"A Murder in Zion", by Nicole Maggi

A National Park Mystery Book #1

This mystery centers on Emmeline Helliwell, a special agent with the National Parks Service.

After the death of her mother Emme isn’t herself, her sister is on a dig a world away and she fells alone and lost, especially after her last case resulted in a woman’s death. She had given her boss a two week’s notice and planned to move on…But when investigators found a body in Zion National Park and her boss asked Emme to look into it…It was soon discovered that the victim was one of her high school friend…..She then decided to delay her retirement to take part in the investigation….and the mystery begins.

The author’s prose is effortless and very dynamic. Ms. Maggi knows how to unspool an intricate whodunit mystery with a wonderful cast to entertain us. She placed her drama in the most dramatic settings of all to keep us on our toes till the very end. The imagery is so vivid, no doubt the description will stay fixed in your mind a long time, it has for me.

“A Murder in Zion” is a gripping tale and a real page -turner that brings the breathtaking beauty and the dangers of the wilderness close to home and is also a nuanced tale of how family and career can tear people apart and how religious fanatic and abusive cult leaders can use their power to manipulate and control others.

This story is well-said and well-done

Many thanks to Oceanview Publishing for this ARC

"Cuban Deep", by George Wallace

Published in 2019

Hunter Killer #3

Commander George Wallace was for years Executive officer of class nuclear submarines and worked extensively with the Seal community. It is not surprising that “Cuban Deep” is peppered with Submarine Phraseology.

Examples:

Forward room, set depth one ze-ro feet.
Forward room, set depth one ze-ro feet.
Conning tower, tubes one, two ready
Fire one. Fire two

The story in a few words:

Admiral Juan Valdez is the puppet master behind Venezuela’s doctorship believes that seizing Latin America is well within his grasp. What he is really aiming for is the massive undersea oil deposit that lies to the north. He must take Cuba….. he will go to no ends to get to it. Then came the crew of submarine USS Toledo with its handful of SEALs to protect America’s interest…Voilà….the chase in on….enjoy.

My thoughts:

Superbly done and the most realistic submarine story I have ever read. At the moment I am watching a TV documentary on submarines called “Hell Below” I see how accurate this thriller is even if at times it is a bit over the top and no doubt in my mind it is written for our enjoyment. Both the characters and the plot are credible of course it helps when a story stars with action and ends with even more roaring action. Excitement galore when the SEAL team are stranded on a small island, we eventually find out that one mucky-muck is working both sides.

This is a superbly crafted story giving us multiple twists and giving us more suspense as we follow the elite American warriors doing their thing….I was kept on the edge of my seat from the got-go. Once into it I had a hard time putting aside…that captivating.

This is the story of a power grab attempt by a Venezuelan admiral and the America’s elite thwarting the intent….

Examples:

Make all preparations for surfacing *Secure the ventilation. Shut bulkhead flappers.