Fabulous and Brunette: Searching for Truth by Barry Finlay - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway

Searching For Truth

by Barry Finlay

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Former journalist Jake Scott is bored and lonely, having lost his wife and retired from his job. His daughter has moved with a boyfriend to another city. All that keeps him going is a weekly breakfast gathering with friends and a temperamental, overweight cat named Oliver. Things change when one of the breakfast attendees, a beautiful police detective with a troubled teenage daughter, suggests Jake should write a book. When he takes her advice and researches a convicted murderer’s case, he finds out something is terribly wrong. Could a member of the breakfast group be hiding a secret deadly enough to commit murder? Jake follows leads that uncover a disturbing rollercoaster ride of clues, all while his attraction for the detective grows. An attempt to force the true murderer out of hiding results in a terrifying ordeal on the coldest night of the year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT THREE:

He paused, listening. Had the intruder heard? He tried to see the phone in the dark, but it wasn’t visible. Dammit! It must have slipped under the bench! He bent to search for it, but he would have to drop to his hands and knees to retrieve it. It was too late for that. Every sense was on full alert. Something crashed to the floor in the office. It sounded like a drawer from his desk. At least it meant the person didn’t know he was home yet. He had time to get out. The phone would stay where it was.

The intruder could burst from the office at any minute. Then Jake made his second mistake. He eased the closet door open and reached around the corner until his fingers closed on something solid. The move ate up precious seconds he could have used to leave. The object he sought was a stick he used to play street hockey with the neighborhood kids when Mia was still alive. He meant to give it to the kids long ago, but never found the time. Now, at least, he could use it to protect himself if he couldn’t get out fast enough. He left the closet door wide open as a barrier between him and the intruder.

Everything went black as Jake awkwardly fumbled for the lock with one hand while holding the stick with the other. The burglar had extinguished the flashlight. Jake held the stick in front of him as he reached behind his back for the lock. Gently diffused light lit the hallway through thin filmy material covering the sidelight beside the door, painting ghostly shadows on the walls and floor. Panic beckoned. Jake fought it off, but he couldn’t slow down the runaway freight train that was his heart. His eyes flew open when the intruder, head down and his eyes watchful for obstructions in the dark, turned the corner.

Jake stood face to face with a possible killer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY BOOK REVIEW:

Burrrrrr!!! It’s cold in Ottawa!!!

I could feel the freezing wind breezing across my face and hear the snowflakes crunching under my boots as I started to shiver reading page after page. This book completely pulled me into the story as I hung on to every word, fully engaged and entertained through the last page!!!

This book was chilling, gripping, thrilling, and heart pounding!!!

This book was truly one of the most exciting, intriguing, suspenseful reads that I’ve read in a while!!! I was unable to put the book down, nor did I want to!!!

This book follows Jake Scott, a former big shot newspaper journalist who is trying to embrace the fundamentals of retirement – but it’s not going so well lol. It’s been two years since he reluctantly agreed to accept early retirement from the Ottawa Citizen, and while most people would be kicking back and enjoying the peace and quiet, Jake is finding that the isolation is driving him a bit stir crazy lol!! Thankfully, he still has his regular Saturday coffee get-togethers with his buddies at the Brew and Buns restaurant. These meetups offer Jake some much needed solace as the group reminisces and reflects on past and current events and criminal cases. While his friends have quickly caught on that Jake is extremely bored at home as he is beginning to get excited and even look forward to upcoming dental appointments lol, they suggest he find a hobby. More specifically, the newest group member, Daniela, recommends Jake write a book, and she even has the perfect case in mind to help him get started!! As a former reporter, researching, writing, and telling a story is exactly what Jake is good at, and the more he contemplates the idea, the eager he becomes about pursuing it. Could writing a book be exactly what Jake needs to get him out of this reclusive funk?? Will writing a book be enough to keep Jake busy and distracted from his boring retirement life?? What case does Daniela think is perfect for his new book and why?? No spoilers here!!! But you definitely will want to read this book and find out what happens!!!

Wow!!! Immediately from page one of the prologue the author throws a short, but intriguing and suspenseful scene that sets the whole book into motion. Right away, the reader is left in a fidgety anticipation, curious to find out what happens next. Unfortunately, chapter one reads, “Two and half years later.” While this at first seemed a bit disappointing to flip a total 180, quickly going from such a tense scene to a much calmer, laid back writing style, the author’s storytelling skills successfully continued to keep on par with a steady to fast pace, and smooth chapter transitions. Plus, it wasn’t long before the author skillfully developed and introduced additional intriguing mayhem plot points that was sure to keep this reader on her toes!!!

I really liked the main and supporting characters, as each one seemed to offer something special to the story. I adored the Saturday coffee crew as they were likable, enjoyable, and entertaining. It was a total “mixed bag,” kind of group, with everyone bringing something different to the table and offering their unique perspective. It almost sounded like one of those silly jokes, where a reporter, a lawyer, a detective, and a bus driver all walk into a bar err this case a café lol!!

I also really liked the main character, Jake. He was so realistic, relatable, and genuine. It was easy to sympathize and feel his heartache and sorrow after losing his wife of 33 years; his sadness and loneliness after his thirty-year-old daughter, Avery, moved 250 miles away to Toronto with her boyfriend, Nick; and his disappointment and regret of leaving the Citizen newspaper and accepting early retirement. Jake’s character depicts many strong, heavy emotions over the course of the book. The author does an excellent job of bestowing these feelings onto the reader as they follow Jake’s story. Jake has had to overcome many difficult obstacles – and all just to sit at home by himself, lonely, and bored. His bleak, meaningless days becoming only more tedious by the day. This wasn’t hard to picture, as the author provided thoroughly detailed descriptions. Plus, the boring retirement conundrum seems to be less of a myth and more of a reality. So, it was easy to get excited for Jake when he decided to fill his empty days with writing a book. His eagerness and enthusiasm lit up the pages and it was inspiring to see his passion awaken.

Another thing I really liked about this character, was their experience of working as a newspaper reporter. Some mystery books feature amateur sleuths without any real experience, thrusting them into the crime solving world and hunting down dangerous killers. Of course, those books are often more on the silly, fun, entertaining cozy side. Jake’s journalism skills essentially prepared him for conducting research, performing interviews, following clues, tracking down leads, etc. Even without law enforcement training, Jake still understood and followed basic crime solving procedures that any true mystery/crime fan would appreciate and be grateful for. So, props to the author for keeping the story realistic, authentic, and credible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Barry Finlay is the award-winning author of the inspirational travel adventure, Kilimanjaro and Beyond – A Life-Changing Journey (with his son Chris), the Amazon bestselling travel memoir, I Guess We Missed The Boat and five Amazon bestselling and award-winning thrillers comprising The Marcie Kane Thriller Collection: The Vanishing Wife, A Perilous Question, Remote Access, Never So Alone, and The Burden of Darkness. His new novel, Searching For Truth, introduces the Jake Scott Mystery Series. Barry was featured in the 2012-13 Authors Show’s edition of “50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading.” He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for his fundraising efforts to help kids in Tanzania, Africa. Barry lives with his wife Evelyn in Ottawa, Canada.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH BARRY:

Author Website:

https://www.barry-finlay.com

Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBarryFinlay

Twitter:

https://www.twitter.com/Karver2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3mBHmA6