Well-thought-out and original… A deliciously readable mystery.
Brandon’s latest brilliantly integrates psychological depth into a clever mystery plot. With the Great War and the Spanish Flu pandemic behind, the world seems like a fine place once again. A new camp for girls has just begun in the mountains of western North Carolina. Seeking both adventure and an escape from her dreary life back home, the camp counselor Tricia Grimball is looking forward to working with new girls. But a kidnapping followed by a murder sets Tricia on a dangerous path of sleuthing. Brandon’s thoroughly sketched characters and setting breathe further life into the effortlessly crafted plot while the engaging prose and expert inclusion of misleading red herrings throughout the narrative pull the reader right in. Brandon’s atmospheric setting of the lush North Carolina mountains and the deeply affective insights about friendship, love, identity, independence, forgiveness, God, religion, and life in general make this coming-of-age story a triumph. Readers looking for a thoroughly gripping, sophisticated traditional mystery won’t be able to resist.
A Rule of Life
By Patricia Brandon
Pub date April 21, 2021
ISBN 978-0578883557
Price $12.99 (USD) Paperback, $3.13 Kindle edition