiser choice!

 

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OK, now let’s talk about your writing, the process and the peripherals.

 

Reading Room:  At what point in your life did you think you might like to write books, and was it always mystery/crime you wanted to write?

Annette:  I’ve been writing “books” since high school. I would write what is now called “fan fiction” longhand, in pencil, in a lined spiral-bound notebook and pass it around to my “fans” during study hall. They would read it and give it back with orders to “write MORE.” That’s very addictive! At that time, I was writing westerns and sci-fi. Then I discovered Mary Higgins Clark’s Where Are the Children. From that point, the only thing I wrote was crime fiction. However, I didn’t get serious about writing for publicatio 

 

Reading Room:  Who were the people who encouraged you the most, personally and/or professionally, when you began to write the Zoe Chambers series?

Annette:  Personally, my mom supported my efforts although she really didn’t understand why I wanted to write. She was very pragmatic and didn’t “get” the creative side of her only daughter. Professionally, my Sisters in Crime mentored me, especially Nancy Martin. And Hank Phillippi Ryan offered me fabulous advice at a point when I was stuck in my career.

 

Reading Room:  So many authors seem to be part of a writing group who support and often review one another's work.  Do you have such a group, or have you had?

Annette:  Oh, yes. It takes a village. I’ve been involved in a number of critique groups over the years. My current one consists of three other published authors (Liz Milliron, Jeff Boarts, and Peter W.J. Hayes) without whom I can’t imagine writing anything worth reading. I’ve also swapped pages for years with my dear friend and fellow author Donnell Ann Bell. As I mentioned, I’m active in Sisters in Crime and Pennwriters. I credit all of them for getting me where I am.

 

Reading Room:  Can you tell us a little about your writing process or routine?   Do you have a set number of hours or words you strive for each day?  Any quirky writing habits you care to share? (i.e., a writing lucky charm or the sort?)

Annette:  My routine consists of getting up much too early, making coffee, and sending my husband off to work. Then I work on social media for a while before I wake up enough to eat breakfast. I start writing around 8:00 and spend (usually) two or three hours at it before taking a break. After lunch, I either work on editing or marketing or some other aspect of the business end of things. I do set a page goal each day, but it varies depending on whether I’m in the first draft or revision phase. I don’t have any lucky charms. I guess I’m quirky enough without one!

 

Reading Room:  Do you have a favorite part of writing?  Hardest part?

Annette:  The answer to both is the first draft. It’s the hardest part but it’s also the part I have the most fun with.

 

Reading Room:  Are you a plotter or a pantster?  Are outlines a part of your writing process?  Do you know where a story is going when you begin writing it?

Annette:  I’m a hybrid. Plus my plotting process varies from book to book. I’ve tried pantsing but the revisions on those manuscripts are intense. I always know who the killer is before I start, and I know his motive. From there I write the first 30 to 50 pages by the seat of my pants, but I know what a couple of the big plot twists are going to be. So my outline is basically a road map with a couple of stops marked along the way. In between, I never know where I’m headed.

 

Reading Room:  Now, a pandemic question.  So many of my reading friends have had trouble focusing on their reading during this pandemic.  Has the focus problem affected you as a writer?  Or as a reader?

Annette:  Yes. Both. More so at the start of the pandemic. Part of it was timing too. I’d turned in my 10^th Zoe Chambers mystery (Til Death) in February and knew it was the last of my contract. For the first time in several years, I wasn’t on a deadline and didn’t have a clear vision of what was next. In a normal year, I might have enjoyed the freedom. But I felt like I was floundering for a while. By mid-summer, I got my act together and regained my focus. By fall, I’d signed with a new agent and had a new contract with a new publisher. Lately, I’m again having some focus issues. I think I’m so eager to get the vaccine but so far down on the eligibility list, I’m bouncing between eager anticipation and depression over more canceled plans. But I do have that deadline which provides motivation to get the pages done! Reading has been an even bigger struggle but happily, I’ve discovered a few really excellent books and authors who’ve snapped me out of my doldrums.

 

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Now, looking to the future of your writing, Zoe and more.

 

Reading Room:  The Zoe Chamber series is so special to so many readers that it would be easy for you to concentrate solely on that, but you have a stand-alone book coming out in 2021.  Can you tell us a bit about how that evolved?

