Welcome to Goran Vale. A small (fictitious) town in New South Wales.
It isn’t far from Sydney and Melbourne.
It’s a long way from home—and farther from the truth than most folks find comfortable.
Author G.S. Bailey places readers right into the heart of town with vivid and detailed descriptions. We can close our eyes and see a little town reminiscent of Twin Peaks—without the picket fences.
A romance served with murder receives 4 of 5 stars.
Meet Kate.
She was left standing at the altar by one of the men in her life.
Early on, we meet them: Paul (her boss), Bobby (adopted brother), Ben (the friendly police officer), Stephen (her first love), and Lance (American insurance salesman). Will one of these candidates be the man for her?
One of them is “special” character. He’s the common denominator that links the major characters. He’s the glue that holds the story together.
Minor characters in Goran Vale are introduced and we learn that everyone seems to have secrets and several have skeletons in their closets (literally.)
Parallel plot lines follow Kate as she looks for the right man and Ben, the cop, who looks for the killer of poor little Melanie Rose.
Bailey does a superb job of weaving a page turner as we rush to learn which search is successful. Clues to the murder turn up when the shooting starts.
Which of the leading men will win Kate’s heart?
Will Kate and Ben find the same man? How do their paths cross en route to the story’s denouement?
A Man for Kate previously appeared as Remains of a Local Girl and Bailey does an efficient job of creating two female characters for whom either title would be eponymous.
A Man for Kate plays well as both a romance novel and a whodonnit. Such are the mysteries of love.
In the end, we leave Goran Vale secure in the knowledge that more books in the “Mystery Loves Romance” series are forthcoming.
Can you hear the Angelo Badalamenti soundtrack?
January 22, 2015
FCEtier
FCEtier 