A Dark and Lonely Place

In a Dark and Lonely Place, this was a tale of two similar stories that took place and became separated 100 years in time. Like Bonnie and Clyde, in this nine-part novel, it was about the historical true love story of John Ashley and his girlfriend Laura Upthegrove, the first outlaws in Florida history that spanned years and ended in tragedy. In present day Florida, the fictional John Ashley, a framed and famed police detective, and his witness girlfriend, Laura Groves, who was wanted from the law. From start to finish, Edna Buchanan interwove the historical and fictional counterpart stories with the same story about the police who were after them in two different centuries and ended up in two different outcomes, when both world collided towards the end of the story. For those who love historical mysteries, this is the one for you.

This was one of Edna Buchanan's finest mysteries ever. I loved the parallel comparison of the fictional and factual counterparts of John Ashley and Laura with two different end results, when history didn't repeat itself. I loved how they meshed together for this fantastic novel. The backdrop of present day and past Florida was terrific. I did feel sorrow for both John Ashleys and Lauras in this novel. It was both fascinating and gripping as well. I did hate how the corrupt police mistreated both families in their time period. Riveting, driven and well-researched and written for this historical fiction/mystery.

Ready to read a tale of two stories? Enjoy this one now!

Margin of Error

Edna Buchanan's Margin of Error was the fifth installment of the Britt Montero mystery series. In this case, Britt went undercover on a Hollywood set of a movie.  An actor went undercover for his role as a government agent posing as agent, when he came into Britt's life. Someone's now stalking him, which is now followed by mishaps, mysterious accidents and deaths, which had pushed the production over-budget. Someone's trying to sabotage the film and murder him, when nightmares haunted Britt from a man she had previously shot on a former case. This also pushed the actor and Britt to work  together, while this stalker went after them with a menace.  From the Miami Herald press room to a Hollywood movie set, there was a bunch of drama with a tropical locale appeal, when Britt cornered the killers and identified them to find out who caused a scene.

This was another fantastic mystery from Edna Buchanan. I did feel a bit apprehensive for Britt as far as I was concerned. I loved the Hollywood angle in this mystery.I loved the connection Brit had with the actor. I continued to love the backdrop of Miami to set the scene. I didn't like this possessive stalker who wanted to do him in and Britt as well. This had all the good stuff for a great mystery with drama and a spark of intrigue.

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