Genre: Mystery
Description:
“When fourteen-year-old foster child Johnathan Thomas Woods is
suspected of murder, an old letter and a tacky billboard advertisement lead him
to the office of attorney Brian Stone. Recognizing the sense of hopelessness
lurking under John’s angry façade, Stone is soon convinced of his innocence.
When John offers up his lawn-mowing money as payment, Stone realizes this is a
case he can’t refuse.
In the face of overwhelming evidence assembled by the prosecution,
Stone and his team find themselves in a race against time to save an angry boy
who’s experienced more than his fair share of betrayal, a boy who more often
than not doesn’t seem interested in saving himself.”
Author:
An author with several books to her credit, Melinda Clayton is a licensed
psychotherapist, runs a small publishing company that publishes her books as
well as a handful of other authors, and a writing teacher for Southern New
Hampshire University’s online MFA program. She is also a contributing author at
Indies Unlimited. For more, check out her website.
Appraisal:
Child of Sorrow has appeal for the obvious reasons a mystery should,
something unknown to figure out. In this case trying to determine who really
killed Johnathan Thomas Woods’ foster mother. As I was reading, I was doing the
obvious, trying to fit the facts as I knew them thus far to the potential
suspects. Was it John? Was it someone John was trying to protect? Was it
someone who had nothing to do with John? But I also found myself pondering
different and, in many ways, bigger issues as well. One of those things I was
thinking about was kids who end up in foster homes, or kids who get in legal
trouble at a young age, both of which it turns out applied to Brian Stone, John’s
attorney, as well as Brian’s assistant and now John. What are the odds of
someone in that position turning things around and finding success in life?
Does our system tend to help or hinder this? In our fictional story here, how
would the story have turned out differently if John hadn’t gotten Brian
involved when he did, well before most people would have done such a thing.
This was a great mystery that kept me guessing. It has well-drawn characters
who it is easy to pull for, at least in the case of the good guys, and a plot
that got me thinking. Definitely my kind of book.
FYI:
Although this book is the third in Ms Clayton’s Tennessee Delta
Series, each of the books in the series stands on its own. Having read the prior
books in the series to be able follow the story in this one is not necessary.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 60-65,000 words
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