Annette:  That’s a novel-length story on its own! Short version: This is a manuscript I wrote back in 2005. I signed with an agent for it in 2006, but it never sold and the agent and I parted company. I bounced between it and Circle of Influence, the first Zoe Chambers mystery, for several years before focusing on Zoe. Once I got my first publishing contract, the old manuscript was put aside. Fast forward to 2020. I had completed my last contract with my publisher. I didn’t have an agent at the time. So, I pulled out Death by Equine, and decided to run it through my critique group, have my freelance editor do her thing, and indie publish it just to have something coming out in 2021. I now intend to release it on May 11. It’s about Dr. Jessie Cameron, a racetrack veterinarian whose mentor dies beneath the hoofs of one of his patients. Jessie doesn’t believe his death is the tragic accident everyone claims, but something much more sinister.

 

Reading Room:  As one of the many readers who depend on the Zoe Chambers series to be there like a treasured friend, can you comment as to the future of the series?  I must advise you that there is only one acceptable answer to this question.

Annette:  Zoe, Pete, and the gang will be back! I’m currently working on #11 which is scheduled for release in May 2022.

 

Reading Room:  Annette, you’ve changed publishers recently.  Can you tell us a bit about who your new publisher is and why you’re excited about your future with them?  Are they encouraging about the Zoe Chambers series and/or more stand-alones?

Annette:  Yes! First, let me say that finding a new publisher to pick up a series this far along is rare and amazing! I’m now with Level Best Books, who signed me for the next three Zoe mysteries, and I’m thrilled. I’ve known the women who run the business for years, and they’re incredibly supportive of their authors and the mystery community. Their other authors are terrific, and there’s a family atmosphere at Level Best that makes it feel like home.

 

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I like to end up interviews on a personal note of interest.  So, here are a couple of questions in that area.

 

Reading Room:  We fans are always curious about what our favorite authors are reading.  So, Annette, what are you reading these days?  Do you have a list of books you plan to read (I’m a list person and do have this)?

Annette:  So many books, so little time! Some people have to-be-read piles. I have to-be-read shelves. I recently discovered M.E. Browning’s Shadow Ridge and loved it. I’ll definitely be reading more by her. Next up on my list is And Now She’s Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall. Then I have some catching up to do with November Road by Lou Berney and All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny.

 

Reading Room:  And now, for one of my favorite questions I ask authors.  What would you like your readers to know about you that isn’t in your bio information?  Besides your obvious writing talent, any special interests or talents, quirky or not, you’d like to share?  This can be from your past or your present, a skill or an experience.

Annette:  In a previous life, my husband and I ran a photography studio. Years later, I was a contributing author and photographer to Pennsylvania Magazine. However, I had put my Nikon in its case and set it aside to use my phone’s camera for a long time (since getting on Instagram!) I recently pulled it out and am once again enjoying making photographs. It’s another form of storytelling that uses a different part of my brain.

 

 

Biography From Annette’s Web Site:

Annette Dashofy is the USA Today best-selling author of the Zoe Chambers mystery series about a paramedic and deputy coroner in rural Pennsylvania’s tight-knit Vance Township. Five of her books have been nominated for the Agatha Award: CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE for Best First Novel 2014, BRIDGES BURNED (Best Contemporary Novel 2015), NO WAY HOME (Best Contemporary Novel 2017), CRY WOLF (Best Contemporary Novel 2018), and FAIR GAME (Best Contemporary Novel 2019). TIL DEATH is the 10th in the series. She has an upcoming standalone, DEATH BY EQUINE, set for release May 11, 2021. Annette’s short fiction includes a 2007 Derringer Award nominee featuring the same characters as her novels. She is the current vice president of the Pittsburgh Chapter of Sisters in Crime and serves as a board member of Pennwriters, was their 2013 recipient of the Meritorious Service Award, and was their Saturday keynote speaker at the 2017 Pennwriters Conference. She also belongs to International Thriller Writers. Annette is represented by Blue Ridge Literary Agency. She and her husband live on part of what used to be her grandfather’s dairy farm in southwestern Pennsylvania with one very spoiled cat.

https://www.annettedashofy.com/

https://twitter.com/Annette_Dashofy

https://www.facebook.com/annette.dashofy

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/annette-dashofy

  

 

 

                          Coming May 11, 2021

 

 

 

A Dead Man's Eyes by Lori Duffy Foster: Reading Room Review

 

A Dead Man’s Eyes is the first book in the new Lisa Jamison Mystery series by Lori Duffy Foster, and it is the author’s debut mystery/crime novel. However, Lori Duffy Foster is no novice at writing. A former crime reporter who has gone on to write non-fiction and short fiction, this mystery/crime fiction debut clearly reflects that writing experience. The pacing is particularly good, something that no doubt benefits from Lori’s crime reporting and familiarity with police and investigative procedure. The suspense level is sustained throughout the story, with just the right edge of encroaching danger. I found myself reading this book with that unshakeable trepidation of something waiting just around the corner, and that’s just how I want my mystery/crime reading to feel. 

