FROM THE DESK OF
DONA PENZA TATTLE, ESQ.
AND
ASSOCIATE WRYE BALDERDASH
Greetings,
“They say April showers bring May flowers so what does June
bring?” Tattle asks as she arranges a
huge vase of wild flowers.
Wrye grabs Tattle’s hand before she can add a strange looking
weed. “Poison ivy? Do you really want to add that?”
She holds up her gloved hands.
“I thought it sort of went with the theme of our new review.”
Wrye does the bushy brow lift and wiggle, a well-practiced expression
that he thinks makes him look spiffy and dapper. “The poison ivy?”
“No, silly, the gloves. We are entering
into the world of a Cavendish Brown Paranormal Mystery. It has suspense… mystery… psychometry…
witches and gloves!”
“Psy… what? Gloves? Huh?”
“No more chat, m’partner in sleuth, off to our Love of Literature Leap
and our review of THE WITCH’S DAUGHTER by Ron D. Voigts.
“Wow, it’s a good thing for Cavendish Brown that Marbella Wellingway,
from his old hometown of Maiden Falls, sent the Armani suit-clad lawyer to keep
him out of jail after a bar fight.”
Sighing, Tattle slips through the story pages and feels the full impact
of Cavendish’s grief. “Although, he was
somewhat vicious, the other guy deserved it for being abusive to a lady. So, if I were judge and jury, I’d fully
forgive him. Especially since Cavendish
was drowning in a whole lot of mourning.
He lost his beloved wife, Emma, the year before and, unfortunately, was
using alcohol to dull that pain. Plus,
he could no longer handle being a reporter at the Charleston Gazette. Marabella’s offer for him to get the defunct
Maiden Falls Herald back in operation really keeps him out of hot water.”
“Or is it more out of hot water and into the flaming fire, or maybe
even more aptly put into the witch’s brew.”
“Just ‘cause Marabella looks witchy doesn’t mean the wealthy town
monarch is a witch.” Tattle’s lips slide
into a somewhat wicked grin. “Then
again, who knows….”
“Then there is poor, intensely unattractive Jane Jones.” It is Wrye’s turn to sigh. “The twenty-year old girl lives with the dead
body of her mother for days, even though the death stench permeates the
apartment. Of course, this, along with
the fact she refuses to take off her soiled gloves, gives the authorities the
opinion that she is dimwitted, and they send her to an institution.”
“But,” Tattle wags a finger as if scolding Wrye for not being more
observant. “Jane’s condition has nothing
to do with lack of wit and more to do with a combination of being raised
outside the norm of society and about the paranormal, psychometry to be
precise. When she touches an object, she
holds the memory of whoever last touched it.
Hence, this is why she wears gloves.”
“You louse!” Wrye suddenly cries
out as he banishes an imaginary sword at Doctor Denton. Of course, the doc
can’t see him. “What an unsavory quack.” After plunging invisible steel through the
man’s heart, Wrye has a look of vindication.
“He allowed Benson Briggs to take Jane away. Briggs works for Sammie Hunt, an organized
crime associate, whose girlfriend decided not to return from a pick-up with a
suitcase full of Sammie’s money.
Ironically, that girlfriend, Nikki Parker, now being hunted by Sammie’s
dangerous henchman, used to date Cavendish throughout high school.”
Taking Wrye’s pretend sword and sheathing it in an equally imaginary
casing, Tattle once again waves a tsk-tsk finger at him, adding, “Equally
ironic, while on the run, her stolen car breaks down in Maiden Falls. At the same time, Briggs brings Jane to
Maiden Falls to use her to help discover who killed Sammie’s wife a year
previously, and to find out what happened to Sammie’s missing daughter,
Holly. If that isn’t enough, Briggs involves
Cavendish in figuring out the case.”
“Annnnd,” Wrye declares with a ta-da attitude, “don’t forget about the
second murder, the smoking hot goth girl, Alexandra, who happens to be Marbella
Wellingway’s daughter, who she coerces to work at the Herald with
Cavendish. Know why?”
“She wants a lock of his hair for her witch’s brew?”
Wrye displays the hands on hips, gotta-be-kidding-me stance. “Noooo, and I’m not gonna tell you because
the readers might be listening and they have to find out for themselves.”
“You fiendish devil, you,” Tattle says, winking as she dashes through
the pages to find the answer. “Anyway,
Cavendish soon becomes eyebrow deep in danger as Jane’s visions bring them
closer to uncovering the killer, Nikki brings a thug to his front door all
while a witchy woman tries to capture him in her web. And, we’re not talking about Marbella.”
Still literally in the scenes of the story, Wrye settles himself on a
rock, viewing a waterfall while trying to avoid looking at a washed-up body on
the bank. “All I can say is this is one
fabulous read. It pulls you into
Cavendish’s shattered world and keeps you wanting more. He’s a decent and gallant man who keeps
trying to do the right thing, and keeps courting trouble. You just can’t help feeling for the guy. He has some flaws and that makes him all the
more real.”
Tattle joins Wrye. “All the
characters are dimensional, unique and true-to-life. Paradoxically, despite being dead, even Emma
has texture as you feel her through Cavendish’s heart. A flashback scene with Cavendish and Emma
actually prompted tears, and totally ruined my mascara! Additionally, the story flows easily from one
page to the next, and the paranormal elements add just the right spice to
enhance an already flawlessly plotted murder mystery. In the end, you might have many answers, but
not everything is tied up in a neat little parochial school girl saddle shoes
bow. After all, this is a series, and
Ron D. Voigts makes certain you will want to come back again and again. Will Cavendish cut back on the booze? Will Alexandra, the antithesis to his Emma,
garner his attention and just what is it that has brutes fleeing from her
stare? And what will happen to Jane with
her mysterious quirks and unusual ability?
Those are just a few of the queries that need answers. So, be prepared, like potato chips, one
Cavendish Brown Paranormal Mystery will not ever be enough!”
Thank you for joining us in our venture through THE WITCH’S DAUGHTER
and its review. Until next time, keep
reading CBG books!
Dona Penza Rutabaga Tattle, Esq. and Associate Wrye Balderdash
of Blather City, Wannachat
Created and written by
Angelica Hart and Zi
***
Angelica Hart and Zi ~ Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane
www.champagnebooks.com - www.carnalpassions.com - angelicahartandzi.com
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