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Marilyn Dalla Valle

Auteur de Murder in Mystic

5 oeuvres 34 utilisateurs 12 critiques

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Comprend les noms: Marilyn Dalla Valle

Crédit image: Marilyn Dalla Valle

Séries

Œuvres de Marilyn Dalla Valle

Murder in Mystic (2012) 12 exemplaires
Westwind Secrets (2021) 6 exemplaires

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Critiques

The Westwind Secrets started out quick paced as Mysti inherited her grandmothers dilapidated victorian style house. Mysti is going through a divorce so the timing of this is perfect. While Mysti and her trusted companion Zak, her dog move in she is overwhelmed by all the work that needs to be done. Suddenly out of the blue Harry arrives to be her handyman in exchange for a place to stay.
The book starts to slow down as strange events start to happen. Will, Mysti's soon to be ex keeps showing up, her nosy neighbor Penelope a no nonsense old lady, and was Mysti's grandma murdered? And what secrets did the house bear?
There are some good twists and turns that I did not see coming. About 3/4 into Westwind Secrets the pace picks up again. The ending I found a little cheesy but overall was a great read and I'd recommend it.
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
Roman_ | 5 autres critiques | Sep 22, 2021 |
This was a great book. A lot of drama, and a little mystery. My favorite character was definitely Penelope, although I liked Mysti as well. The characters were interesting, and it was easy to immerse myself in the story. I wouldn't call this a thriller, although there was plenty of tension. Marilyn had wonderful descriptions and was able to deftly convey the vibe of both places and people in such a way that I felt like I was experiencing everything first hand. There were a few places where things moved a little slow, and it felt like unnecessary information was added in (ex Mysti's weight loss and desire to lose more was just tossed in at an awkward moment). Overall a really enjoyable read.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
Silverduck | 5 autres critiques | Aug 3, 2021 |
Virginia author Marilyn Dalla Valle, with experience as a dance instructor and a professional photographer, continues writing superb her mysteries novels with WESTWIND SECRETS – a standalone novel centering on a romance writer who turns to mystery writing after a startling discovery. As with her other series – the successful LIZ ADAMS MYSTERIES – she demonstrates a keen focus on suspense with a fine element of romantic overlay.

A Connecticut native now living in Williamsburg, VA Marilyn know the East Coast well, and placing her story on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island feels atmospherically accurate – as the opening lines of the story reveal – ‘There were no more tears to shed when the tires his the gravel drive. Exhausted from hours of bumper to bumper traffic along the I-95. Mysti was numb. All she wanted was to get on with her life. For the moment, Will’s betrayal was safely tucked away, in a box that she refused to open. Dusk had settled over the stonewalled fields as Mysti negotiated her nine-year-old Honda Civic, with rented, single-axle box trailer in tow, under the maple canopy. She rounded the curve and slammed on the brake. Before her loomed a dilapidated, three-story mansion. Fear lumped in her throat. It resembled the one in ‘Psycho’…’

The intriguing story is well-distilled in the author’s synopsis – ‘Devastated by her husband's infidelity, romance writer, Mysti Wade, loads her personal possessions into a rented trailer and sets off to claim her unseen inheritance with her rescued hound, Zak. Left by her estranged grandmother, the Second Empire Victorian mansion on Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay is thirty years past prime condition. The estate has no money for maintenance and repairs. Stuck, with meager means and no place to go, Mysti stays, despite rumored ghosts. When a drifter, Harry Pearson, shows up during a severe thunderstorm, she agrees to let him live in the carriage house in exchange for work. Soon, the tumbledown, brick fortress, springs back to life with mowed lawns, tended gardens, rebuilt porches and painted trim, but invisible evil shrouds the property. Broke, and heartbroken by her failed marriage, Mysti abandons a romance novel to write a mystery, using reality for inspiration. Oblivious to danger and driven by an unexplainable force, she delves into her grandmother’s accidental death and squandered assets with skeptical eyes. Bodies drop to protect guilty secrets, some buried for generations. Walking a tightrope to stay alive and protect her dog, Mysti Wade exposes deceit, greed and murder. Justice is served!’

Conversational prose makes this a fast reading little book and despite its length, likely most readers will stay with it until the mystery is resolved. Another fine novel form Marilyn Dalla Valle. Recommended.
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
555litereads | 5 autres critiques | Jul 5, 2021 |
This was a great book. A lot of drama, and a little mystery. My favorite character was definitely Penelope, although I liked Mysti as well. The characters were interesting, and it was easy to immerse myself in the story. I wouldn't call this a thriller, although there was plenty of tension. Marilyn had wonderful descriptions and was able to deftly convey the vibe of both places and people in such a way that I felt like I was experiencing everything first hand. There were a few places where things moved a little slow, and it felt like unnecessary information was added in (ex Mysti's weight loss and desire to lose more was just tossed in at an awkward moment). Overall a really enjoyable read.… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
LilyRoseShadowlyn | 5 autres critiques | Jun 26, 2021 |

Statistiques

Œuvres
5
Membres
34
Popularité
#413,653
Évaluation
½ 4.4
Critiques
12
ISBN
6