The character at the center of the action is Lisa Jamison, barely in her thirties, but already with a sixteen-year-old daughter. Lisa had a rocky, unconventional start to her current life as a mother and reporter for the local newspaper in Seneca, New York. Having left a home where her parents neglected her for drugs and pregnant at fifteen, Lisa got put in the system. Her luck actually improved at that point, unlike some who suffer in the temporary support system. A couple took Lisa in and showed her a loving home, which enabled her to have her baby, Bridgette, go to college, and start a career. Bridgette’s father was out of the picture, partially due to the night that a tragedy caused he and Lisa to part. 

But, sixteen years later Lisa finds herself face to face with Bridgette’s father, Marty. Unfortunately for Marty, he is lying on a medical examiner’s table, dead from a gunshot wound. Lisa is friends with the ME, who has allowed her to identify Marty. Marty had recently contacted Lisa wanting to see Bridgette, but Lisa had told him she wasn’t yet ready for that. Now, Marty is the victim of murder and accused of being a drug dealer. Lisa knows that no matter how long it’s been since she’s seen Marty, he’s no drug dealer. So, how did her ex-boyfriend end up a murder victim? Lisa isn’t a reporter for nothing. Before she can tell Bridgette about her father, Lisa needs to clear his name and be able to give her daughter a more positive image of him.

Marty’s death really gets bizarre when at the funeral home visitation for him, his mother meets Lisa outside the funeral home to warn her that people will be watching them and to meet her in the funeral home’s restroom after a bit. The meeting in the restroom is brief and to the point. Celeste tells Lisa that she and Bridgette are in danger and gives her evidence Marty had on the people who killed him, evidence about a black market Lisa had been oblivious to. It becomes a life and death matter to uncover what happened to Marty now, but it’s hard for Lisa to know whom she can trust. She suspects the Mohawk County Sheriff’s Department of somehow being involved, and she feels threatened by the Sheriff. She has no choice but to keep digging, at one point literally, as Lisa fights to keep herself and those she loves from becoming victims, too. 

Thanks to Lori Duffy Foster and Level Best Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this first book of what promises to be a thrilling, dynamic series. I was delighted to find that A Dead Man’s Eyes was a book that thoroughly gripped me from beginning to end, and what an action-packed, emotionally charged ending it is. The characters are all so deftly developed, building on their background information that seamlessly segues into who they are today. There is a depth to the characters that is exceptional in a debut novel. Lori Duffy Foster is a welcome addition to the mystery/crime fiction community, and I am looking forward to her next addition to this series.

You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened ~ Reading Room Review

 

 

If you could travel back in time and not only observe but interact with your ten-year-old self and your then family, would you? Amy Weinland Daughters imagines herself doing just that, and the result is a fictionalized account of how as a forty-six-year-old adult Amy confronts her memories head-on. The very person she grew up to be, the wife and mother she became had their roots in the feelings and evaluations of her place in her family. Her relationships with her father and mother and siblings sprung from her perceptions of this family life. Would her perceptions be validated, or would they be turned upside down by a visit to her childhood? What would Amy learn about there being more than one side to a story? Is the title of the book accurate, that she cannot mess this up?  You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened seems both a dare and a promise.

Amy's trip back to 1978, from 2014, begins as an innocuous flight from Centreville, Ohio to Houston, Texas. Her husband Willie’s boss is married to a small plane pilot, who offers to let Amy tag along on a flight, as they are both going to Houston at the same time. Amy needs to get there a day ahead of her husband and sons, who will arrive on Thanksgiving Day, to attend a financial meeting with her father, Dick, and her siblings, Jen and Rick. Amy is the proverbial middle child of this family, with Jen being the "golden child" and Rick being the male heir to the family name.  Falling asleep shortly after take-off, Amy wakes up to find quite a shocking turn of events. She and Mary are wearing different clothes, and by different, I mean clothes from another time. Here’s the description of Amy’s new attire:                                                             

“My skinny jeans, boots, and sweater had morphed into some snug-fitting plaid pants. The color combo was mesmerizing—a blaring yellow-gold background, like the harvest-gold refrigerator my mom had in the ‘70s—offset with a brown check and narrow white gridlines. It was as if a roll of Scotch tape had exploded on my legs. Then there was a turtleneck sweater, ribbed, I suppose, for my pleasure. It was the same yellow-gold as the pant. It was seriously tight and for some unknown reason had a zipper at the back neck opening. I couldn’t see it, but I could definitely feel it.” 

