Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Nebraska
Publisher: Emerald Prairie Press (December 7, 2019)
Paperback: 322 pages
ISBN-10: 1733742425
ISBN-13: 978-1733742429
Digital ASIN: B07ZHN2SMS
Synopsis:
VP of Student Affairs Cassandra Sato has a desk full of problems and it’s not even Thanksgiving break.
A student’s injury and a deaf advocacy project brings national media attention to underfunded Morton College.
Cassandra’s new boss talks to her dead husband. Cassandra’s mentor thinks he’s a superhero in a senior citizen’s body. And Cassandra, recently moved from Hawai’i, can’t crack the code of what to wear during November in Nebraska.
Is there more to the Vietnam-era story of a student’s death? Cassandra’s
search for the long-buried truth stirs up the wrath of those who want to keep the past forgotten.
My review:
This book is a nice departure of the cozy mysteries I have read before. Although still a female "detective", the main character's setting is on a college campus and she is not a store owner. No, she is a college vice president and has a load to figure out.
I was intrigued by this book to begin with as the characters in the book, with the exception of the VP, are Deaf. It is also written into the book that they use ASL to communicate their issues on campus. This is mainly the premise of the book to advocate for those on the campus who would not be able to hear in emergency devices being used on campus. The teacher backing this project is also Deaf, the VP is the student's advocate, and all of them find themselves in a 40 year old mystery which ties together so nicely.
It is very unusual to find good stories, if any, about Deaf culture. I could identify with many of the issues surrounding this group as I too am deaf. Because of that, I could not put the book down but even more so, the author wrote a good mystery! The twists were just enough that I wanted to keep going and certainly glad I did. Just as I thought the "killer" was caught, BAM, a twist to make me think otherwise.
Great piece! 4 stars from me.
Disclosure: I received a Kindle copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle
Where to find the author:
KELLY BRAKENHOFF is an American Sign Language Interpreter whose motivation for learning ASL began in high school when she wanted to converse with her deaf friends. Her first novel, Death by Dissertation, kicked off the Cassandra Sato Mystery Series. She also wrote Never Mind, first in a children’s picture book series featuring Duke the Deaf Dog. She serves on the Board of Editors for the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf publication, VIEWs. The mother of four young adults and two dogs, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.
Her first mystery, Death by Dissertation, released April 22, 2019.
Website – http://kellybrakenhoff.com/
Giveaway:
Michelle of Reading Authors Network is not responsible for the giveaway.
2 comments:
Thank you so much Michelle for taking the time to read and review Dead Week!
Your comments about identifying with the Deaf characters and their experiences makes me very happy that you enjoyed it. xoxox
I’d love to read this!
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