 

Mary explains the bizarre turn of events. Amy is going to spend Thanksgiving Day 1978, which is apparently today, and the next day until 5:00 p.m. with her family of 1978, in their home of 1978, and that includes her ten-year-old self. The cover story is that she is a writer, which is true, and she has come to meet with someone in Houston about her writing. She is unable to make her returning connection to her home in Ohio and is thus going to be spending Thanksgiving with her cousin Dick, really Amy’s father, and his family. Apparently, Dick is going to buy this story.

Amy is in flash-back heaven as Mary drives her through the trendy subdivision of her 1978 childhood. It was nothing short of idyllic. When they arrive at Amy’s past home and family, she approaches it with much trepidation. Will this actually work? Will she be able to fake it and not slip up with her 2014 world spilling out? She seems to be the only one ill at ease with the task. Her 1978 family is welcoming, and Little Amy (present Amy becomes Big Amy, as she keeps her name) is an exuberant greeter indeed. Big Amy thinks maybe Little Amy is acting like a bit of a freak, but that’s not a complete surprise. Shown to her room, the only room on the third floor but conveniently with a bathroom, Amy unpacks her suitcase and realizes that everything in it is 1978 appropriate, even the make-up and sanitary napkins.

It’s easier than Amy feared to slip into the routine of the household as her mother prepares Thanksgiving dinner. She has alone time with all the family members and group time with the kids. She is surprised and thrilled by meeting her beloved dog Cecil again, too, and because dogs are dogs, Cecil recognizes her. There is a lot packed into the 36 hours Amy spends in 1978, and she gets an adult’s view of the family’s interactions and words, including both sets of her grandparents. The tension she never realized as a child that existed between her grandparents comes as an eye-opening revelation. The adult Thanksgiving night party is also a completely new piece of information to Amy. And, the everyday items of life were so less advanced than the time Amy had occupied just a few hours before. A television got only a few channels and much of that was poor reception, but no one seem frustrated by it. It was all they knew. Amy is disappointed in herself that she let so many things go seemingly unnoticed that she felt she should have noticed. Of course, she does recognize that a ten-year-old might not be as observant as a forty-six-year-old. After all, a child’s view is quite egocentric. 

All along, Amy is writing pieces of information and questions in a notebook, as there are so many comings and goings of the ordinary pieces of life that she never noticed. For example, how had she never realized that so many of her favorite popular songs on the radio as a child had adult lyrics? When did remote controls for television sets come into existence? Amy was constantly checking herself to not say such words as iPhone or Starbucks or cable TV. As you stand and look around your home today, you might ask yourself, when did laminate floors become available? Or, has the mail always been delivered six days a week? Or, when did the wall phone become popular and when did its use die out? When did the microwave oven become an everyday kitchen fixture, and when did the air fryer start to take over? And, when did skinny television sets replace the big heavy ones?

I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous, heartbreaking, renewing journey of Amy Weinland Daughters back to her birds-eye view of her ten-year-old world. It is filled to the brim with interesting contrasts between 1978 and 2014. It examines how people view the same conversation or event differently, and how we too often fail to consider another person’s experience of it. And, memories, can they be trusted? Reading You Cannot Mess This Up played to my fantasy of traveling back in time to my childhood. How many things did I not notice or view differently than others? Did my whistling in the back seat of the car produce a headache for my father as he drove instead of a cheerful tune? Is that why he asked me to stop? Reading this book will have readers re-examining some of their childhood moments, too, and that’s one of the best parts of reading, how we relate personally to it.

Although my favorite reading is mystery/crime, You Cannot Mess This Up was a delightful departure from it. As describes the reactions to so many stories of the heart, I laughed, I cried. The awkwardness of Big Amy’s dealing with an adult education of her previous family life and the love and compassion she feels for Little Amy create plenty of humor and heartache. There are touching moments and moments of utter frustration. Mary tells Amy before she enters her time warp home that she will have questions. But, will Amy gain the answers she needs? It’s a wild thirty-six hour ride for Amy and the reader to determine that.